Where should my dog go when I go away?

I am not a big fan of vacations, I get home sick... probably because I miss my dog, lol. However, I have a wedding to go to in September. It is in Chicago- and I'm in NYC. There is no shot of driving, as my boyfriends whole family (almost) will be going. We will be gone for 4 days. With my parents in Florida I have seriously thought about where to leave Maximus.

At first I thought, my sister... she has always watched him for me if I went away for a weekend- or to a party in which he would be home for a long time alone. However, now she moved out of her house into a temporary one bedroom apartment, with her husband and two dogs (A mean JRT who Maximus happens to love and their new not-so-trained Pharaoh Hound/APBT mix). They are more than willing to watch him- but my sister is 86 lbs. and I don't think she can handle him on a leash (as he isn't perfectly trained on leash yet- but should be by then). Her husband definitely can, but he is sick- I feel bad, but I don't think he would mind. Maximus is very comfortable here, but it may be too much to handle 3 dogs in such a small space for 4 days. However, they are responsible and love Maximus!

Then I thought- I can just pay 75 dollars a night to leave him in a high class doggy spa, however the place may look nice and still be a dump. How can I trust people I don't know? I don't want Max in some strange place! You know these risks. I've heard of spa's purposely being mean to specific breeds- and as we all know American Pit Bull Terrier's aren't the most loved breed right about now. I even know someone who had their dog put down without their knowledge in one of these places- supposedly she did something and "they made a mistake". I still don't know the whole story... but I'll be sure to post it when I do.

Third, my bf's sister who is great (but a pushover) with Max and her husband will not be going because she is pregnant and cannot fly. She can easily watch Maximus is his own home- however, she mentioned something of friends coming over and staying with her for the nights here. Otherwise they would be taking Maximus out of the house to bring him to theirs- and he never goes there. Plus, I don't like the idea of him leaving the house at all- I would feel safe with a simple house to backyard (to do his business) and thats all!! I only feel safe when it's my boyfriend or myself walking him... I know- I'm obsessed!!

Every time a responsible loving dog owner loses their dog- it's always because they trusted a close friend or family member to watch the dog. I don't want to risk anything- I am so stressed as to where I will leave him. I figured someone could help me make the best decision... I know there are more factors- but I tried to shorten it because I type like I talk... which is A LOT!

I say buy one of these and leave him with your sister. Being around that many doggies all of a sudden is tiring, so the space wouldn't be too much of an issue.

We got one of these for Boo and he walks SO well on it.
Here's their website:
http://www.newtrix.ca/docs/ourproducts.php

Hey Chicago is not to far from me. We should get together. I would say leave him with your sister. Just do what you think would make him more comfortable and make you feel okay. Trust your heart.

Thank you. I actually bought the gentle leader- but I didn't like it much. I don't use it- I am training him myself because I don't want to depend on an aid. However, I may give it to my sister to use for that period of time, just to make sure she doesn't have any pulling issues. Because even if I get him to walk perfect he may take advantage of her- you never know!

Hey Chicago is not to far from me. We should get together. I would say leave him with your sister. Just do what you think would make him more comfortable and make you feel okay. Trust your heart.


How far away are you? We are there for four days and have no plans beside the wedding and a football game. Definitely let me know- you can lead us to the hot spots in Chicago
:crazy:

I am about two hours or three from Chicago. We are right on the border on IN and IL. :D

Can you take him with you - by plane? Our family tends to bring our animals with us, rather than worry about them. They arte family after all.

I TOTALLY would but first off because of Max's breed a lot of places won't fly him. AND I refuse to put him on the plane with the luggage. I have an ear problem, that is progressing slowly. I was thinking of having him trained as a service dog so I can bring him on with me (is that wrong?)... after all- I will completely deaf in at least one ear sometime! :( (people have worse problems, I'm not complaining)

However, so many dogs die under the plane and it's torture for them- I don't want to be selfish and do that to him when he can have a perfectly fine time somewhere else. I am going to my parents in SW Florida next month and driving so I can bring him :D I think he will like a huge inground swimming pool! ...oh wait that's me... maybe he will too though! I hope!

IS AIR TRAVEL REALLY SAFE FOR ANIMALS?
On July 1, U.S. commercial airlines will be required to report incidents of family-owned pets who are injured, lost or killed while flying in the cargo hold of domestic flights. While this Safe Air Transport for Animals Act will allow pet parents to check an airline’s track record, the ASPCA feels it doesn’t go far enough.

The ASPCA spearheaded the introduction and passage of the act, in response to the industry’s estimate of 5,000 animals injured, lost or killed in transit in the late 1990s, but important requirements were eliminated from the bill. “We lobbied for legislation that required the airlines to upgrade from cargo holds that are only pressurized to newer holds that are pressurized, temperature-controlled and ventilated,” says the ASPCA’s Lisa Weisberg, Esq., Senior Vice President, Government Affairs & Public Policy. “It was left out due to opposition from the airline industry.”

Because of this change in our original legislation, the ASPCA urges air travelers to think twice before transporting their pets in the cargo hold. “Despite the increasing public demand of Americans wanting to travel with their pets,” comments Weisberg, “air travel is no safer today than it was before passage of the law.”

The ASPCA will continue to monitor the track records and progress made by the airlines. In the meantime, if you have no choice but to transport your pet in the cargo hold, please follow our safe air travel guidelines. For more information on the legislation, visit ASPCA online.

I use to get a friend to come into my home and stay with my dog Travis when I really had to leave him behind. I think it was better for him as he use to fret and pine for us so at least he was in familiar surroundings. Now as for Tucker I have not had to leave him as of yet but I would probably do the same thing as he can be a bull in a china shop and wouldn't want to put him in someone elses home. My parents normally leave their dog with me when they go away but this time they are leaving her with my other sister. I think they are doing this as Tucker is just too active for her as she is getting older and Tuc is only a year old. Well that up to them.