If you are one of the many pet owners who feel the daily guilt of leaving your pet alone at home while you go to work, you may want to consider checking into dog day cares.
Imagine what it is like for your pet to be alone for eight hours or more every single day. Imagine still all of the things they could get into while you are gone; the garbage can, or chewing things they shouldn’t.
Dog day cares could be the solution you are looking for to save your sanity and your house from total destruction.
Finding the right one may take some looking however. They are not readily available and you may have to do some digging to find one close enough to your house for you to even consider it feasible.
There are plenty of places you can board your pet if you go on vacation but not all of them do daily care for dogs. Check them out anyway because they may make an exception for your pet if you can come to an agreement.
One thing you need to remember is that your pet needs to be healthy. Take him to the vet and make sure he is up to date on all of his shots so no one has to worry about diseases or infections being transmitted from one pet to another.
Another thing to keep in mind is the breed of your dog. Some places ban certain breeds from being in these centers because of their aggressive natures. Check carefully to make sure you CAN take your pet to one of these centers.
This may seem unfair, especially if you know your dog is not aggressive even though he is one of the breeds banned but most likely there is nothing you can do about it so move on and try to find a center that will allow admission.
When you do find a center to take your pet, make sure that they do a thorough screening of all of their “clients”. They may require that your pet is spayed or neutered to gain entry as well.
Ask pertinent questions about what your pet can expect his day to be like if you choose to place him in the center. They should have a schedule of events or something to tell you that they do not just place your pet into a cage and leave them there all day.
Check the place out thoroughly while you are there. Is there a nice big play area with lots of toys for the animals to play with? This is a good sign that your pet will learn to socialize with other animals.
Ask if your pet will be taken on a walk at least once per day. Some centers will even provide food or treats for your dog. If not, ask if you can provide these things.
Dog day cares are great places to help keep your pet entertained during the day when you have to be away.