Pets give us companionship, loyalty, and unconditional love. In short, pets add a lot of happiness to our lives. That is why I find it so disturbing how so many people mistreat their pets. Pet owners often leave their pets at home all day without even considering options like hiring a pet sitter to take care of them. And if you’re going away, even for a night or two, unless you have a pet sitter, pet walker, or a particularly friendly neighbor to see to your pet, pet boarding is not just a consideration, it is essential.
Pets have been bred over generations to depend on human companionship, and in turn, pet owners should take pet ownership seriously. If we are going to have pets as companions, we owe them the loyalty of watching over their needs while we are not at home.
There are more pet boarding kennels in most cities than you expect. You see, pet boarding has become a bigger and bigger business. People are just now becoming aware of how much their pets are like them. Animals have emotional empathy, keen intellect, and even a well developed sense of self. Traditionally, pet kennels were only designed for extended trips. People would not board their pets for less than a day or two at a time, counting on the dogs or cats to be able to take care of themselves while their owners were gone. Today, however, there are more and more doggie day care places. These may be specialized pet day care facilities, or they may be integrated with the longer term pet boarding kennels.
Not all pet boarding facilities are the same, and you need to take into account your pet’s individual temperament when you choose one for your pet. For example, if you have a very social dog especially if it is a medium-sized or large dog you might want to take it to a service offering day boarding for dogs. Many of these places allow the dogs to socialize together, which can be quite fun for them.
For smaller dogs, or especially for cats, you might want to consider hiring an individual pet sitter. Smaller dogs often feel threatened by the larger ones and do not have much fun with them at pet boarding centers.
Cats are often not social creatures and do not do well in group pet boarding environments, unless they are specialized catteries.
However, these general rules don’t necessarily apply for all small dogs or all small cats. You need to observe your dog or cat with other members of its own species before you can really make an informed decision about what type of pet boarding is best for your pet.