# How long is too long to board?



## GramercyLily (Aug 19, 2008)

We are planning on boarding Lily while we are away on vacation in July (8 days). We send Lily to a boarding farm - where she gets great exercise and has visited for long weekends in the past. 

However, we just learned that our landlord is planning on doing some (much-welcomed) renovations while we are away on vacation, and we may need to keep Lily out of the apartment for an additional few days after we return while they finish the project. 

How long is too long to board a dog? Is 10 days too long? I realize that I think of Lily as a human, and I worry that it will be disruptive (traumatizing?) if she is away from home for too long. But she may be just fine and I would love someone to talk some sense into me. Any thoughts?


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

GramercyLily said:


> We are planning on boarding Lily while we are away on vacation in July (8 days). We send Lily to a boarding farm - where she gets great exercise and has visited for long weekends in the past.
> 
> However, we just learned that our landlord is planning on doing some (much-welcomed) renovations while we are away on vacation, and we may need to keep Lily out of the apartment for an additional few days after we return while they finish the project.
> 
> How long is too long to board a dog? Is 10 days too long? I realize that I think of Lily as a human, and I worry that it will be disruptive (traumatizing?) if she is away from home for too long. But she may be just fine and I would love someone to talk some sense into me. Any thoughts?


10 days is "nothing"  She'll be just as fine for 10 days as she would be for 1, or 100, if she is in a good facility. Dogs enjoy it - socializing, playing, it's all good. I assume that she's enjoyed herself, and probably been tired for 2 days after, when she's been before...


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## sadiegold (Nov 3, 2010)

We left our previous golden at a great kennel for 10 days with no ill effects on her, it made me nuts and they are a great place that let me call every day to check up on her. She did come home tired which for a lazy mom is always a plus


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## GramercyLily (Aug 19, 2008)

The facility is great; it was recommended by our trainer. It caters to neurotic dog parents like us - posting a daily photolog on Snapfish and YouTube videos of play sessions at the farm. We log in every day to check on her!

I know I am nuts about Lily, but I just needed to hear that she wouldn't miss us


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## amy22 (May 11, 2008)

Wow Sounds like a great place! Wish I had a place like that here! You are very lucky!


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

We have a few regular boarders, and they really do love their stays with us. (It took MUCH longer for the owners to love their stays with us! ) Now they say that they are jealous when the come to drop their dogs off and they don't even say goodbye - they just run out the pet doors to start visiting their pals!!!


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## Willow52 (Aug 14, 2009)

When my husband was active duty (USAF) we'd sometimes board our dogs up to a month with no problems.


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## paula bedard (Feb 5, 2008)

If you like the facility and she likes the facility, the length of stay should be no problem. I've only had to board Ike once, but it was at a facility that our extended family uses often, and he had a great time. While there, I met 2 dogs who were long term boarders because their 'dad' was deployed to Afghanistan. Opened my eyes to the plight of those beloved pets whose owners have no other choice but to board them or find them new homes during a deployment.


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## harrym (Nov 13, 2010)

We used to attend a 10-day music festival every September, and that meant boarding our dog for 11 days. She was always happy to see us when we got back, and would ride home with her head on my lap for the entire one-hour trip. When my son-in-law died, we stayed with our daughter for 8 days and the dogs were fine. I left our lab with a pet sitter once for 10 days and came home to find that she had stepped on a cactus thorn and had an infected foot. They had taken her to the vet, though, and it was being treated. But now we board them at the vets, just to be safe.


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## cubby (Jun 23, 2010)

Great post. It sounds like many of you have extended your boarding for dogs beyond 3 or 4 days. I'm sure 7 days plus is pretty common on daycares/boarding locations during the summer.


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