Your Cruise Your Way Cruise Blog

As we wind our way through the peak vacation time of the year, I am always reminded that going on a cruise for me is directly dependent on who will watch my pets.

For most people that is a reasonable problem to overcome, but for my wife and I, it becomes a bit of a challenge. We are the proud owners of four Golden Retrievers, 2 English Mastiffs, and 1 finicky cat. To say it limits when and where we can travel is an understatement, but if we think far enough ahead, we can usually accomplish our goal.
In our case, we always called upon our vet’s office and utilized one of the employees there who was quite fond of our brood. She was very reasonable AND very reliable! However, we have recently relocated, and are tasked with beginning the hunt all over again. So where does one look for pet care for an extended period of time.
The safest place outside the home is probably your vet’s office if they’re so equipped, and you have known them long enough to feel comfortable with them. Secondly, to save a little money like we did in Texas, we employed one of the employees from our vet to stay in our home asnd pet sit. For us it worked out well, and the pets loved it because they didn’t have to “relocate”.
There is usually someone in your family, or a close friend, who is familiar with your pets, and would certainly take great care with them, but is probably good as a last effort in most cases.
Another place to look is profession pet sitting. One of the best sites to start is http://www.petsitters.org/ Their membership consists of professionals, who have been or are in the process of getting certified, and who have a vast network for improving their skills and gaining knowledge.
There are probably many more that a lot of you have used. Pet groomers who are responsible, know you and your pets, are also a great resource. I would appreciate it, as would all our pet owners, if you would take a minute to send them in, or jot them down for a post. Send to me at this link, and I’ll post them for all to enjoy.