We (and I mean the collective "we" as in dog-owners) all know the feeling when you have to go away on vacation without the pup. Forget about just missing the dog in general - that's a given. What I'm referring to is what do you actually do with the dog? For my fiance and I, there have always been only two options:
- Leave the dog with friends or family; or
- Put him in an overnight kennel
Well, our recent vacations have gone something like this...
Vacation 1: Put dog in overnight kennel
Pros:
- Pup gets to run around all day with other dogs
- Pup is in the hands of well trained professionals (at least I assume so)
- No worries about calling in every day to "check-in"
Cons:
- Costs you (depending on where you live) upwards of $100+ per night of boarding
While we loved the thought of our dog running around and playing all day, it's sometimes tough to justify the price tag. Because of that, our next vacation we decided to leave him with family.
Vacation 2: Leave the dog with family
Pros:
- Free
- (I think that's really the only pro...)
Cons:
- Free is a relative term, because if your pup leaves a nice "accent" on your parents' rug, then it's not really a "free" stay
- Guilt (making other people dogsit for you while you're on a beach somewhere just sounds cruel)
There was really no win-win solution here. Either you fork over money and just have peace of mind that everything is getting taken care of, or you take the cheaper route and hope that your dog doesn't drop a nice steamy one on that new white leather couch your parents bought.
Well dog owners are in luck - there is a new solution (and by new I mean it's been around for a while but I had no idea who they were until they just received $12mm in Series C funding) - enter Rover, an airbnb-esque company that has created a third option for us!
With Rover, you get the best of both worlds - pup gets to play around all day with other dogs, and it won't burn a hole through your wallet. Win-Win-Win (Michael Scott reference for those who are keeping up).
I clicked around the site this morning and it looks pretty legit - easy interface, nice looking people who love dogs, and really reasonable rates ($25/night in NYC!)
We will definitely be using them next time we go on vacation, but in the meantime, maybe I'll pick up a copy of Dissing Your Dog to help with the training.
