Winter Boarding….brrrrrrr!!!! It's cold!!

[Bulu]

Hi there,

I have 2 B's that I am boarding for the first time, in NJ at Sky Run. It came highly recommended to me and my partner, so we took the dogs out for the day and got a tour of the facilities, and even got to see the "bunkhouse" that our dogs will be staying in. It is a heated room, with an outdoor kennel attached. Lulu and Benga loved the place, and got to run for a bit in the free run area.

I guess I am a little bit worried about our dogs and the cold (NJ country mid -late December), and not being able to cuddle with us, the way they usually do (our B's are VERY affectionate!). We plan on bringing their usual things, crates, beds, toys, and even a blanket of ours that have our smells on it, but I guess I am just still a bit worried that they will be cold and/or experience seperation anxiety.

If anyone has any words of encouragement, or can think of anything else that will help the transition, they would be greatly appreciated! I guess I'm just a nervous 1st time mom…:o

Thx

[dmcarty]

You will worry and they will likely be just fine! Enjoy your time off or trip and they will be happy to great you when you return.

[dmcarty]

sorry - posted twice

[youngandtired]

I have worried just like you, but if the boarding facility has been recommended to you that should help you feel more at ease. My B is so special to us that we have only boarded her about 3 times and she is 3 yrs. old in Jan. The first time I really worried and when we picked her up, my hubby said we are not leaving her again. One year later we are off to his family's home for Thanksgiving and we boarded her for 12 days at a wonderful place in Virginia, which is about 90 miles north from us. It is called
Holly Ridge Canine Country Club, just dogs, no cats. It was highly recommended by a Basenji owner that I know and is also funny over their dogs. I felt good once I went there, and it is the ONLY place I will board my Sahara, and if I can't leave her there, I just won't go to wherever I plan on going. She loves it there and sleeps for like 2 days when she gets home, she plays so hard with the other dogs that she is exhausted. So don't worry, and if it will make you feel better call them while you are away and check on them. I did, and I know other people do the same. Sahara had her own bed from home, some toys and I carried her food and treats. They fed her by my directions, the people there will understand if you are nerveous about leaving your furbaby, they are in the business so they want to please the owner. Take care and have a good time, your furbaby will be fine.

[Nemo]

I think they'll be fine. I have boarded my dogs relatively frequently and they always got excited when turning in the parking lot (which is strange because it is also the vet). I think it is because of all of the other dogs they can see and smell. The nice thing is that your dogs will have each other. When I still had my beagle, he would never let Nemo cuddle up with him at the house, but they always cuddled up together in a big ball at the kennel.

[Jylly18]

Nemo, if you don't mind me asking, where do your board your basenji? I would love to find a place I trust to board mine, but so far have not found any place I fully trust…I am particularly afraid of her getting loose, and being around other dogs...as well as being scared..I took her to look at one place and she was shaking the whole time. However, she is a total pain to travel with, so I need to suck it up and do it one of these times. I am only about an hour away from you (Kiel) so any suggestions you have for places would be greatly appreciated, as so far I have not really been satisfied with anywhere I have seen. Thanks!

[lvoss]

If your basenji gets really stressed about being boarded then you may want to consider having a petsitter. I use a petsitter with mine. It is still a process to find one that you feel comfortable with but may be less stressful for your basenji.

[sharronhurlbut]

We use a pet sitter as well.
The b's mostly just sleep on our beds and wait for us to come home.

[Nemo]

@Jylly18:

Nemo, if you don't mind me asking, where do your board your basenji? I would love to find a place I trust to board mine, but so far have not found any place I fully trust…I am particularly afraid of her getting loose, and being around other dogs...as well as being scared..I took her to look at one place and she was shaking the whole time. However, she is a total pain to travel with, so I need to suck it up and do it one of these times. I am only about an hour away from you (Kiel) so any suggestions you have for places would be greatly appreciated, as so far I have not really been satisfied with anywhere I have seen. Thanks!

I'd also agree about the pet sitter if your dog is stressed during boarding. I have used them in the past for short trips and plan to in the future assuming I get a puppy in February. They are great if you find a good one. If your dog gets to know them it may not be as stressful.

If you have a vet you trust, you could ask them for a recommendation of a local kennel. That is how I usually have started to narrow them down rather than just looking in the phone book.

If you are flying out of the Green Bay airport, Pine Tree Kennel (http://pinetreekennel.onsmartpages.com/home/) is one which I have used a few times which has indoor/outdoor runs.

Otherwise I usually take him to my vet which has an indoor kennel. They get walked twice a day in the attached yard. However, I think a pair of misbehavin' basenjis have given the breed a bad rep there with some of the kennel attendents. That being said, they love Nemo (who misbehaves himself, but apparently in a cute way) :p .

Clay

[wizard]

You could always ask to bring the dogs over for a day care prior to your trip. Most boarding places will let you do that so your dogs will get acclimated ahead of time to the new place.

[snorky998]

All great suggestions. Also, for peace of mind, ask which emergency vet they use and check out that facility as well.

We also include an unwashed T-shirt (one from each of us)that we have slept in for a few days so our smells are concentrated. Ask if someone plays with the dogs when they're turned out to run, and ask if there is a washer and dryer on sight in case of an accident so the bedding gets washed.

All my above suggestions have come from experience and grant me some peace when I have to leave my dogs. That said, I'm still a BIG baby when I have to leave the "kids".:o