# Boarding question



## priyasutty (Oct 15, 2010)

Hi all,

Have any of you boarded your maltese for extended period of time, like one month or more? What are your experiences? 

I wonder how they feel and react physically and emotionally while we are away:confused1:

Priya


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## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

I would not board my dog for that long, but I would feel comfortable leaving them at a sitter's home or having a sitter stay in mine.


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## spookiesmom (Mar 28, 2010)

I wouldn't/couldn't do it. If she can't go with me, I'm not going, don't need to be there.


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## dntdelay (May 27, 2011)

Jasmine went to a doggy daycare that boarded dogs for 5 days. When we picked her up she was so clingy and just wanted to be held. I would not leave her for a month at a boarding place. Get someone to come to your house and be with her for a while.


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## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

I wouldn't / couldn't do it either. Jodi would not do well left with strangers and I could not trust strangers to take care of him. I have heard some stories (a few are enough) where pets were neglected and worse. I would really have to know the person well.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

I hate to keep beating the same drum, but I will say explicitly "don't even think about it!" I had to put a dog through quarantine once & it isn't much different---just shorter. My dog was sick & I could not put him down or leave him w/someone else, so we sent him ahead 2 wks. so we would be there physically present on the first day we were allowed to visit him & every day thereafter until his release. It was a good facility--but a bad experience. He never completely recovered, and the truth is neither have I. 
I agree w/JMM. 
Also maybe this isn't the right time in your life to get a maltese? JMHO. 
Please don't think I am being harsh, but I am thinking of the pup.


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## priyasutty (Oct 15, 2010)

Thank you all for the honest opinions. I asked this question because, last year when I went for vacation, I left Raya with the breeder, where she was surrounded by her own sister, aunt, grandpa etc... etc ...and other pups as well. The breeder is also a very fine lady. She does not put the pups in kennels. She has a playpen setup for each one. What better place could you get to leave your pup for a while? I do not doubt the quality and care she gives to the pups. When I left, I was confident Raya will be okay there, since she was born there and all. But when I came back to pick her up, it was heart breaking to see her. She looked sooo down emotionally. Even after coming home, she was depressed for about 10 days. She wouldn't eat properly, vomited frequently, wouldn't play or interact. So my point is if she was so depressed even at the breeders' where she was born, with her own sister and other family, she wouldn't do well any where else, whether it is friend's house or with a sitter. After this experience I am totally bewildered of what to do when a situation like this arises again:blink: So I just wanted to hear your experiences and see if there is any better way to handle this. 

Priya


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## priyasutty (Oct 15, 2010)

spookiesmom said:


> I wouldn't/couldn't do it. If she can't go with me, I'm not going, don't need to be there.


Hi Barb,

Agree with you 100%. I don't go anywhere if Raya cannot go. But for immigrants like us, it is a necessity to visit our own country once in a while for various reasons  I don't go unless it is absolutely unavoidable.

Priya


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## Riley's Mummy (Aug 23, 2012)

I also could never, and would never, board Riley. As it is now, when I have to go out, I never leave him on his own. I take him to my mothers and even then, he still frets badly for us. (I suspect this is because we rescued him from the pound and it's a fear thing).

A family holiday is planned for next March and I am not attending because I won't leave Riley over night with anyone. It's just a sacrifice I made when I became a dog owner I guess. 

Any other holidays or weekends away we've taken, he comes. If he can't, we don't go.

I wouldn't recommend putting him/her in boarding. I think you'll regret it. They'll never be the same again. A month is a *very* long time in doggy terms.


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## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

I was lucky and became friends with one of my neighbors who also has a dog. To help Jodi get over separation anxiety, every now and again I'd leave him at her house when I ran errands. She was OK with it because he was company for her dog. I've also left him with her for 2 days and he was fine. He still doesn't like me to leave but he is OK while I'm gone. The most I've left him is 10 days and he stayed at my house with my sister. Hopefully you can find some similar arrangement and he can feel comfortable with friends.

Funny, I just noticed that you are in Waterloo, that's where I visited when I left Jodi. 
My friends in Waterloo also have a dog and either get a housesitter or leave their dog with a friend when they leave him.


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## priyasutty (Oct 15, 2010)

Hi Brenda,

"To help Jodi get over separation anxiety, every now and again I'd leave him at her house when I ran errands. "

This is exactly I am thinking too. Next time I have to leave her, I am planning to take her to the breeders' home and leave her with the rest of the flock for a while, every now and then, so she gets used to them and become friends with them. Of course the breeder has to agree with this plan too. If this does not work, then i'll have to completely erase the thought of going to India from my mind :mellow:

Priya


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

I feel in the same predicament. Since we got Lola hubby and I go away separately, whether it be to visit family in the UK or kids in Toronto. The other stays at home with the girls. It would be nice to be able to go away for a week together occasionally. I had started leaving just Lola with one girl who took her for walks, but then Lola stopped wanting to go for walks with her.  which was a red flag, so stopped altogether. Need to try someone else.


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## Summergirl73 (Sep 18, 2011)

I couldn't leave Bella either. We take her with us, or we don't go. It makes it more challenging, but she loves us SO much that it would break her heart. So, we are a family and along she comes  .


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## Maglily (Feb 3, 2009)

Jodi really isn't over his separation anxiety but he's better than when he was younger. I'm in a bind sometimes too because my friend is busier now with studying. So I have to be more thoughtful about timing any getaways.


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## NC_Girl (Jul 19, 2012)

priyasutty said:


> Hi Brenda,
> 
> "To help Jodi get over separation anxiety, every now and again I'd leave him at her house when I ran errands. "
> 
> ...



Why not take her with you? India doesn't not have a quarantine, or is it the return to your home country that concerns you?

I certainly plan on taking my pup with me as I travel the world. He did great on his first flight, never made a peep on the plane and I am not sure anyone around us even knew I had a dog under the seat in front of me. 

It's a bit of a stuff to go through traveling internationally with a pet but better than them being at a boarding kennel :thmbup:


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## Piccolina (Dec 25, 2009)

NC_Girl said:


> Why not take her with you?
> ....... better than them being at a boarding kennel



:goodpost: I agree 100%, save the trauma to the doggie and heartbreak to you!

Pay whatever it cost, and take the fluff with you to India.




*


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## zooeysmom (Aug 1, 2011)

Priya, can your family come here to see you? I can't imagine the stress of boarding your baby or traveling that long a distance with her, if it's even feasible.


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## NC_Girl (Jul 19, 2012)

Honestly, if the dog is used to a crate and travel by car it shouldn't be particularly stressful for the dog. Perhaps stressful for the humans making sure they have all the dogs paperwork correct, but the dog doesn't know the difference between traveling to India or traveling to Grandma's in Florida!


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

Having 6 dogs presents its challenges! Stan and I take separate vacations all the time. .....he's much older than me and I'm just now starting to doubt his ability to care for them. Next month I'll be away for a week so I'm having his daughter come stay here with him while I'm gone.

One of these days, I'm gonna be in big touble....:w00t:....well, I'll have to stay home.....:innocent::blush:

Even if I did ever consider boarding them...I couldn't afford it!! But I wouldn't do that anyway. Whenever I'm in our local pet boutique, Lucky's Bed and Biscuit - I tease the girls there saying if I ever had to board my dogs, that they would have to take them home with them.


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## lmillette (Apr 23, 2012)

Sorry, but I wouldn't / couldn't board my dogs. When we go away we have a family member and friend take a dog. Normally Loco goes to my brother in laws and Opey goes between my mom and my best friend. If we aren't vacationing with my in laws, then they take them together. I have heard of to many things that can happen, especially at night if the facility isn't staffed over night. You never know if the power is going to go out and what the weather is like outside and what will happen to the dogs in their kennels. It is just too risky for me. IMHO anyway. :innocent:


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## Bailey&Me (Mar 8, 2010)

Priya, I completely understand your dilemma. I am in the same situation as you - before I got Bailey, I used to spend my summers overseas, 1-2 months at a time or even more. My family is orginally from the same part of the world as yours  Now that I have Bailey, I am really torn about leaving him if I plan another trip back home. I haven't since I've gotten him but I do plan on taking some trips later this year...Bailey will stay with my parents.

I understand it's really hard to think of leaving Raya behind but you also have to live your life and see your family back home! I agree with the others in that I wouldn't recommend boarding Raya but perhaps you can find friends or relatives you trust to watch her in their home while you're away. Join some small dog play groups in your area, perhaps you'll meet some friends there that you can trust with Raya. Ask your vet or vet techs if they dog sit in their home. Plan play dates and visits over to their place so Raya can become comfortable there. That's all you can do, really. I don't think it's fair for you never to be able to visit India again...maybe not for as long of a time as you used to before, but you should still go if you want to!


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## priyasutty (Oct 15, 2010)

NC_Girl said:


> Why not take her with you? India doesn't not have a quarantine, or is it the return to your home country that concerns you?
> 
> I certainly plan on taking my pup with me as I travel the world. He did great on his first flight, never made a peep on the plane and I am not sure anyone around us even knew I had a dog under the seat in front of me.
> 
> It's a bit of a stuff to go through traveling internationally with a pet but better than them being at a boarding kennel :thmbup:


Hi NC_girl,

I have thought about this option too, but felt it is too risky, given the hot climate in India and the power cuts  Also the procedure to take her to India and bring her back to Canada is not clear. I am not comfortable at all with this option right now. But within North America, we take her where ever we go. Even last month, we drove al the way from Toronto, Canada to Houston, Texas. It was 4 days drive. Raya did soooo well. I am so proud of her. :thumbsup:

Priya


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## priyasutty (Oct 15, 2010)

zooeysmom said:


> Priya, can your family come here to see you? I can't imagine the stress of boarding your baby or traveling that long a distance with her, if it's even feasible.


Hi Elisabeth,

My entire family is in India. All of them cannot travel to Canada unfortunately. It's simply not affordable


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## priyasutty (Oct 15, 2010)

Bailey&Me said:


> Priya, I completely understand your dilemma. I am in the same situation as you - before I got Bailey, I used to spend my summers overseas, 1-2 months at a time or even more. My family is orginally from the same part of the world as yours  Now that I have Bailey, I am really torn about leaving him if I plan another trip back home. I haven't since I've gotten him but I do plan on taking some trips later this year...Bailey will stay with my parents.
> 
> I understand it's really hard to think of leaving Raya behind but you also have to live your life and see your family back home! I agree with the others in that I wouldn't recommend boarding Raya but perhaps you can find friends or relatives you trust to watch her in their home while you're away. Join some small dog play groups in your area, perhaps you'll meet some friends there that you can trust with Raya. Ask your vet or vet techs if they dog sit in their home. Plan play dates and visits over to their place so Raya can become comfortable there. That's all you can do, really. I don't think it's fair for you never to be able to visit India again...maybe not for as long of a time as you used to before, but you should still go if you want to!


 
Hi Nida,

The problem is, Raya does not like anybody :HistericalSmiley:The only person she is okay with next to me, is my husband. I guess, I have to train him hard and then make separate trips. That's the only way I see right now :mellow:


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## NC_Girl (Jul 19, 2012)

I emailed a friend who is living in Goa with her dog. She imported the dog from USA to India using one of the pet importers. He is a GSD so was unable to be in the cabin with her. She said she consulted with this company who was very knowledgeable and really helped her out, making her feel comfortable with the entire process. I know you might feel that it is a bit much but if sometime in the future you decided to take your pup with you, you might want to contact them for help and advice. 

Pet Relocation Worldwide into and from India - Dog, Cat, Pet Import & Export - Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore


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## priyasutty (Oct 15, 2010)

NC_Girl said:


> I emailed a friend who is living in Goa with her dog. She imported the dog from USA to India using one of the pet importers. He is a GSD so was unable to be in the cabin with her. She said she consulted with this company who was very knowledgeable and really helped her out, making her feel comfortable with the entire process. I know you might feel that it is a bit much but if sometime in the future you decided to take your pup with you, you might want to contact them for help and advice.
> 
> Pet Relocation Worldwide into and from India - Dog, Cat, Pet Import & Export - Mumbai, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore


Thank you very much for the link NC_girl.

Priya


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