Hi everyone I'm looking into options for dog boarding for Pongo. There are quite a few sites. Do any of you have experience (good or bad) with any of the following, or do you know any others? Dogbuddy Holidays4dogs Pawshake Waggingtails The two that look most appealing at present are dogbuddy and holidays4dogs.... but I've only just started looking.... Thanks!
I can't give any recommendations because - you know - the whole "longest on the forum without a dog" thing. But just tell me when you need a dogsitter and I'll come on over. To be more serious, I was sorry to hear that Pongo got stressed out during your holiday and I hope you find a good solution you (and he) are happy with. And if I lived closer on a more permanent basis I WOULD happily come on over!
The only one I've used is Dogbuddy. I've used it twice and both times were great. The dogs were obviously well cared for and happy, and both carers provided photo updates. With the second one, my dog was even allowed to sleep on her bed, which I'm sure he was pretty chuffed about! If you want a more structured environment, in my limited experience, they have been flexible with what you want, so if you prefer Pongo to sleep in a crate for example, I'm sure that would be followed. Anyways suffice to say, I had a good experience and would use the service again if needed in the future.
I use Holidays4dogs and have had only positive experiences with 2 diffeent carers. It really is a home from home experience fir the dogs. Walks are as directed by you for duration/distance/off lead. Food and treats as per your instructions. Even better is that dogs are only left for a maximum of a couple of hours a day as part of their agreement and you get to choose from a good selection of carers so have the option of a dog free home or with resident dog/s. Have to say my preference is dog free so focus is all on mine
I looked into holidays4dogs and was impressed by all available information and I had a follow up call from one of the organisers in Sussex who was very helpful and I felt they would have matched me with the best person for Plum, she was very knowledgeable about the people on their books. I didn't use them as my parents were desperate to have her but I would have been happy to use them. I used Pawshake for doggy daycare for a while and was happy with it but the person minding Plum got a full time job. The good thing was we were encouraged to have a 'meet and greet' before anything formal was booked so I could talk about what was important to me in respect of looking after Plum. You can also liaise by email and talk on the phone to get additional info if there isn't enough for your taste on the website. You could book Pongo in for a trial run and see how you go. My dog walker also offers dog sitting in owners' homes and I would definitely consider that option as I trust her 100% and she knows Plum well, so you could ask if any friends with dogs recommend someone locally who offers this option.
I know someone who is a host (if that's the right word) for Holidays4dogs, she loves doing it and finds them very good to deal with. She always follows the instructions absolutely to the letter.
My experience wirh Holidays4dogs is that you enrol and then can search for possible matches within a set distance that match your holiday dates. It is entirely up to me who I want to book but for a first booking with any carer there is a session to meet the carer in their home with your dog so you can get to know each other. Both parties then separately notify the local organiser that they are happy to take the booking and you pay your booking fee.
I have just enrolled on the system to see what the sort of process, matches they have. I must admit to being quite impressed! A couple of the matches I would quite like to have a holiday with myself. @Rosie you might want to check it out as a couple of the matches I found are in your neck of the woods and I think might be worht considering for Pongo
I used Holidays4Dogs this year after it was recommended on this site and they were absolutely great, couldnt fault them at all! They were even great after Thor decided on our first visit to take a dive into their pond, pull down the electric fence that was surrounding it and do laps of their garden with it while shrieking because it was shocking him
I use Holidays4Dogs, Mabel has stayed with the same carer on 4 occasions now. I'm really happy with the care she gets, I get regular updates while I am away plus photos and video footage via Whatsapp. All my instructions on feeding and exercise are closely followed. I can't actually come up with any negatives.
Great, thank you everyone! I have found (what looks like) a possible very good match on Dogbuddy (rural location, not too far from here, strong fit chap - Pongo is a strong dog!). We will visit tomorrow and hopefully try Pongo there for a weekend when we are away in September. There's also a good potential option on holidays4dogs - it is not so obvious whether it is rural or not, but might be fine; so that would be my second choice. Hoping that this is our solution. Feeling quite optimistic!
Thanks Kate! Yes, there are some good options. I'm very keen to find somewhere quiet and rural setting, because I suspect that Pongo is stressing out in noisy / busy environments. My ideal would be somewhere like Jean and Bill at doggyhols! And ideally it would be someone who is reasonably fit / strong, because if Pongo does ab-react to any other resident (or decide to fixate on them) then someone who is happy to manage a 42kg Romeo would be an advantage.
We have a kennels near here which was highly recommended by a lovely lady whose 2 dogs are her world, so I went for a look round a few months ago. On that day it was incredibly noisy with barking, although the owner said it was unusual. But I hate the thought of Cass being in that sort of noisy place. I must confess to having been lurking in the lane outside, as I sometimes pass it on the way to work I will say I didn't hear the same level of barking, but even so it did put me off. Ever since the morning the woman nearly caught me I haven't done it again.
Thanks again everyone for your advice. We've just been to visit a dogbuddy carer who has a great place in the Forest of Dean, and we have booked Pongo in there for a weekend at the end of September. Hooray!
