Hi all. We are getting ready to travel a bit this summer. Last year we brought our 5 yr old Cream boy, Skip. He didnt love the Ocean and was so exhausted when we got home, there were many of us in the house, such a busy time. He is such a great, loving dog and the family loves having him. I was wishing I knew of another poodle owner near me that would take another poodle and perhaps trade off for me to take theirs should they travel. There is nice clean kennel I visited and the owner seems very caring . But the thought of boarding him makes me shudder. I love him so much and he is such a great dog, don’t want him to have a negative experience just so I can go on vacation. I can bring him again and will if I don’t find someone. But also could be fun for him to go on “vacation” with another pup for a week if I found the right someone. Not sure how to begin to look, am not on facebook altho my daughter is. Thanks, love all the posts and hearing from other owners who share the great experience of having a poodle in the family. Thanks! MCM
Poodle sitting by poodle owners
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Do you live in a s subdivision and perhaps they have a Facebook page? I actually pet sit in my neighborhood as well as one other lady. Most will use us although we are more expensive than a teenager as they trust we will care for things. We basically put trash out n in, bring in mail, switch lights on and off and most importantly take care of their dog, dogs and any other pets. We normally go to their house t least 4x a day, take dog out, play with them for at least 30 minutes and take them for a walk. It is also nice as sometimes things go wrong in the house and we notice it. For instance I am petsitting this week and s something is wrong with their HAVAC system, so they are making arrangements for a repair man to come and check it out and we will go to the house while its being taken care of. Mostly we get referrals from those we have sat for. We also do overnight. My one neighbor requires someone sleep with her poodles, lol so I take care of the daytime job while my daughter is at work and she spends the night there. Works out for all of us.
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It’s not what you’re asking, but I don’t think dogs see being boarded as « vacation » as we humans do when we go to a nice place. Even if your dog doesn’t like the ocean, he loves you and being with you, and following you wherever you go is always better than going anywhere else, even if it’s a 5 star doggy hotel...
I would just bring him.
I would just bring him.
Thankyou for your reply. No, not a subdivision, that sounds like a nice arrangement your neighborhood shares.. Appreciate your input
That is sort of how I am feeling, and probably Skip feeling that too
. I think I expected too much of him last year and should make sure he has some down time, just like he does at home. He was so tired! Appreciate your encouragement- thanks!
. I think I expected too much of him last year and should make sure he has some down time, just like he does at home. He was so tired! Appreciate your encouragement- thanks!
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I have baby gates, a crate, and toddler fencing at our summer place. When the dogs seem like they are getting overwhelmed I put them away for a nap. Where depends on what we are doing. The puppy usually goes into his crate. The big dog goes into a bedroom closed off with a baby gate. During meals on the deck we use the toddler fence to keep the puppy away from the grill and table.
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I used the Rover app to find local petsitters, narrowed it down to four, and then had interviews with each. From there I hired three to come play with Peggy while I hung out and chatted/watched.
I ended up choosing one to be our "emergency walker," as she lives nearby but doesn't do overnights. And the other is now our petsitter, and has so far spent one night in our home with Peggy (which was supposed to be a trial run for our cruise, which was ultimately cancelled due to covid).
After exploring local kennels, I also decided they were not the place for our poodle. An in-home sitter is minimally disruptive. We purchased an indoor security camera and let her know about it.
My #1 choice would actually be another household that has their own dogs, that Peggy sees frequently and is comfortable with. That used to be my parents for us, with our last dog, but we moved far away. And I just don't see us ever having that closeness with anyone but family.
Do you use Nextdoor? A privately owned petfood store? Or attend local classes or any local dog parks? You could always put word out that you're looking. I guarantee there are others in the same boat as you, you just need to connect.
I ended up choosing one to be our "emergency walker," as she lives nearby but doesn't do overnights. And the other is now our petsitter, and has so far spent one night in our home with Peggy (which was supposed to be a trial run for our cruise, which was ultimately cancelled due to covid).
After exploring local kennels, I also decided they were not the place for our poodle. An in-home sitter is minimally disruptive. We purchased an indoor security camera and let her know about it.
My #1 choice would actually be another household that has their own dogs, that Peggy sees frequently and is comfortable with. That used to be my parents for us, with our last dog, but we moved far away. And I just don't see us ever having that closeness with anyone but family.
Do you use Nextdoor? A privately owned petfood store? Or attend local classes or any local dog parks? You could always put word out that you're looking. I guarantee there are others in the same boat as you, you just need to connect.
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We have a "professional" pet sitter who stays at our house when we are away. The dogs all love her and are quite content to let us leave them for a week or two. She is expensive (nearly $100 a day), but she is here 24/7 with just short trips to fix meals for her invalid husband. We have used her services for nearly 20 years. We have four dogs ranging in size from a fat Chihuahua to a fat Labrador and in age from 14 1/2 to 3 (Zoe, the miniature poodle is the youngest). When Zoe was in show coat, I taught her how to properly brush her and put up her topknot and ears. When we got home after two weeks, there was not a mat on her body! We are so very lucky to have such a great pet-sitter.
We have been concerned about her during this time of everyone staying at home. Thankfully she does have other income. I'll bet she is bored, though!
We have been concerned about her during this time of everyone staying at home. Thankfully she does have other income. I'll bet she is bored, though!
Sounds like a good plan and ideas, thanks
Sounds ideal for your pups, thanks for the suggestion
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I worry about ours, too! Sitting was her full-time gig. She was too busy with it for anything else. People would pay her to travel hours to their home.
Good petsitters are so precious.
I havent used that, but I will check it out. I agree, next to having him with us, a safe home with a pal would be best. We have no in home sitter options so far. Thanks!
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I would pet sit Skip for you. But I'm too far away from you. I think you should bring him with you if you can. I'm starting dog walking for people in my apartment complex on Friday and I'm in the process of joining Rover.com and I have pet sat for my Standard Poodle's breeder.
We are going to a lake before the ocean trip so I am going to try some of these suggestions and make sure he has a balance of play and rest. Hes such a good boy and I don’t mind whatever it takes to have him be with us, esp since I have come up with no other options that give me peace of mind. My breeder would take him if I had an emergency and really needed a safe place so thats always a plus, she is not nearby, and having him come along is still the best for all of us I think. Thanks for all the sharing and advice. This is such a good resource, esp when you folks sure know how to love these wonderful poodles!
Take care. C & Skip
Take care. C & Skip
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I would be VERY careful looking for pet sitters from Rover or other commercial online services such as Wag, etc. If you do some research you will see Rover and Wag have numerous complaints and lawsuits against them for losing dogs, dogs killed while in control of their sitters, and even more bizarre things, etc. Rover, Wag, etc. are basically contractors for the sitters that work for them. They claim to do background checks, etc. but if you look at the suits have been filed against them, there is always an out for the corporate entity. There have been people that lost dogs through the negligence of their "sitters" who declined settlements because they were required to sign a non-disclosure agreement where they wouldn't talk about what happened....Just one article, if you Google, you can find many more, some quite unsettling....https://www.winknews.com/2019/04/17/dogs-death-under-care-of-rover-sitter-raises-questions-about-apps-screening-policies/
If you decide to leave your dog home with a sitter or at a kennel (though I think he would be fine going with you with some changes) you might want to talk to your vet as an option. Many vet techs moonlight as sitters/walkers so your dog might already be familiar with one of them. Local training clubs can also often give recommendations to sitters/walkers, sometimes their training clients have their own businesses (there are several people at my training facility that do sitting/walking) or they know who their clients use and are comfortable with.
If you decide to leave your dog home with a sitter or at a kennel (though I think he would be fine going with you with some changes) you might want to talk to your vet as an option. Many vet techs moonlight as sitters/walkers so your dog might already be familiar with one of them. Local training clubs can also often give recommendations to sitters/walkers, sometimes their training clients have their own businesses (there are several people at my training facility that do sitting/walking) or they know who their clients use and are comfortable with.
Thankyou for that information. Yes I decided against the Rover option. Skip is all groomed and ready for the Lake next week. It will be quieter so we can implement some routines and prep for the Ocean, even do a bit of training and read my fav dog authors. Appreciate the input.
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Yes, it's important to treat Rover as nothing more than a bulletin board and secure booking platform. The sitters we found through the app were also advertising their services elsewhere.
I'd be extra wary of anyone who doesn't have pre-Rover experience and references.
I'm guessing lots of people see the app as a way to make quick money in the gig economy, and those are the ones you want to quickly weed out.
I'd be extra wary of anyone who doesn't have pre-Rover experience and references.
I'm guessing lots of people see the app as a way to make quick money in the gig economy, and those are the ones you want to quickly weed out.
You don't say where you are! I often stay at friends homes with their dogs and cats and both house sit and pet sit. They do pay me. Their animals are much happier getting to stay home than have to go to a kennel or even someone else's home. And I always train them to do something they don't know yet as a bonus!
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