In choosing the best caretaker for your pet, you will definitely consider what is going to make your pet feel happy and comfortable, as well you should. Naturally, this may cause you to consider allowing your pet to stay home, where they are comfortable and safe, and where someone can come care for them. It’s true that in-home pet-setting is a popular choice for many pet owners, but this could partly be due to the fact that few pet owners believe that their pet might actually prefer a pet boarding situation.

Why Pets Often Prefer Boarding

You are correct in assuming that your pet finds your home comfortable and familiar, but that’s when you also occupy it. Consider for a moment how your pet reacts when you leave each day–how sad they are–and how they react when you come home each night–how happy and excited they are to see you. They far prefer your company–even if they are sleeping in a corner of the living room while you read on the couch–than being alone during the day.

The time you spend together with your pet at night helps to make up for your absence each day. It follows that when you are gone for several days, then, your pet misses out on this nightly redemption, and the home is not the same comfortable and familiar place without you. There are some exceptions, of course, but most pets are highly social creatures and prefer at least some company to absolute solitude and quiet.

Even the most well-intentioned pet sitters rarely spend more than a couple hours at a home playing with and feeding a pet. Those that provide longer hours or even stay overnight at the home are often far too expensive to be practical for most situations. The bottom line is that with pet sitting your pet has human interaction for a couple hours a day while you’re gone–nothing near what they are used to. This is precisely why they may prefer boarding to pet sitting.

At a pet boarding facility, your pet is never entirely alone. Even if the facility staff leave in the evenings, there are always other animals present in the environment. For many pets, this can be very comforting and even wonderfully exciting. Additionally, those pets that are comfortable with socialization can feel about their time at a boarding facility much like young kids feel about a sleepover–an exciting opportunity to get away from home and play with friends.

Many pet boarding facilities, in addition to providing human-dog interaction opportunities and plenty of walks and outdoor time, also offer additional play time. Those dogs that qualify and are signed up for these activities benefit from the additional, positive and stimulating social experience that these activities provide. Since all boarding pets are required to be fully up-to-date on their immunizations and all socialization activities are carefully supervised, pet owners can rest assured that their pets are entirely safe and comfortable while interacting with their new friends.

The Bottom Line

The truth is that due to the constant supervision and companionship that is provided at pet boarding facilities, your pet may have even more fun when you’re out of town than when you’re in town, but at work during the day. Of course, this is largely dependent upon your specific pet (in particular, some cats are more likely to be indifferent to the social opportunities provided at pet boarding facilities–though some are remarkably fond of these opportunities) and what their needs and preferences are. However, in addition to the social opportunities provided at pet boarding facilities, there is the constant, professional supervision by trained and experienced staff who have your pet’s health and safety as their top priority. And while it may not be their first concern (which is that they’d like you to stay), your pet certainly does prefer to be healthy and safe in your absence.

For more information about pet boarding, contact us today.