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someone you could tell that you are away overnight and give them a ring when you get back. That way if there was an emergency they would know to see about your dog.
Yes. I just don't have any good friends that are really close by. A little too far away just to drop over. And I know my neighbors. But there is no need for them to be involved unless it's really necessary. They have their own busy lives.
It's actually an experience with watching a previous dog sitter on webcam that changed my opinion about hiring dog sitters.
The sitter would routinely open my front door and my dog would wonder right out into the front yard and could have very easily took off running for a squirrel and get hit by a car on a very busy street. That's just one thing.
Having said this I will say, that having a good dog sitter is like gold. I used to have one, and she was worth double the money I paid her. Unfortunately she moved away. But finding one like her again has not went well.
What about food? Don't you have a regular feeding schedule for your dog? We fed ours once in the morning and once in the evening. About 12 hours apart. Are you leaving out so much food that the dog won't/can't eat it all, or are you expecting it to go hungry? Neither scenario is good. Otherwise a day and night alone with a dog door is not necessarily a problem.
I'd keep working at finding a dog sitter and explaining the door issue you had with the previous one.
It just dawned on me that I should probably add that I've had to many problems with dog sitters and boarding places to deal with them anymore.
From the time she was puppy up to 3 years old I spent thousands of dollars on dog sitters and boarding places. But after stopping all of that my dog seems just fine and actually acts like she doesn't care to be around any other dogs. I think all the boarding from 1-3 must have been a big pain for her. LOL.
So at 5 now, I just can't see needing to worry about an overnight trip.
Our dog sitter just drops in to feed our dogs, let them out, turn on/off lights, bring in the mail, etc.
A short trip is a good one to test a new dog sitter out. If you ever need to go out of town for an extended period it's better to have one that knows you and your dog. We always have a dog sitter drop by to meet our dogs first and if our dogs seem o.k. with them, that's a good sign. You could probably get a dog sitter to drop by a couple of times while you're gone.
What about food? Don't you have a regular feeding schedule for your dog? We fed ours once in the morning and once in the evening. About 12 hours apart. Are you leaving out so much food that the dog won't/can't eat it all, or are you expecting it to go hungry? Neither scenario is good. Otherwise a day and night alone with a dog door is not necessarily a problem.
I'd keep working at finding a dog sitter and explaining the door issue you had with the previous one.
Plenty of food and plenty of water. Trust me. She lives in the lap of luxury. Vet says she's 20 pounds overweight.
And by the way I've already done this 5-6 times over the past 18 months. And absolutely nothing happened. It's just that I'm about to have to do it more due to parents declining health and other things. It's not even really an option. I just posted because I was wondering if others were in the same predicament.
I will keep my eyes open for another dog sitter. But I'm not going to actively search for one like it's absolutely necessary. The dog is just to independent and self sufficient for me to do that. And as I've mentioned I've got back-ups for emergencies.
So I left today about 4:30 to go run some errands and just returned at 7:30. My best friend promptly got up and said Hi, and then headed to the back of the house to go to her other favorite sleeping spot within 3 minutes. That should say it all. LOL.
And yes she goes the vet regularly. Vet says that other than weight, she 100% healthy.
We've had doggie doors for years and used to leave the pups alone for the day when we were both working... so up to 10 hours unsupervised probably. Now retired, we'll close the door so they stay in the house when we're out somewhere for several hours during the day. I just don't feel good about leaving them overnight, so we have someone stay on those occasions.
And yes she goes the vet regularly. Vet says that other than weight, she 100% healthy.
Do you free feed her? She's obese now. If you do, doesn't sound as if she manages herself too well. Leaving enough food out for multiple meals doesn't sound like a great approach.
Last edited by Parnassia; 05-07-2023 at 04:13 PM..
By back ups I assume you mean you have to contact them to check on your dog. What if you were in an accident or medical emergency and unable to contact anyone?
I mean... the same could be said for going to the grocery store. What if you got into a wreck on the way, or had a medical emergency while shopping? My mother went to work one morning and had a heart attack! Didn't get home for over a week, since they took her straight to the hospital.
So yeah, I’m not sure how that changes for this specific situation. Just keep a card in your wallet and/or phone with emergency instructions. First responders know to check (and how).
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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For a dog that's old enough to behave well that should not be a big deal. My sister-in-law has had to replace at least 2-3 sofas and recliners because she will leave younger dogs at home alone. Even for an hour to go shopping she would come back and find big hunks of the fabric torn off, shoes ruined, and other damage caused by the boredom of active pups. Yes, proper training would be a help, they are now older but they all (3) bark the entire time we are there visiting.
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Do you free feed her? She's obese now. If you do, doesn't sound as if she manages herself too well. Leaving enough food out for multiple meals doesn't sound like a great approach.
