In-laws or kennel while on vacation?

[carfreemama]

We adopted a rescue dog about 1 month ago. He's just a great little dog. His only issue is that he is a RUNNER, as in escape artist. I've heard this is common in rescues and in dogs who have been chained up a lot. He has escaped three times (not on my watch). This includes an escape at our in-laws when we left him there for an evening. We are in obedience classes and working really hard on down/stays.

We are going to visit my mom in another province for about a week next Saturday. I know we shouldn't be going away so soon after getting our dog, but it can't be helped. So, my question is, should we accept our in-laws' offer to look after him while we're gone?

They are fairly careful, but of course they say they "can't guarantee" that he won't get out. They're fairly vigilant, but I just don't know if they'll be willing to take the precautions I have.

Our other option is a really great kennel in the country. It's expensive and it seems a little silly when we have our family's offer. But he might be safer.

What would be best for the dog? He knows our in-laws and would enjoy staying with them. However, he has NO sense of traffic and if he gets away he could SO easily be hit. In the kennel, at least if he gets out he is in the country and with people who are very knowledgeable about dogs and would probably stand a better chance of getting him back. If he gets away, I will not be there to help get him back for at least a couple of days. He has his tags, but is not microchipped.

It's possible he wouldn't run so far/fast now, since he's settling in with us. But I would be DEVASTATED if anything happened to him. My in-laws will be understanding, but offended, if I choose the kennel. WWYD?

[PlayaMama]

i'd choose kennel. you don't want your in-laws to be responsible if something should happen.

[betsyj]

Kennel. I can't imagine the strain on your relationship should he escape and be killed while your inlaws are watching him.

[carfreemama]

Thanks for the replies. It's hard to know exactly what to say to them. They really want him to be with them, but I know I won't relax while I'm away knowing there's a chance something will go wrong. The owners of this kennel also run the obedience school we are attending and they do offer "extra training" to their boarded dogs. I was thinking of asking them to continue working on down/stays etc. while we're gone, so maybe I could phrase it that way to my in-laws. OTOH, if they would agree to follow some simple rules, like making sure he's always in a closed room before they check the mail and putting signs on their doors so no-one comes in unexpectedly, I really think it would be okay. Maybe it's worth talking to them. They're not irresponsible, they just don't follow the every.single.time system that I do. I don't think it'll always be this extreme, given how much he's already settled down in the past month.

[greenmagick]

Have you shared your concerns with your ILs? I have no problems with kennels...maganged a grooming facilty that was a p/u and d/o point for one for years....however, if you just rescued him, I would be a bit concerned about kenneling him. I fear it could set him back in his bond to you etc. Your Ils he knows, a kennel will be like being rehomed again (you mentioned that you havent had him long correct?)

You are in a tough situation here. Would your ILs be willing to keep the dog tethered to them a lot, to help stop any possble escapes?

[angie7]

I personally hate kennels and that would be absolutely last resort. My parents boarded our dogs when I was kid for a week while we were in florida and we came back to 2 very sick, skinny, completely stressed out and traumatized dogs. I swore then that I would never leave another dog in a kennel.

Out of my 4 dogs, 2 are runners. One disappeared a few months for 3 days. We were worried sick but luckily we managed to find her with flyers and calling our local shelters. She isn't an escape artist, she got out b/c the gate was not closed tightly. My other dog is an escape artist. She can get out of the smallest of holes. She was getting out last week and we could not figure out how. Turns out a slat was lose in the fence and she managed to squeeze herself through. We have to be very careful with her and check our fence regularly. So I know what you are going through.

How would your inlaws be watching him? Do they have a fence? would he be on a leash? Perhaps you could request that they take him out on a leash and also a walk every nite will help too.

[carfreemama]

Thanks for the feedback. I think Sparky WAS an escape artist; but he seems to be calming down with that, so now I'd say he's more of a garden-variety runner, i.e. you just need to watch him really carefully when you open doors. We are working REALLY hard on sit-stays at doors and we have graduated to where he will sit/stay at an open door (leashed) until given the "okay" signal. He is VERY smart, loving and eager to please!

We've only had him about a month. We were going to wait until after we got back to adopt a dog, but this guy had literally been abandoned and needed a home immediately. His only other option WAS a kennel at the time.

They do not have a completely fenced yard, but they do live in a fairly quiet subdivision with not much traffic on their street. It's possible our training may have advanced enough to make this a little less dangerous a situation. They will walk him regularly. They will listen if I make specific suggestions/requests. Anything I can do to make this safer?

The kennel is big and bright and the dogs get tons of attention and exercise. I know the owners and it's on a farm. But I do think it would be MUCH more stressful to Sparky than in-laws. He already stayed overnight with them once and he did get away, but they managed to get him back pretty quickly.

He's just so FAST. 40 pounds of muscle--border collie/retriever/ducktoller. I'm doing things like playing games where I encourage him to chase me, hoping that would help if he did get away. Is that a good idea? I just love this little guy so much.

[betsyj]

I love playing chase with my dog. I would definitely get him microchipped as well.

I would also give my IL's advice should he get out. Don't chase him as that often turns into a game on the dog's part-"hey look, they want to play!!" Make sure when he does come back they praise him to high heaven. Ensure they know to never punish him when he does finally come-even if it takes 15 minutes.

Maybe have a super awesome treat just for an emergency? COnsider having him drag a leash? Often dogs will come into your general vicinity and play the "just out of reach game." Having a leash to step on can help. I would never leave him unsupervised with a leash of course.

And stress that he is never to be outside without being leashed-no matter what.

[carfreemama]

Thanks, betsyj. I will do all those things. The dog could CARE LESS about food, unfortunately; but he does love toys! I think I'll get him to spend an afternoon or two there before we go, both as practice and for more bonding. I'll get them to do the chase thing, too. They would never let him outside without a leash on purpose, so that's good. I think dragging a leash is a good idea. I'm more worried about him getting hit than lost. I've never seen a dog play in traffic like that before. It was horrifying.

[Ola_]

Honestly, I would do the kennel. I guess it sort of depends on the inlaws - we have one set that we leave the dogs with when we go away and another set that we just wouldn't. They are a bit spacey and always busy with everything, the only reason their dog is still alive is that she is too afraid of the outside world to walk through the gate.

Also, I would not expect your dog to be aware of traffic, dogs just don't have the concept of "don't go there, it will kill you". Since you just got the dog it is unlikely that you will be able to train him enough to not slip out the door, especially if you are not there and only your inlaws are.

[carfreemama]

My in-laws are both retired and usually home. They work on their house, run on their treadmill and go shopping. Seriously. We left our last dog there all the time. That's why it's a bit tricky not to leave Sparky with them. I think they might be hurt; then again, not as badly as Sparky will be if he gets hit or lost. I don't know. I know the kennel is the safest choice, I'm just not sure if it's absolutely necessary or if I could be overreacting. I'll talk to them again and see if I can get a better sense of how careful they're willing to be with this.

With my dh, I can basically say "if you let the dog escape, don't come home without him." With my in-laws, maybe not so much.

[november]

I would trust in anyone in my family over a kennel, honestly. It knots my stomach up to imagine my poor puggy all alone in a kennel with no one she knows! No way, no how.

[carfreemama]

I spoke to my in-laws and I think I got my point across. I really love my in-laws. They're good people and I do trust them. I'm just a nervous new doggie-mommy (though I've had dogs before) and I wish sooo much I didn't have to leave him at all just yet. If he does escape and, God forbid, something does happen to him, it's true it will be very difficult for the family and maybe our relationship. But it will be damaging for it if I send him to a kennel, too and it will be a cold day in you-know-where before they ever offer again. It's true too that Sparky loves being around people, so even a good kennel will probably be hard on him. I hope he won't feel like he's been abandoned again, even if we DO leave him with family!!!

[november]

I'm sure Sparky will be MUCH happier with your in-laws than in a kennel .. definitely! And who says some young kid that's working at the kennel couldn't accidentally 'lose' him on a walk or something, you know?! Mistakes happen everywhere -- I think I'd personally choose someone I love and trust over a stranger at a kennel. And you're right -- I think a kennel at this fragile time in Sparky's life could be really damaging.

I wonder if your in-laws would agree to a one night trial run for Sparky so he knows you're coming back for him when you leave for a week? Leave him there one night, go get him the next morning .. that way the next time you do it he'll be more familiar with it? Just a thought! =0)

[carfreemama]

Good idea, November! I think I will send him for a night. FWIW, he has already spent one night there--and escaped. No harm done and a quick recovery. Not that I trust him AT ALL yet, but he IS much more settled now. He doesn't run for the door whenever he thinks someone is near it and get all worked up and he will come back to me when I call him. All precautions will still apply, but I think the actual danger is less. Mind you, that's with me and I'm the one he's most attached to so far. My main thought with the kennel is that at least if he does get out, he's in the country so presumably less likely to get hit. Also there'd be some chance that somebody knowledgeable about getting him back might be at the kennel. I did talk to his dog walker, who I know very well and she agreed to let me give the in-laws her cell phone number in case of emergency. She knows a search-and-rescue beagle who is trained to locate missing pets and can alert the dog community if something happens.

[nd_deadhead]

I can't say what's best for Sparky - this really seems to be a toss0up. But I want to put in a good word for the kennel where we have been boarding our dog since he was a pup (and like the OP, the kennel owner teaches obedience and agility, and she raises golden retreivers).

Our Corgi LOVES the kennel! He pouts all the way there, because he would rather be with us (and he's smart enough to lay on a guilt trip), but when we pull into the driveway he's got his paws on the dash, wagging his tail, begging me to hurry up and open the door! He has friends to play with! When we get inside, he goes up to each dog in their run, sniffs, wags his tail, and gives a big Woof as if to say "I'm here now, and I'm in charge!" After he has said hello to everyone, he runs out to the office, sits behind the desk with the owner waggin his tail, and looks at her as if to say "Well Jeannie, what's the plan for today?"

He comes home tired and fat! The dogs that get along can have access to the outside fenced yard together, and several dogs will run around from one dog's run to the next. My dog is a huge chow hound, and I know he must scarf up any food he finds in other dogs' space, since I am confident that the owner doesn't overfeed him.

The one time the kennel was overbooked (someone didn't pick up their dog on time), my dog was the one who got to go live in the house with the owners! He gets along so well with their son and their goldens that he was the logical choice.

He also comes home smelling normal - not like a kennel - even after a week. I once left my Lab at a kennel for a weekend, and when we picked him up he smelled so bad we had to keep the car windows open all the way home and give him a bath right away. Obviously we never went back there.

In the case of the OP, I guess I would lean toward the kennel, at least for now. Another argument for the inlaws is that they might not always be available when you go out of town, and you want Sparky to get used to staying in the "puppy motel". Assure them that you will let Sparky stay with them another time - and I think suggesting that the kennel owner will continue with his training is another plus.

Good luck with your decision!

[carfreemama]

Thanks, nd deadhead. This kennel sounds a lot like the one you describe, except the one thing Sparky does do is go nuts if he can see other dogs but not get to them. He seriously loses his mind. He just wants to play and gets along unbelievably well with every dog he's met--as soon as he gets to make contact, he calms down instantly. Not sure if this would be a problem at the kennel.

I do think it's a toss-up. I absolutely believe that for right now, emotionally it would be best for Sparky to stay with our in-laws. He was so, so badly abandoned when we got him, he just soaks up physical human contact. He's not hyper at all and I don't sense separation anxiety, but I do think the separation at the kennel would be very hard for him. Whether that's worth the (hopefully small) risk of him escaping and being lost/hurt is what's so hard to decide.

What I really want to do is take him with me or postpone my trip, but I really can't do either. We are going 24 hours away by train to visit my mom in an apartment. I have spoken to the in-laws at length and they say they are willing to make sure he is in a closed room before they check the mail, answer the door, etc. And I'll be giving them a list of emergency contacts. He knows our in-laws well already and has spent a good deal of time around them. I HOPE this will help him feel less like we've abandoned him, but I don't know.

Should I call him on the phone while we're away? Would it help him to hear our voices? I guess that's a separate topic, but in some ways the real issue is that it's just rotten that we're going away from him right now.

[nd_deadhead]

I don't think you should call. I'm pretty sure dogs don't have a great sense of time - they certainly know what time of day it is (when to expect people to come home, when to eat), down to the minute! - but I don't think they can really tell the difference between 2 days and 5. They get into a routine at their new location,a nd hearing your voice might really throw him off, wondering why he can hear you but not see or smell you. That could cause him to look for you for the next 8 hours - which would be a major disruption to the new routine he's established.

And of course he can't understand when you say "Hey, Sparky - I'll be home in just 3 more days!"