Hellobee Boards

Although I haven't experienced IF, I can relate to being totally, insanely in love with a dog. We often drive to visit my family (from CT to IN) for holidays just so we can take the spoiled beast

The most ridiculous example I can give you is the time when we went to London a few years ago. We were living in Manhattan at the time, so of course pretty much EVERYTHING was stupidly expensive. We had a doggy day care that we loved and we would send the dog there like, once or twice a week to give her an "outing". So we decided to leave her there when we were gone for 10 days. This place was awesome! They didn't have crates (animals had to pass a behavior test to stay there) and the dogs just slept on doggie beds in the main room while a staff member slept on a mattress in the middle of the room. Crazy. They also had web cams. My dog loved it, so we ended up paying over $700 for her to board there

She loved it so much, in fact, she didn't want to leave with us when we came to pick her up. And oh yeah, when I dropped her off before our trip I cried such huge, ugly, sobbing tears that I completely scared the owner of the place. She like, gently pushed me out the door, lol.

@meredithNYC: I'm so happy to see your post. I feel like it's more common for people to say they dislike their pet after having a baby, and those posts always bum me out.

@bluestriped bee: I'm glad to hear you're feeling better after a kennel visit. I get the worry! My last dog was really sensitive, and I knew she wasn't quite settled and happy unless she was with me. My current dog is a social butterfly, so I don't worry about her as much when I leave, and we have a great dog sitter situation. But I don't have to even be gone for long--sometimes we'll be out to dinner and start sharing funny dog stories, and we'll say, "Let's go home and see her!" She brings so much happiness into our lives.

@Happygal: They bum me out, too! I am firmly in the "when you get a pet you commit to it for its entire life" camp. It's one thing if the dog becomes scary aggressive or something, but otherwise they still deserve your love and affection. My dog is LO's "sister" and they are hilarious together. And often, after LO goes to sleep I snuggle with the dog and it is wonderful!

I totally get it, I am way attached to my two little dogs (both little chihuahuas and they ARE my babies) and i have never been without them for that long so i would be a total wreck too. It's ok to be attached to your dogs, they are family!

@bluestriped bee: It's so entertaining, better than TV! But I hope it's comforting that they're away but they have each other!

@bluestriped bee: I completely feel ya! My dog is my baby. We are both so attached to each other and leaving him kills me. If he is at my parents house, which I knew he loves because they take such good care of him and he loves their big backyard then I feel fine leaving him 3-4 days. But if he is being boarded or staying somewhere I don't feel as comfortable with it is really hard for me. If there is a way to take him with me I also fork over the pet fee to do so but sometimes there is no way around it. I guess what is hard for me is just knowing they they don't really understand whats going on, where we are going or when we will be back so it just makes me feel worse. Hope you enjoy your trip though!

The first time I went away and left my dog I felt a lot of anxiety about it. After the first couple days I felt better, and I called them a lot to check in on her. Hearing that she was having a great time playing made me feel less anxious.

I actually just picked up my girls today after they were at the kennel for four nights. I couldn't wait to get them! I wanted to come home early to get them. I totally understand the worry as I hate the thought that my dogs are bored, under stimulated, etc but I always request that they are together so they can have each other's company.