how best to organise a Kennel holiday for your Small Dog when you need to go on a vacation?
Its vacation time and the excitement is mounting as you feverishly make plans, but wait.....what do you do with your greatest little friend, your little Maltese lap dog?
You think about this carefully and you have 3 choices:
1. Put him in a dog kennel. That prospect for many is not appealing. How can I stick my Max into a Kennel with all those other animals there. Little Max will pine to death or so you think.
2. Give Max to a friend for the duration of the holiday.
3. Get a pet sitter to look after him. A pet sitter is someone who comes to your home for the duration when you are away and stays at your home and looks after the dog. In some cases the pet sitter has the key to your home and turns up on a daily basis for a short time to feed the little lap dog and take him for a run.
Looking at all the possibilities and you’re particular circumstance, maybe a Kennel seems the better deal, but before committing your dog to a particular kennel, you should visit the facility for a personal inspection. You need to know if it appears to be clean, does it smell clean?, is it well lit and ventilated? How is the temperature? Are the cages and runs of an adequate size? Call the boarding kennels association of your neck of the woods and then determine if the kennel under consideration meets accepted standards and is accredited.
At this point, you can decide firmly which Kennel you are happy with and after making the selection, it’s time to prepare your Maltese for his/her visit. First and foremost, make sure your dog’s vaccinations are up to date. Make sure you have all the necessary proof of vaccinations. A kennel will reject your dog if his rabies vaccination isn’t current. Furthermore, even though you’ve selected a sparklingly clean boarding facility, your dog is subject to any number of communicable illnesses always present in a boarding population. A current vaccination record is good insurance against some of these diseases.
If possible, you should consider stopping by the kennel with your small dog for a brief visit. He can meet the staff and become somewhat familiar with the surroundings. An overnight stay will do wonders to prepare the dog for his longer visit. Always provide as much information as possible to the kennel staff. Obviously they will need to know about any medications they’ll have to administer, food allergies, whether or not the dog socializes well with other animals and what, if any, particular fears or phobias he might have. If you happen to be boarding more than one dog, you might want to request that they be housed in the same pen or allowed to exercise at the same time in the same run.
If Max requires a special diet, the kennel may request that you provide them with a supply of his food. This will usually depend on the extent of the dog’s special requirements and will be settled in advance of the dog’s visit. Make sure the kennel has the name and phone number of your veterinarian and a phone number where they can reach you in case of an emergency. Most dogs will benefit from bringing familiar items with them. A special toy, their blanket, or even one of your slippers will comfort them and stave off feelings of being abandoned. Remember not to wash them as familiar smells are half the battle, so don’t destroy them.
When packing and preparing for your trip, try to go about it as calmly and casually as possible. Hectic packing and rushing about will alert Max that something is amiss and by the time you’re ready to transport him to the kennel, he’ll already be under stress. Gather his kennel items and have them in the car prior to getting Max.
When dropping him off at the kennel, try to remain as nonchalant and as calm as possible. Don’t be overly affectionate or do anything that might cause Max to attach too much significance to his plight. The objective is to minimize, rather than exaggerate. Keep it low key - no long goodbyes, no tears and no emotion.
After handing Max’s lead to a kennel staffer, allow the staffer to distract the dog and quietly slip out.
If you’re a frequent traveller, Max will get used to being boarded and in most cases will look forward to the experience, especially if he gets an opportunity to mix with other dogs at the kennel. He’ll get to know the staff and look forward to seeing them. Once both dog and owner get used to the idea of boarding and become completely comfortable with the experience, being separated will become much less stressful.
While away, the owner will be at peace, confident that his faithful friend is safe and being well cared for. And, Max will be able to lay back and enjoy his vacation as well.
You think about this carefully and you have 3 choices:
1. Put him in a dog kennel. That prospect for many is not appealing. How can I stick my Max into a Kennel with all those other animals there. Little Max will pine to death or so you think.
2. Give Max to a friend for the duration of the holiday.
3. Get a pet sitter to look after him. A pet sitter is someone who comes to your home for the duration when you are away and stays at your home and looks after the dog. In some cases the pet sitter has the key to your home and turns up on a daily basis for a short time to feed the little lap dog and take him for a run.
Looking at all the possibilities and you’re particular circumstance, maybe a Kennel seems the better deal, but before committing your dog to a particular kennel, you should visit the facility for a personal inspection. You need to know if it appears to be clean, does it smell clean?, is it well lit and ventilated? How is the temperature? Are the cages and runs of an adequate size? Call the boarding kennels association of your neck of the woods and then determine if the kennel under consideration meets accepted standards and is accredited.
At this point, you can decide firmly which Kennel you are happy with and after making the selection, it’s time to prepare your Maltese for his/her visit. First and foremost, make sure your dog’s vaccinations are up to date. Make sure you have all the necessary proof of vaccinations. A kennel will reject your dog if his rabies vaccination isn’t current. Furthermore, even though you’ve selected a sparklingly clean boarding facility, your dog is subject to any number of communicable illnesses always present in a boarding population. A current vaccination record is good insurance against some of these diseases.
If possible, you should consider stopping by the kennel with your small dog for a brief visit. He can meet the staff and become somewhat familiar with the surroundings. An overnight stay will do wonders to prepare the dog for his longer visit. Always provide as much information as possible to the kennel staff. Obviously they will need to know about any medications they’ll have to administer, food allergies, whether or not the dog socializes well with other animals and what, if any, particular fears or phobias he might have. If you happen to be boarding more than one dog, you might want to request that they be housed in the same pen or allowed to exercise at the same time in the same run.
If Max requires a special diet, the kennel may request that you provide them with a supply of his food. This will usually depend on the extent of the dog’s special requirements and will be settled in advance of the dog’s visit. Make sure the kennel has the name and phone number of your veterinarian and a phone number where they can reach you in case of an emergency. Most dogs will benefit from bringing familiar items with them. A special toy, their blanket, or even one of your slippers will comfort them and stave off feelings of being abandoned. Remember not to wash them as familiar smells are half the battle, so don’t destroy them.
When packing and preparing for your trip, try to go about it as calmly and casually as possible. Hectic packing and rushing about will alert Max that something is amiss and by the time you’re ready to transport him to the kennel, he’ll already be under stress. Gather his kennel items and have them in the car prior to getting Max.
When dropping him off at the kennel, try to remain as nonchalant and as calm as possible. Don’t be overly affectionate or do anything that might cause Max to attach too much significance to his plight. The objective is to minimize, rather than exaggerate. Keep it low key - no long goodbyes, no tears and no emotion.
After handing Max’s lead to a kennel staffer, allow the staffer to distract the dog and quietly slip out.
If you’re a frequent traveller, Max will get used to being boarded and in most cases will look forward to the experience, especially if he gets an opportunity to mix with other dogs at the kennel. He’ll get to know the staff and look forward to seeing them. Once both dog and owner get used to the idea of boarding and become completely comfortable with the experience, being separated will become much less stressful.
While away, the owner will be at peace, confident that his faithful friend is safe and being well cared for. And, Max will be able to lay back and enjoy his vacation as well.
posted by Max at 5:24 AM
1 Comments:
nice!
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