We would like to take a short trip this fall. Without dogs. But what to do, particularly with Z'ev. We have 2 well recommended boarding kennels near us but we're both worried will it set Z'ev back. Worried of the kennel people can manage a problem dog. Etc etc etc. Not helping is Wayne had a relative that left dog in boarding and it died of a broken heart"

Any suggestions?

Considering the special circumstances with Z'ev I personally wouldn't consider boarding but that's just me. I think it will not only set him back but potentially put the kennel employees in a precarious position if he shows any aggressive behavior.

Of course I have bad experience with kenneling so I no longer consider it an option. We rescued our Dakota from a shelter where he was depressed (he was a stray). We boarded him at a kennel for 4 days/4 nights where he again became depressed (refused to eat anything) and developed stress diarrhea. Of course the kennel staff had a vet look at him and prescribed medication which only made the situation worse. Who knows what goes on in their minds but I often wondered if he might have thought he'd ended back up in the shelter when we'd boarded him. After that I said never again and we have not boarded him again in the 9 years since that incident.

Is the place you plan to travel within driving distance? If you are flying then obviously that severely limits your options. You dog sit for your son all the time, could they maybe take Z'ev during your trip?

It's a drive with our Corvette Club with visits to various sites. The designated hotel does not take dogs but there is one in the city that does. Just means either one or both of us cannot attend some of the events or eat with the club (though the restaurant part for me is highly frustrating, anyway, with my gluten intolerance and food allergies. One gets tired of chicken and salad after a bit...)

With Josh comes baby and Archer. I'm not sure they are up to watching 3 dogs and 2 kids. Josh is also somewhat intolerant of Ami's antics and tends to yell at the dogs - we don't yell.

I'm sort of needing a break from dogs 24/7. Especially one that needs so much structure and management.

I am seriously worried about the "broken heart" syndrome with Kenzi if we do make the trip to my friend's wedding. She shakes uncontrollably if I even take her some place that seems like a shelter or boarding kennel. When I was doing training with her there was boarding on site and she would shake like she was freezing cold the whole time we were there the first several times we went until she figured out I wasn't going to abandon her there. I am going to hopefully find someone to house sit. I'm not sure how yet but the boarding cost for three dogs is insane and I really worry about them.

RRrrrrhhhh...not the answers I was hoping for. The boarding here is inexpensive. One place is 17 a night and the other is 25 a night.

So...I may be tagging along behind a corvette caravan in a 4Runner...

What about an in home sitter or someone that comes x number of times a day to walk, feed, etc while you are away?

My thinking is on the line of Val's but the flip side to that is, it'd have to be someone you know really really well and wouldn't sue you if said person gets possibly bitten while on your property. And honestly, if Zev is going to be crated and only let out (you hope) when the person comes to feed, ugh, that's just an awful thing to think about. So...my advice would be as if I was talking to someone with a new puppy...the sacrifices you make now, make for that dog you want in the near future. Tag a long in the 4Runner and make the best of it. Next year, and every year after, you'll be glad you sacrificed this time.

If I were closer, id do it in a heartbeat. Times like this is where I wish the forum were bigger and everyone got along better, and members could step in, in situations like this.

I've been following a FB page about a husky that was found in Montana close to death from starvation.  Theory is she was stolen, tried to get her across the Canadian border, failed so she was dumped.  Well, she survived the first few days and saw a vet today.  Three actually and turns out she has fractured pelvis, back and hips.  Vets believe she was thrown from pickup or transport.  What's tough for me is she looks just like Ami.  

Public FB group pretty girl's fans.

Oh... The reason for the pretty girl info is that at the moment I am loathe to let either Ami or Z'ev out of my sight!

I saw that story. I wouldn't even doubt she jumped from the truck to escape. I wish every news agency across the nation would pick up this story and run with it so her owners could be found. FB isn't enough, there are too many people who don't use social media. This story needs to be told on a more personal level.

I saw the beginning of the story but haven't been following it. We have a lot of this happen around here but with other breeds. I worry about mine all the time too. Always someone thieving dogs it seems and you never know what is going to happen to them. Makes me wish mine were just a little more wary of people. Keno would go with anyone. A stranger would be hard pressed to get kye to load though. Kenzi would start out easy to work with but she would freak out too late. She would be the type to bale out when the panic of being taken away set in halfway down the driveway. I worry if I get a house sitter they will accidentally let them dart out the front door and won't be able to get them back. I worry that a boarding place will let kenzi fall into a stupor or mix up dogs. One of the guys I work with boarded his lab once and when he came to pick her up they brought him the wrong dog. Some other dog had been in his dog's kennel with his dog's toys all week while his dog sat in an empty run with nothing because they had mixed the dogs up. She was traumatized and if he had been a worse human being he could have just left with someone else's dog and those owners might not have ever seen their pet again.

Whelp. Y'all scared the proverbial piss out of me So. I've located this pet sitting service at our destination - at least for dinner so we can join the group. I'll be bringing a crate for Z'ev. Mostly - I want them to not get bbq'd should the hotel burn down and not to destroy each other or the room (not gonna happen - we've had enough fire alarms in hotels, false and real, that no way will I leave an animal unattended in a hotel room.)

So - whats the thought on this?

I leave my dogs crated in hotel rooms. Never had a problem to date. We even lived in a hotel for some 6 months (with 3 dogs & 3 guinea pigs) and never had fire alarm issues or issues of any type to speak of. So yeah, I have no qualms leaving my pets crated in hotels...but I suppose a bad experience could potentially make me more hesitant.

Yup - being wakened at 6AM by alarms blaring, grabbing clothes and going outside and seeing the whole fire dept will get your dander up. Gas leak in the kitchen. Then the lint fire in the hotel laundry. And the alarm in Wisconsin that went off and kept returning while I was in the elevator (lwhich was stopped because of the alarm. I don't do elevators any better than Ami does open stairs!) There was one other but I can't remember the details. So I'm a bit sensitive.

Also - Ami hasn't been in a crate in a hundred years. Not even sure I have one big enough for him!

Wow, you have some serious luck! Been in hotels all my life and have only once experienced a fire alarm drill which we were notified of in advance.

I think your decision is great, Amy. Nicely done