[Darth Denkay]

Hey Bit,

You are, of course, absolutely right - it depends on the vet clinic and on the dog. When I was still working at the clinic there were lots of dogs that didn't seem to mind - I shouldn't have made such a blanket statement about vet clinics in general - I know better. My dog can be nervous, and what helps that is a bit of one-on-one attention. She didn't get that at the clinic I boarded her with, and I expect the annoyance from the workers fueled her nervousness until it was completely out of control. That's why the new facility I found is so perfect for her - lots of individual attention. In the future I need to always find a kennel that provides that.

I'm in no way taking responsibility away from the kennel workers at the clinic. They are being paid to take care of the animals regardless of their quirks. And actually, I think my biggest beef with them was that I was never called - the entire 5 days - that she was supposedly being horrible.

Okay, anyway, I'm gonna shut up now. Love my new boarding facility - so does Norah (or at least does really really really well there) and that's all that really matters...

Originally Posted by Bit

I suppose it depends on the vet clinic... I've had dogs who couldn't wait to go get fussed over, who pranced off into the kennel room without a backward glance while I was waving forlornly like a mom seeing a kindergartener off on the bus the first day of school.

I've also had dogs and cats who were traumatized and hated a place so much that I looked for another vet. I absolutely did not appreciate discovering that two of my cats had been put back in their plastic carriers after being spayed a couple years ago; couldn't they at least have been allowed to recover in a cage that got some light and air?

The best experience so far, though, was at a boarding kennel on the far west side of Phoenix, where Lady stayed several days when I went to Vegas. It was run much like Sachita's place is, and Lady had a ball.

Now that we have six furbabies, though, I think we'd have to get someone to come in and take care of them here. Has anyone tried a commercial pet-sitting service? What did you think of them?