Would you feel better if you left your Maltese Small Dog with your friend when you went on vacation?

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On July 10th, I posted an article entitled,”How best to organize a Kennel Holiday for your small dog….” I listed three choices and I’d like to elaborate on my second choice “Give Max to a friend……..”

In October 2005, the family were heading out to Portugal for a month. So what do I do with Max, my Maltese Small Dog, friend and companion?

My second option was the kennel but I considered giving him to a family friend. This friend already had a dog, a Golden Retriever and Max and his dog, Sam got on like a house on fire. Everytime, we visited each other the dog came or went with us too. They played and strutted around like a couple of male models! One was big and the other small. They looked funny together. Excellent choice, I thought.

But, is that enough?

Sam had his own little patch and he was trained to do his business in that patch. Max wasn’t and one day decided to do his business in the patio, while we were visiting. This caused my friend to get annoyed with Max. Then I noticed other behavior that I did not like. My little small dog, when excited tended to yap, much to the annoyance of my friend, who to my utter disbelief started to actually kick and throw things at Max.

I started to think whether leaving Max in the care of my friend was a good idea or not and finally reconsidered my option. Its not enough two dogs being best friends but there are other points to consider.

1.Would the friend or other members of the family treat your Small Dog well?
2.You would need to be adequately covered by insurance.
3.You would need to make sure your friend’s home is securely fenced off, especially if your dog is small.
4.You would need to openly discuss requirements regarding feeding, bathing. Every person has a different outlook.
5.Finally, would you trust your friend enough to have a worry free vacation.


In my case, some of my answers were sort of okay and in the end, I decided against it.

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