Do you feel guilty for leaving your pets?

[conorsmom2000]

Well, when we planned our first Disney trip (well, our first with Conor) our black Lab Molly was only 1 1/2. I just couldn't bare the thought of her in a kennel all day, so at the last minute, we upgraded her to suite boarding. We already knew and loved the facility, as it's where she had done training, but suite boarding eased my mind a lot. She had her own room, with a wrought iron doggie bed, a basket of toys and the Animal Planet on TV! She spent the day at their doggie day care center, which was huge, with tons of toys and tunnels, and access to their outdoor deck, with doggie sized adirondack benches! She also got walked 2 times a day. So, no, while we missed her, I didn't worry about her - it was worth every penny. She's gone to suite boarding twice now.

Last time we went away, for a 2 night camping trip, we left her home (since we no longer need to crate her) and that was definitely harder. I know this was a freak thing, and the odds of it happening again are slim, but..... We had a pet sitter coming 3 times a day (we had used him when she was a puppy), plus had my neighbor coming over twice a day to let her out in the yard, and my brother coming once a day "just to check on her". Um, yes, I was much more nervous. And with good reason. Due to a violent thunderstorm, we lost power that first night (it was out for 24 hours) - Molly got scared and leaned against our bedroom door, and she shut it, accidentally trapping her in our room, with no window open and no air conditioning...in August. The Pet sitter came at 11, but the power was still out, and he couldn't find her in the dark. (he lives a few towns away and had no idea we had lost power - the storm had happened 2 hours earlier) My brother drove by and saw him there so stopped to help and he couldn't find her either. She wasn't found until the pet sitter came back at 7 am and was able to go through the whole house. We, for other reasons, decided to come home the next morning, not knowing any of this - though, we had an idea the power was out because we couldn't reach our answering machine. My brother texted me on our drive home and told me what happened. When we came home, to still no power, I swore I would never do that again. Either she comes with us, or someone stays at our house or she goes to theirs, or she goes to suite boarding. But, guilt won't let me leave her in our house again. I was so relieved that we had decided to come home early, as was Molly, who got to spend the entire afternoon in the pool with us to make up for her ruff (I mean rough!) night.

Our cat, Bailey, on the other hand, does just fine when we are not home! Our neighbor takes care of him and I think he loves her more than us!

[Bethis26fan]

I feel bad when I go and leave Bosley, he gets to stay with his "Grandma & Grandpa" so he's happy and I live next door so he gets to come home and play, but I still feel bad. He gets lots of love when we get home.

[IloveJack]

When DH and I were dating, his dog (Jake) was left with his parents for months at a time, and everything was fine; that was "home" to him. His dad loved playing with Jake, and we knew he was well fed, if not being fattened-up. However, after we got married, we took a week-long trip for my birthday, and left Jake at the "grandparents." When we got back, DH went to pick Jake up and he was covered in hot spots, not happy at all, and losing his fur. We decided that he assumed he'd been left forever, and had freaked out. That was the end of that.
Since then, we've gained Dixie, who is super-spoiled. (Both of our dogs are "momma's babies" and get their way with me much more than with DH). When we go on long trips, such as to WDW or elsewhere, either my parents come over twice a day to let them out and play with them, or DH's best friend comes to do the same. If neither of them can do it, the dogs go with us (we always take them if we're tent-camping). If that's not an option, we don't go.
Jake's a pit-bull rescue (literally rescued from a fighting ring), so we're really careful with who we allow in our house when we're not home. He's incredibly protective of us and our house.

[princessjojo]

I'm so glad to have read this. We are leaving in June and this has been on my mind for literally since we got our baby Hershey, a chocolate lab. I just love him so much, but he's just a big puppy, literally. He's not quite a year old yet, not quite fully grown, and weighs about 80lbs. I just love him so much, but he is so active, overly active puppy actually, that we have to leave him outside. He comes in on occasion, but just runs through the house constantly.

I thinking of boarding him while we're gone, but don't know how he'll react. We also thought about taking him to my MIL's while were gone, but there are other dogs around & I'm afraid he'll run off or into the road. We have a radio controlled fence for him, but he's never used it. It's like the invisible fence, but can be portable. We may take him to MIL's with the fence but don't know yet.

I just hate the thought of leaving him home when he's used to running and playing all day.

[MMouse6937]

I used to when I was a kid. But now that I have kids, I have no problem leaving behind my shake-your-brain-bellering, other-dog-poop-eating, want-in-and-out-all-day, can't-stay-off-the-bed BEAGLE. Nuf said.

WOW, I hope you were kidding, that's harsh. Poor doggie.

I'm glad that people feel the way I do, I thought I was just a nervous mom, but I think we have a great situation now, looking forward to this years trip again!

[Jenemmy]

Wow -- I thought I loved critters -- but after reading all these responses, I feel like a bad doggie owner!!

My dog is great -- he is loved, taken care of and enjoyed by all of us....but, no -- I have no problem leaving him and taking a family vacation. We never leave him in a bad situation -- we make sure he will get the provisions he needs and then it is off my mind. I honestly never give it a second thought. We do enjoy our reunion once the trip is over.

[Jenemmy]

WOW, I hope you were kidding, that's harsh. Poor doggie.

Some people look at the family dog as one of their kids and some people look at the family dog as a dog. Just a different perspective.

[Disney Doll]

We have 4 cats and we leave them at home. They hate strange places and car rides so at home is the best solution. We get a friend or family member to come over each day to feed, water, and scoop. I do worry that they are lonely, but 3 of the 4 are stranger shy so I don't think having someone stay at our house would work. I leave lots of blankets out so they can snuggle up and relax. Plus, I round up all the toys that have been previously lost so they have plenty to do. They all have different personalities. Some greet us with extra excitement when we return while others give us a cold shoulder for a day or so as punishment for our abandonment.

[MMouse6937]

Some people look at the family dog as one of their kids and some people look at the family dog as a dog. Just a different perspective.

I respect your perspective but I'm not so sure what looking at your dog just like a dog means. They didn't ask to be part of the family, you brought them in. I don't think that everyone needs to treat their pets as I do (like "real" children) but they do deserve care as they are the "family pet(dog)"

I don't want to start an argument, I am just very passionate about animals. I volunteer at the local shelter and see the worst of the worst, I just want animals to know love, compassion, and security. I don't want that to come off as too strong, it's just my passion!

[Jenemmy]

I respect your perspective but I'm not so sure what looking at your dog just like a dog means. They didn't ask to be part of the family, you brought them in. I don't think that everyone needs to treat their pets as I do (like "real" children) but they do deserve care as they are the "family pet(dog)"

I don't want to start an argument, I am just very passionate about animals. I volunteer at the local shelter and see the worst of the worst, I just want animals to know love, compassion, and security. I don't want that to come off as too strong, it's just my passion!

No arguement here I was just making a general observation. I wasn't even giving my point of view, honestly.

I don't think your statement came off as too strong at all...in fact, I wholeheartedly agree. When you adopt a pet, you adopt a responsibility and it isn't something to be taken lightly.

My dog lives a life of doggie luxury. Do I consider him one of my kids -- no, I don't. But, he is my fur baby and we are responsible for giving him love, attention and shelter for sure and he gives us a lot of happiness.

In fact -- he has brought a lot out of my son with autism. It has been really neat to watch the bond that my son and our lab have formed.

We are crazy about him -- I just don't feel guilty taking my real kids on vacation because of him. We always leave him somewhere he can be happy and then it is all good to me.

You know -- our trip in January, my dh's grandma wanted to keep our dog as she is just recently living alone and thought it would be good company. We took him over the day before we left and he, for some reason, absolutely hated it!! He was totally freaked out by the sweet little grandma So, we changed things around hours before we left so he could be happy.

Again -- I wasn't contradicting.....just observing.

[TooGoofy]

The canine that owns this house and very graciously allows us to stay with him looks forward to getting rid of us occasionally, because it means that he gets to go to his version of the DVC - - Doggie Vacation Club.

We have been very fortunate in that we located a tremendous vet who has a great boarding facility with a wonderful staff. It's obvious from Lucky's reactions that he truly enjoys staying there. When we walk in, the staff greets him by name, and he places his front paws up on the desk to greet anyone behind the desk. When it's time to go back to the kennel area, he willingly goes with the attendant without so much as a look over his shoulder.

That's how we feel when we leave Merry and Pippin (our miniature schnauzers) at our vet's boarding facility. They are kept together, the staff there loves them and takes very good care of them, and we don't have to worry at all about them. We miss them, of course, but we do not feel guilty or worried about them.

In fact, one staff member gave me her personal cell phone number so that I could check in on how Merry was doing while we were gone (she had been sick with a stomach virus and was not eating.)

They know that they have carte blanche...if anything should happen to either dog, they can treat as needed. Knowing that there is a top notch veterinary staff there to take care of any problems should they arise really helps with our peace of mind while we are away.

[O'MalleytheAlleyCat]

Usually, our two cats stay at home and someone comes in daily to feed/water them. They are very independent and get along just fine. Our bulldog, Lili usually stays with my sister or my parents, but both now live almost 5 hours away and it's not quite as easy to do that anymore. We're nervous about an upcoming trip this summer. To make matters worse, one cat has now been diagnosed with diabetes and requires insulin injections twice daily. We're going away for a very short weekend in March and a co-worker is going to stay at my house to see how things go. I'm hoping if they go well, this can be an arrangement for future longer trips. I really think that someone staying at my house is the best option, but sometimes it's hard to find just that "right" person. The diabetic cat is also stranger shy, but I think will come out for food. Cross your fingers on this one...

[The Flying Dutchman]

DW and I hate leaving our cat behind. Whenever we go on vacation, one of our neighbors comes over and checks in on her at least once a day. Even though we KNOW the cat gets plenty of love and attention while we are gone, whenever we get home she "talks" all night long to us. Seems like she is out for revenge for being abandoned!

[DisneyDog]

I used to hate leaving my dogs behind. We used to send them to a kennel. Then we started boarding them at the vet's, and I stopped worrying. I knew they were well taken care of. Our doggies have both passed to the Rainbow Bridge within the past year, and now we have a cat. He is the most easy-going, laid back cat ever created. Leo is so wonderful. Nothing bothers this boy. He has been kenneled twice, both times at the vet. We have also left him overnight twice. He did perfectly fine in both situations. Came home and acted like his normal self. I will miss him when we go to WDW, but I won't be upset about kenneling him because I know it won't even phase him.

[ºoºalyssaluvsmickeyºoº]

Yes we feel guilty even though my wife works at an animal hospital and we know our dog is not being mistreated its hard to hear they miss you so much they stop eating.

[dan24]

our dag stays at my parents when we go out of town after all she is there granddog... but we still miss her.. and we know she will be taken care of.. but we will bring her something back that will make her a disney dog.

[Sylvia]

My 2 furbabies (black/white cat named Minnie Moo and orange/white cat named Tigger) have been members of my family for almost 11 years. I was lucky enough to find a Veterinary practice limited to cats. They also have boarding facilities. They treat their patients as if they are their own, so I know my babies are getting lots of TLC and are being taken care of very well.

I realized just how comfortable they are at the Vet's during Minnie's cancer treatment a couple of years ago. She was seeing the Vet every week and for some reason, one day she was a little skittish. I held her for a few minutes to calm her and she actually wanted to get down on the floor and go exploring. Although Tigger hasn't had the traumatic experiences Minnie has had, he reacts the same way when he's at the Vet's. That's when I realized that they consider the Vet's office their second home, which is the main reason why, although I'm a little guilty when I have to board them, I don't worry. I know they're well taken care of and they're getting lots of love and attention from everyone on the staff.

I will admit, though, that I call every couple of days to check on them.

[Jeri Lynn]

I do not feel guilty when we leave for vacation. I certainly miss my brood (1 dog and 5 cats). We always have someone come to the house to take care of them so they do not have to leave their familiar territory and are always well taken care of.

[AdventurelandTikiGirl]

Wow, reading all these posts has been reassuring! I thought I was the only crazy one who stresses about leaving my kitties (Diesel and Fiona) behind. I typically take early morning flights, so it's especially hard dragging myself out of bed with my kitties curled up sleeping peacefully with me. They are very friendly and affectionate, and I feel horrible for leaving them. It is interesting how they "know" when you're going to leave. After the trip, it's always a treat when I'm sad to return home (especially after a Disney treat) to see the two kitties at my door excited for my return.

[poohbearlover15]

We leave my dog at my grandparents house. We know that she will get a lot of attention there and when she comes home she will be 10 pounds heavier!