Do you feel guilty for leaving your pets?

[ljv1975]

Everytime we get ready to leave for vacation, I get sad and start feeling bad about leaving our 2 precious doggies behind. :(

This time they are staying with a friend of ours, and I know they will be taken care of but I still worry about them!! Our friend works long hours, so they will be home alone a lot which they aren't used to since DD and I are usually here most of the time. I figured that if we took them to a kennel they would be crated all day, so we thought they would be better off with someone we know well.

Well, sorry for rambling on, but I was just curious how everyone else deals with leaving their pets behind when you go on vacation?

[MMouse6937]

I am torn apart leaving my babies when we go on vacation. We have 7 (four cats, three dogs). We used to have the dogs stay with my mother in law and my father would go feed the cats, but it took a long time for them to settle down once we got home and brought them all home. Last year my coworker stayed at our house for the week we were gone and it was the best vacation I have had in a long time. I knew the hours she would work (she works with me) and she slept at my house, etc. It was so relaxing to know they were being so well cared for. When we got home it took them like 30 seconds to say, "Oh, you guys are home" and go about their business. It was wonderful.

[kakn7294]

I actually worry more about what they're doing when we're not home! The dog goes and stays at my sister's house so she's fine. The rabbit has his own cage in our family room and he's fine - sis feeds him and he's litterbox trained. The fish don't care who feeds them as long as someone does. The cats, however, are home alone except when sis comes in to feed them and clean the litterboxes. I always think they will destroy the house while we're gone. In fact, I shut doors to most rooms while we're away to keep them out.

[mrsgaribaldi]

I have 3 kitties and DH has 3. We worry so much about them that we only take short trips, like 3 or 4 nights. I would love to stay longer but I feel bad for them. My father in law watches DH's and my landlady watches mine. I know they are treated well because she loves cats and likes to spend time with mine. But I still feel bad. Especially because they seem to know when we are going and follow me around crying for a few days before. Then when we get home, Charlie will be my new shadow constantly for the first few days, then he gets better. :mickey:

[Madame Leona]

I always feel guilty!! Our dog, Nala, stays at the kennel at her vet's office. While she is there she gets a physical, a grooming and a lot of attention from the woman in charge of the kennel. She usually comes home acting like she has been on vacation herself but I still cry when I drop her off there. Not just a little teary, I mean sobbing. I have to get control in the parking lot before I can drive home or to the airport!!

[trennedy]

I do feel guilty when I leave my pets.
My dog, Wrigley, gets to stay with Grandma and Grandpa though and they spoil him rotten!!!
My cat, Salem, stays at home and I have neighbors that come over daily and feed him as well as giving him tlc.

[Ariel_Fan]

I don't feel badly at all. I think my dog has more fun at the place we board her than at home with us!!

[ckaranassos]

I always feel badly when we leave our two dogs. Our first couple of trips my sister in law stayed at our house. So that was great, but she went and got married. So now we board them at a great kennel and we pay extra for them to have doggie day care everyday that we are gone. We finish with a grooming. But I always feel worse when we pick them up and pay that very big bill for their doggie hotel stay. ;)

[Ed]

The canine that owns this house and very graciously allows us to stay with him looks forward to getting rid of us occasionally, because it means that he gets to go to his version of the DVC - - Doggie Vacation Club. :dog:

We have been very fortunate in that we located a tremendous vet who has a great boarding facility with a wonderful staff. It's obvious from Lucky's reactions that he truly enjoys staying there. When we walk in, the staff greets him by name, and he places his front paws up on the desk to greet anyone behind the desk. When it's time to go back to the kennel area, he willingly goes with the attendant without so much as a look over his shoulder.

But I guess he feels a little guilty because when we come back to pick him up, he practically mows us down greeting us.

One time we left him there, we were delayed getting back, and we called the vet's office to explain that we would be one day late picking him up. The gal at the desk, said "No problem; I'll go back and tell him." And I'm quite certain she did just that!

[SBETigg]

I don't feel guilty. We have a fantastic kennel. They keep our dogs together in a room, not a crate. The room has a doggie door with access to an outdoor pen and room to run around. The dogs are given playtimes out in the yard with other dogs at no extra charge.

Our kennel owners love our pug so much they have frequently mentioned that they hope we forget to pick him up. And our corgi is not very social with other dogs, and they've been working on helping her get over it. The personal attention and love bestowed on our dogs keeps us and our dogs happy. No guilt. I do miss them when we're gone, though.

[Gator]

I used to when I was a kid. But now that I have kids, I have no problem leaving behind my shake-your-brain-bellering, other-dog-poop-eating, want-in-and-out-all-day, can't-stay-off-the-bed BEAGLE. Nuf said.

[SgtTigger]

Guilty..................


YES


I miss my cat so much..... to know that I am not home playing with her........ I know she has to miss me....... Well maybe......





:cop: :tigger:

[IloveDisney71]

We have 2 cats and a dog. We always feel a little guilty when we leave our babies behind, but we can't take them with us to Disney unless we want to leave them in the kennels. So we opt to leave them at home and have a pet sitter or friend stop in twice a day to feed them and play with them.

[Dakota Rose]

No, I don't feel the least bit guilty when we leave Oscar behind. He's a cat. Cats don't get to go places. The way I see it, he would have died if we didn't rescue him out of the garbage bin, so a little vacation won't hurt him. He probably welcomes the break from my crazy preschooler.

Now, if he were a dog I might feel differently. Dogs are so dependent on their people. Cats could care less.

My parents just simply refuse to go anywhere their dogs can't go. Irritates me to no end. In fact, I'm putting that on my pet peeves! :)

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

I feel bad about leaving my 2 cats behind. I'm always home with them. They follow me from room to room. They get a lot of attention from me so I feel bad when I leave them for such a long time. They are always very excited when I get home.

[laughingplace<3]

I feel really guilty leaving my sister ;) Chewy home. No member of the family likes being left out of a vacation-including Chewy!

However, she likes the house quiet to herself. There's no loud music or yabbering. We have one of our friends come and feed her every day. However, after a couple of days Chewy can't wait to see us. :D

I wish I could board her, but she's a rabbit- unlike a dog, who craves attention all the time. There's no place to board rabbits here in the city, and Chewy gets weird when she isn't at home.

[MsMin]

When we just had Chloe it wasn't too bad then we got Max to give her company b/c she was a little neurotic. During our trip in 05 they both lost weight when staying with the vet. So in 06 I was a little more worried and they did poorly again:( Max (Mr. Drama) shook, threw up and cried for several hours when we got back home. He looked like he was on his last. The vet had to give them injections($$). So this year I was real worried. The day of I felt like backing out of the trip b/c I hated to leave them but we worked hard on keeping them healthy. We had a friend watch them at the house on short trips but I wasn't happy b/c I paid her too much for the mess I had to return to and they didn't eat that much more and now we have 4 dogs. :paw:
So we decided on the vet again and she kept the pups in the hospital b/c they are so small and the older ones together in the kennel. My dd has volunteered there but preferred their kennel to the vet she works for :secret: We prepped and packed more for them than us (almost) we brought a shopping bag filled with their regular food, typical treats. We had blankets that we rubbed on us for our scent and packed their favorite toys. To my surprise it worked! Nobody starved or got sick this time so I guess it was worth it. But overall I still feel bad about leaving them.

[RenDuran]

I used to petsit for a living and loved it! There's nothing like making money just for playing with cats and dogs all day! :)

I use a petsitter for my guys at home. She comes by three times a day to let my dog out. Also, when my cat, Clyde, was still living, she gave him twice-a-day insulin shots. Being in a kennel would have sent his glucose through the roof!

It's so nice when I come home from vacation and see everyone peeking out the window at me! I miss everyone when I'm gone, but being able to call my petsitter and see how everyone is doing gives me peace.

[Marilyn Michetti]

DD and I have reciprocal doggie care arrangements. They go - I sleep at their house, - same thing when we go. They get spoiled rotten either way. The one year, I think it was Jan 2oo4, all of us went - it was a pre wedding present. Anyway, a gal that trains police dogs offered to stay at out house for the whole week, sleeping over. She would work her other clients during the day, and come back at night. They, (Debbie, and our three dogs) would be in my twin adjustable bed together, watching movies, and eating popcorn.

When we came home, not one dog would speak to us for a coupld of days.,

They had a wonderful time, and we did too. What a way to welcome DFSIL to the family in a limo all expenses paid for a week in WDW.

This year, if my mom is still with us, she will feed Cody - if not, Beth can come over and sleep. They will have a wonderful time no matter how it works out..:D

[SurferStitch]

We miss our two pups so much when we're away, but I KNOW they are having a great time at my parents' place. They live in the country, so the girls (Genevieve and Babette) don't have to wear leashes, and can go outside whenever they want. My parents are retired, so they have people around them all the time. My parents love taking care of them, and look forward to babysitting (they are little dogs, and easy to care for). They chase bunnies (never catch them), play with my brother's dog, and love every minute of it.

Our two kitties stay home when we're away. They don't like strange places, and hate the car, so it's better for them to stay home. My mom goes to our house every other day and stocks them up on food/water, cleans the litter box, and gives them attention. Still, they miss having us around (so my mom says), so that makes me feel a little bad. They are still very well taken care of.

We love knowing we have our pups and kitties to come home to. Makes the end of the vacation so much nicer.

[conorsmom2000]

Well, when we planned our first Disney trip (well, our first with Conor) our black Lab Molly was only 1 1/2. I just couldn't bare the thought of her in a kennel all day, so at the last minute, we upgraded her to suite boarding. We already knew and loved the facility, as it's where she had done training, but suite boarding eased my mind a lot. :blush: :blush: She had her own room, with a wrought iron doggie bed, a basket of toys and the Animal Planet on TV! :blush: She spent the day at their doggie day care center, which was huge, with tons of toys and tunnels, and access to their outdoor deck, with doggie sized adirondack benches! She also got walked 2 times a day. So, no, while we missed her, I didn't worry about her - it was worth every penny. She's gone to suite boarding twice now.

Last time we went away, for a 2 night camping trip, we left her home (since we no longer need to crate her) and that was definitely harder. I know this was a freak thing, and the odds of it happening again are slim, but..... We had a pet sitter coming 3 times a day (we had used him when she was a puppy), plus had my neighbor coming over twice a day to let her out in the yard, and my brother coming once a day "just to check on her". Um, yes, I was much more nervous. And with good reason. Due to a violent thunderstorm, we lost power that first night (it was out for 24 hours) - Molly got scared and leaned against our bedroom door, and she shut it, accidentally trapping her in our room, with no window open and no air conditioning...in August. :( The Pet sitter came at 11, but the power was still out, and he couldn't find her in the dark. (he lives a few towns away and had no idea we had lost power - the storm had happened 2 hours earlier) My brother drove by and saw him there so stopped to help and he couldn't find her either. She wasn't found until the pet sitter came back at 7 am and was able to go through the whole house. We, for other reasons, decided to come home the next morning, not knowing any of this - though, we had an idea the power was out because we couldn't reach our answering machine. My brother texted me on our drive home and told me what happened. When we came home, to still no power, I swore I would never do that again. Either she comes with us, or someone stays at our house or she goes to theirs, or she goes to suite boarding. But, guilt won't let me leave her in our house again. I was so relieved that we had decided to come home early, as was Molly, who got to spend the entire afternoon in the pool with us to make up for her ruff (I mean rough!) night.

Our cat, Bailey, on the other hand, does just fine when we are not home! Our neighbor takes care of him and I think he loves her more than us! :D

[Bethis26fan]

I feel bad when I go and leave Bosley, he gets to stay with his "Grandma & Grandpa" so he's happy and I live next door so he gets to come home and play, but I still feel bad. He gets lots of love when we get home.

[IloveJack]

When DH and I were dating, his dog (Jake) was left with his parents for months at a time, and everything was fine; that was "home" to him. His dad loved playing with Jake, and we knew he was well fed, if not being fattened-up. However, after we got married, we took a week-long trip for my birthday, and left Jake at the "grandparents." When we got back, DH went to pick Jake up and he was covered in hot spots, not happy at all, and losing his fur. We decided that he assumed he'd been left forever, and had freaked out. That was the end of that.
Since then, we've gained Dixie, who is super-spoiled. (Both of our dogs are "momma's babies" and get their way with me much more than with DH). When we go on long trips, such as to WDW or elsewhere, either my parents come over twice a day to let them out and play with them, or DH's best friend comes to do the same. If neither of them can do it, the dogs go with us (we always take them if we're tent-camping). If that's not an option, we don't go.
Jake's a pit-bull rescue (literally rescued from a fighting ring), so we're really careful with who we allow in our house when we're not home. He's incredibly protective of us and our house.

[princessjojo]

I'm so glad to have read this. We are leaving in June and this has been on my mind for literally since we got our baby Hershey, a chocolate lab. I just love him so much, but he's just a big puppy, literally. He's not quite a year old yet, not quite fully grown, and weighs about 80lbs. I just love him so much, but he is so active, overly active puppy actually, that we have to leave him outside. He comes in on occasion, but just runs through the house constantly.

I thinking of boarding him while we're gone, but don't know how he'll react. We also thought about taking him to my MIL's while were gone, but there are other dogs around & I'm afraid he'll run off or into the road. We have a radio controlled fence for him, but he's never used it. It's like the invisible fence, but can be portable. We may take him to MIL's with the fence but don't know yet.

I just hate the thought of leaving him home when he's used to running and playing all day.

[MMouse6937]

I used to when I was a kid. But now that I have kids, I have no problem leaving behind my shake-your-brain-bellering, other-dog-poop-eating, want-in-and-out-all-day, can't-stay-off-the-bed BEAGLE. Nuf said.

WOW, I hope you were kidding, that's harsh. Poor doggie.

I'm glad that people feel the way I do, I thought I was just a nervous mom, but I think we have a great situation now, looking forward to this years trip again! :D

[Jenemmy]

Wow -- I thought I loved critters -- but after reading all these responses, I feel like a bad doggie owner!!

My dog is great -- he is loved, taken care of and enjoyed by all of us....but, no -- I have no problem leaving him and taking a family vacation. We never leave him in a bad situation -- we make sure he will get the provisions he needs and then it is off my mind. I honestly never give it a second thought. We do enjoy our reunion once the trip is over.

[Jenemmy]

WOW, I hope you were kidding, that's harsh. Poor doggie.
:D

Some people look at the family dog as one of their kids and some people look at the family dog as a dog. Just a different perspective.

[Disney Doll]

We have 4 cats and we leave them at home. They hate strange places and car rides so at home is the best solution. We get a friend or family member to come over each day to feed, water, and scoop. I do worry that they are lonely, but 3 of the 4 are stranger shy so I don't think having someone stay at our house would work. I leave lots of blankets out so they can snuggle up and relax. Plus, I round up all the toys that have been previously lost so they have plenty to do. They all have different personalities. Some greet us with extra excitement when we return while others give us a cold shoulder for a day or so as punishment for our abandonment.

[MMouse6937]

Some people look at the family dog as one of their kids and some people look at the family dog as a dog. Just a different perspective.

I respect your perspective but I'm not so sure what looking at your dog just like a dog means. They didn't ask to be part of the family, you brought them in. I don't think that everyone needs to treat their pets as I do (like "real" children) but they do deserve care as they are the "family pet(dog)"

I don't want to start an argument, I am just very passionate about animals. I volunteer at the local shelter and see the worst of the worst, I just want animals to know love, compassion, and security. I don't want that to come off as too strong, it's just my passion!
:)

[Jenemmy]

I respect your perspective but I'm not so sure what looking at your dog just like a dog means. They didn't ask to be part of the family, you brought them in. I don't think that everyone needs to treat their pets as I do (like "real" children) but they do deserve care as they are the "family pet(dog)"

I don't want to start an argument, I am just very passionate about animals. I volunteer at the local shelter and see the worst of the worst, I just want animals to know love, compassion, and security. I don't want that to come off as too strong, it's just my passion!
:)

No arguement here :D I was just making a general observation. I wasn't even giving my point of view, honestly.

I don't think your statement came off as too strong at all...in fact, I wholeheartedly agree. When you adopt a pet, you adopt a responsibility and it isn't something to be taken lightly.

My dog lives a life of doggie luxury. Do I consider him one of my kids -- no, I don't. But, he is my fur baby and we are responsible for giving him love, attention and shelter for sure and he gives us a lot of happiness.

In fact -- he has brought a lot out of my son with autism. It has been really neat to watch the bond that my son and our lab have formed.

We are crazy about him -- I just don't feel guilty taking my real kids on vacation because of him. We always leave him somewhere he can be happy and then it is all good to me.

You know -- our trip in January, my dh's grandma wanted to keep our dog as she is just recently living alone and thought it would be good company. We took him over the day before we left and he, for some reason, absolutely hated it!! He was totally freaked out by the sweet little grandma :confused: So, we changed things around hours before we left so he could be happy.

Again -- I wasn't contradicting.....just observing.:thumbsup:

[TooGoofy]

The canine that owns this house and very graciously allows us to stay with him looks forward to getting rid of us occasionally, because it means that he gets to go to his version of the DVC - - Doggie Vacation Club. :dog:

We have been very fortunate in that we located a tremendous vet who has a great boarding facility with a wonderful staff. It's obvious from Lucky's reactions that he truly enjoys staying there. When we walk in, the staff greets him by name, and he places his front paws up on the desk to greet anyone behind the desk. When it's time to go back to the kennel area, he willingly goes with the attendant without so much as a look over his shoulder.


That's how we feel when we leave Merry and Pippin (our miniature schnauzers) at our vet's boarding facility. They are kept together, the staff there loves them and takes very good care of them, and we don't have to worry at all about them. We miss them, of course, but we do not feel guilty or worried about them.

In fact, one staff member gave me her personal cell phone number so that I could check in on how Merry was doing while we were gone (she had been sick with a stomach virus and was not eating.)

They know that they have carte blanche...if anything should happen to either dog, they can treat as needed. Knowing that there is a top notch veterinary staff there to take care of any problems should they arise really helps with our peace of mind while we are away.

[O'MalleytheAlleyCat]

Usually, our two cats stay at home and someone comes in daily to feed/water them. They are very independent and get along just fine. Our bulldog, Lili usually stays with my sister or my parents, but both now live almost 5 hours away and it's not quite as easy to do that anymore. We're nervous about an upcoming trip this summer. To make matters worse, one cat has now been diagnosed with diabetes and requires insulin injections twice daily. We're going away for a very short weekend in March and a co-worker is going to stay at my house to see how things go. I'm hoping if they go well, this can be an arrangement for future longer trips. I really think that someone staying at my house is the best option, but sometimes it's hard to find just that "right" person. The diabetic cat is also stranger shy, but I think will come out for food. Cross your fingers on this one...

[The Flying Dutchman]

DW and I hate leaving our cat behind. Whenever we go on vacation, one of our neighbors comes over and checks in on her at least once a day. Even though we KNOW the cat gets plenty of love and attention while we are gone, whenever we get home she "talks" all night long to us. Seems like she is out for revenge for being abandoned!

[DisneyDog]

I used to hate leaving my dogs behind. We used to send them to a kennel. Then we started boarding them at the vet's, and I stopped worrying. I knew they were well taken care of. Our doggies have both passed to the Rainbow Bridge within the past year, and now we have a cat. He is the most easy-going, laid back cat ever created. Leo is so wonderful. Nothing bothers this boy. He has been kenneled twice, both times at the vet. We have also left him overnight twice. He did perfectly fine in both situations. Came home and acted like his normal self. I will miss him when we go to WDW, but I won't be upset about kenneling him because I know it won't even phase him.

[ºoºalyssaluvsmickeyºoº]

Yes we feel guilty even though my wife works at an animal hospital and we know our dog is not being mistreated its hard to hear they miss you so much they stop eating.

[dan24]

our dag stays at my parents when we go out of town after all she is there granddog... but we still miss her.. and we know she will be taken care of.. but we will bring her something back that will make her a disney dog.

:mickey:

[Sylvia]

:cat::paw:My 2 furbabies (black/white cat named Minnie Moo and orange/white cat named Tigger) have been members of my family for almost 11 years. I was lucky enough to find a Veterinary practice limited to cats. They also have boarding facilities. They treat their patients as if they are their own, so I know my babies are getting lots of TLC and are being taken care of very well.

:cat::paw:I realized just how comfortable they are at the Vet's during Minnie's cancer treatment a couple of years ago. She was seeing the Vet every week and for some reason, one day she was a little skittish. I held her for a few minutes to calm her and she actually wanted to get down on the floor and go exploring. Although Tigger hasn't had the traumatic experiences Minnie has had, he reacts the same way when he's at the Vet's. That's when I realized that they consider the Vet's office their second home, which is the main reason why, although I'm a little guilty when I have to board them, I don't worry. I know they're well taken care of and they're getting lots of love and attention from everyone on the staff.

:blush: I will admit, though, that I call every couple of days to check on them. :blush:

[Jeri Lynn]

I do not feel guilty when we leave for vacation. I certainly miss my brood (1 dog and 5 cats). We always have someone come to the house to take care of them so they do not have to leave their familiar territory and are always well taken care of.

[AdventurelandTikiGirl]

Wow, reading all these posts has been reassuring! I thought I was the only crazy one who stresses about leaving my kitties (:ccat:Diesel and :ccat:Fiona) behind. I typically take early morning flights, so it's especially hard dragging myself out of bed with my kitties curled up sleeping peacefully with me. They are very friendly and affectionate, and I feel horrible for leaving them. It is interesting how they "know" when you're going to leave. After the trip, it's always a treat when I'm sad to return home (especially after a Disney treat) to see the two kitties at my door excited for my return.

[poohbearlover15]

We leave my dog at my grandparents house. We know that she will get a lot of attention there and when she comes home she will be 10 pounds heavier!

[MNNHFLTX]

We do feel a little sad (and yes, guilty) when we're going away on a trip and have to leave our two cats and two dogs behind. Especially as one of our dogs is keenly tuned in to the cues (packing the suitcases, primarily) and always acts sad herself.

Years ago we boarded the dogs and had a neighbor come in to take care of the cats, but found that it was just too stressful on the pups. Now we have a wonderful petsitter that comes three times a day to play with and take care of all of them; she even gives our big black lab his insulin shots twice a day and can test his blood sugar, if needed. It's very expensive, but worth it to know that they are well taken care of. Plus they love her, so there's no problem there.

Despite missing them while we're on vacation, I don't let it stop us. Everyone needs some time away here and there, and unfortunately pets can't always go. :dog: :cat: