Choosing the Purrfect Fit for Your Fur-end
Planning a trip? How to care for your pets while you're away is an important decision because it can impact your pet's well-being and your peace of mind. Two popular options are in-home pet care and boarding at a kennel or other facility. Today, we're breaking down the key factors to consider when deciding between In-Home Pet Care VS. Boarding.
Convenience
In-Home Pet Care: Wins for convenience. With in-home pet sitting, a pet sitter comes to you, eliminating the stress of transporting your pet. We will stick to your pet's routine, minimizing disruption and scheduling services according to your travel itinerary.
Boarding: Requires dropping off and picking up your pet, which can be time-consuming, especially during busy travel prep. Plus, some boarding facilities only allow pick-ups and drop-offs at certain times of day, which may be inconvenient or require an additional night to accommodate. Finally, boarding facilities often require recent vaccinations like Bordetella, which may represent a trip to the vet before your vacation or work trip.
Illness Risk
In-Home Pet Care: Minimizes exposure to other animals, reducing the risk of contracting illnesses like kennel cough, ringworm, or other contagious diseases. Other than their rabies vaccine, House of Paws doesn't require additional vaccines.
Boarding: Carries a higher risk of illness due to exposure to other animals. However, reputable boarding facilities have strict cleaning protocols and often require vaccination records. If considering a boarding facility, it's important to ask about their vaccination requirements both for your planning and to ensure they are doing their due diligence.
Safety
In-Home Pet Care: Your pet stays in their familiar environment, reducing anxiety and potential escape attempts.
Boarding: Requires careful research to ensure a secure facility with proper fencing and supervision. Some pets may experience stress in a new environment, leading to escape attempts, colitis, anxious licking, and other stress-related behaviors and conditions. Often, the experience can cause trauma, making each subsequent visit to the boarding facility more unsettling for your pet.
Peace of Mind
In-Home Pet Care: Our pet sitters offer daily check-ins with pictures or videos, allowing clients to see their pet(s) happy and comfortable at home. Typically, at least two sitters will service your home based on availability. We always have a qualified backup sitter ready in case of illness or emergency. Our contingency plans ensure your pets' visits are never interrupted and our dedicated management team is available seven days a week to address concerns.
Boarding: Reputable facilities often offer similar check-in options. Some even offer live streaming but the level of personalized attention may vary, especially at budget facilities.
Pet Comfort
In-Home Pet Care: Your pet gets to stay in their familiar surroundings with their favorite toys, bed, and smells. This minimizes stress and anxiety, especially for pets who are more routine-oriented, older, or less socialized to strangers. As part of pet sitting visits, dogs enjoy walks and plenty of outdoor time to stretch their legs and explore and cats get lots of one-on-one playtime and engagement. Plus, they don't have to get in the car and adjust to a new location, we come to them!
Boarding: Even the most luxurious kennels are a new environment. Many even crate, cage, or kennel pets in small spaces. Some pets adjust well, while many others struggle with the change. Additionally, many boarding facilities offer a la carte exercise and interaction, which can quickly add up and are often not enough to compensate for the drastic changes in routine and environment.
Specialized Care
In-Home Pet Care: In-home pet sitting is an excellent option for pets with special needs like medication administration, senior pets requiring extra attention, or anxious pets who don't do well in unfamiliar environments. Our team of highly trained professional pet sitters has the know-how and dedication needed to make pets of all ages, temperaments, and needs feel at ease.
Boarding: Some boarding facilities offer specialized care, but it may come at an additional cost. It's crucial to find a facility with staff experienced in handling your pet's specific needs because experience levels and quality standards often vary greatly from staff member to staff member.
In-Home Pet Care vs. Boarding: Final Thoughts
There's no one-size-fits-all answer. When choosing, consider your pet's personality, needs, and comfort level. If your pet is social and thrives on adventure, boarding might be a good fit. For most pets, especially pets who are homebodies, older, or have special needs, in-home pet care is likely the best choice.
Whatever you choose, consider the following safeguards when exploring your pet care options:
Do your research: Ensure your pet care provider is bonded, insured, and has good reviews. At House of Paws, your home and pets are always covered under our premium insurance.
Meet and greet: Before making a decision, have a meet-and-greet with the pet sitter or tour the boarding facility. Ask about the company's hiring practices, training protocols, and quality standards. At House of Paws, our sitters are Pet First Aid + CPR certified and continually educating themselves on the latest in pet care.
Trial run: Consider a short trial run before your trip to see how your pet adjusts. In-home pet care makes trial runs easy and affordable. You can schedule a walk, a pet sit, or two while you're at work and we'll go through all care instructions as if you were out of town.
By carefully considering these factors, you can choose the pet care option that provides the best possible experience for your furry friend while you're away.
House of Paws Pet Care offers dog walking, dog adventure, and pet sitting services for cats, dogs, and small animals. Contact us by phone at (314) 690-5154 or email us to Houseofpawspetcarellc@gmail.com to learn more. If you're ready to book services in one of our service areas submit a new client form to begin our registration process.
We proudly serve Eureka, Wildwood, Ballwin, Manchester, Maryland Heights, Des Peres, Fenton, Chesterfield, Valley Park, Ladue, Creve Couer, Town & Country, Kirkwood, Sunset Hills, Clayton, Webster Groves, Maplewood, The Hill, South City & Affton.
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