Dog Gone Blog - The Dog Blog for Real Dogs

Separation anxiety

Reader Marika writes:

"I have a 4 year old Golden Retriever, Dakota, who I love and adore and spoil way too much.  I've had her for a year now - she was relinqushed for adoption by her previous family because she refused to remain in their unfenced yard.  She briefly lived in a foster home before coming to me.  Until recently, she has been practically perfect (if you overlook her inability to always come when called).  No major issues.  A month ago, I went on vacation for 10 days - the longest we had been apart.  During that time, she stayed with three different people - including one person dropping her off at her doggy day care and a separate person picking her up.  Since I have returned, she seems to have developed some separation anxiety issues.  When I drop her off at the day care (a once a week treat because she used to adore it) - she doesn't want to go (though they tell me she has fun while there). Once I hand one of the people her leash, she digs her feet into the floor and won't budge (instead of sprinting to get back to her friends like she used to).  today, the lady had to physically turn Dakota away from me.  I try to keep our good bye simple, but it doesn't seem to make a difference.  Another example - last summer when I ran track workouts, I would tie her to the fence and she would just lie down and wait for me.  I tried that last week - and she whined the entire time (the first time I have heard her do that) and started digging.

 I have a family vacation in Idaho planned... and I am worried to go now.  I live in Anchorage, a place with no real snakes and I am scared to take her because of the potential for rattlesnakes. However, I am also scared to leave her behind.  Am I just over-reacting?  Is there a way to cure her of her newfound separation anxiety?"

Marika's question about how to cure her dog's separation anxiety is one I get a lot.  Separation anxiety is something you don't want to mess around with because the possibility of a small case getting much worse is high and I'm thrilled that Marika wants to nip this problem in the bud before it gets much worse.

Marika's dog is adopted and separation anxiety is fairly common in dogs who have been relinquished by their first owners.  This dog not only had a first home but also a second for a short period of time with a foster family before ending up in her forever home with Marika.  She's an adult dog who, by Marika's own admission, has been loved and "spoiled" by her new owner since her adoption.   I hate to say this, but that sent some red flags up.   I can't speak for Marika, but "spoiled" dogs are quite often not given the proper cues before major life changes are going to happen.  We overcompensate for our lifestyle changes by showering our dogs with love and affection, teaching the dogs to get used to this attention, and then abruptly stop it when we're not around so much.  Talk about pulling the rug out from under the dog!

I'm sure Dakota was pretty happy with her new routine in her new home until Marika went on vacation and had to have Dakota shuttled between multiple pet watchers.  This is not to say that Marika shouldn't have gone on vacation, she's an adult and she should have her own life, and I don't even know from the limited information I have if the transition between owner to sitter and back could have been any smoother, but now that she's home I don't think Dakota wants to see her owner go away anytime soon.  But she is, Marika's going on another vacation (actually, she's probably already gone on that vacation.  Her question didn't come up in the queue until now - sorry Marika!), and the dog isn't going to like it.

The best thing to do with a dog with separation anxiety is to start them on an intense desensitizing program.  Start by getting the dog used to you leaving for short periods of time and then work up to leaving the dog for extended periods of time, like a vacation.  For guidelines on how to do this, check out this article on the ASPCA website and then call a trainer if you need help.

The same goes for the daycare, if your dog doesn't want to leave you for what normally is his favorite activity try getting him used to just the drive over to the daycare facility.  Praise him for being there and then drive home.  Work in small steps - drive to facility; drive to facility and get out of the car with the dog; drive to the facility, get out of the car with the dog, walk to the front door, etc. - until you can walk into the daycare, hand over your dog and leave without too much stress to the dog.

Remember, there is no magic bullet.  Your dog's separation anxiety could be a big problem and that means big solutions.  It's going to take some time and effort on your part to ease your dog back into a normal routine.  In the meantime, my advice to Marika is to enlist the help of a dog trainer and/or a certified pet behaviorist in her area for Dakota's separation anxiety.  A trainer will help with those step by step solutions.

In the meantime, try the book "I'll Be Home Soon" by Patricia McConnell.  Short and easy to read, that's a good place to start.

Good luck!

Oh, my barking dog

One of the most common questions I get asked, on this blog and in my classes, is "How do I get my dog to stop barking?".  And I cringe, inwardly of course (no one needs to know how much I hate this question... except now you do.  Oh well.), because most people won't like to hear what I have to tell them.  Barking is a difficult behavior to stop  - not difficult in that's it's hard to do, just time consuming and requires the owner to be very keyed into their dog's behavior - and most of the dog owners who ask me are so far at the end of their rope that they're looking for the quickest fix possible.  Sorry, training a dog not to bark takes time and a lot of patience and a change in lifestyle to a certain degree.  No easy fix here.

What I fear when I tell owners how much consistent training it's going to take to fix this behavior is that they'll immediately run out and buy shock collars for their dogs.  I have a very hard time with the idea of shocking a dog to train it when there are other, more humane ways of teaching a dog correct behaviors.

There is a company out there (that will not be named here) who claims they can train your dog not to bark by the use of vocal cues and body postures - and I will admit in full disclosure that I know next to nothing about these companies, having never met with them myself - but they offer a guarantee and I'm always wary of any trainer that offers a guarantee.  I have a better solution, in my opinion, below. 

But first...

Most of the time, a dog who barks does so out of frustration.  The dog sees something he wants but can't get to it, so he starts to bark, for instance.  If you'd like your dog to stop barking a good place to start is by restricting access to that which frustrates him.  Is he barking while outside?  Bring him inside.   

I know, too simple, right?  Well, maybe.  There is more involved but that's one place to begin.  As much as I'd love to outline for you all the ways you can help your dog to stop barking, every dog is different.  What your dog is barking at may not be the reason why your neighbor's dog is barking.  So, instead, I'm going to point you to a few resources that can help you.

- First, has your dog received any training?  You can find a very good trainer through the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) website.  Your dog needs the fundamentals before you can start getting to the tougher issues.  Work with a trainer, either in classes or in your home - they both have pros and cons based on the needs of the individual dog, but they're both good options.  In my opinion, every dog can benefit from training and most dogs who have already received some basic training can benefit from more.

- This booklet aptly titled "Barking" by my idol, Dr. Ian Dunbar, will change your life (actually, it's part of a larger series that I think, if you want to have a better relationship with your dog, you should invest in NOW).  The booklet is short (barely 26 pages) and easy to read with simple, humane instructions on how to help your dog stop barking.  I think I will make it my life's mission to preach the gospel of Dunbar.

- The HSUS has a good bit of information on why your dog barks and what you can do about it.  It's worth checking out.

Dogs bark, my friends, it's part of that inherent dogness I keep talking about, but that doesn't mean we have to live with it.  I have no problem telling you that I, too, have barky dogs.  As a matter of fact, I stopped in the middle of writing this to go outside with my two pooches, with bait bag and clicker in hand, because I have contractors working on my home today.  Contractors, as well as the UPS guy, are the bane of my dogs' existence.  So while I had the perfect opportunity practically handed to me, the people that start my dogs barking in my backyard but separated by a fence (another frustration - barriers), I worked with my dogs to get them to look toward the contractors and back to me without barking.  It didn't take very long with my clicker and bag full of liver treats to convince my dogs that listening to me was far more advantageous than barking at the strange men.

And let me tell you, a whole bunch of liver treats are a lot less expensive, and a lot more humane, than shocking your dog into submission.

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If you have a dog training question, please email them to Dog Gone Blog [at] Yahoo [dot] com.

Okay, you asked for it - the Michael Vick chew toy

For those people who got here by searching for "Michael Vick Chew Toy".  Hi.  Nice to meet you.  Hope you at least took a minute to look around.

But probably not.  I'm sure you had a single-minded purpose that somehow got you here.

That would be this.

If you purchase it please tell your dogs for me: "Chew it in good health."

 

Oh, do I have a problem with the toy? 

Funny you should ask.

I would say from these pictures - and, yes, that's my kid taking a
bite out of the dogs' George W. Bush chew toy - that the answer would be
a very emphatic "Hells no".

I'm just sorry that I didn't think of it first.

A wood chewing dog

Angela writes:

"We got ourselves a rescue dog, WAIT I am so rude! First, thanks for your dogblog!

Okay, a little backstory, rescue dog brought home at 9 months (him) and there was no abuse in his past, he just needed the right home and his mom and her boyfriend couldn't keep him around. Sad. But happy for us...

Fred has been awesome! I have been working with him on simple commands and he picks it up right away. He doesn't jump or bark a lot, and is so sweet and good. All he wants is to be right there with you. Which brings us to my question: I know he has separation anxiety, but why does he need to eat wood? He has eaten thru a large chunk of a tree stump in our yard, and is working on the bark of the small cypress in the side yard. I give him chew toys, and bones, but he prefers wood. This scares me a bit. He loves to be outside laying in the sun with a nice chunk of bark. Is this okay? How can I help him?

Thank you so much, again, am enjoying the blog."

Fred, the incredible wood eating dog, is not unusual in his preference for chew toys.  A lot of dogs like to chew wood for one reason or another, but it is not a behavior you want to encourage.  Splinters from the wood can lodge in the dogs mouth, across the throat, and between the teeth.  Or pieces of the wood can penetrate the esophagus or stomach causing internal bleeding.  I'm not a veterinarian so you're not going to get the correct medical jargon from me, but I did find this article written by a vet on the subject of all that can go wrong if your dog is a stick chewer.  You really need to read it if your dog has a preference for sticks and twigs.  Just a warning, the website can be a bit scary.  You wont want your dog to even glance at a tree again.

I can, however, help you stop the behavior.  Ready?

Restrict your dog's - or in this case, Fred's - access to wood.  Done.  No more stick chewing.

You all hate me right now, don't you?  On the heels of my last post here I am again that training a dog can be as easy as removing the temptations before they become habits.  Angela said, "He loves to be outside laying in the sun with a nice chunk of bark."  Well, that's kind of like saying, "But my toddler loves to play with his father's power tools."  It's up to you, the owner, to decide what is the correct behavior for your dog to develop.  If this is not exactly what your dog wants, tough tootsies for him.  If his sticks, or tree trunk, are kept from him he'll eventually move on to other things to chew.

Now, I know that it's not always as easy as removing a temptation.  Angela did mention that there was a tree trunk that Fred liked to gnaw on.  I think until Fred can be trusted not to eat wood anymore the trunk needs to be covered or surrounded with something. 

• The trunk can be surrounded by chicken wire (easy enough to cut to size) or covered in metal netting or stainless steel wire mesh (find at your local plant nursery or hardware store), for instance. 

• You could also try covering the stump in rough burlap and then stapling it to the bottom, leaving no piece of the wood showing, but this only works if your dog wouldn't chew the burlap either. 

• There are chew stops in liquid form that can be sprayed on the stump, like Bitter Apple, but to cover that much area you'd be spraying constantly.
   
• A trick that I picked up from the horse people I know is to cover any edible wood surface (or anywhere a dog might chew, for that matter) with Irish Spring soap.  Just rub the dry bar on the tasty surface and, viola, not so tasty anymore.

You've removed the enticing wood, now what?  Toys!  Lots of fun chew toys the dog only gets when he goes outside.  Toys that you will take away from the dog when he is no longer out on his own in the yard, because the toys should be special and exciting.

I've mentioned Kong's in the past.  I love those things, can't say enough about them.  But there's a lot of chewy toys on the market, you just need to find the one or two that your dog really likes.  Kong's, Bumpers, and Tire Biters are good, safe toys to leave with your dog.  If Fred's really bored then get him a treat ball, like a Buster Cube, and let him push that around the yard for awhile until he gets all the yummy treats out of it.  And, of course, limit his access to the outdoors if he cannot be supervised.

I hope that Fred loses his taste for wood.  It's going to take some time but taking away something he likes is so much better than a visit to the emergency room.

Lead me not into temptation - (un)secrets of a dog trainer

I'm back from Blogher and I do apologize for not posting sooner, but my family recently suffered a huge loss and that's taking up all my mental energy.  But I want to keep this blog going and the best way to do that is to just write something.

So, here I am.  Writing.

I know I owe some answers to the questions you have already sent me, and I'll get to them very soon (and please keep them coming!), but until then I'll let you into one of the biggest secrets of dog trainers.

Are you ready?

There are no secrets.  No, really.  We dog trainers tell you guys everything we know.  Dog training is not rocket science but you do have to open your eyes and take in the bigger picture.  And you have to see things through your dog's eyes.

(Go ahead, get down on all fours and have a look around.  I'll wait.)

For instance, one of the most asked questions in my class is "How do I get my dog to stop grabbing things off the counter?".  And my answer: "Stop leaving things on the counter."  I'm not trying to be a wise guy, I'm being completely serious.  The first time that your dog smells something yummy on your kitchen counter and then swipes it when you're not looking, he's hooked.  That counter is now a source of good things.  Instant gratification.  The same goes for dogs who chew shoes.  Stop leaving your shoes out.  Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

I've said it before and I'll say it a million more times before I'm done: people are oftentimes the source of their dogs worst behaviors.  Chewing, digging, jumping, barking, food snatching - these are all things that dogs do inherently.  We, as their owners, want them to stop doing that but sometimes we're not willing to change even a little bit to accommodate the darn dog.  Not that I want you to change your life completely for your dog.  Oh no.  But I do want you to put aside a little of your old life for them.  And I, and all the other professionals dealing with canines I know, want you to teach your dog the proper way to behave in your home.  Sometimes that means surveying the landscape and looking for the pitfalls before they happen.

(Are you still down on all fours?  Good.  Stay.  Good reader.  Have a cookie.) 

Another thing I say, ad nauseum, in my classes is:  It's easier to teach a correct behavior than it is to undo an incorrect one.  Going back to the counter surfing scenario, once your dog has snatched a nice juice steak off the counter he's hooked.  However, if he never knew that nice juicy steaks were on the counter for the snatching he might never have picked up on that behavior.

And then there's the Leave It command, but that's the subject for another post.

So, there you have it.  One of my un-secrets of dog training.  Stop the behavior before it starts.   That'll be fifty bucks.

Just kidding.  You can thank me later.

Something tells me we won't be sniffing each others butts at this thing.

I know I owe you - my three readers - an advice post but I've been so busy preparing myself for this little conference I'm going to that I have not yet written a response to your (my readers in the queue) questions.  I'm sorry for that.  I promise that as soon as I get back I'll get down to the business of forcing my opinions on how you should raise your dogs.  You're welcome.

In the meantime, if you have not yet sent in a question about your dog's behavior, training or lack thereof, or any other dog related question you can think of - and you'd like to - please send them to Dog Gone Blog at yahoo dot com.  I'm really enjoying the ones I've received so far and the ones coming up are really fantastic, in a horribly difficult to answer sort of way.  They really run the gamut but what I'm really looking for is questions from families with dogs.  In particular, families with school-aged or younger children.  And if you're thinking of getting a dog in the near future and you already have kids at home, I'd love to hear from you too.

And to you readers who found yourself here from one of my business cards - Hello!  Welcome.  Pull up a chair.  Don't mind the dog hair, there's nothing I can do about that.  But it adds a certain something to the wardrobe, don't you think?  If you look closely at my clothing or my laptop while we're at Blogher you're sure to find a few stray dog hairs sticking out here and there.

So, as I was saying to you newbies - have a look around.  Get comfortable.  Feedback is important to this blog so if you'd like to see something in particular or you would like some advice (hey, it's free!) send your thoughts to the address above.  Or leave it in the comments.  Or buy me a drink at Blogher and tell me all about your pooch.  I love to talk dog.

I'll be back next week!  Chow chow.

(Yeah, I know it's spelled "Ciao", but a Chow is a dog and I thought it was funny and... Sheesh.  Tough audience.)

Michael Vick - should he stay or should he go now?

I've been avoiding the Michael Vick/dog fighting/animal cruelty story but I just can't ignore it any longer.

When my husband read to me from some of the news stories (I will admit that I saw the headlines but I chose to not read them because I knew they would upset me.  Head in the sand much?  Yeah.) the accounts of what Vick and his cronies "allegedly" did to those dogs I felt ill.  Physically, horribly nauseous.  But I felt rage most of all.  A terrible anger and hate for this man who is a superstar in his chosen profession, a public figure for chrissakes, and the three other fingered in this case who perpetrated this horrible act - the gruesome death of an unknown number of dogs and the abuse of many others in the name of "sport" and gambling.

Am I gunning for a guilty verdict?  Oh, you betcha.

If he indeed knew of what was happening on his property and was an active participant I hope Vick gets the maximum sentence.  My perfect wish is that he rots in jail, but I know that won't happen.  Why?  Because they're just animals.

(She says as she chokes on her own words.)

(Well, not my own words but the words I've heard uttered more often than I would care to mention.)

(Alright, I'm done with the parenthetical asides now.)

Our legal system has never been particularly kind to our four-legged friends - but the times, they are a-changing.  The high profile of Vick draws attention to this blood-sport called dogfighting (You can read a copy of the indictment here).  This abuse of dogs is rampant, my friends.  Training dogs, through horrifying abuse, to kill each other for the amusement of the spectators is inexcusable, inhumane and inhuman.   Did Vick really believe that he could get away with this just because he was a star in the NFL?  I hope he spends his time in prison mourning the loss of his career and his soul because I believe he'll have plenty of time to do so.

(I told myself I was going to be as fair in this post as possible but I just can't.)

(I also said no more parentheses.  Sorry.)

I'm not going to go into detail about the charges filed against Michael Vick and his three co-defendants because just uttering the words "rape stand" sends my stomach into convulsions and makes the bile rise in my throat.  If you feel the same way you CAN do something.

According to the HSUS:  "Leave a message with NFL Public Relations at (212) 450-2000 and ask the NFL to suspend Michael Vick immediately. Then send a follow-up email." 

It might not work, however, it just might.

Or you could hit him where he lives, his bank account.  It might already be working.

And if you'd like to do more reading on this case, and I suggest that you do, you can start with this article on dogfighting at CNN.com.

If you're into the legal-ese of this case, try this article at AnimalBlawg.

If you'd like to know about some of the equipment used to train these dogs to kill, like the Rape Stand mentioned above, then read this article at Slate.com (it's fairly PG rated, but it kills me that a rape stand is not illegal).

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What do you think about all this?  Do you think that Vick will be suspended by the NFL?  Do you think he should be suspended, even though he has not been found guilty of any crime as of yet or do you think that the NFL should follow the American legal system philosophy of "innocent until proven guilty"?  This is an open forum, friends.  I may have my opinion but I like to listen to all sides of an argument.  Not that it will change my mind but I like a good sharing of ideas and opinions.

So, what do you think?

These collars are pretty spiffy

If you have a dog that likes to get wet then your dog needs one of these collars.

The Air Collar by Spiffy Dog is perfect for your water dog.  Quick drying, non-chaffing, and resists odor and mildew (helps keep that icky wet dog smell to a minimum), these are the best collars I've found for the pooch that loves to spend his days in the pool or in the lake.  Especially for those dogs who are prone to hot spots around the neck, like my Fisher, due to constant wetness. 

And, according to their website, the Air Collar "is great for dogs with short hair because it is soft and does not rub on the dogs skin like some leather and webbing collars. This Collar is also great for dogs with allergies to some collars".

My only complaint about the Air Collar are the colors and patterns available - they could be a little less cartoon-y for my taste.  There are some fairly decent patterns available (the red stripe and orange reflective are my favorites), however, there just a bit few and far between. 

You have a summer wardrobe so why shouldn't your dog? 

The Air Collar by Spiffy Dog - available in three sizes - for $15.99

3 year old twins afraid of the family pup

Here's a question from reader Dawn:

"I recently acquired a golden retriever puppy.  She is wonderful and in nearly one week is potty trained and sits.  The problem is my twin girls that are almost four.  They are terrified of her.  One of them is getting better but not the other one.  I am in need of advice.  I just never expected this.  I am a huge dog lover and would like to make this work out.  Any suggestions?"

Okay, this is me trying not to preach, but preach I must just a little bit.  Not necessarily because of what Dawn wrote about her situation but more because I don't know the entire history so I'm going to cover all the bases. 

I cannot stress enough, first and foremost, that if you're going to get a dog, especially a puppy, you must make sure your kids are as ready for a dog as you are.  At the age that Dawn's daughters are their attitudes - about anything from puppies to popsicle flavors - can change in a millisecond.  Putting myself in Dawn's shoes (because, again, I don't know the whole story) perhaps they were fine with a friend's or relatives' dogs, maybe even puppies that they had encountered away from their home.  The twins might have seemed ready for their own dog on the surface, but a puppy in your own home is a whole new ballgame.  And that ballgame comes with crazy energy and really bad manners.

Puppies can come on a bit strong under the best of circumstances, but to a little kid a jumpy puppy can be really intimidating.  To a pre-schooler they can be downright terrifying.  This - introducing children to dogs - is a delicate situation that needs to be handled with care.  As a parent, the last thing you want is a child (or two) who grow up with a fear of dogs and as a dog owner you don't want to have to give up the dog.  So follow your child's lead, if they don't want direct contact with the dog don't force them.  Rome was not built in a day and your son or daughter will not learn to love dogs overnight.

I'm thrilled to hear that Dawn is currently working with her dog on basic commands and progress is good.  The better trained the dog is the easier it will be to get the girls to accept her.  Until then all contact between puppy and kids should be closely supervised by an adult who will be able to step in to correct not just the puppy's behavior but also the girls' behavior.  When kids are intimidated by a dog they will either run away - oftentimes screaming - or lash out.  All interested parties should be protected from each other and that means that pup should be crated unless an adult is there.

(These recommendations are mainly for a puppy or younger dog that is already in the home and, therefore, the family has more time to work on this.  Getting a child used to a friend's or a family member's dog is a little bit different.)

I find that it's easier to introduce a puppy to a child when the pup is on leash; with the responsible adult controlling the dog's jumping or lunging.  So puppy should be on leash whenever she is out of her crate.  The children should be encouraged to pat the dog under the chin or on the back (never on top of the head.  never ever ever on top of the head.) but only when they are ready.  Don't force it.  Just let the dog and the kids sit close together (kids on couch, dog on floor to start) without touching for awhile until they are all comfortable and calm.

 

When the dog is sleeping in her crate, try reading books about dogs to your kids.  Talk about your puppy with them, remind them of all the great things a puppy can do, and demonstrate with a stuffed dog the correct ways to interact with your pup.  It's easier to teach kids with a fake dog than it is to throw them in with an excitable puppy.

When your child is feeling more secure encourage them to join you in rolling a ball to the dog or help them place a cookie down in front of the dog.  At the age of three-almost-four Dawn's girls can also set down the dog's food dish (with mom keeping the dog under control on-leash) or give a simple command - like sit.   These will help your kids gain a sense of control and responsibility for the dog.

The key to all of this interaction is control (have I said that word enough yet?); the puppy, as well as the kids, should be under control as much as possible .  No mean feat, right?  If you have kids and/or dogs you know that keeping them all calm takes a lot of patience on your part.  And here's where you come in parents - if you're calm and secure your kids will feel more secure.  If you're pushing at the dog yelling "Off!  Stop jumping!  Stop it!" your kids are going to be a little freaked out.  Take a deep breath and remember that you kids learn by example and that your dog, if you train him or her, will not always be this crazy.

There's more to it, of course, but this is a blog so I'm keeping it all as brief as possible.  I've given you the basics, now I encourage any of you with kids who might be afraid of dogs to do more reading on this subject.  For more information on dogs and kids try the book "Dogs and Children" by Barbara Sykes and "Childproofing Your Dog" by Brian Kilcommons.

Thinking about a pet sitter or a kennel for your dog?

In case you were wondering, Mitt Romney and his amazing stick-the-dog-on-the-roof-because-he-loves-the-fresh-air trick did not drive me away from the ol' blog.  I was on vacation.  Well, I took a trip with my family to see more family, and then even more family.  Which is not a vacation at all but a lesson in control and patience.

Anyhooo...

You don't care about my trip, you care about what I did with my pets during this trip, right?  Yeah, thought so.

We left the dogs and the cat (how it pains me to say "cat" instead of "cats" but Dizzy hasn't returned and I fear he won't ever again, but I digress) with a pet sitter.  This is a first for us as we usually put the dogs in a boarding kennel and the cat (*snurffle*) gets looked after by a neighbor or friend. 

Well, this time I didn't want to inconvenience a friend with cat box duty and Lana has never really taken to being kenneled so we hired a wonderful woman to come to our home three times a day to feed, water and love our pets.

And loved she did.  I am so deliriously happy with how well it worked out that I'm at a complete loss for words.

(Okay, not really.  I am very happy with the care my pets received but I am rarely without words.)

It costs a bit more to have a pet sitter come to the house to care for three pets but I don't think I'll go any other way now.  For our pets - especially Lana - a pet sitter is the way to go.  They're in their own environment, someplace where they feel safe, and there's no need to transport them.  Plus, the pet sitter we used took in our mail, watered our plants and changed around the lights to make it seem as if someone was home all the time. 

If you're looking for sitters in your area and don't know where to start I recommend beginning your online search with Pet Sitters International, but also get referrals from friends and veterinarians.  It's hard finding a person you can trust on line or through the phone book, so word of mouth can be a life saver.  And make sure before you hire someone that you get a chance to interview each other.  Get to know the person who will be caring for your precious pets.  Also, it helps if they're insured and bonded.  It's even better if they're pet First Aid certified.  You just never know what can happen.

Now, before I am labeled as a kennel hater, I am not opposed to kenneling.  I've worked in a kennel before and a good one, though hard to find sometimes, is great for a well adjusted dog.  If you're looking for a reputable kennel in your area try starting with the ABKA website.  You can often find kennels that offer grooming and daycare on sight.  A place like that would be perfect for the super social Fisher. 

Just like with finding a sitter, ask around to vets and other pet owners about reputable kennels.  Before dropping your pooch or kitty off for a week make sure you can take a full tour of the facility.  You should be able to drop in to a facility during regular working hours without having to make an appointment for a tour.  I'm always suspicious when a kennel owners asks me to come by after a certain time.  I wonder what they're hiding.

A kennel should be clean and smell decent (within reason, we are talking about a place that houses pets).  The owner should have a plan for after hours care and never assume they will administer medications or special diets.  Ask first.  As a matter of fact, ask lots and lots of questions.  If the owner or manager can't answer your questions to your liking, it's time to find a different kennel.

So, yes, hiring a pet sitter worked out great.  My pets were spoiled - I can tell by how they follow me to the refrigerator where the carrots sticks and cheese is housed - and that's exactly what should happen when you go on a trip and leave the four-legged kids behind.  Your pets shouldn't dread seeing your suitcase come out, they should feel secure in the knowledge that another person will come and care for them while you're away.  And feed them cookies.  And cheese.  And rub their bellies.  And throw a ball for them.  And...