I am traveling to Europe for 13 days in December. I have always been fortunate enough to have a family member or friend take care of my two dogs when I travel. My Golden Retriever is 9 years old and has never been kenneled. It appears I may have to so on this trip. Do you think 13 days will be to traumatic for her first time? Or should I have her kenneled for a weekend before I leave? Also they have a very long dog run connected to each kennel. Do you think it would be wise to kennel both dogs in the same kennel? One is 45 pounds and the other is only 8 pounds.

Did someone refer you to this kennel based on personal experience? That would help you make your choice - I've never had to board mine, but I'd use the one my coworker uses if I had to, because I know how she is with her dog.

I did a trial run for the first time I had to leave him in a kennel. That way he knew I would be coming back after my trip as I did for the trial stay. He actually had fun as they have a play time.

I kenneled my dalmatian for 3 weeks and he was fine, but this was a very good kennel I sent him to. Make sure the kennel you pick is clean and they walk the dogs or let them run in a pen several times a day. Also make sure your dog has had a bordetella (aka, kennel cough) vaccination.

Yes the kennel was recommended by a co-worker and the big draw is that it is out of the city allowing for longer dog runs connected to the kennel. The kennel has a good reputation. I am more worried about my dog's sanity being caged/confined. My Bolognese suffers from seperation anxiety, that is why I am considering putting both in the same kennel.

Give the kennel also to leave something in the little one's cage that has your scent on it.

Kenneling both dogs together might make them feel more secure in a strange place. But I guess only if your Golden is quite gentle with the little one. I've only had big dogs, and my current 2 would surely be happier together.

I've only kenneled them for very short weekend trips. For my 2-week trips to Europe I get a dog sitter who comes to the house several times a day. And my daughter lives nearby and can check things out. No matter what, I always feel guilty and consider cancelling the trip because of the dogs! I haven't done that yet, but as they get older, I'm afraid I just might. (They are my babies!).

<< Or should I have her kenneled for a weekend before I leave?>>
Yes, definitely. You might even try kenneling them for one day first--drop them off in the a.m. and then pick up at closing time. Then try a weekend. Just explain to the kennel what you're doing. You might also ask the kennel people to describe how your dogs act during boarding. That will also give you an idea ow attentive they are and how they feel about your dogs.

Whether to board them in the same space--depends on the dogs. You might try that out as well for a day or a weekend and aks the kennel poeople to observe them and let you know how they act with each other. If they like each other but feel stressed being together too much, you might ask for them to be in separate but adjacent kennels. I used to do that with my two dogs for the first few year after I got the younger dog. They basically got along, but they were two females, and the older, smaller dog was sometimes nsaty to the younger one or just felt stressed being too close to her. Eventually their relationship changed and I was able to board them together, and the younger dog, who is very kind and has a strong herding instinct, used to look after the older one.

I like to "interview" a kennel before deciding to use it. I don't make it obvious that it's an interview, but I ask questions re what they'd do if.... I also check whether the place is reasonably escape-proof. There was abeautiful, highly recommended kennel that I found totally unacceptable, becaues I thought it would be too easy for a dog to escape and because they gave a stupid answer to my question re what they'd do if my dog threw up a few times or had a little diarrhea.

I think it's much safer to leave a dog with a good kennel than to have a friend take care of the dog. I've know too many people who temporarily lost a freind's dog while dog-sitting during the friend's vacation. I think their friends never found out. I also found out years later that my parents lost my dog temporarily when they were taking care of her for a few days when I had surgery 20 years ago.

I think this thread drifted into various kennel issues: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34684696

Thanks for all the advise. The two dogs get along fine under normal circumstances.
Thanks CMT for the advise on escape-proof. That was the one thing I neglected to check. Especially since my golden answers by the name of "Naughty runaway dog". She actually escaped from my father one time. He lives 300 miles away. Fortunately, I had put my area code on her dog tag. The doggy jail notified me and I in return called my father and told him he had to pay the bail money.

Of course, I don't know the rules of this kennel - but most of the ones around my town would only allow them to be together during the day. For liability reasons, they all insist on having pairs of pets only "room together" when there is full staffing during the day. At night when there is just a skeleton staff or no one on premises - they would have to be in their own enclosures/cages.

We routinely kennel our two dogs together when necessary and the facility we use does NOT insist that they board separately at night.

My one piece of advice: DO NOT under ANY circumstances take anyone's "word" for "how wonderful" a kennel supposedly is..and I mean ANYONE. GO and inspect it yourself and use this strategy: Show up and ask for a tour..if they do not allow you to do so without hesitation (none of the old "only during certain hours" routine which should immediately raise major suspicions in your mind) then pick a different facility.

This is a MAJOR decision and should not be made by anyone else but yourself and no exceptions whatsoever.

Good advice above & I'll ditto Travelnut. Send along a t-shirt you've slept in so it has your scent. That's a good idea too if you ever have to put your dog on a plane.

I spoil my pups and have gone through some major upheavals in the last couple of years - as have my pups. Here's what has worked for me.

Definitely check out the kennel first. I DID ask someone who feels the same as I about their pups and found a wonderful place almost an hour's drive away - but they take excellent care of the pups. It's not fancy like the "resort" kennels in the metro area, but my pup is absolutely happy there. She's jumped out of the car before and walked to the front door - without a leash on! That had NEVER happened before - but likes the kennel and groomer so much she prances happily to the front door.

Check it out first. I agree that if they have certain hours for this, go elsewhere.

I'd always heard that dogs like having their own blanket. Never had done this before, but started and it works wonderfully. I have a small down throw I bought at Target for human use and it's become her blanket. Easily washed. Very soft. She now knows wherever she goes, that if her blanket is with her she is "supposed" to be there and will settle in if I leave her at a strange (to her) house for a few hours. She has become the best traveling companion.

I'd get something similar - if just a beach towel or old "dog" towel - and get your two used to being with their blankets. That way, if they are split at night, they will still have the familiar item with them. My two girls traveled together until Gracie died - but the solo pup now does just fine by herself.

Big pup and little pup together? Yes, even with difference in size, especially since your Golden is 9 years old and probably pretty calm. It may not be an option though. My new favorite kennel keeps the big dogs in one area and the smaller dogs in another building. I like this because the noise is not so bad in the "little dog" kennel.

Do give them trial runs before. Do a day stay. Then a night stay. Then a weekend stay. Let them get used to the routine - and that will give you time to get to know the kennel. If they aren't good with "overprotective" parents, then don't be apologetic and go elsewhere. I've day boarded my pup quite a bit in my travels and there was one place I wished I'd just walked out the door.

Pay extra for walks or play time. If nothing else, it will get the helpers interacting with the dogs more. My VERY elusive pup went up to one of the helpers as we were leaving one day with tail (actually butt) wagging and got her special petting from him. I can't tell you how lucky I felt after watching them together.

Once you are comfortable with the facility, go on your travels without worrying. They WILL be okay.

Thanks all, there is a reason why I am fretting so about this topic.
I have checked out numerous kennels during the years and have never felt comfortable with any of them (not even one at a vet's office) that is why I have always resorted to a pet sitter in my house. The kennel I am considering is the first kennel I have actually liked and it is about an hour away.
The reason I am pacing the floor on this situation is because of an incident in the past. I had been taking my golden to a groomer for several years. The kind that do multiple dogs at the same time. One day I picked her up and she was dragging me out the door. As soon as she got outside she had diarrhea. As soon as I got her home (2 minute drive) she had it again. I took her in the house and she drank an entire bowl of water, very unusual, and had to immediatley go outside again. This time it was pure blood that came out. I rushed her to the animal emergency center and the vet said that she was so stressed and traumatized that she tore the lining in her colon. After the vet, I went back to the groomer and they said nothing out of the ordinary happened and actually got an attitude with me for implying that they did something to my dog. Hence to say I have an excellent groomer now that only grooms one dog at a time in their shop. The old groomer knew that she would go nuts in one of those small barely turn around cages. The vet said they either put her in a cage next to a dog that apparently stressed her out or perhaps used a shock collar on her but there was no way to prove that. I know that it was human that stressed her out. She loves people. The type of dog that will help a burglar move my stuff out as long as they pet her. When I took her to the emergency hospital she wouldn't get near any humans and was crawling under chairs. The vet actually had to muzzle her. She even showed her teeth at me, the one and only time in 9 years.

The most important factor in a kennel is air conditioning. If they have it, don't leave your pet there.

This may seem counterintuitive, but airborn respiratory diseases are a real problem at kennels. Air conditioning circulates the air and the disease.

Dogs are pack animals and are not highly territorial like cats, so they miss people more than their home as a place. The effect on the dog will largely depend on whether it is a primarily wolf- or hyena-blood dog. Wolf blood dogs, i e., German Shepards, tend to be come attached to their "owners" and suffer much more than hyena-blood dogs, i .e. spaniels. They switch to however treats them nice fairly quickly. If you have a dog and haven't read Konrad Lorenz's "Man Meets Dog," you probably should.

As far as trial run is concerned, that is probably a good idea.

I would consult your vet as to the best choices. There are vast differences in kennels - and for an older animal kenneling at the vet might be the best idea.

If you do decide to kennel be sure it's one that has full service doggy day care and that there are sufficient helpers for the number of animals that your pet will get enough attention.

I don't know how practical this is for you, but have you considered looking for a good professional dogsitter? That would circumvent the confinement and kennel cough issues.

I'm the volunteer dogsitter for my travelling companion when travels alone, but she's found an absolutely wonderful professional for when we travel together. Fortunately, we're in in a dog-friendly area, and there are a number of well-recommended sitters. My friend interviewed several, partly to see how they got on with the dogs and partly to see how she felt about them, and ended up with an absolutely incredible sitter. The dogs adore her (myu friend has seen how they greet her when she comes over on her pre-trip business visits), she loves them and is great with them (you can tell how well she understands their personalities on those pre-trip visits and by her reports), and she's extremely responsible and stays in touch by e-mail. She comes by twice a day for meals and walks, and she drives them to the dog park for play sessions. (They have a dog door and a fenced yard, so they can go out when they need to.)

Petsitters Int'l, is a reputable business listing of sitters.
I have five dogs so kenneling would probably cost more than my airfare. Two are quite elderly and not keen on any change in their lives. I hired one of the vet techs from my vet's office to come and stay at the house. She sleeps here, plays with them, lets them out morning, lunch and evening. It costs me $25 a day. I live in rural North Carolina and my cost is probably low compared to the national average. I know I have a good arrangement. With dog flu a concern, I think it would be worth investigating.
Travel safely.

I would not necessarily be too suspicious of a kennel that does not allow inside vistors during certain hours. Those may be the times when they clean the whole kennel, while the dogs are out in the runs and their indoor cubicles are wet.