Home boarding/pet sitting etc

Hello

Looking for some advice. trying to get an idea of prices and what to expect from pet sitting services.

Basically when we go on holidays we always left Bruno with mother in law, however this year she will be coming with us, and thus we have no one to have Bruno.

He would always go and stay in her house and never had any problems. He has never been in kennels and at 11yrs old I am not going to start that now.

So i was thinking of a pet sitting service but they seem to be really expensive and wondered what the average is.

As the new baby will also be only 6 weeks old, I thought it would be least disruptive all round for Bruno if possible to stay in our house and for someone to come here and spend time/let him out and walk him,

I was thinking of asking my cousin to come and live in house and just get a dog walker in for the 2 weeks to walk him as I wouldn't want my cousin to walk him as don't think that she could cope with him..

Then i was thinking I might not need to have anyone come and stay in house if he got walked during day and then a friend locally to come in and feed him and let him out last thing. BUt dI feel that would leave him too lonely over the 2 weeks...

Just don't know what to do for the best and any advice would be great. I have the lady that does the pet sitting/dog walking coming over next friday so can have a chat with her then re costs etc but just not sure whats realistic etc and what the other options are !!!

Before we moved to our own place I did a lot of house sitting/ pet sitting. I charged £20 per day and that included everything from walking to feeding, vet trips, medication - the works.

Over the course of the week write down every question you can think of so you dont forget when youre chatting, if shes a good pet sitter then she wont be put off by loads of questions.

I agree with you that getting someone to stay with him is probably the best thing for him

I think he would be lonely if you just got a dog walker in & then a friend to feed him. My beagle went to a pet sitter who looked after her in their own home and she was fine (although I missed her loads) I think an older dog would probably be
happier to have someone come and stay. As long as you feel comfortable with the sitter. Have a good holiday!

I looked into it and I think it was about £20 a day and they stayed over in my house.

Basically they'd get walked in the morning then the person would go off to do other dog walking duties, pop in around lunch to let them out for half an hour, go off again and come back aout 6ish, do the feeding another walk and then stay overnight, letting them out for last thing wee's on the way up.

The company I rung was a local one and sounded really good, I didn't actually meet them as my Niece returned from university in time and relished the thought of house sitting for me

I phoned the rescue I got Kiara from and they knew of the people running the sitting service and said they were very doggy savvy and had had good reports from other rescuees who'd used them In fact the guy used to volunteer there some years ago

thanks guys, i am hoping if its about that price it might be alright - anymore and may have to rethink.

A friend has offered to have him in her house but it means she has to send her dog to grannies as they are both dog aggressive ( hers is staffy cross) and so I just feel a bit mean doing that to her - however she has said a few times she doesn't mind....but you just never know if they really mean it until it comes to crunch time !! And i would ideally prefer he stays here even though she only lives round the corner... god I have trust issues LOL

I would not agree to go in and walk someone's dog whilst they were away if I knew they were leaving the dog alone in the house with just a friend going in to feed. Isn't that illegal? It certainly isn't fair on the dog.

£20 a day is about average for pet-sitting in the client's home. If they offer a dog-walking service you could always book a couple of walks first to let Bruno get to know him/her. Check out the terms and conditions to see the maximum number of hours your dog is left at any one time and in total over a 24 hour period to make sure you are happy with it.

Hi

I can tell you from a homeboarding point of view what to look out for as I have my own dog homeboarding / Dog walking business.
What you must do is to ask to see their license, they should be council licensed and vet checked, up here in scotland that is the rule.
Ask how many walks aday the dog will get and if the walk includes other dogs,and if the person is fully insured incase anything happens to your dog whilst in their care.
Ask all the questions that you think will put your mind at rest.look over any small print on contracts.

My dog walker offers a drop in service while you are away. Will come in three times a day to visit/feed/walk the dog. However as the animal is left over night, they refuse to do it for more than 48 hours, and I think only if the dog is alone for just one night in that and you are home by the end if the second day. It's just sort of covers emergency one night away, they wouldn't agree to it for two weeks.

I think getting someone to stay at yours and a professional dog walker for walks is a good compromise. It's what I did when I went away. Cain lived with my mum, she kept him company, fed him etc but can't handle him on walks, so I paid for my dog walker to come in daily too.

It briefly crossed my mind but perhaps for a few days but not for 2 weeks, i think I forget he is such an easy dog in the house as he mostly just sleeps especially at night - but thats not the problem its the walking that is.

The lady is coming round next week and has all the necessary documentation etc so its just whether I like her and feel she is ok with Bruno, I just need to decide based on costs whether she will do the pet sitting or if I can get someone to stay in the house and just get her to walk him which I think would work out best.. all-round.

My plan is to get her to come and walk Bruno a few times when the baby first arrives as would make my life easier and also allow her to get to know him best anyway, and get bruno still walked.

Thanks for the input guys, I know what to expect costs wise - now just have to save up the pennies for it !!

For two weeks, I wouldn't totally object to the idea of someone staying over and not having any walks at all. He's an older dog, it's only a temporary setup, and it saves you worrying about any incidents happening. Having a few Kongs and bones in the freezer, some activity balls with treats/kibble in and writing down some activities/games that your cousin could do with him could be a solution that works?