Going On Vacation W/ & W/o Your Grey...what's Least Stressful?

[Guest mammoth]

About two weeks ago, my family adopted our first greyhound. Things are going good and he's seems to be adjusting pretty well. Anyways, with the upcoming three day weekend and the fact we have a one week vacation planned in the near future, I was hoping to get some advise as to what is best for our grey.

 

First, I guess I just wanted to know, in general, how are greys at a different house for a few days with his owners? we are planning to go away for the weekend, but bring him with us. Is it the house, the owners, or both that create a stressful situation?

 

Secondly, we will not be bringing him along on our week long vacation. What would be the best plan for him - A) have someone stay at our house to dog sit, take him to a friend or relative to watch him at their home (it may be an option to take him to a home with people/dogs he is very familiar with..maybe), or, C) some type of boarding/pet hotel type place?

[Gryffenne]

If I can't take Sammi with me (my preferred option), I usually opt for a friend that she knows -and I trust- pet sitting her in our home OR taking her to a friend's house, preferably someone either familiar with her, or with greyhounds. Your group may be able to help you with this one, actually. I took a trip to DC years ago and my group helped get me in contact with someone near me with greys. All these years later, her and I are still friends

 

I, personally, avoid boarding/kennels. Have never had a good experience with any of my pets that were boarded.

[Guest Greylover3803]

Will be interesting to see the types of responses you get. Where I live our Petsmart Pets Hotel is awesome. The staff is great and every time we left our Bonnie there it was a great chance for her to socialize with other dogs. She always came home exhausted in a good way from all the playtime. We leave this weekend and will be leaving our newly adopted Greycie there as well. She has been very timid since bringing her home 4 weeks ago so we are hoping it will actually help letting her socialize and be out in the world. I would say go with whatever path gives you the most reassurance and sense of security. It is one thing to miss your your boy, but to worry about his safety is no good for either of you. Good luck

[Guest elizabeth7418]

Addy comes with me when I travel to my parents' house in Pennsylvania (trips ranging from 3-14 days), but she's great in the car, and they have a grey and 2 salukis and the dogs all get along. If I'm going on a trip that I'm unable to take her with for (like my wedding last summer in Utah and my family vacation in two weeks in North Carolina), I take her back out to the kennel that's run by our adoption group. I trust them immensely and it's a familiar place for her since she spent 4 months there prior to adoption.

 

I agree with the above poster about doing what makes you the most comfortable. My mom has had really bad experiences with her dogs in boarding situations, so I would have a very hard time leaving Addy somewhere that I didn't trust.

[Jerilyn]

I think it would depend on the dog.

My Lila is perfectly behaved, loves people, and doesn’t like exuberant dogs. For those reasons I take her with me on vacation and she’s just fine. She’s happy to explore new places and meet new people and as long as there’s a bed or blanket for her she settles easily anywhere.

The thought of boarding her makes me very uncomfortable. I know she would not like a doggy day care situation where she was expected to play with a bunch of boisterous dogs all day and she would be upset by dogs barking in their kennels. If I had to go somewhere without her I would find some greyhound savvy people who could take care of her either at my house or theirs.

[Guest Doggone]

I was lucky to connect with a lovely member of this forum who also lives in Austin . When I go away (1-2/year), she (they) graciously have Autumn "visit" with her (their) greys (2 girls, plus a newbie young boy).

Since Autumn is extremely laid-back and easy, plus very low-maintenance, it seems to work out well .

As I said, I was very lucky; I don't think Autumn would do very well in a noisy kennel environment.

[OwnedBySummer]

I pretty much only attend greyhound events now as vacation. LOL! I like to take my girl everywhere with me. She is a wonderful traveler and has no problem with hotels. I would never board her at a typical mixed breed facility as she would not be happy with that and neither would I. I'm lucky that, for the rare instances where she can't travel with me, we have a local greyhound-only in-home boarding facility. If that option wasn't available to me, my next choice would be to have an in-home sitter.

 

ETA: The least stressful thing for her is to be with me. Wherever that is, however far we go. I take her on local errands as much as possible, too, as she's happy to ride around in the van and come in with me (or wait in the van, if she's not allowed in -- weather permitting, of course).

Edited May 20, 2014 by OwnedBySummer

[sarabz]

We took Bella with us a few weeks after adopting her and it was great. Other times we've boarded her or left her with my parents who have 3 Goldens. If we're going someplace where Bella would be spending time alone in a hotel room, then we typically leave her behind. She's fine in hotels but if we're not going to be with her anyway then it makes us question the point of bringing her. This weekend we are going away without her since we'll be spending lots of time with family whose dog will not allow Bella on "his" property.

[zoesmommy]

Hi there,

First off, I'm happy to hear you have some time off and an opportunity to enjoy getting away. Good for you! Enjoy it.

 

In the 4 years I've had my Grey we took 2 vacations. I've been very, very lucky. I've never had to use a kennel.

Do you have a friend with a mature college age son or daughter?

 

In regards to Zoe (my Grey) we have a friend's daughter who is 19 and an extremely responsible and mature nursing student who will stay in our home as a "live in" while we are gone.

Zoe likes her and the girl has learned all about Greys so we are fine with it. She is familiar with our dog's routine.

We pay her better than average--but much cheaper than a kennel-- and she's all too happy to do it for the easiest money ever made, having a loving dog to play with, and staying in a "house all by herself" instead of an apartment!

Plus she has the TV and stereo, and bathroom all to herself without having to share it with roommates....... and she can eat what she wants out of the fridge! It's also a "job/work experience" she can add to her resume and I will write a letter of reference for

her!

 

Of course mommy and daddy call and check in on the baby !

 

If our girl isn't available the one lady from our Greyhound adoption agency where we actually got Zoe from will watch her for us! She's only an hour away! She has 3 Greys of her own. It's like a major play holiday for Zoe.

 

I'm lucky I've never had to use a kennel. I'm not sure how Zoe would do in one. Most likely we wouldn't take a vacation if we had to fly or we wouldn't be able to stay somewhere nice if the hotel wasn't "pet friendly". Neither my husband nor myself has family in the state.

Edited May 20, 2014 by zoesmommy

[Brandiandwe]

I've taken the girls on a work trip with me which they loved - day boarded at the vets while I had meetings then we went exploring together. It was great. I was happier driving long distance with a couple of dogs, DH didn't need to worry and Paige got to chase the fish on the boardwalk and bark at seagulls. So ideally, I take them with.

 

I've also got a very grey savvy boarding kennel I use, whose owner had racing greys. I trust her implicitly, my dogs are turned out only with each other and no one else and the girls are fine there. Paige won't eat well if I'm not there anyhow, but the owner is patient with her.

 

We've babysat someone else's grey who gets on well and Bobby just slides into our pack. I would ask them to babysit Hermon but not the girls who are trickier. I don't trust others to manage PKs prey drive and the girls go together.

 

So..... Whatever works for you.

[greysmom]

I think it depends almost entirely on the personality of your dog.

 

We have done it all the ways you mentioned - taking them with us, boarding at a good kennel, having a house sitter - depending on what was best for the dogs at the time. When we have out-going, laid back dogs who loved meeting new people and exploring new places, then we take them with us. Everyone has a great time and we feel good spreading the word about how wonderful greyhounds are as pets. When we have rambunctious ones that aren't good travellers, they are boarded. They play all day, and bark when they want, and run around, and run around, and run around, and make new friends from big dogs and little dogs and come home completely exhausted. When we have dogs that are not good travellers and who are nervous and uncomfortable in new situations, we have a friend come and house/dog-sit in our home. Our friend is a vet tech and very responsible (she actually cleaned our house for us, too!) and the dogs benefit from being in familiar surroundings with someone they know.

 

Mostly, we try and take them with us, because we miss them, and want them to have fun with us. This is more difficult with multiple dogs, but it can be done. With only one or two, you can stay in most hotels and easily find outdoor places to eat.

 

FYI, if I had a dog who was new to me and not particularly confident or out-going, I would never take them to be boarded hoping it would "bring them out of their shell." I think this will more likely cause the dog to shut down completely in the chaos and noise of a boarding kennel. If they aren't used to different types of dogs and their play styles, they will not be happy dumped into a group of strangers.

[Guest Greylover3803]

Wow greyaholic. Appreciate you giving me your "opinion" while responding to another's post. Wish I was so confident that I had absolutely all the answers as you seem to.

[Guest Greylover3803]

And yes I realize I should have addressed to Greysmom. Just one more thing I don't get yet.

[greysmom]

Will be interesting to see the types of responses you get. Where I live our Petsmart Pets Hotel is awesome. The staff is great and every time we left our Bonnie there it was a great chance for her to socialize with other dogs. She always came home exhausted in a good way from all the playtime. We leave this weekend and will be leaving our newly adopted Greycie there as well. She has been very timid since bringing her home 4 weeks ago so we are hoping it will actually help letting her socialize and be out in the world. I would say go with whatever path gives you the most reassurance and sense of security. It is one thing to miss your your boy, but to worry about his safety is no good for either of you. Good luck

 

I should have used the anacronym "IMO" (In My Opinion) instead of "FYI" (For Your Information). Sorry for the confusion.

 

You've had your "very timid" greyhound for 4 weeks and you are going to board her. My very timid greyhound (that we have had for 6 years) would be a zombie who wouldn't eat the entire time she was there. The noisy environment and group play would cause her to completely shut down and she would stand in the middle of her kennel and shake as long as she was there. I know all greyhounds are different and that yours may not respond this way. However, you can't turn a shy dog into an outgoing one with a massive dose of exposure.

 

I really hope your very timid greyhound does does better.

[Brandiandwe]

It probably depends on the boarding situation and the dog. Paige does poorly in boarding situations. The first time she went, she refused to eat and shut down completely. Next time, she got to know the owner of the kennels who spent extra time giving her cuddles and attention. She isn't great, but she coped. And boarding for her really is the only option because there's only one greyhound friend I have who I would trust her with because of prey drive issues, and that friend already coped with two high prey dogs of her own. Sometimes you have to go with the least worst option. But it us t ideal and there is a reason I don't take many holidays.

[GeorgeofNE]

Just my opinion, but I would not go on a week long vacation just after adopting a dog.

 

I would opt for a "staycation" since I'm sure you already arranged time off work, and spend that time bonding with my new family member IF my vacation was one where my dog couldn't go.

 

But that's just me, and I'm an old maid whose dog is my companion, and I wouldn't enjoy going away from a new pet enough to make it worth the money.

 

I recently had surgery and was unable to walk George for a month, so I took him to stay with a friend who had three Greyhounds. Even though he knew her, and had company, he was a different dog when he got home. Almost shell shocked. And I've had him for seven years! He doesn't do well with change! And I know he was very well cared for.

[cleptogrey]

we always take our greyhounds with us unless we are flying somewhere. they travel really well, so the weekend get-away will be a breeze. as to boarding, if you have someone reliable and affordable it's always nice to have them come to you. if you can find a home like situation to board the dog- do a pre-visit and check it out, go for it. i feel super comfortable leaving my 2 w/ a friend who boards dogs,only the greyhounds stay in the house w/ her pack. she treats them like her own, what ever she does is fine for me. if i was a dog, i should be so lucky to stay there.

 

where are you located? maybe some GT people will have referrals.

[brindlehound]

I haven't seen it mentioned in this thread but is their a greyhound adoption kennel near you? Some of them do boarding. It might be less stressful than a typical boarding kennel and your baby would be cared for by people who know greyhounds.

[BatterseaBrindl]

Wow greyaholic. Appreciate you giving me your "opinion" while responding to another's post. Wish I was so confident that I had absolutely all the answers as you seem to.

Easy now...

Greysmom is a very knowledgable owner and has lots of experience with shy and spooky hounds!

 

Remember.... you came on here and asked for opinions!

[winnie]

The only vacations DH and I take these days are to greyhound events where our hound pack is welcome.

 

If that is not possible - for example, we're going to an out-of-state wedding next month - then we prefer to leave our hounds with members of our greyhound adoption group. Since we have four hounds, we divide them into groups of two.

 

I know people who do in-home pet-setting, but I'm weird about having people in my house. Heck, I don't have a cleaning person for that reason.

 

I have never tried a boarding kennel. I just think our dogs are happier being around people in a home environment. They've never had any issues staying with other greyhound owners.

[Guest Greylover3803]

Easy now...

Greysmom is a very knowledgable owner and has lots of experience with shy and spooky hounds!

Remember.... you came on here and asked for opinions!

No I was responding to the original poster. Guess that was my mistake for showing interest and think I might have something to add regarding my experiences with boarding which have been extremely positive. My apologies to Mammoth for somehow causing the derailment of this thread.

[macoduck]

Mammoth, can your adoption group board your new greyhound while you are gone? If not, perhaps they can recommend a greyhound-savvy dog sitter or another adopter who would let your dog stay with them.

 

If your new greyhound stays at your home or with a friend while you are gone, will the caregiver have knowledge about safety: martingale collars, tag collars, crate/not crate, not off-leash, door safety/escape possibilities? Is your dog microchipped? Do you have a plan if the dog escapes?

 

Those same questions could be posed to a boarding facility as well. In addition, do you know for sure if your new greyhound is small dog safe? Are play times well monitored to prevent injuries? Will they transport to a vet? Make sure they understand martingale collars and never let them clip a leash on a tag collar or buckle collar. A boarding facility may end up causing more stress than socialization.

 

I worry too much. Personally, I would not leave my greyhounds with anyone not familiar with the breed.

 

If you bring your new greyhound with you on the trip, all the same safety questions apply as in paragraph 2.

[Guest mammoth]

Wow, I did not expect to get so many responses. Unfortunately, he will not be able to come with us on our week-long trip as it is out of the country. It has been planned for a long time and we will be moving around a lot during the trip, going from place to place. I'm sure our adoption agency can help us find someone - even he foster home may be an option. It seems like, in the end, it comes down to "do what we are most comfortable with."

[Guest Celestrina]

We are lucky because Angie is good at a kennel and there is one nearby we like for short term stays. If we are going on a long trip she will stay where we adopted her ( NGAP). It is cheaper and has its own vet clinic.

[Guest iconsmum]

 

I should have used the anacronym "IMO" (In My Opinion) instead of "FYI" (For Your Information). Sorry for the confusion.

 

You've had your "very timid" greyhound for 4 weeks and you are going to board her. My very timid greyhound (that we have had for 6 years) would be a zombie who wouldn't eat the entire time she was there. The noisy environment and group play would cause her to completely shut down and she would stand in the middle of her kennel and shake as long as she was there. I know all greyhounds are different and that yours may not respond this way. However, you can't turn a shy dog into an outgoing one with a massive dose of exposure.

 

I really hope your very timid greyhound does does better.

 

FWIW lol, I agree with you that leaving any grey in a boarding kennel is a bad idea. If you ask the question, OP, you're going to get an answer. People are busy and have often answered the same question many times in the past which means a) it's nice of them to answer,

and there's a certain directness in the delivery. If you start out by taking offence you're going to miss some good info on here.

My answer would have wondered who takes in a dog and then wants to stash it twice in the first 4? weeks?...which would have read poorly too.

Edited May 25, 2014 by iconsmum