Boarding Your Hound

[Guest GreyFan09]

We are going to be boarding Comet for a few days this summer for his first time, and then again several times later this year also. He will be with a couple who specializes in Greyhounds and come highly recommended (from this site), so he should be in good hands in that regard.

 

However, I am wondering how he will be when he comes home as we have never left him in a strange (different) place before. The last time we went out of town we had a girl stay at the house with him, thinking he would be more comfortable at home which was a disaster and took him a while to get back to normal.

 

If anyone has boarded their dogs before, did they acclimate back their old routines when they came home, or were there any problems or issues?

 

Just not sure what to expect.

 

Thanks!

Edited March 25, 2010 by GreyFan09

[Guest bluefawn]

Penny will not board. Period. But all of my others have, at one time or another, boarded just fine with no issues whatsoever. I've only had Candi for 2 weeks, so have not boarded her yet, but she's so easy-going that I don't foresee a problem. Is Comet pretty laid-back, or do some daily activities or situations stress him out? If he is fairly easily upset, or clingy, then he may be uncomfortable at first. I would take him to your vet or wherever you plan to board him, just for a day, before you go on vacation, and see how he does. Good luck!

[Guest AGirlNamedMe]

Bella is pretty laid back about most things. She has been with us just about three months and spent a week at "camp" while we traveled for my business.

 

Reports were that she did very well while there. No issues at all.

 

A couple of odd things since we've been home, though....

 

All of her anxiousness about Hef (my SO) leaving in the morning seems to have disappeared....and...she's not so keen on coming upstairs. At first, it was just during the day when I was going to lay down because I've been sick this week, but earlier tonight, she didn't want to come up for bedtime either.

 

Even though we left explicit instructions for feeding, they must have been feeding her about 1.5 times what we usually feed - yikes. Maybe they weren't using a measuring cup - or maybe they thought she looked too skinny.

[DocsDoctor]

Doc boards every so often with the greyhound rescue I adopted him from - they offer holiday kennelling. It's a familiar place and he slots back into the routines without any problems, it's great for me too as I know he is in expert hands.

 

It's good advice to book your dog in for just an overnight stay the first time - I did it when I had a wedding to go to. I think it helped give Doc confidence that I would always be coming back for him.

 

When I go to pick him up he is always extremely excited to see me and to come home - when we arrive he will run around checking out his beds, toys, etc. After that the only real difference that I notice is an increase in sniffing and marking behaviour for the next few days, on our walks around the neighbourhood. He's a keen marker anyway but after his holidays at 'Camp Greyhound' he goes into overdrive - I guess he's checking out what all the other local dogs have been up to and announcing that he's back!

[rschultz]

it was harder on me than the dog..lol.. lexie just slept for two days after..lol..

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

If you are going to leave your hound with Dorothy, i wouldn't consider it boarding as it is a private home. If it is Dorothy's then I would say your hound will probably want to stay when you go to pick up your hound, at least that's what happens when I leave my hounds there. I consider Dorothy's a babysitting situation. Don't worry, your hound will be happy to see you and everything will be fine.

[Guest Jubilee251]

A bit off-topic, but can I ask who you're boarding with? I'm asking because I live in Chicago and am taking a trip later this year, and need to find a boarding place good with greyhounds. I've looked into Critter Central in La Grange, but would be happy to hear other recommendations. Thank you!

[jetcitywoman]

Even though we left explicit instructions for feeding, they must have been feeding her about 1.5 times what we usually feed - yikes. Maybe they weren't using a measuring cup - or maybe they thought she looked too skinny.

 

Just in case you didn't realize this afterwards, the solution to this problem is to pre-measure each meal into a zip-top bag. It is kind of a pain to have a handful of baggies full of food, but it really eliminates over- and under-feeding.

[Time4ANap]

Rocket is boarded at the Greyhound Resort in Indy whenever we go out of town. When he comes home, he sleeps for 2-3 days except for meals and going outside. An I mean "sleeps." He gets a lot more exercise there than here, and has a blast while there. He loves going there and even tries to get out of the car ahead of us when we pull in the drveway of the resort.

[Guest GreyFan09]

Thanks for the Greyt information everyone!

 

Yes, Comet is a very laid-back dog and is very friendly and easy going. However he kind of freaked out when we had a dog sitter stay at our house the last time we traveled which really took us by surprise and he wasn't the same dog for a while, although he's back to his old self now. Hopefully being out of his element and with other dogs this time will help. Also, the pre-measured food is a great idea and I will do that.

 

@ Greyt_dog_lover: yes he will be staying with "Dorthy" (thanks for the recommendation Greyt_dog_lover!!!). I am very happy that he will be staying with a person who know and has other greyhounds.

 

@ Jubilee251 - Dorthy was recommended by Greyt_dog_lover. She lives in Naperville which is not too close to us but well worth the trip to make sure our boy is in good hands.I contacted her and she is very nice and seems very accomodating for the dogs. I'm sure Comet will probably not want to come back home with us after being there for a few days!!! Ha Ha!! Below is the original post from Greyt_dog_lover on the "Greyhound Sitters" thread where I got my information about Dorthy:

 

 

"Posted 03 February 2010 - 05:49 PM

 

For anyone in the Chicagoland area, I highly recommend Dorothy (last name withheld). She currently fosters medical issue dogs for CIGA (Central Illinois Greyhound Adoption), has vast experience with greys to include medical needs. She has no critters, many race-track size crates (should your hound/s need crates), a doggie door and no stairs. She can accommodate as many hounds as you need, for as long as you need. She and her husband are retired, so your hounds will never be alone. She is the only one that watches my hounds when I need someone to watch them. She actually was my Bart's foster mom while his broken leg was being fixed/healing. I cannot recommend her enough, you will not find a more experienced greyhound person in the Chicagoland area. Her number is 630 420 2377. Let her know that "Chad" recommended her to you. The best part of this entire situation is all the money she charges to watch the hounds goes directly to CIGA, so you will be helping out the group (by the way, CIGA only takes broken leg and medical issue hounds so they can really use the extra money).

 

Thank you.

 

forgot to add location - She is in Naperville IL"

[Guest Jubilee251]

Thank you so much! I will definitely get in contact with her when the trip nears.

[Guest GreyFan09]

No problem! Also, you may want to contact her a bit in advance. When I called her around a month ago to book our dog for the end of May, she said she needed to check her calander for availability, so I'm assuming she may fill-up sometimes or perhaps have other commitments?

 

Good Luck and enjoy your trip!

 

 

[Guest Sunset123]

Arrisa just came home from staying with a greyhound sitter for four days, and I had the exact same worries that you do. She was a little anxious the afternoon we brought her home (she had a lot of fun with her new friends!), but I gave her some Rescue Remedy, she went to sleep, and in the morning she was fine and happy to get back to her old routine.

[Guest AGirlNamedMe]

Even though we left explicit instructions for feeding, they must have been feeding her about 1.5 times what we usually feed - yikes. Maybe they weren't using a measuring cup - or maybe they thought she looked too skinny.

 

Just in case you didn't realize this afterwards, the solution to this problem is to pre-measure each meal into a zip-top bag. It is kind of a pain to have a handful of baggies full of food, but it really eliminates over- and under-feeding.

 

 

Oh! Thank you so much for suggesting this. Amazed that I didn't think of it. I will definitely do this next time!

[jetcitywoman]

No problem.

 

I only thought of it because we noticed that our cat sitters can't manage to measure her meals properly, so now I just don't trust anybody to know what "one cup" of kibble is. When we have to leave Capri with anyone, I pre-measure her meals. But actually it makes mealtime that much easier for the sitter, too. They don't have to think about it.

 

(Actually, I don't worry about the cat that much. She can be "free fed" and not overeat. But I want Capri to be more carefully fed to keep her weight optimal.)

Edited March 28, 2010 by jetcitywoman

[Guest NewGreyOwner]

We are going to be boarding Comet for a few days this summer for his first time, and then again several times later this year also. He will be with a couple who specializes in Greyhounds and come highly recommended (from this site), so he should be in good hands in that regard.

 

However, I am wondering how he will be when he comes home as we have never left him in a strange (different) place before. The last time we went out of town we had a girl stay at the house with him, thinking he would be more comfortable at home which was a disaster and took him a while to get back to normal.

 

If anyone has boarded their dogs before, did they acclimate back their old routines when they came home, or were there any problems or issues?

 

Just not sure what to expect.

 

Thanks!

We've left our grey with Diane at Critter Central four times now, and never had any kind of problem when we picked him up. He fell right back into his normal routine and didn't miss a beat. It might be that he's just kind of a laid-back guy and doesn't get too stressed about stuff. But he does like it at Diane's and enjoys spending time with her greys and the other hounds that are visiting.

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

How much does Critter Central charge per day per dog?

 

Chad

[Guest Jubilee251]

When I inquired about it, Diane said it is $35 per dog, which is completely reasonable, and it sounds like she has a lot of grey experience. Sounds like both Diane and Dorothy are good boarding resources.

[Guest widowcali]

I've boarded both of my dogs once. And I've also had a pet sitter (aka Grannylady). Both times, as soon as they saw me, the girls started whimpering like they'd been abused horribly. You know, working the salt mines, only eating every other day, etc etc. Both times the boarding kennel, and Grannylady, told me that the girls were petted and pampered like little diva's.

 

I actually prefer the petsitter option, and not just because I'm trying to drum up business . Depending on how long you are gone, a petsitter does double duty. They will also bring in mail and newspapers (and those pesky packages that no one seems to plan for). They will water plants and lawn and switch around lights so it looks like you are home. Also, the animals are in their normal surroundings and you don't have to pack everything (their beds, toys, blankets, treats, food, meds, etc). I have clients who say they've done both, and the petsitter is their preferred option. And most pet sitters have bonding and insurance. And your neighbors, the ones who do know that you are out of town, can kind of keep an eye on the petsitters and your pets. Very few boarding kennels have that option (except the ones with the "nannycams").

 

But if you have a boarding kennel, or greysitter, that you trust, then the dogs will be fine.

[Guest burgerandfrey]

I think most greyhounds board easily since they are used to being moved around and living in crates/kennels among other dogs. We never had problems boarding our previous greyhound... she even got excited when she would see the staff at the kennel. They adored her as well.

 

We boarded our current hounds, Zeke and Lola, for the first time over the holidays for a week. They seemed to do fine and the staff raved about them. Lola seemed to pout a little when we got home, but I think she was just tired. That's the main thing you can expect: Your dog will be extremely tired and might sleep even more than usual for a few days. I don't think they sleep as well at the kennel because of all the other dogs and activity.

 

Of course every hound is different. We have some friends who tried boarding their new greyhound where we take ours, and she was really distraught with separation anxiety.

[Guest TahoeMom]

My Tahoe did not board well at all. We left him for a day at BestFriends, and he came back completely rattled. We tried leaving him in a home setting with other dogs for a week, and he came back much thinner from not eating and extremely disoriented (either from stress or weakness). We tried having somebody homesit with him, and he immediately got sick to his stomach. Because of their sensitive natures, you have to be patient finding the right setting for your pup, taking the time to get him/her used to you being away. I was unable to take a vacation without Tahoe for several years because he had bonded with me so much.