Pet-Free Vacations
By Faith Maloney
"I'd love to come and visit, but I have just too many animals to take care of." If only I had a dime for every time I've heard this - including the number of times I've said it myself! Taking care of animals is a wonderful thing, but when it begins to take over our lives, then it's time for some straight talking.
I think I must have been competing for "Animal Mother of the Year Award" when I told a friend that I couldn't possibly get away. Who would make sure Brunhilda, my wicked bloodhound, didn't attack the small dogs? Who would give Percy, my arthritic pit bull, his medicine? I thought these explanations made me sound quite noble, but my friend thought it was just plain weird. I suspect the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
So how do you get away if you are taking care of lots of animals?
House sitters and pet sitters
My colleague Estelle has two dachshunds who are a bit iffy when it comes to visitors. They have been known to bite - hard! So, two months before she and her husband went to visit family in Canada, she started inviting her friend Vivian to come over to the house. Soon the dogs began to look forward to Vivian's visits - she was the nice lady who rubbed their tummies and gave them cookies. Vivian moved into the house when Estelle and Harry went away, and they all had a good time. (No one was bitten!)
If you don't have a friend who can take care of your pets that way, you can always call on a professional pet sitter. I once spent a day doing the rounds with a pet sitter in New Mexico. She had a number of clients, some of whom were away on trips, or some who had to work a long way from home and needed someone to come in during the day to give medications or let them out into the yard. On one occasion, she told me, she locked herself out and had to get back in through the dog door!
You'll find pet sitters in the Yellow Pages, and there is also a central agency called Pet Sitters International that helps you ensure that your pet sitter will be legitimate and qualified. The average cost, depending on where you live, is $15 a visit or $35 for an overnight stay.
Day care and boarding
Boarding dogs or cats is another way to go, from putting them up at the vet's office to sending them to a luxurious facility.
Doggie day care centers often include a boarding option, too. During the day, the dogs get to run and play together, and the overnighters get to stay in their own sleeping den, eat food from their own home, and have a grand time.
Boarding kennels require dogs to be current on all of their vaccinations, including a Bordatella (kennel cough) shot every six months. If they are part of a day-care situation, they need to be well socialized around other dogs as well.
Prices vary, but $20 to $22 a day for boarding is about average. The American Boarding Kennel Association lists its members around the country.
If you plan to have a pet sitter in the house or use a boarding kennel, get references and check them out yourself personally. You don't want to spend your precious time away worrying about whether your animals are being properly cared for.
Organizing the house
I have a lot of animals at home, and the house is pretty much designed around them! There are tunnels, shelves, and low walls that keep the small animals away from the large ones when I'm not at home. And each group has a separate area of the yard accessed by appropriately sized doggie doors.
My cats have their own room, where they have all of their food and bedding, plus a large enclosed outside area for fresh air and exercise. This makes it easier to ask a friend to come in and take care of the food and cleaning when I am away.
Allowing ourselves some quality time away from our animals is not a sin. I am always pleased to come home after one of my trips away. After all, that ebullient greeting from my animals is a great ego booster.
