This is one of those things where I know no one else can answer for me,
but Jim and I are arguing, so I thought I'd check with y'all for more
opinions and maybe a perspective I haven't thought of.


Cubbe has boarded at 2 places. One is at the veterinarian's. I'm
confident that the facility is good; the staff is good; Cubbe knows them
there. She's always come back healthy, glad to see us, and fine. It's
our preferred place to board her.


She's been to the other place once. It was when the veterinarian was
booked solid. This place is O.K., but I wasn't as confident boarding
her there. This is in a strip mall. They do grooming in the front.
They have a room filled with crates in the back. I did inspect, and it
was clean. They put the dogs on leashes, walk them through a parking
lot to a smallish grassy fenced area and let them off leash there.
Maybe it was a matter of marketing, but I didn't get the sense that they
weren't as knowledgeable or as into dogs as my preferred place. Makes
sense since my preferred place is run by veterinarians.


We're trying to plan a 10 day vacation. Up until 2 days ago, I figured
we'd board Cubbe at the strip mall as the veterinarian is full up. We
still didn't have definite dates. This is a sore spot anyway between me
and Jim because he likes to put things off until the last minute, and
I'm a planner. Still, I do understand that his job comes first, and I
do understand that he's in a tricky position trying to get extra
vacation time and finish the project and that there are a lot of
unknowns as to when he can get the work done.


Then yesterday Jim told me about a sad news story he saw on t.v. A
yorkie was killed or commit suicide while at the groomer's. Apparently
he was on a choke chain, left alone for a moment, and jumped in such a
way that he hung himself. Jim says the owner was tearfully apologetic.


It took some web research to figure out what I'll bet y'all have already
guessed. Whether the grooming part of the business and the boarding
part of the business are the same ownership or different, they're at the
same address. It took some digging to figure it out as they have
different names.


Would you trust to board your dog there? Jim says that it was a tragic
accident and that they'll be extra careful for now on. I say that
professionals should know better and that if they can make a stupid
mistake like that one, they can make another.


Meanwhile, we're stuck for a place to board Cubbe. Alternatives are to
move dates around and go to Hendersonville later in the summer. If we
did that, we could board Cubbe at the veterinarian. Jim says that would
leave him out of town when he wants to be around before the board ships.


Opinions please. Anything I haven't thought of. What would you do.
Divorce is not an option, but violence might be O.K.


--Lia

In article ,
Julia Altshuler wrote:
Would you trust to board your dog there?

No.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community

In article ,
Julia Altshuler wrote:

I say that
professionals should know better and that if they can make a stupid
mistake like that one, they can make another.

I agree.

--
Janet Boss
www.bestfriendsdogobedience.com

Julia Altshuler wrote:

This is one of those things where I know no one else can answer for me,
but Jim and I are arguing, so I thought I'd check with y'all for more
opinions and maybe a perspective I haven't thought of.


Cubbe has boarded at 2 places. One is at the veterinarian's. I'm
confident that the facility is good; the staff is good; Cubbe knows them
there. She's always come back healthy, glad to see us, and fine. It's
our preferred place to board her.

The vet's office would be my last choice. My mother boarded her two
dogs at the vet, thinking it was just the ideal place to leave them.
She was stunned when they came home with kennel cough. I asked her if
she thought sending a baby to daycare at a pediatrician's office would
be a good idea.

In my opinion you take your sick dog to the vet to get well. I sure as
hell wouldn't want my healthy dogs exposed to god knows what they might
be treating.


She's been to the other place once. It was when the veterinarian was
booked solid. This place is O.K., but I wasn't as confident boarding
her there. This is in a strip mall. They do grooming in the front.
They have a room filled with crates in the back. I did inspect, and it
was clean. They put the dogs on leashes, walk them through a parking
lot to a smallish grassy fenced area and let them off leash there.
Maybe it was a matter of marketing, but I didn't get the sense that they
weren't as knowledgeable or as into dogs as my preferred place. Makes
sense since my preferred place is run by veterinarians.


We're trying to plan a 10 day vacation. Up until 2 days ago, I figured
we'd board Cubbe at the strip mall as the veterinarian is full up. We
still didn't have definite dates. This is a sore spot anyway between me
and Jim because he likes to put things off until the last minute, and
I'm a planner. Still, I do understand that his job comes first, and I
do understand that he's in a tricky position trying to get extra
vacation time and finish the project and that there are a lot of
unknowns as to when he can get the work done.


Then yesterday Jim told me about a sad news story he saw on t.v. A
yorkie was killed or commit suicide while at the groomer's. Apparently
he was on a choke chain, left alone for a moment, and jumped in such a
way that he hung himself. Jim says the owner was tearfully apologetic.


It took some web research to figure out what I'll bet y'all have already
guessed. Whether the grooming part of the business and the boarding
part of the business are the same ownership or different, they're at the
same address. It took some digging to figure it out as they have
different names.


Would you trust to board your dog there? Jim says that it was a tragic
accident and that they'll be extra careful for now on. I say that
professionals should know better and that if they can make a stupid
mistake like that one, they can make another.

Exactly.


Meanwhile, we're stuck for a place to board Cubbe. Alternatives are to
move dates around and go to Hendersonville later in the summer. If we
did that, we could board Cubbe at the veterinarian. Jim says that would
leave him out of town when he wants to be around before the board ships.


Opinions please. Anything I haven't thought of. What would you do.
Divorce is not an option, but violence might be O.K.

Hire a live-in dogsitter.

"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message
. ..
This is one of those things where I know no one else can answer for me,
but Jim and I are arguing, so I thought I'd check with y'all for more
opinions and maybe a perspective I haven't thought of.


Cubbe has boarded at 2 places. One is at the veterinarian's. I'm
confident that the facility is good; the staff is good; Cubbe knows them
there. She's always come back healthy, glad to see us, and fine. It's
our preferred place to board her.


She's been to the other place once. It was when the veterinarian was
booked solid. This place is O.K., but I wasn't as confident boarding
her there. This is in a strip mall. They do grooming in the front.
They have a room filled with crates in the back. I did inspect, and it
was clean. They put the dogs on leashes, walk them through a parking
lot to a smallish grassy fenced area and let them off leash there.
Maybe it was a matter of marketing, but I didn't get the sense that they
weren't as knowledgeable or as into dogs as my preferred place. Makes
sense since my preferred place is run by veterinarians.


We're trying to plan a 10 day vacation. Up until 2 days ago, I figured
we'd board Cubbe at the strip mall as the veterinarian is full up. We
still didn't have definite dates. This is a sore spot anyway between me
and Jim because he likes to put things off until the last minute, and
I'm a planner. Still, I do understand that his job comes first, and I
do understand that he's in a tricky position trying to get extra
vacation time and finish the project and that there are a lot of
unknowns as to when he can get the work done.


Then yesterday Jim told me about a sad news story he saw on t.v. A
yorkie was killed or commit suicide while at the groomer's. Apparently
he was on a choke chain, left alone for a moment, and jumped in such a
way that he hung himself. Jim says the owner was tearfully apologetic.


It took some web research to figure out what I'll bet y'all have already
guessed. Whether the grooming part of the business and the boarding
part of the business are the same ownership or different, they're at the
same address. It took some digging to figure it out as they have
different names.


Would you trust to board your dog there? Jim says that it was a tragic
accident and that they'll be extra careful for now on. I say that
professionals should know better and that if they can make a stupid
mistake like that one, they can make another.


Meanwhile, we're stuck for a place to board Cubbe. Alternatives are to
move dates around and go to Hendersonville later in the summer. If we
did that, we could board Cubbe at the veterinarian. Jim says that would
leave him out of town when he wants to be around before the board ships.


Opinions please. Anything I haven't thought of. What would you do.
Divorce is not an option, but violence might be O.K.


--Lia


Any pet sitting services available? Is asking neighbors/friends/relatives
feasible?

Kathy

"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message
. ..
This is one of those things where I know no one else can answer for me,
but Jim and I are arguing, so I thought I'd check with y'all for more
opinions and maybe a perspective I haven't thought of.


Cubbe has boarded at 2 places. One is at the veterinarian's. I'm
confident that the facility is good; the staff is good; Cubbe knows them
there. She's always come back healthy, glad to see us, and fine. It's
our preferred place to board her.


She's been to the other place once. It was when the veterinarian was
booked solid. This place is O.K., but I wasn't as confident boarding
her there. This is in a strip mall. They do grooming in the front.
They have a room filled with crates in the back. I did inspect, and it
was clean. They put the dogs on leashes, walk them through a parking
lot to a smallish grassy fenced area and let them off leash there.
Maybe it was a matter of marketing, but I didn't get the sense that they
weren't as knowledgeable or as into dogs as my preferred place. Makes
sense since my preferred place is run by veterinarians.


We're trying to plan a 10 day vacation. Up until 2 days ago, I figured
we'd board Cubbe at the strip mall as the veterinarian is full up. We
still didn't have definite dates. This is a sore spot anyway between me
and Jim because he likes to put things off until the last minute, and
I'm a planner. Still, I do understand that his job comes first, and I
do understand that he's in a tricky position trying to get extra
vacation time and finish the project and that there are a lot of
unknowns as to when he can get the work done.


Then yesterday Jim told me about a sad news story he saw on t.v. A
yorkie was killed or commit suicide while at the groomer's. Apparently
he was on a choke chain, left alone for a moment, and jumped in such a
way that he hung himself. Jim says the owner was tearfully apologetic.


It took some web research to figure out what I'll bet y'all have already
guessed. Whether the grooming part of the business and the boarding
part of the business are the same ownership or different, they're at the
same address. It took some digging to figure it out as they have
different names.


Would you trust to board your dog there? Jim says that it was a tragic
accident and that they'll be extra careful for now on. I say that
professionals should know better and that if they can make a stupid
mistake like that one, they can make another.


Meanwhile, we're stuck for a place to board Cubbe. Alternatives are to
move dates around and go to Hendersonville later in the summer. If we
did that, we could board Cubbe at the veterinarian. Jim says that would
leave him out of town when he wants to be around before the board ships.


Opinions please. Anything I haven't thought of. What would you do.
Divorce is not an option, but violence might be O.K.

I guess taking Cubbe isn't an option? There are many dog friendly hotels
these days.

Kind regards,
(the)duckster

BTW, I have three and the only way I travel is if we rent an RV and they can
go along for the ride. It's a very sore spot here, too, but I won't leave
mine with anyone.

"Julia Altshuler" wrote in message
. ..
This is one of those things where I know no one else can answer for me,
but Jim and I are arguing, so I thought I'd check with y'all for more
opinions and maybe a perspective I haven't thought of.




snipped Meanwhile, we're stuck for a place to board Cubbe. Alternatives
are to move dates around and go to Hendersonville later in the summer. If
we did that, we could board Cubbe at the veterinarian. Jim says that would
leave him out of town when he wants to be around before the board ships.


Opinions please. Anything I haven't thought of. What would you do.
Divorce is not an option, but violence might be O.K.


--Lia


I'm sorry Lia, I've forgotten where you live? Since it's summer time, are
there any responsible kids who live in your neighborhood? My daughters used
to pet sit for neighbors while they vacationed. Occasionally the pet,
usually small pets, birds, hamsters, etc., would come to our house, but
dogs, cats would stay in their own home, with the daughters going over to
care for them numerous times a day. Feed, walk, play with and spend time
with the pets in their own environment. With us always available in case of
emergency. Although we never had an *emergency* other than one neighbor
forgetting to leave their key before they left. Dh had to use a credit card
to enter their home and retrieve a key so they girls could get in and out.

My other suggestion would be to check around for a different place to board,
perhaps a bit further away from your home? Around here if one goes, oh say
15 miles out of town, to one of the smaller more rural towns, there are a
couple of those upscale boarding places. The ones that offer *private room*
with beds, sometimes TV's with animal videos to keep your pet company, And
various *upgrades*, like individual exercise/ball time, etc.

What about a trusted friend or neighbor?


td

Julia Altshuler wrote:

Opinions please. Anything I haven't thought of. What would you do.
Divorce is not an option, but violence might be O.K.


--Lia

I would probably avoid the groomer/kennel. Jim may be right that
they would now be more careful, but I would be nervous the whole
time I was away. At a minimum, I would speak with the owner and
find out just what steps they are taking to avoid future problems
- like, did they fire the employee who left the dog unattended on
the table? How do they screen/train their employees? Etc.

Are there no other places where you could board Cubbe, or have
you already checked them out and rejected them?

Have you checked dog walkers? We found one (in NJ, not an option
for you, I realize) who would board 2-3 dogs at a time
at her home, keeping them in the house/yard like pampered pets.
Her rates were competitive with commercial dog boarding
facilities, she required proof of vaccination, including kennel
cough, and our Chihuahuas were treated very well. (When we picked
them up, they were comfortably nestled on cushy pillows on the
couch.)

HTH -

FurPaw

--
The plural of anecdote is not proof.

To reply, unleash the dog.

Julia Altshuler said in
rec.pets.dogs.behavior:

Would you trust to board your dog there?

No way. It may have been an accident or it may be indicative of
poor management. I wouldn't experiment with my dog.

--
--Matt. Rocky's a Dog.

Leaving Cubbe with neighbors or paying a responsible teenager is not an
option. Jim and I find Cubbe easy to handle because we know her and
she's come to expect us to give her biscuits. At the vet's office where
they know her and have experience handling dogs, they call her an angel.
But Cubbe is not an easy dog! If you don't know how to handle dogs,
she's snappish and reactive. We have to give lessons to guests on how
to act around our dog. She's territorial. There's no way I would give
someone a key to enter our house. We've never tested it, but there's
every reason to believe Cubbe would protect her territory.


Cubbe does not get along with other dogs. They give her a friendly
sniff, and she growls and snarks back. We're always with her to break
things up, but with someone inexperienced, we're afraid a real dogfight
could follow. At a professional kennel, we explain the dog aggression
business and rely on them to put Cubbe's crate off by herself. At some
boarding kennels, they brag that they put dogs together to play. We
explain that this is not the right treatment for Cubbe.


That's what has us in this dilemma in the first place. If we had a
friend or neighbor who's great with dogs, they already have one or more.
Cubbe would not fit into their household. Everyone else is
inexperienced. If they don't want their own dog, what makes us think
they want ours?


At the vet's the other day, the doctor asked where we got Cubbe. We
explained that we got her at the local shelter and that we think she'd
been returned from 2 previous adoptions. The doctor said that Cubbe
just needed someone to understand her and seemed pleased that we hadn't
given her back. That made me feel good. I often put myself down for
not being a better dog trainer than I am, but I'm not the sort of
nutcase who adopts a dog, then returns the poor thing at the first sign
of trouble. I'm sure we're not great, but we're not monsters.


Jim is getting the idea that I'm not backing down on this one. He asks
if I think the strip mall kennel owners should go out of business
because of this one mistake. He asks if there are any mistakes that are
forgivable.


--Lia