Pimpbot

If I didn't have to spread it out a little more, that would have been worth a Karma shot. lol

Pimpbot

We put our dog up at Petsmarts Pets hotel for two nights recently. Not sure if you have one close by?.

Englishmum

However, it's a boon for those expats living in places like Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam etc. or those who've retired to Provence or the Costa Del Sol....they just put their pets in the car and take the train or ferries across the Channel.

I remember when Chris Patton had to leave Hong Kong (where he was the Governor) when it was returned to China, refused to move back to the UK because he couldn't take his dogs in unless he was prepared to put them into quarantine kennels. He moved to France instead (where he soon managed to find a 'plum' job as some sort of EU Commissioner.. ). I'm fairly certain that he was one of the main instigators of putting pressure on the (New Labour) govt. to get the Pet Passport scheme approved.

ladylisa

Without the pets scheme we wouldnt have got a dog. The thought of quarantine makes me shudder.

I've had my dog for a year now and she is quite a mummys girl. We have only ever left her once with a very trusty neighbour for one night, however would you believe it on that occasion she was attacked by another dog. My husband wanted her to go into a kennel as he thought she would be safer but I insisted she would be happier with our neighbour. We are going away again soon and I wondered what everyones opinion was on whether the safety of a kennel outweighs the possible stress caused by them. Or should I just go with the neighbour again, which is my preference?

(I dont mean to hijack the thread but it seems original question has been answered)

Guelder Rose

Hard one to answer, to be honest I think only you can decide as you know your neighbour.

The last time I left my dog with a friend I was landed with a huge vet bill of nearly 1,000GBP ... I now avoid going anywhere unless my dog can come too. If push came to shove I would choose to leave her in a 5 star dog hotel ... that mainly being because my US family seem to think dogs are nowt more than yard animals - they actually think I'm loopy because my dog lives in the house!

scrubbedexpat099

It depends on the Dog, ours is fast asleep on the Porch. She is 90 lbs, Chow/Newfoundland, old and placid. She knows our neighbours, they have small children, and their dog, likes the food, and whilst she will dig her way out occasionally, does not wander far. She would not like a kennel and she is easy to look after.

Change the parameters and I would not wish to impose.

Pimpbot

Your dog is going to have some level of stress wherever you leave them, because you're breaking up the normal routine. That stress normally leads to them not eating while there or them having the shits for a few days after you bring them home, which is perfectly normal, because this is what happend to our dog and we took her to the vet just to be on the safe side. Most places around here seem to be marketing themselves as "Pet Resorts" instead of kennels, but they offer a wide range of services, including would you believe, suites with tiled floors and a TV!. They then throw in all kinds of things like doggy day camp and exercise periods. We even got ours a bath before we picked her up.

Guelder Rose

Some even provide a web cam service ... so you can check in and see how your dog is doing 24/7.

And while the suites with TV may seem a bit OTT to some ... they aren't for those of us that allow our dogs to sleep on the bed/couch, and leave the radio or TV on for company when we go out.

jumping doris

The EU pet passport scheme is really aimed at people who want to take their dog on holiday to Europe not transatlantic trips. Even so there was a lot of bad press last year about dogs taken to Spain/France/Greece who got all sorts of nasty fatal bugs which the local dogs have an inbred immunity to. The bottom line was leave the dog at home and enjoy your holiday.
Our dog and cat are going through the EU scheme to come to the states and it has been very expensive and quite traumatic for the dog and he hasn't been near a plane yet!
We were quoted £900 for the dogs one way trip from Liverpool to PA.

Englishmum

Might work out just as cheap to have him on the transatlantic liner the QM2 (which has kennels) and one of the adults in the family going on the cruise too!

ladylisa

We leave the radio on for our dog and it has to be at a certain level as to not annoy her and it has to be on a nice station. (no heavy metal!) my US friend thinks I'm nuts she said, she's only a dog! Rubbish she's one of the family as far as I'm concerned.

Guelder Rose

Just wondering exactly what has been so traumatic for your dog ... I know they have to be micro chipped, have the rabbies vaccine and then have blood drawn but I can't see what's so bad about that, unless your dog has a needle phobia that is!

Pimpbot

The Pets Hotel has a "Bone Phone" where they will bring the dog to the phone so you can talk to him or her. We also leave the TV on in the bedroom for our dog.

dunroving

I agree totally with the recommendation to NOT take the dog home for a 10-day trip. Too much hassle to go through the Pet Passport requirements, plus of the three options (dog-sitter/neighbour, kennel, or take with you), taking a dog on a transAtlantic trip has to be the most stressful by a long way.

As for dog-sitter/neighbour vs kennels, it all depends on the dog. My dog loves the kennels and would be stressed out being at home if someone else were dog-sitting, or staying with neighbours. However, I take care of a colleague's dog regularly because she is a wreck any time they put her in the kennels.

The thing I like most about the kennels is the level of "control" - your dog is enclosed, watched over regularly, etc. Left with a neighbor or dog-sitter you never know what could happen. If my dog got out the yard, for example, no-one on this earth except me could persuade her to go back in - and she has absolutely zero traffic sense.

Elvira

The ideal way is to find someone with whom one can have a 'permanent' reciprocal arrangement, so that both dogs and owners get used to each other. We regularly go on joint walks with the neighbours whose dog we look after when they go away (and vice versa). Our dogs also regularly visit each others' homes.

This way they get used to the different people and homes, so they find the time when their owners are away less dramatic.

Elvira