Sweet Baby L leaves today for almost an entire month. 😦

It will be the longest time we will be apart since we brought her home. To say I’m nervous/sad/worried about her about it is an understatement, so how did we end up here? 

My husband is from Australia and it has been more than three years since he’s been home. None of his family have met our new baby yet so we knew that when we went back, we would be staying for several weeks. We planned our trip for the end of the year to coincide with the holidays and our baby’s first birthday. We are really looking forward to it, but Sweet Baby L can’t come with us on a trip like this. (Perhaps if we were staying 3 months or so? But the 24 hours of flying plus the mandatory dog quarantine on the other side don’t make it worth it this time.) 

The thought of leaving her behind really breaks my heart and of course I wanted to make sure she was well taken care of, ideally with as little disruption to her routine as possible. 

There was no chance we could leave her at her usual boarding place for as long as will be away. It’s just not big enough, and honestly not well-equipped for that length of stay. Great for daycare and quick trips, but a long-haul? Not so much. 

Long-Term Dog Sitting Options

The Friends and Family Option

We discussed the idea of having a friend or family member watch her but that was fairly quickly dismissed. Watching a dog is a lot of work, and a month is a long time. Plus, there  were the holidays to consider. We will be gone during Christmas. It was just too much to ask. 

The Friends & Family + Boarding Combo Pack

The second option was relying on a friend or friends plus a few days at her regular boarding place during Christmas. That seemed like a better option but meant that Sweet Baby L would have to stay at her regular boarding place for more than a week, which felt too long. Also it felt like it could be disruptive to her. 

The Dog Sitter Option

We weighed hiring a dog sitter to come stay in our apartment with her. This seemed like an easy path but again, it’s a lot to ask of someone during the holidays, even if we are paying them. Also, a month is a long time to leave Sweet Baby L with a stranger. What if they didn’t get along for some reason? Being so far away in case things went awry with a sitter made me nervous. 

The Dog Camp (Winning!) Option

Finally, someone we knew from the dog park we frequent mentioned a place called Eva’s Dog Camp. It came with good reviews from people who had already sent their pups there. I immediately emailed them and got a quote.  This was in July, and I’m really glad I was on top of it so early because the place books up quickly. The staff has been lovely to deal with, and I hope that Sweet Baby L’s experience is as good as everyone says it will be 🙂

The things I like about it: 

• They’ve been in business more than 20 years

• They have a farm with 60+ acres for the pups to explore every day

• They have a schedule to keep the pups busy (Sweet Baby L likes a routine) 

• They come pick her up on a bus and will drop her off when it’s time for her to come home.

Of course, I’m worried about her getting there and settling in. She HATES riding in cars and I hope she won’t be too sad/scared/confused. What if she misses us? Will she wonder what happened? Will she think she’s been sent away? Will she feel like she’s been abandoned???

The staff assures me that she will do just fine once she gets there and I’m sure she will. I hope she gets at least one good snowfall when she’s there. Sweet Baby L loooooooves the snow, and she wouldn’t be able to play in it all day if she was staying in the city with a dog sitter.