Do you have a trip planned in these remaining weeks of summer? Are you taking your pet or having them stay in a kennel while you are away? Dr. Reed Stevens joins us with some tips if you are not traveling with your pets.
How far should you plan ahead? Dr. Stevens says, “If you are going on a random weekend that’s not a big travel weekend you are probably okay a couple of months out to make sure you are securing your pets accommodations. If you’ve got a great friend and you’ve done this a million times and you travel a lot, you probably have those accommodations, but we are talking about the folks who haven’t thought of this before. If you’re going on Easter that’s like going on a cruise, you need to book that almost a year out to get Easter because everyone travels, Thanksgiving, everybody travels.”
If your pets are staying home plan ahead because, Dr. Reed says you don’t want to be stuck in a situation where you pet is staying someplace substandard, somewhere where you are not comfortable, someone who doesn’t know your pet or is not comfortable with your pet. He says you want someone who understands your pet, has been with your pet before.
How do you know if it is a great kennel? Dr. Reed Stevens says we are very lucky in Western New York we have great kennels in Western New York. A lot of the kennels are suburban because there is more space but there are urban options for pets. Dr. Stevens says, “My number one rule for a kennel, is it’s not like your veterinarian, it is all about the people, the facility does not have to be perfect. The people who take care of pets, often I find are more about the pets than their brick and mortar.” He goes on to say, “There are fancy places, places where you can get a waterbed and there are places where the dog can get a tv, and special cooked meals, all those things are available but my number one thing is the people. Do the people really care for that pet and are they going to take good care of them so definitely visiting beforehand, making a reservation, calling them, don’t just drop in.” Call them and let them know you are thinking of boarding your pet and you want to see their facility because he says it is a pet life-long relationship. You’re probably going to go back there, most of their business is repeat.
What should you expect when you take your pet to the kennel? Dr. Stevens says your pet is going to be nervous if they’ve never been there before. It’s going to be different, some pets are very outgoing and some pets are very shy. He says once your pets are in there they are going to see other pets and they are going to relax and they forget about you completely. Dr. Stevens says many boarding places offer pet cams where you can log into your pet’s camera. It cost more but you can log onto your pets camera see what they are doing while you are away.
What about if you want to bring your pet with you? There are pet friendly hotels and accommodations and Air B&B’s that will gladly have your pet there. There may be a charge or a deposit in case your does something. Dr. Stevens says there are a lot resources for finding pet friendly places. One site he mentions is BringFido.com and says you can check the Air B&B’s listings to see if they are pet friendly.
You can reach Dr. Reed Stevens at Ellicott Street Animal Hospital in downtown Buffalo.
716-852-8276.
For more information visit nfveterinarysociety.org
