wakwak

Hello fellow furry owners!

Well ours and the dogs flights are sorted, kennels this end are booked while their crates are made and they settle into kennel routine (feeling a bit rubbish about that!), quarantine is booked (ugh!)

And so I get a message from a friend who is in NZ with her little fur baby and she tells me that the one piece of advice she had with regards to the dogs is not to visit in kennels. She was advised against it and so didn't.

I had plans to show my face the minute they land and are settled so that they know we are there with them. I'll have already gone 5 days without seeing them as it is. I thought seeing us would reassure them that they haven't been sent away to some horrible place all alone!!

Your thoughts and experiences would be welcome. Did you visit? Would you do it again?

I just want to do what's best for them not me

valleygurl

We didn't visit ours we didn't want to confuse them or upset ourselves! We left ours with grandparents in the uk for 3 months as they couldnt fly because of the rabies jab! They were over the moon when went to collect them bouncing around all over us! Pet Haven were excellent they kept us very well informed of how they were doing on a daily basis with photos and emails.

Pigdog

Not. As Valleygurl says, don't confuse them. We also had to leave our fur babies in the UK for a couple of months because of the rabies jab, or more to the point, OH didn't read the paperwork correctly !!!!!!
It's a good idea to buy a couple of cheap thin blankets and sit, sleep, wrap them around you then put them in the crates with the fur pups, this way they will still have your smell.

Quarantine kennels were fantastic, also kept us updated. When we picked the pups up, I was in floods of tears, so excited. Our pups were bought out and gave us a look that just said "and where the f**k have you been for the last three months????"

Took them about a week to settle in, now they're both living the dream.

nikkijane88

It's a personal preference I guess, and totally depends on circumstances. Hubby didn't as he had already been away from her for 3 months as it was, and I was a week on holiday before landing so only a few days til we could pick her up.

wakwak

I just worry that if they don't see me they think I've deserted hem and shopped them off for a horrible experience!!

we leave them for holidays but mum house sits. Little one has never even been in kennels before let alone flown!

They e travelled to France in a crate but that's about it!

bourbon-biscuit

But dogs don't really think like that. If you really want to know the answer as to whether it is better to visit or not then ask either an animal behaviourist or ask the kennels - I'm sure the kennels have seen both scenarios many many times over and will be able to comment. You can always ring the kennels and ask how they are getting on, etc. and see if their opinion that you should or should not visit changes after the dogs have settled in and they know them better. Temperament likely plays a role.

One thing they won't be doing is thinking they have been abandoned and shopped off for a horrible experience: they just can't!

FWIW, my dog loved kennels. Love, love, loved it and we took her back there often when we went away for weekends - she was always straining her leash to get in there and PLAY.

wakwak

Ah thanks, and shipped not shopped haha! Stupid spellcheck!
You're right, they won't think that I'm sure. We are thinking about visiting to drop off blankets (the ones in the crate get destroyed), and toys, and take a view then as to whether we actually see them.
I've emailed pethaven and will also speak to the dogfather who knows our doggies from some work he did prior to us adopting our kiddies!
Thanks for your input it's all very welcome and valuable x