The Doggo Diaries: What pets do when you're traveling

Travel? What travel?!

We normally don't update the blog since we're not always traveling. However, we figured there are cool things we can talk about, like how we address issues regarding our beloved family pet. You can't always take them with you, so what do you do? 

Step 1: Find a pet sitter.
Step 2: Say goodbyes.
Step 3: Enjoy your vacation for the next few hours.
Step 4: Cry about missing your furry pal.
Step 5: *Optional / Don't do this* Cancel your vacation altogether. 

Better yet, what do they do when you're traveling?

We can't speak for all doggos out there, but we can certainly speak for the one living under our roof. 

Hina with her dog walking pals!

1. Having. So. Much. Fun.
   Miss Wiggles forgets we exist when she's spending time at her favorite camp of all time, Kaiju Kennels. Since she has her girlfriend Ebi-chan to play with daily, she's in cloud nine.
   Even if it's only a pet sitter, which in our case is her beloved Uncle Peaches, she gets a ball out of hanging out with someone new. It doesn't matter if you're a two-legs or four-legs. All it matters is giving the fluffbutt fart-queen some attention.

2. Wreaking havoc.
   While she gets to have fun and is normally in good behavior around us, she's apparently terrible at Kaiju Camp. She's still an excessive licker, but turns out she's also a terrible counter surfer. Terrible in the sense that she's easily caught and nowhere near the sneak level she needs to have to succeed, but tries anyway.

3. Do everything they normally can't do.
   Remember that time when you were a kid staying somewhere without parental supervision and doing everything you couldn't do at home? Yup, it's exactly like that. Even with her pet sitters, our funny one likes to see how much more she can get away with when she's with someone else.

4. Not eating. (Your pup may vary)
   Assuming she's not at Kaiju Camp, she will typically not eat if we're not home. We'll be lucky if she even eats a whopping one kibble when left alone or with a pet sitter.
   But wait, have you guys tried giving her a treat, like a bully stick? Yup. She won't even lick it if we're not home. What a weirdo, right?

5. Missing you.
   They do, and they'll be glad to see you home. If they're boarding or have pet sitters, they'll likely be distracted from your absence. Don't worry too much, though. Your puppers will survive the temporary separation.

So we talked about a pupper. What about your cat?

1. Having. So. Much. Fun. And probably throwing parties.
   If your cat is anything like our OG friend, Simba, your cat is likely a party thrower when you're gone. Simba likes to hang out by the window to sun bathe and let the other neighborhood cats know the humans are out and the party is in. Too bad they don't welcome two-legs to their parties.

2. Wreaking havoc. (Your cat may vary)
   ...to their scratching boards! Simba isn't a destructive cat. Despite being the former OG alley cat, he's a well behaved cat that likes to wait for his human's return. He's a bit cautious around new people, but at the end of the day he's a suave and sweet kitty that will rub his head on your much larger human fist.

3. Do everything they already do.
   What, did you think it was going to be any different? Silly, silly, humans!

4. Still eating.
   Cats don't need humans, humans need cats. And how do humans keep cats around? You feed them! Simba doesn't have weird canine requirements like Hinata, so he'll eat if he's hungry. You don't tell OG Simba when to eat, OG Simba tells you!

5. Missing you.
   At the end of the day, after all the fun cat parties, he still misses Bee and Dan. Who else will swing that cat toy around for him? Like doggos, your cat too will survive the temporary separation.

After our trips, we know our pets will celebrate our return. Let's face it, they have no choice for you are the gatekeeper of foods, pets, and belly rubs. So don't worry about going out somewhere far to travel if you can't take your pet with you. Find a trusty pet sitter or animal boarding facility before you travel. It helps to know your pets are in good hands!

The Doggo Diaries: Finding a pet sitter, walker, and anything in between

For our first two big trips, we left Miss Wiggles to the care of her breeder Mrs. Kaiju. It was something she offered us when we were planning our honeymoon. However, we can't always be imposing on their kindness to watch little Wiggles nor is it convenient to drive over 6 hours and fly out of LAX each time we go on a big trip. 

Unless you already know someone, it's difficult to find a pet sitter, and even harder for a boarding facility. If you've boarded your dog before, you have probably read or heard about the negative experiences of others ranging from terrible handlers to poor facility management. The same goes for a dog walker or anyone that interacts with your pup. 

We encountered a few issues when we were on a search for a dog walker and sitter. We spoke to a good friend of ours who worked at a local facility and she gave us insight on what to expect from certain places as well as which places to avoid. 

As a starting point, it's good to do the following when finding a new pet-person.

1. Look everywhere.
   Don't just go with the first item to pop-up on your search or the first recommendation you get. There are many places out there and you will be much happier knowing you've seen them all.

2. Check reviews.
   Not just Yelp! reviews, but community reviews. If you are a member of NextDoor, an online space that creates a forum for the local community, you can find recommendations and feedback from locals.

3. Ask your groomer or vet.
   The professional dog group isn't as big as you may think. Your groomer or vet will likely have good information on other pet related businesses and give you recommendations. If they take their own pets there, even better!

4. Ask them what kind of training they use.
   When we were looking for boarding facilities, nothing we read mentioned asking the training method trainers used. While you aren't looking for training, it is very important to know this. Some places use negative reinforcement or dominance training to manage animals in their care. If avoiding that is important to you as it is to us, you're best bet is to ask.

5. Ask if they have breed restrictions.
   Many places will not openly say this. It looks bad if you advertise being open to all dogs that pass your temperament test except certain breeds. Don't be surprised if they don't tell you this over the phone. The friend mentioned above was the one who told us about a facility she worked in that do not tell people hey don't take pitbulls. In the event that they did, these dogs would often be alone in a room with little to no socialization unless their owners pay the big bucks for a human to actually play with their pups. Needless to say, the facility's negative Yelp! reviews said the same thing.

6. Check out the place.
   When you go in for the mandatory temperament test, know that they are not just interviewing and checking out your dog, you are also interviewing them! Check out the area, ask all the questions, make sure you get everything covered. Ask if they use a spray bottle, how they manage play groups, etc.

So what could happen if you don't thoroughly review your options and immediately go with the first seemingly obvious choice?

Your dog gets the short end of the stick. We don't know a lot of what happens to our pets when we're away and we'll be much happier and less anxious if we knew they were in good hands.

The friend we have that worked in a boarding facility told us that they used shock collars on difficult dogs, staff had poor training, poor site management, and dogs weren't always well taken care of. They had staff members who would hit animals in their care when they got frustrated, sometimes telling owners their dog had an accident or injured themselves. On the surface the place looked like a great place to leave your dog, but in reality it wasn’t.

After discussing the general operations of the facility, we decided it was one of the worst places we could use. In the end, we found someone who ended up becoming a great fit! Not only do they do boarding, they also do daycare and dog walking.