Tell me this is a terrible idea

[Johns_Gal]

We're supposed to be going camping next weekend for a total of three nights.

Koda (the chihuahua) can't come, he's not allowed. He sleeps most of the day (he's older, no clue how old, shelter dog etc) but does at least need out to pee.

I won't board him because the boarding places look like the pound with a cheerful paint job. He just got out of there two months ago, I'm not sending him to somewhere similar right now. That seems like a recipe for separation anxiety.


I am very slightly considering buying one of those astroturf doggy litter pans and leaving him here in his home, with all his things and the familiar smells he's now used to, with one of DH's coworkers bribed with cash and cookies to stop by after work each day to interact with the little dude and let him out to pee. He sleeps in the bathroom, and that's where he hangs oiut when the house is too chaotic for him to be safe. He's totally fine with it. But of course, most days he's out with the family in the evenings and a couple hours in the morning. He's sleeping on the back of the couch for most of it, but... still. And what if somethign happened and the sitter didn't come by (we've BTDT)? I'd leave a ridiculous amount of food and water down, just in case, but... eeeurgh.

[Chaos Coordinator]

Every time we've left our dog, we just put down a ridiculous amount of food, left the bath faucet dribbling, and cleaned up the mess when we got home.

We've never really left him long though. I think two nights when my dad died. And I actually think we left him in our backyard with food and water.

But I don't see anything wrong with having a pet sitter

[Johns_Gal]

Our track record with sitters is abysmal. One, I paid stupidly well to take care of two cats while I was gone a month. She didn't do more than feed them. Picture that house and litterbox for a minute, if you will. SIL had the cats for a month and they narrowly escaped being eaten by her dogs because they just were not wtached.

The others, friends of ours, just didn't show and our guinea pigs died of thirst.

I'm mostly afraid that despite being a good guy, "something" will come up and the dog will sit here alone. I can't put him out alone, he's seven pounds.

:/ Drat it.

[Amber]

If you decide to go that route I would set it up now and get him used to using it. He may have trouble adjusting to having a place to go potty inside.

I have said that if I ever got a little dog I would litter train them. There are special dog litter pans and I think they use the recycled paper or pine type of litter

[Chaos Coordinator]

My animals both cat and dog magically trained themselves to mostly use the bathtub isn't that special.


I personally would not pay a pet sitter until after they've done their job.