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Any dog lovers here who like to travel?

J

JMorton6

Senior member
I wanna get a dog (Boxer?), but I really don't wanna lose my freedom to travel whenever I want and for as long as I want. So that's been holding my puppy dreams up for like 2 years now. 🙂 Anyway, do you guys have any suggestions, like are there places where I can leave my dog for a few weeks or even a few months? How much do they generally cost, how do they work and how good are they, and most importantly how do dogs handle being left without their master for a few weeks or months - are they generally ok with it?
 
If you're gonna be gone for months at a time, I wouldn't do it.

Pets are for people that have settled down and are no awaiting to die. D:
 
RavenSEAL said:
If you're gonna be gone for months at a time, I wouldn't do it.

Pets are for people that have settled down and are no awaiting to die. D:
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Well, not typically no, but say once a year I might wanna leave for a few months. But not all the time.
 
Being gone for a couple months every year is a LOT. The only way I would do something like that is if my parent's or sister could take my dogs.
 
A few months every year or so is a long time. We've kenneled our dog for 2 weeks once in the 3 years we've had him and I can't imagine doing it for any longer than that.
 
Dog kennels will usually watch your dog for as long as you pay. Most in my area cost 26 - 33 per day . I have never heard of them offering deals for longer visits but it doesn't hurt to ask.
 
My wife and I love to travel, we also have 3 dogs. It kinda sucks. My parents take our two mini-dachshunds and we take my akita to a farm that does dog training. He seems to like it there, but its a pain in the ass every time we want to take a vacation. If we didn't have dogs we'd definitely travel a LOT more.
 
Anything longer then 2-3 weeks would be a no go I think. If you are going somewhere for more then a month try and bring the dog with you. Or realize you are traveling way too much for a dog. Most people do not travel more then a few weeks in a year, you are talking several months (2+) in a year that is already 1/6th of a year!
 
mnewsham said:
Anything longer then 2-3 weeks would be a no go I think. If you are going somewhere for more then a month try and bring the dog with you. Or realize you are traveling way too much for a dog. Most people do not travel more then a few weeks in a year, you are talking several months (2+) in a year that is already 1/6th of a year!
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Well, what would happen if I left a dog for 2 months on a nice farm like the person above said? A nice place where it can play with other dogs, be outside and get the best food, medical care, etc. It'd be like a vacation for it - I mean, what sane dog would pick city living over a farm! I don't think it would be all that bad guys. And plus, I thought dogs don't have a perception of time anyway, so the dog wouldn't really know how long you were gone for, right?
 
I have 3 kids 3 or younger and I leave them alone at home for months at a time a few times a year.

Just put down some wood-chips and make sure that there's plenty of food/water and you can go a month or so with no real-problems.

I stable the kids with social-services when it'll be longer than that; suckers always give'm back though 🙂

You could leave your dog in the loving hands of PETA 🙂 You can trust them because ethical is right in the title.
 
If you want to be away from your dog a couple of months at a time, I'd strongly suggest one of these:

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DixyCrat said:
I have 3 kids 3 or younger and I leave them alone at home for months at a time a few times a year.

Just put down some wood-chips and make sure that there's plenty of food/water and you can go a month or so with no real-problems.

I stable the kids with social-services when it'll be longer than that; suckers always give'm back though 🙂

You could leave your dog in the loving hands of PETA 🙂 You can trust them because ethical is right in the title.
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PETA are horrible people. I just heard that they kill 95% of animals that are donated to them. 🙁
 
As the general consensus says, 1 month a year every year is a bit much.

If you plan on doing that, find either a vet clinic that can board them that long, or, preferably, a family member who wants a part time pet.

I have an aunt who is usually quite willing to watch one of my dogs (a very mild mannered greyhound). My other dog (a Labrador) goes back to my dad (who I got him from) and gets live out doors for a the times I leave on vacation. I usually never leave more than a week or two.

As my aunt has always liked having dogs, the part time pet works out for her. The dog gets attention/affection/interaction while not being cooped up all day. The lab gets to play with his mother and my dad's other dog while we are gone.

If you plan on boarding the dog, just know that your traveling is going to be getting a lot more expensive. 1 month = about $900. For me, 1.5 weeks of my dog being with my aunt is about $120 (or whatever I set the price to be, but I try to be fair).
 
A month at a time is a lot to be leaving a pet behind. We're generally gone for no more than a couple days at a time, with one longer 9 day vacation. For short 2 or 3 day trips, we just leave the dogs at home and inform a neighbor to keep an eye out & call us if anything's wrong. (And we hire someone to come once a day to check on our farm animals.) For longer trips, we have someone come over twice a day to check on all the animals. It's cheaper to pay someone to stop by twice a day (a responsible high school kid in the neighborhood works well) than it is to board 3 dogs.
BUT, the dogs have 24/7 access to outside via a doggy door, and a very large (acres) fenced in area; something that may not be an option for you.
 
I have a dog and 2 cats. If we are driving somewhere and going to be less than 2 weeks the dog will come with us (assuming we find a pet friendly place to stay at). I also put down 3 water bowls and pour out enough cat food to last a month.

The best thing to do is to find a house sitter. Just get one of your friends to live in your house and pay them like $125 bucks a week. All they have to do is feed your animal and not leave your house a mess by the time you get back. If I can't find a house sitter then I'll board my dog (usually 20-25 bucks a day) while I'm gone. You could also leave your dog with family if they live nearby, but don't expect them to take care of your animal for free.
 
I placed my dog in a kennel once for 4 days. It really looked nice and clean etc. When we picked her up she was coated with fleas and skin rash... really nasty. I will never do it again. If you do be very careful!
 
We usually have a friend or family member come to our house and feed and play with the dog daily while we are gone. We dont pay them, but if they were to ask i gladly would. We return the favor as well when they go out of town.
 
Consider pet boarding: Let people bring their pets to you so you can get your cute fix before flying off to Borneo. You get paid on top of that! Who knew? Seriously, owning a pet is not for you.
 
i'll take a week off here and there every year... luckily my parents love my dog

taking months off is a no go though... unless it were some type of emergency I would never do it.
 
JMorton6 said:
I wanna get a dog (Boxer?), but I really don't wanna lose my freedom to travel whenever I want and for as long as I want. So that's been holding my puppy dreams up for like 2 years now. 🙂 Anyway, do you guys have any suggestions, like are there places where I can leave my dog for a few weeks or even a few months? How much do they generally cost, how do they work and how good are they, and most importantly how do dogs handle being left without their master for a few weeks or months - are they generally ok with it?
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My advice to you would be this: DON'T GET A DOG!!! Or a cat for that matter.

I recommend a goldfish. That way you can just flush it down the toilet before you go on vacation and buy a new one for fifty cents when you get back.

By the way, boarding a dog is expensive. At least $150-200 per week in our area.
 
1. We travel with our dogs (which means you can't fly). cost is usually ~25/dog/night
2. My GF works as an animal caregiver to take care of other peoples animals when they vacation. Expect 35-55/night.
 
Ns1 said:
1. We travel with our dogs (which means you can't fly). cost is usually ~25/dog/night
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Why no flying? Most airlines will allow pets to be checked or even in the cabin. Only exception I know of is you cannot fly a pet into the UK pretty much at all. Unless they are a service animal.
 
mnewsham said:
Why no flying? Most airlines will allow pets to be checked or even in the cabin. Only exception I know of is you cannot fly a pet into the UK pretty much at all. Unless they are a service animal.
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I won't check my dog in and he won't fit under the seat in front of me.
 
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