It’s peak travel time and, if airport crowding is any indication, summer 2023 is going to be a busy time for travel. When considering travel plans, don’t forget to reserve care for your dog(s.) If you haven’t already, we recommend starting with a reputable pet sitter in your area rather than a boarding facility. We think dogs do better at home in the individualized care of a professional. In this spirit, today we’re sharing five benefits of an in-home dog sitter.
1: There’s No Place Like Home
If we’re honest with ourselves, we can all recognize that dogs thrive in a familiar home environment. While boarding facilities and staying with friends or neighbors might sound fun, it actually represents a huge strain on most dogs’ psyches.
Dogs aren’t able to understand why we left them and how long we’ll be gone, therefore, reducing their stress levels is the kindest, most considerate thing to do. While they may still be a bit nervous during our absence, dogs that remain home will enjoy their usual routine, familiar smells and sounds, and access to their favorite toys, spots, etc.
A dog at a boarding facility is often forced to hear other dogs’ barking, whining, stressful vocalizations, and more, which causes additional stress. There truly is no place like home for a dog.
2: Reduced Exposure to Illnesses
A dog that remains in his or her home environment will likely not be exposed to contagious illnesses like Bordatella or Canine Influenza. While bacteria and viruses may be present in grass and gravel in and around your neighborhood, they are much more likely to spread in an enclosed environment like a boarding facility.
A dog that remains home will not be exposed to worms, fleas, ticks, conjunctivitis, etc. which can spread like wildfire in dog daycares and boarding facilities. Just think about coming home from a trip exhausted to learn that your dog is infested with fleas or ticks, has a communicable disease, or picked up worms. Ain’t nobody got time for that!
3: Reduced Risk of Dog Fights
Unfortunately, some pet-specific operations expose our pets to higher risk than others. Boarding facilities and other boarding set-ups that bring unfamiliar dogs together can result in stressful conflicts, fights, and injuries.
Dogs that remain at home, are only exposed to their usual companions. It is very rare to see pets that generally get along start becoming reactive around each other. It is quite common, however, to see unfamiliar dogs have unpleasant and even traumatic encounters.
While reputable facilities will do what they can to prevent such encounters, it’s impossible to avoid them altogether when placing unfamiliar dogs in an inherently stressful, unusually loud, and potentially triggering environment. Dogs are safest at home and away from roughhousing and strangers.
4: Zero Bad Influences
When sending a dog to a doggie daycare or boarding facility, they are observing and learning behaviors from other dogs.
Have you been working on teaching your dog to not jump up when you arrive? They are no doubt going to see other dogs jumping on the handlers and start up the bad habit once again. Do you redirect your dog whenever your he sniffs other dogs and humans inappropriately? These behaviors may be missed when dozens of dog are in the care of a few humans.
When you hire a professional pet sitter, you can tell your pet sitter what you expect of your pet. Don’t want them on the furniture? Just let us know. Don’t like for them to jump up when we walk in? We’ll have your back by greeting them only when they have ‘all four on the floor.’ Do you have them sit before eating? We’ll make a note of your expectations and uphold them during visits. Instead of worrying about what bad habits your dog may bring home from a boarding facility, you can count on us to reinforce your training protocols while you’re away.
5: Most Convenient Option for You
Traveling can be stressful enough without having to drop off and pick up a pet before and after your trip. When you choose a boarding facility, you’re usually at the mercy of the facility’s drop-off and pick-up windows. With a professional in-home pet sitter, you schedule visits according to your travel schedule. That way, you come home to a happy, wagging dog that’s thrilled to see you, and don’t have to make any stops between the airport and your bed. Plus, when scheduled appropriately, you can rest assured that your pet has been exercised, pottied out, and fed as requested. No need to come home to chores just yet!
Plus, if you’re delayed or get in late, you don’t have to pay for an extra night at a boarding facility. Our pricing is the same no matter when we do our last visit so you can design your visit schedule according to your travel itinerary and save money and time.
At Shoreline Happy Paws, we’ve made pet care our profession. We do everything in our power to ensure your dog(s) get the best care while you’re away.
We specialize in dog walking, dog hiking adventures, and pet sitting services in the following areas:
- Old Saybrook
- Essex, Ivoryton & Centerbrook
- Deep River
- Chester
- Westbrook
- Clinton
- Old Lyme
- East Lyme
- Niantic
Certain Parts and Certain Service Hours in:
- Lyme and Madison
- Waterford, New London, Groton
- Uncasville, Gales Ferry, Mystic, Noank
Please contact us by phone or text at 860-964-0464 or via email at info@cthappypaws.com to learn more.
