Over the weekend we went to my nieces wedding in Minnesota. Our friends who would be willing to dog sit were on vacation…so I decided that Ruby would have to go to the kennel. There’s an area vet that provides boarding and Ruby went there as a pup so I called and made arrangements.
Kelli and I went to pick her up Sunday night. As we were paying, there were lots of dogs barking. I said to the attendant, “Did you have lots of dogs?”. She said, “Eight but we have 21 next week. With having to spend 6 minutes with each dog, she’d be there for awhile.” Then she went in the back, let Ruby out and Ruby ran to us and peed in all her excitement.
I told the attendant that she had peed. She said, “Okay”. She didn’t get up to clean it up..nothing. Kelli was with so I looked at Kelli and Kelli looked at me wondering if we were suppose to clean up but saw no paper towels. Another lady was entering to pick up her dog so we just left wondering what was happening with the pee but figured it must not be our problem.
As I got in the truck my mind replayed and replayed what had happened and what was said….”six minutes with each dog…six minutes with each dog”. WHAT honestly, is that all Ruby got? Six minutes out of the kennel in the morning and six minutes out of the kennel at night. REALLY??? Is that all dogs get?? When I had originally called, I was told the dog was walked morning and night. I think I forgot to ask how long they were walked for. SIX minutes!?!!? Is this standard and I am over reacting or what??
It’s a good thing she forgives me….
I will be looking for some place else for Ruby to go. Anyone in the area know of anywhere?? I failed Ruby with only providing her with 12 minutes of out of the kennel time in in the 32 hours we were gone. I honestly feel horrible about this.
Egad! Six minutes? Sounds like jail and Ruby probably feels that way too. Don’t you have a friend or neighbor that would care for Ruby while you’re gone? We have taken our dog to a friends house when we travel and we care for their dog when they travel. And a time or two we had a young (college age or so) person from church stay at our home and care for our dog when we were gone. They were glad to get the break from home and our dog was in a familiar environment. Since we work all day, our dog was use to attention in the morning and again in the evening from the family and it worked out very well.
Well, I know just how you feel. We left our dog at the vet’s kennel for a few days, and came back to a skinny, skinny dog, with no water in her cage, and her just frantic to get to water! She drank a whole bowl, and went and peed forever! We vowed never to leave her again, so she flies on the plane with us and rides in the car when we go somewhere, and is as good as gold!
We’ve only had to board our dog once or twice, and told our 9 yr old that she was going to a doggie hotel to make her feel better about it. It was not a negative experience. The dog forgave us and we are lucky that I have older kids and in-laws that can come over when we are away, to romp and play and let her out, etc. That works better for us, and we don’t have to feel guilty. Definitely look for a better place, if you were not happy. It will make you and your dog feel better next time! :)
Our dogs go to the kennel several times a year, and they are excited to go. We tried 4 places before I found one that was clean, reasonably priced, and where they really pay attention to the dogs. I have to drive 45 minutes to get there, but it is worth it knowing my dogs are well taken care of.
Look. I like dogs and cats, but they are animals. Ruby was clean and healthy and happy to see you. No guilt there. There are pet sitters that come to your home and stay with your pets available. Check it out. I have no guilt about any animals that I care for. HIH
I just asked my daughter who has volunteer at our (town’s) animal rescue for about 7 years, and she says they get exercise for a certain amount of time and socialized for a certain amount of time. She said 6 minutes sounds really short. But she just turned 17, we live in MI, and she doesn’t know for sure. While it was a really awkward moment for you, they probably have mops and special cleansers to clean the floor. It probably has strong chemicals and they may not have wanted to advertise that (you can’t please every body 100% of the time), and while those are the standards, maybe they didn’t want to advertise that.
Don’t worry. I’d feel guilty too if I knew my pet, who has free range of the house, only was let out of his cage for 12 minutes. It doesn’t matter if he’s an animal or not. There’s no way I would let a stranger into my home to stay with my pets, but I would let some of my kid’s friends do it. Or pay them to come let the dog out a few times a day. Hopefully you can come up with some ideas before you have to go out of town next time. If I lived near you I would do it for free! I love farms and animals, and we both love fabric and quilting!
I know how you feel. Our dogs are part of our family, and we only want the best for them. I want someone who not only feeds my dog, but also provides exercise and companionship as well. We actually rarely take vacations as we hate to have our pets boarded…you really don’t know how much attention they really get. Surely they are missing their family and could use some extra attention and comfort. Although I do agree with the last poster about pet sitters coming to your home, her comment “but they are animals” really bothers me. Don’t think I would ever want her caring for my dog!
My son (19) was living at home and was asked by some church members to visit their home twice a day and take care of their overweight, medium-size dog while they were away for two weeks. They said that they knew the dog was overweight and were going to put her on a diet when they got back.
He had such fun with that dog – brought her over and showed her off to us several times. He spent quite a bit of time at their home with the dog. When the family got back, the dog had lost all the extra weight because of the many walks she had been out on. They were really pleased with her care.
Jo and Kellie:
Poor thing (Ruby)! She was so glad to see you and your daughter that is why she peed. I getting to the point….don’t invite me if I can not bring my dog. It just not worth the stress when I return. Animals can not tell you what happen when your gone.
We found a gal at church who comes into our house and spends the night with our dog. She’s here in the evening and mornings. She works a full-time job, so it’s no different for our dog than when I was working. You might check with some of Kalissa’s friends… they may be interested in dog sitting for extra money.
Try to find a Doggie Day Care. The dogs that are kenneled with them get to play in the day care all day with all the other dogs, with a few breaks to rest. This is what we did with our dogs and they would always get excited when we would get to the daycare.
I understand exactly how you feel. I vowed after the last overnight stay at the vet’s after surgery, I would never do that again. I thought ( that’s what I get for thinking and not asking) that after abdominal surgery that she would get attention through the night and that was why she needed to stay overnight. NOPE! She was in a kennel overnight, alone. No one to check on her, to know if she was sick, or in pain…why didn’t they tell me so I could take her home and care for her?
Maybe I was expecting too much, but I just assumed when I was told she must stay the night it meant she was getting overnight care.
My husband travels with work and I go with him some. My youngest son still lives at home and I’m glad he is willing to take care of my two chihuahua kids. I used to make a face when I was younger and heard people talk about their animals being like their children. Now that my children are grown with lives of ther own, my dogs have slid into that slot. They greet me at the door so happily even if I just went to the mailbox ( never got that response from the kids!) they snuggle up close and look with such understanding when I’m having an emotional day.
My dogs are worth more than six minutes.
We used to kennel our Golden Retriever when our youngest son couldn’t be home to watch him. He didn’t complain, but it would take several days for him to settle down after a kennel stay. Now we have a retired couple in our neighborhood who have made a little business of pet care. When we’re gone they come in four times a day and feed, walk, love, let out or whatever he needs. They also bring in the mail and generally keep an eye on the house. It costs more than the kennel, but it’s much better care and peace of mind for us.
Oh Jo and Ruby! I am so sorry to hear that it did not go so well. I know we have always been the house people send their dog to. Since we moved to WI we don’t get as many visitors as we would like but when we were in MN we had alot that would come and stay with us while their family was gone.
Try seeing if there are people at church that will do a watch/ babysit swap with you. See if there are local people that take in visitors while their parents are away or will come to your house. I use to do that for cat and bird people all the time.
Good luck.
oh, i feel your pain. it would bother me too if i thought ivy was only getting 6 minutes of attention each day. is ruby a barker? could you possibly take her with to a pet friendly hotel next time and kennel her in the room while you are gone?
we were lucky that our daughter was able to watch ivy when we went to san francisco a few weeks ago. we have another vacation coming up in september. it’s going to be to a cabin in the woods and they allow dogs, so ivy gets to come along!