Boarding Woes

I board my hounds at the RGT kennels , my son races motorbikes at a high level for a professional team and I go to see him , its a dangerous sport and I need to be there ! I have to board my dogs otherwise I cant go . I struggle with this as I take my dogs everywhere with me and desparately miss them when I am away, they are not allowed to come to the race track otherwise they would be with me. I have tried to think of allsorts of options e.g having them in a kennels local to the track we are at so I can go and visit and walk them but the logisitics are difficult as the race meets are all over the UK and there
are 12 rounds so its a big committment to try and arrange local boarding in an area I am not familiar with. My family live all over the world so there are no options there and I feel its too much of a committment for my friends who have offered as its not a one off its 12 weekends of the yeAr and it includes all the BHs.

The RGT kennels are fab and they know my dogs well and are very fond of them but I am conscious they are unsettled at times as they are thoroughly spoilt at home (not to the point they are not trained and have house rules )

This weekend Tom had an accident and they were not sure if Bella had bitten him in the kennel as they are close together and share a bed , or it happened when they were playing in the paddock.

I cant see that Bella bit Tom as they are best buddies at home and show no aggression towards each other. Maybe they were a bit stressed in kennels and behaviour was not as normal ? Looking at the wound which has 10 staples in it , it does not look like a bite but does look like a normal hound tear that could happen through play. I have no issues whatsoever with RGT they do a fantastic job and look after my hounds very well.

Bella also has had them awake at 5 in the morning barking , she does not do this at home but did the last 2 nights in the kennels , they had to put an anti bark muzzle on her but she managed to remove it !

I know there is no real easy solution for this , I could stay at home and not go to the race meetings but I dont want to do this , I prefer to be there and fret at the track rather than at home , between a rock and a hard place huh !

I want to do the best for my dogs and support my son and think they will be fine in the RGT kennels as the team are trying to think of ways to settle Bella more in the night and really do the best for my dogs.

Not really looking for answer here but need to share my thoughts , the woofs are fine today and are snuggled up on the sofa with me as I type, I will focus on the belief that dogs live in the moment and every moment with us is a fabulous one for them !

I'd offer to have them, but not sure Tom would like being in close quarters with another male. I know they get on on walks, but inside might be different.
I can understand your concerns, must be hard being away, especially so regularly. No one local you trust?

My dogs go everywhere with me too but sometimes I have to put them in kennels.

I put them where I do for several reasons:

I know where they are, they are not at risk from other dogs, dog sitter mistakes, being run over etc etc

The owner is the breeder of one of my dogs so it is in their interests to look after them.

They cannot do enough for me eg they feed what I give them and their supplements and one when was in plaster took that dog off to the vet for re bandaging as required.

But most of all I put them there because I am happy with the kennels, the staff and the owners and my dogs go in with no reluctance or difficulty.

There is no ONE answer, everyone has to do what they have to do, making the best decisions they can and what is in the best interests of their own dogs in their opinion.

I know lots of people use dog sitters or they go to relatives and those that use de luxe hotel like kennels.

I do what I think is best, as I think most people do.

I do think most people worry too much about kennels, although there are a few dogs who cannot cope in this environment.

There is always something to worry about with dogs isn't there!?

yes always a worry with dogs ! But for sure I am not worried about the kennels they are superb , I couldnt ask for more and because I volunteer there lots of my fellow volunteers visit them and give them hugs and treats , its more me than them I think, I knew when I had the dogs they would have to board if I wanted to go racing and its the only time they go away , they come everywhere else with us and have their first Europe trip later in the year , they are happy to be home today and are off to work with me tomorrow as the hotel is dog friendly and I have enough gaps between meets to sort them out and then the evening with be spent with a nice walk along the river and food at the pub , they dont do too badly really !

Thanks Mel , I am really happy with the kennels and they really look after them well , I suppose its just when something happens you want to be there, next race meet is in Scotland and they are coming with us as I will stay at my sisters which is 20 mins from the track and she will look after them on raceday , they know her and the kids due to lots of visits and they settle well there , so thats one less kennel visit ! Thanks for your offer I may just send Bella to you as Axel seems to have a soft spot for her !

Our hounds get on fine at home providing their is enough space between beds etc, perhaps they were just getting under each others feet a little in the kennels. I always worry about ours when they are in kennels too.

I cant remember if your guys are from the same kennels as ours (monmore rgt) but if they are i can see whay you are not worried about the kennels themselves. Monmore have always been fantastic, they obviously have a real passion for the hounds and Paris always jumps up when she see's the kennel staff Tail wags and everything, she's usually a very reserved lady

try not to worry too much, They will probably be fine for their next stay.

Thanks is it monmore and indeed they are really great , its probably just me feeling bad because Tom was injured and I wasnt there

Awww... I know how you feel though - we're away just for a weekend in November and I'm dreading leaving the dog (and hopefully number 2 if the homecheck ever goes through and they find the perfect one for us - gah I'm dreadful at being patient!) already!

The cat's easy - friend comes in and feeds her once a day and gives her a bit of a fuss... I couldn't cope with the sulking (and complaints about my driving en-route) if we put her in a cattery!

if you think they are really unsettled in kennels, then i would suggest perhaps having a relative or a friend stay in your house with them.
Some pet sitters will do 24 hour pet care in your own home, I offer this service myself and it can be popular with elderly dogs or those who dislike being in a kennel environment. That way instead of worrying about your dog being in someones home, or unsettled in a kennel. You can rest assured in knowing that somebody is staying in your home, keeping your dogs company in there own surroundings with familair scents and the same routine.

Its really a choice, some dogs do actually enjoy being in kennels with other dogs in close proximity, but on the other hand some dogs do become stressed and anxious which can cause barking and unusual behaviours which would not normally arise. Bare in mind, having a professional pet sitter in could cost more money than keeping your dogs in kennels.

A friend or a relative staying over is the best option, you could always pay them the money plus a little extra (or give them money to order a takeaway) and that way your dog will be staying in its home, with somebody it is already accustomed too.

We did this a few years ago when we went on holiday with my Sister and her husband. We had my elderly parents house-sit and paid professional dog walkers to walk Cherry and Parker each day (they knew our dogs before this). It worked out very well.
Last year as my elderly parents were that much older we had "Minders Keepers" house and pet-sitters come and stay for the week. They were brilliant-a retired couple who lived locally and we met them beforehand to see if they would be ok and if they were happy to house and pet-sit. I went away on holiday and almost forgot about the dogs as I felt they were happy in their home environment and the people would look after them and keep their normal routine (i had left a book almost the length of War and Peace detailing this!). It was the right decision as Cherry was nearly blind then and it would have been unsettling to have a change of scenery for her to put her in kennels as they've never been in kennels before and she was 9 then. It was so hot travelling to Bath and back for 6 hours each way I was glad the dogs weren't with us in the car.