It has been raining for three days straight now. Don’t get me wrong - I am one of those people that actually LOVES it when it rains. The only thing better is that it could be real windy too and I would be happy as a lark. I don’t really have a “dark” personality- it just sounds like it !

We had our annual apple picking day today, which we always look forward to. It has been a tradition since my kids were small and now I have grandchildren (not that I am really old enough to have them- hehe).

The wonderful weather people had said that, today, the third day of rain, would subside and it would stop raining and be only partly cloudy. Well we all know how accurate they are. NOT!

The first part of our tradition is to go to the “Shiny Diner”, so named because it has lots of chrome and glass on the front of it, and we have breakfast. At this point in time, we had run into some showers but the sun was actually trying to make an appearance. We were very optimistic! At this particular apple orchard/farm, there was a goat ( ee i ee i o) I believe it maybe be a Nubian goat - I don’t know but he sure was the cutest thing and very friendly. Here is a couple of pictures of our little friend:

After spending a little time with the goats, we loaded ourselves into the hay wagon that would bring us down to the apple orchards. We are always a little silly when the 8 of us get together- we really do have a lot of fun. It started to mist a little bit but that didn’t deter us and we were very optimistic about the weather clearing. We got down to the fields and started to walk down the road leading to the BEST apple trees when it decided to actually rain at a pretty good clip. We were getting pretty well soaked even though we put plastic bags over our heads (see pictures below). Our hair stayed dry but the rest of us was getting pretty wet. My son and daughter-in-law, with my two grandkids continued on - my daughter-in-law was going to have to work next weekend, so it was either pick apples today or not at all. And my son had a mission to start baking pies (yes I said my son ) as soon as they got home. These kids were TOTALLY on a mission - they picked two huge bags of apples!

Anyway, the rest of us decided to leave and save picking apples for another day. We can not complain. I think in all the years we have been picking apples, that this was the first year it rained on our little party. Next weekend we will try again!

I received these pictures from a friend of mine, supposedly taken by someone in my area - it’s just so typical. It’s not enough that these bears tear our garbage apart when we forget to put it in the garage, but apparently now they want us to FEED it to them. Enjoy!

Here is a picture of Deoji resting after an exhausting game of Frisbee on the beach. AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW look at that sweet little face!!!

Here is a picture of Deoji hard at PLAY with his Frisbee. I zoomed in on it so it may not be very clear but you will SEE just how serious he is when playing - he demands that he catch that Frisbee every time! Enjoy the picture!

Any questions?? (OH YES!!! He did catch it!) hehehe

What are Cats you ask??

They do what they want when they want
They leave hair everywhere
They rarely listen to what you (as a dog) have to say
They want to be left alone when you want to play
They expect to be waited on hand and foot
They can be VERY moody
They could care less if you are home or not
They are content to find a patch of sun and bask in their happiness
THEREFORE: Cats are miniature women in little fur coats

What is a Dog you ask??

They can look dumb and very lovable at the same time
When they aren’t happy, they growl
When you want to play they would love to play
They want to play when you want to be left alone
They don’t clean up the mess they leave behind
They don’t listen to you when you are in the same room but can hear you open
a bag of Doritos a block away
They do disgusting things with their mouths and then want to give you a big kiss
They can spend the entire day laying on the couch
They go right for your private parts as soon as they meet you
THEREFORE: Dogs are miniature men in little fur coats

Also, his normally long, lean body has gained some weight of late, being that his doggie-day care place closed down for the last two weeks due to an outbreak of kennel cough. Fortunately, Deoji didn’t get it, but two of his girlfriends did- really bad even though they were inoculated against it.

Anyway, later in the day, I decided it was time to go out and get some more exercise (good for me too!!). I don’t normally like playing with sticks with Deoji, but he kept bringing them to me and dropping them in front of me and looking at me with those huge dilated eyes saying “throw the stick, throw the stick – come on Gram-mommy, throw the stick!” So of course I did. He’d fetch and bring them back (making sure to break them in half each time) and I’d throw the smaller stick and watch him run absolutely FLAT OUT to catch the darn thing. I kept thinking the whole time, “I don’t really want to play with these stupid sticks, he’s going to get hurt one of these days”. Well, he broke all of the big sticks but found a skinny one and brought that one over for me to throw. Darn dog anyway. I KNEW I DID NOT want to throw this stick but flung it anyway. I watch in slow motion as the stick twirled end over end in the air with Deoji looking up to see where he should run to catch it. The stick came down in front of him and he grabbed it – my heart went up in my throat. He just stood there – not moving a muscle – I wanted to throw up- I knew it was bad. He started gagging with this stick just protruding from his mouth and couldn’t get it out. It seemed like it took me minutes to run the twenty feet to get to him. The stick seemed to have virtually impaled his throat. I pulled it out and it was covered in blood. Deoji was gagging and try to throw up- I was SURE there was a piece of stick stuck in his throat. Oh God – my daughter’s vet is closed and the nearest emergency vet is over 40 minutes away. I had a million things going through my mind at once.

I called the emergency vet across the County and tell them we were coming in. I was thanking God Deoji could breathe okay because I knew it was going to take FOREVER to get there! I got behind every single slow jerk that was out on the road and it wasn’t even Sunday!. It was agony and I must have hissed and cursed under my breath more than 100 times on the way there. I kept wishing I had the money to open an emergency vet office in my area. This long of a drive when you NEED to get somewhere is just unacceptable. And I know there are MANY people in my area that must have gone through the same thing I was at that very moment. I had that stomach in my throat fear that something so bad has happened and you can’t get to the doctor’s fast enough! After an hour and a half hour wait (yes that’s 1 1/2 hours), it was finally Deoji’s turn. They took him for an x-ray and thank you God, there were no pieces of stick in his throat.

They DID find that he seemed to have a small esophageal tear though, but said he should be okay and it would heal itself with some medication. I walked out of there with two medications that I now had to explain to my daughter how to give him. One was to help repair the tear, the other was for pain.

Did you ever notice what nice people you meet in the same situation you are?? There were several people in the waiting room that I felt like they had been my friends for way longer than 5 minutes. My gripe for this whole ordeal, is that the hospital charged outrageous fees for their care. Yes, I know it was an emergency and believe me, I would have paid anything to make sure that he was okay, but this is just outright taking advantage of people in need. Just one of the fees was $104 for ONE x-ray. Not a CAT scan or ultrasound or anything like that- JUST an x-ray. The fee for the “visit” was acceptable because it WAS an emergency, however they charged almost the same amount for the “exam” and then the medications on top of that.

Deoji’s life is more important to me than money but I do think it’s disgraceful how these emergency centers start rubbing their hands together the second you walk in the door. Deoji will be okay, (I am SO relieved) and my pocketbook will recover but he will NEVER play with another stick in his life. I am going to make sure he only plays with Frisbees from now on. Darn animals anyway. Gram-mommy loves you honey. I’m sorry I let you get hurt today. I’ve got lots of hug and kisses for you when you feel better.

I started off small – a parakeet for each of my two kids. My son got a blue Parakeet, which was named Gemini and my daughter picked a greenish/yellowish parakeet and named it Sprite – clever –hehe. All was going well for about a year, until I walked back into that pet shop one day and there was a very handsome Gray cockatiel, who proceeded to climb right up on me when I went over to talk to it. My new “Smokey” (didn’t wait until I was out of the store to name it ) didn’t seem to mind the car ride home in that little box at all. He loved his new surroundings and being home with people that really enjoyed him and fussed over him. He was only 13 weeks old and was just so incredibly beautiful – such bright yellows and orange cheeks! You could pet him and kiss him and squish him (gently, of course!). He was quite smart too! I was able to teach him to whistle part of “Some Enchanted Evening” and he became quite well known for that.

I decided months later that he needed a friend. He was friendly with the parakeets, but let’s face it – they were DIFFERENT from him. He was the happiest little birdie when I came home one day with Dusty. A very beautiful FEMALE pearl cockatiel. They became inseparable from the get-go. Love at first site, there was no stopping them. It became clear that I needed to get a nesting box, as his version of Some Enchanted Evening became more fervent every day. Little did I know that song would actually MEAN something to him hehe.

I got the “penthouse” of nesting boxes and they wasted no time in setting up their little boudoir once I attached it to their cage. Long story short, they raised six clutches over the next several years. I LOVED hand-raising cockatiels. Those little babies are just so prehistoric looking, you can not help but fall in love with them. I let Smokey and Dusty take care of the babies for the first two weeks and then I took them away to finish up hand-feeding for then next 6 weeks and acclimating them to people. The 2 am and 4am feedings were the best – NOT! Most of the babies were given to my friends. A few babies I sold back to the pet shop only because I knew the owner was VERY fussy about who he sold ANY pets to. I knew they would have good homes.

During this time of raising cockatiel babies, my daughter fell in love with a Peach Front Conure (a/k/a Peaches) and I found a gorgeous Lesser Sulphur Crested Cockatoo (Zachary) from the same darn pet store. A BIG bird!! I read up on cockatoos and KNEW I could give him a great home and teach him all kinds of words and tricks. Zachary is now 13 years old and not sociable at all, says maybe only 8 words and the only tricks he knows consists of a decibel that is truly deafening. He literally freaks when my daughter comes to visit (yes, that’s correct - she doesn’t live here any more but her bird, Peaches, does). I have to move him and his cage to a completely different room when she comes over. I can not have him out of his cage when she comes in because he will actually fly after her and try to attack her. He is extremely jealous of her.

Over the next few years, while Smokey and Dusty were raising their families, there were a couple babies I absolutely could not part with. Okay, there were EIGHT babies I could not part with. My living room and dining room became my own little aviary. I do believe I was the only one who actually enjoyed listening to 12 birds all chattering at once. Smokey still loved me too and he used to fly over to me and sit on me for hours. But you could just tell that Smokey and Dusty we true “life mates” if ever you saw that type of thing in birds. They were SO happy together.

As time went on, it was not without some heartache along the way. I lost three birds to cancer. One of them was Dusty, the Mommy of all the babies. She had a tumor the size of big fat nickel removed from her chest cavity the first time. The vet had never seen anything like it and actually paid for lab fees to have it analyzed. Turned out it was a rare type of cancer that almost never shows up in the Avian world. Dusty survived and was fine after a couple of weeks of recovery. There was no more breeding after this though and I tried to make sure she ate healthy and was happy. Unfortunately, only a year later the cancer returned and took her one day while she was sleeping in the nest box I left on for them to sleep in. She was only 12. My Smokey was so upset. His wife of a little more than 11 years was gone – the love of his life. After that he hardly even wanted to come out of the cage any more. I would leave the door open and he would just stay in anyway. I took the nest box off because he wouldn’t even go in there to sleep any more. My heart broke for him. I never saw a depressed bird before and it is not something I really want to see again.

In the 14 years I had the cockatiels, three merely fell off their perches and were instantly dead. I never understood that and did not have the money for a necropsy, so I am just assuming they had a heart attack or stroke. I don’t know, but it was very distressing. Two others died at different times when I was away on vacation and another died of natural causes. I found my Smokey when I came home from this past New Year’s Eve party. He was on the floor of the cage when I came in. I was sick when I found him. It was a terrible thing to start the New Year off with and I felt to badly I wasn’t home when it happened. He was 17 and I know he was happy but he was really never the same after Dusty died 5 years ago. He was really the best. I wish I had not forgotten to say good night to him that last night before I left for the party.

So now, after 17 years of birds, I am left with Peaches, who would just as soon bite you as look at you, and Zachary. Oh Zachary. The incorrigible Zachary. I don’t know what I am to do. As much as I read about owning a cockatoo, there really just is not enough to read. You truly can not possibly understand what it is like to own a parrot. They need so much of your time and A LOT of patience. They are usually only one person birds and frankly, I do not think they should be in a home that has small children. I have been bitten three times with that big beak and it is extremely painful, never mind bloody. If he wanted to bite me hard enough, I know he could either sever part of my finger or at least break it. I don’t think I would want that around a young child for sure.

Zachary has about 50 years left in his life. I have 20, if I’m lucky. Sooooooooo, that means I will have to leave him in my Will to a family member – my kids said they would be happy to SPLIT him. Yeah, right. I am smart enough to know what they mean by “split”!! Very funny kids. So that is another thing to consider before buying one of the beautiful, large birds -your time frame. They will, more than likely, outlive you, so make sure you have arrangements in your Will after your demise. You want to make sure he will be taken care of by someone who is not afraid of big birds or big beaks. They need to understand their body language and what their eyes are saying. You NEED to put careful thought into that.

I feel lucky that I had all those years with my beautiful birds (and more to come with the two I have). But I miss the “noise” and I miss having a flock of birds flying around my house when something spooks them all at once. (well, okay, I don’t really miss that part). So now, I am down to two birds, one of which will definitely have the last laugh. The point of this whole thing, is you really need to talk to people that own a parrot and you need to read every article you can find about them. They change your life almost as much as having kids. All I can say, is after you do all of your research and have made a decision to actually own one, you are either going to have a genius on your hands or one that will make every day a challenge. Either way, you have they can be a joy to watch, to pet, to teach, and most of all to love with all your heart.

So, anyway, the answer folks is, YES!! Your pet DOES need a bed - just not yours. He/she needs a place to be comfortable and know that it is a special place just for them to spend the night until it’s time to wake up Mom or Dad to go outside to relieve themselves in the morning.

Having their very own bed could possibly help with them constantly climbing up on the furniture too. They know it’s the place for them to go to sleep or relax. If your pet feels better sleeping or relaxing where you are, get another bed for the living room or wherever it is you spend your hours before going to bed at night. That will make him more like he’s part of the family too - being right in the middle of everything going on and not missing a trick and watching it from his very own spot.

There are several types of beds that you can get. One type is a ”cushion bed type”. This one is like a big overstuffed pillow. Mostly, they come stuffed with either a type of foam cushioning or cedar chips. The beds with cedar shavings can get “lumpy” sometimes though and require constant “plumping”, otherwise they can become uncomfortable and your pet may end up not using it at all. The fragrance of cedar can help keep fleas away but you will want to make sure your pet does not find the fragrance objectionable.

Next there is a ”nest or oval bed type” bed, which is cylindrical in shape with 5 to 7 inch walls and allows your pet to curl up. A lot of pets like this type of bed because it makes them feel “secure” and comfortable in their curled up position.

Then there is a ”mat type” of bed. These can either be a fleece type of mat with very shallow sides (good for crate beds) or just a totally flat mat. Some of these mat beds have a system for heating in the winter months or cooling in the summer months. There is an inner core in the beds that you soak in hot or cold water for 30 minutes (depending on the season) and then insert back into the mat itself. These mats definitely make your pet more comfortable if he/she likes to spend a lot of time in the outdoors.

The best one yet, resembles the ”Papasan type” chairs. These are for the the pets that just love being “up” on something. They are round and cushioney and give that feeling of security since they can really only curl up in this type of bed. Very nice!

So I say “spoil away”. There is no other animal on earth that deserves our pampering more than our furry family members. Why shouldn’t they have some of the same comforts we have!! You can find all of these beds and others located in our store at FurandFlora.

My dear sweet Nadia – The Little Princess - Where do I begin? Just look at one of the sweetest little puppy faces EVER! She almost looked like a stuffed animal except for the fact you couldn’t keep her still for one second. We basically “rescued” her from a hovel where she was living with 7 other siblings outside on a deck playing, eating and sleeping in their waste. She was only 5 1/2 weeks old but we felt had to get her out of those living conditions.

Knowing the end was near for our big, beautiful gentle giant male Samoyed, Koty, we decided to get another dog to – what to ease OUR pain when he goes? Annoy the heck out of Koty until he leaves his wonderful life? Oh, wait – I KNOW!!! - it was because we wanted our house to be completely “renovated” by a Tasmanian Devil puppy!!! Yeah that’s it!! That sweet little puppy face you see managed to chew through any heavy duty plastic gate you could put up and climb over TWO of those baby gates stacked one on top of the other. OH NO!! What do we do now?? Well we KNOW that dogs LOVE their crates. Everyone tells us that and all the training books tell us that. So we decided to get Nadia a crate so she could LOVE it. NOT!!

We bought a crate – a nice big one because we knew she would be a fairly big dog. Maybe that was our first (maybe “second” hehe) mistake. We did the introduction thing of putting her food and water in there for a couple of weeks before actually locking her up in it when we went off to work. Personally, I don’t believe dogs should be put in crates –but many will argue that point with me. Anyway, even though we had the door to the crate open during her introduction period, she was not crazy about going in there for food, water, dog cookies, toys or anything else. During this introduction time of not locking her in the crate, we were putting up two tiers of baby gates in both kitchen entrances so she couldn’t get out. We were very silly. Of course she got out because she either chewed through the bottom gate or climbed up over both gates – all at the ages of 6 to 8 weeks! This went on until all the stores around us had their baby gate supplies depleted. It was TIME. Time for the LOCKED crate.

The first day of “the locked crate” I came home from work and she happily greeted me at the downstairs door. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought the lock on the crate would actually keep her IN the crate. I was afraid to go upstairs and afraid of what I was going to find. How the heck could she have gotten out of that crate??? When I got upstairs, Koty gave me this look like he wanted to bite my leg off and chew it in front of me. He had, at this point, given us 12 good years and he was wondering why on earth were we punishing him? Well the crate was still locked but somehow Nadia managed to get the bottom metal tray OUT of the of the crate – there was an open space of about and 1 ½ inches, which apparently was enough for her to get out. What was she anyway??? Boneless?????? One of her FAVORITE mischievous things to do when she became “free” was to start re-arranging our wall to wall carpeting. And I can’t even imagine the torment she put on Koty, probably wanting him to play lots of puppy games all day.

Okay, so it wasn’t NEW carpeting- it WAS thirteen years old, so what was one little tear over by her crate? Not much- we could kind of fix that so it wouldn’t look so bad, right? It was multi-brown colored carpeting, so you could really hide a lot. That’s okay Nadia – you are just a puppy and puppies do things like this. Such a sweet little face and happy wagging tail – you just don’t know any better.– we must have put the crate together incorrectly for you to be able to get out like that.

Well put the bottom tray back in, correctly, which seemed to be the exact same way it was before but, oh well. The same thing happened the following day - she met me downstairs. We ended up (days later) using 4 heavy electrical ties to hold the bottom of the crate in and THREE locks on the crate door, and she was still getting out and happily greeting me a the downstairs door. We now KNEW she was boneless and could get through the little squares in the sides of the crate. Our little, sweet Houdini managed to escape from everything we could think of to keep her in the crate and, over a period of a few weeks, she completely tore up our living room, dining room and hallway carpeting. Our house had become a shambles! But you have to remember to go back and look at that face- that is NOT a face you can get rid of. We couldn’t part with her- we loved her from the second she licked us in gratitude for saving her from the hell she was living in.

компютри втора употребаWe eventually found out that she was actually BENDING the crate door at the bottom just enough so she could squeeze through. I could actually go on about the following weeks of the “crate” story, but I will cut this short except to say that I set up a “puppy cam” to see exactly what she was doing while we were gone. Poor thing was going CRAZY in the crate. Almost broke my heart to see what she was going through. I sent the video up to a doctor of psychology for dogs at Cornell University and paid $100 for a phone interview on her thoughts. (Okay so now I’m the crazy one). I was told to get a full-time babysitter for Nadia. Uhhhhh, I don’t think so.

Longer story short, we obviously ended up keeping her as she finally got to a point where we could leave her in “free roam” mode and not have her destroy the house any more. Well, what was left of it. She became the most loving little Sammy and she was a God-send when we lost our beloved Koty. She was two years old by then and gave us real comfort, even though we know she suffered from his loss as well.

Nadia was especially loving to my husband. You know – the one that walked her in the morning and once at night and then that was about it. Never took her to the vet, maybe fed her 25 times in the 14.5 years we had her and would get annoyed if she didn’t hurry up and do her business outside if it was raining. She would bring HIM the toys she wanted to play with and would have this bright eyed, excited look just waiting for him to throw it for her – very cute but nevertheless, it used to kill me that she seemed to loved him more than me, her primary caregiver. hehe.  But make no mistake about it- he loved Nadia as much as any of us and may have been the one sobbing the loudest, as five adults took her for her last visit to the vet.   Our Vet gave her a heavy sedative first and waited until Nadia was in a very, very deep sleep before administering the final shot.  We felt Nadia leave us peacefully and the five of us just started crying our eyes out.  It took us at least a half hour before we could compose ourselves enough to leave the room we were in and not totally upset everyone that was in the waiting room.  I know we looked pathetic leaving but we really didn’t care.  She was a member of our family and it just hurt so bad - it still does.

Unfortunately, she did prove to have a somewhat unstable personality. More than likely because she was taken from her mother so young. - she loved her family to pieces but would just as soon snap anyone else. EVERY single time we had people over (or even nearby) our mantra was “don’t touch her, don’t look at her, and don’t talk to her”. Yup – it was that bad. Forget kids. We always had to watch her around kids. What a shame – ALL the kids wanted to pet her because she was so fluffy and beautiful. I would have to hold her head while they pet her but I would prefer that they not come near her at all. Luckily, we never had an “incident” the entire time she spent with us.

So many years she was so loyal and so loving. It is so hard to watch them grow old – you give them medications to help them live more comfortably in their last years. But sometimes you can keep giving them medications that really serve no other purpose than to put off making that fateful decision. Then the day came and I KNEW I had to take her. To actually make an “appointment” was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life. But it would have been unfair to make her spend one more day here when she is losing her dignity and the will to try to get up to get a drink or a bite to eat. Well, she could not get up any more. She had to be lifted to a standing position and half carried up and down the stairs. Although she did not eat much anymore, she still weighed 50 pounds and it was so difficult for us to carry her upstairs and try to prevent her from falling down the stairs while taking her out.

She didn’t give me any “real” signs that it was time, like our Koty did. We had to make the decision for her. I do know she is in a better place now – but I feel the emptiness of not having her here EVERY day, even after more than three months. Sometimes, I STILL expect to see her lying in the bedroom, which had become her den, of sorts, the last 4 months of her life.

My little girl – so sweet and so beautiful and so saucy! What a love. Thanks to my daughter I have this last picture of her that was in September, 2007 on her last vacation with us at the Outer Banks, NC. She was such a beauty. I miss you more than you can imagine, Nadia. Hope you, Koty and Bailey are having a blast!

Love you and miss you so much, Little Princess
Love Mommy

Cloning is NOT the answer to keeping Fido or Fluffy around forever. Cloning does not mean the “subject” clone will have the same personality or intelligence that the original did. It MAY, more than likely, look the same but it will NOT “feel” the same. It’s not going to be housebroken immediately or know how to use a litter box right out of the petri dish. You still have to train it, feed it, walk it and take it to the vet for all of it’s shots and when it gets sick.

There are usually specific reasons we love our pets so much. Maybe  special tricks he learned, possibly the intelligence he shows doing certain things - maybe they just like to snuggle with you. Maybe you have a therapy dog, or a Seeing Eye dog or a cat that can actually climb walls when chasing a laser pen light. These are  things that make your pet special and endearing to you and can not be duplicated in a clone. It is just not going to happen. Let’s think a little more about this and hope that this won’t become a way of “life” for our special four-legged friends. Let’s give those in the local pound a chance at life and happiness first. They can be just as special as your furry family member is now. Think about it . . . please and give the “originals” a chance to live. Cloning is not the answer folks.

Your thoughts and comments are welcome.

]]> http://www.petandgardenboutique.com/cloning-your-pet/feed/ http://www.petandgardenboutique.com/boarding-your-pet-the-big-decision/ http://www.petandgardenboutique.com/boarding-your-pet-the-big-decision/#comments Mon, 27 Aug 2007 21:15:48 +0000 admin http://www.petandgardenboutique.com/boarding-your-pet-the-big-decision/ SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT BOARDING YOUR PET WHILE YOU ARE AWAY

If you need to go out of town or are going on a vacation that does not allow dogs or cats,  a reputable boarding kennel can offer you peace of mind in knowing that your pet will receive quality care.  However, before you make the decision to board your pet, you will need to find the kennel or professional pet sitter that is the RIGHT kennel or caretaker for Buster or Fifi. Your baby always depends on you for the loving, wonderful care you provide every single day.  You need to invest some time into looking for someone (professional pet sitter) or somewhere (a reputable boarding kennel) to take great care of him or her while you are gone.             The following are a few issues you might want to consider before leaving your pet for any length of stay at a boarding kennel:

1. Is there a FULL TIME veterinarian on call in the event you pet needs medical attention at any hour?
2. Is the facility clean, light and airy?
3. Are the individual kennels clean (a surprise visit in late afternoon might tell a better story.)
4. Does the staff seem friendly and caring?
5. Are the individual kennels sized appropriately for the size of the pet?  Are they indoor/outdoor kennels where your pet can go outside for exercise in a spacious run? Are the runs protects from the weather elements (rain, snow, direct sun with NO shade?  Your pet may want to spend time outside but will need a shaded area in the warmer months.
6. Do they offer individual attention and play time just for your pet?  It may cost a few extra dollars a day to have the individual attention but it can mean a world of difference to your pet.
7. Do they require that ALL pets have the proper vaccinations before boarding?
8. Is there an elevated “bed” for your pet to be off the cement floor?
9. Are cats and dogs separated?
10.   If you are boarding a cat, are the individual crates/cages large enough for your pet to move around.  Are the litter box and food/water bowls well separated?
11.   Are you allowed to bring your own food for your pet and give specific instructions on how to feed your pet?
12.   Can you have your pet bathed and groomed (might be a good idea for the day or day prior to your return)?
13.   Last but not least, know all of the “incidental” charges such as individual attention, giving daily medication and if you have to pay a full day even if you return in the morning to pick up your pet.

In order to prepare your pet for a stay at the kennel for any length of time (a week or more) try leaving them for a day or two if you go away for a shorter period of time.   Or even if you do not go anywhere, arrange for your pet to stay a day or two to see how they adjust before leaving them for an entire week or longer.  Make sure your pet sitter or kennel understands any behavioral problems your pet may have or any fears, such as thunder or medical conditions, such as epilepsy.  Make sure they understand about  any specific food they require or medications that they will need to take while you are away.After all is said and done and you have found the perfect “home away from home”, go and enjoy your vacation!  Just make sure you leave your contact information in case anyone needs to get in touch with you!  With a little homework, you will be able to ease your mind and know your baby is being well taken care of while you are off taking care of yourself!