Cheap options for dog boarding while on vacation (Austin, Howe: homes, camp)

[ATXer]

Hey fellas,
We are planning on taking an extended vacation later this year and will be gone for almost 45 days or so. When we usually travel domestic, we leave our dog at one of the pet boarding stations (premier pet spa, taurus et al.) and we know that he will be well taken care of. $40-$50 a night doesn't seem much when you are gone for a week at the most. However, this time, it's looking like we will end up spending a fortune on boarding our little one. Are there any cheaper options available in Austin where we don't have to spend a fortune? Any families that do this for a living or hobby?

Cheers,
atxer

[EzPeterson]

Check out Bed&Biscuit out off 2222 by 360 I've used them quite a bit and had positive experiences. I think they run in the mid-high 20's per night, and - if I remember correctly - have a "long term discount".

They also have an additional 1:1 play or couch time for a couple extra bucks per session.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by ATXer

We are planning on taking an extended vacation later this year and will be gone for almost 45 days or so. When we usually travel domestic, we leave our dog at one of the pet boarding stations (premier pet spa, taurus et al.) and we know that he will be well taken care of. $40-$50 a night doesn't seem much when you are gone for a week at the most. However, this time, it's looking like we will end up spending a fortune on boarding our little one. Are there any cheaper options available in Austin where we don't have to spend a fortune?

FWIW, I have a good friend who is a highly rated pet sitter, dog walker, obedience trainer, and she says that when you are going away for a long time you should expect to pay more per day for care than you do for short trips. Why? Because for long absences, your dog actually requires more time and attention in order to remain healthy and happy while you're gone.

Pets who don't get sufficient attention while their owners are on long vacations can suffer irreversible personality changes.

Good luck with it.

[HappyTexan]

Maybe get in touch with family members to take the dog in while you are on vacation ?

[tdrew]

You might check out Camp Bow Wow. We've had very good experiences there.

[Austin97]

Originally Posted by ATXer

Hey fellas,
We are planning on taking an extended vacation later this year and will be gone for almost 45 days or so. When we usually travel domestic, we leave our dog at one of the pet boarding stations (premier pet spa, taurus et al.) and we know that he will be well taken care of. $40-$50 a night doesn't seem much when you are gone for a week at the most. However, this time, it's looking like we will end up spending a fortune on boarding our little one. Are there any cheaper options available in Austin where we don't have to spend a fortune? Any families that do this for a living or hobby?

Cheers,
atxer

what part of town are you in? We used to use taurus but are priced out for long trips. We take one 30+ day trip a year so switched to gold ducat which is pretty far north in leander. I believe they are 22/day.

The lady breeds and shows dogs and built a huge dog kennel, but realized she had a lot of extra capacity. I think they jog the dogs once or twice a day, plus they hang out with other dogs. We still use taurus for shorter trips, but use gold ducat for long trips.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by Austin97

I think they jog the dogs once or twice a day, plus they hang out with other dogs.

That's pretty much minimum. But for best care of the dog, you also want it to get some individual attention... sitting with the dog, playing fetch the ball, tug of war, whatever you normally do to socialize with it.

[mr&mrs_k]

Have you considered hiring a pet sitter instead? That's what we've done for our dog several times, as he doesn't enjoy the open play environment a lot of boarding places practice, and he just really likes being at home and in his own bed. He also has the company of two cats here at the house. It may not be cost effective though, as a pet sitter needs to come by several times a day..perhaps ask a neighbor to help take the dog out morning and or evening, and then use a pet sitter to take the dog out for walks and playtime once a day?

[mayfair44]

45 days?? The rates to board would be brutal, not to mention the incarceration your pup would endure.

I'd look into a sitter. If you got time, craigslist and pre-screen/interview or check out:

Dog Boarding & Dog Sitters | Rover.com

What's the breed?

[Idlewile]

All good suggestions but boarding versus sitting in your home depends on your dog(s)' personality and/or breed as I'm sure you know. Our dog would suffer greatly if we just had a pet sitter come twice a day for more than 2 days. I say this as a former pet sitter. He is a highly social, velcro dog and requires activity and near constant socialization and a traditional petsitter would not suit his needs.

That said, if we had someone STAY at the house, fine; he'd do okay.

We take him to Camp Bow Wow for stays shorter than a week... very good experiences there and they also received great Yelp reviews... other boarding places in the area have not.

Have you looked into homestay? Another dog-friendly family/individual takes your dog in with them in exchange for a daily fee.

Dog Boarding Just Got Awesome! | DogVacay