Pets And Vacations

Having pets can pose a problem when it's time to plan your family vacation. We currently have 2 dogs, a cat, a cockatiel and a rat. Yes, a rat! Rats make great pets!

It is very difficult to find places that take animals, and certain animals just don't vacation well. So what to do with the zoo besides a kennel?

In the past we've found vacation places we could take our dogs with, the rest could get by at home with one daily visit by the neighbor kids. We have also sent our dogs off to different family members - our Aussie is very laidback and easy - well, except for chewing her bowl up! But the German Shephard puppy decided to ricochet off the walls with their Boston Bull puppy, taking a 'few' things down with them.

This year we came up with a solution. We hired two teens from our church - brother and sister - we've known them for years. They housesat for us! It worked out very well, all of the animals were in their normal surroundings and they had kids to play with.

I picked these teens because they were mature and responsible, they owned pets, and they had parents who would make sure all was well.

Think through your family members, friends, people from church or group, ask around. We didn't want someone who would be out late, might party or drink at the house, instead one who had the time to give attention to the animals and watch over the house.

With some patience you should be able to find someone to turn the keys and leashes over to!