Has anyone here boarded a pet a PetSmart PetHotel? If so, do tell,

[xultar]

I'm looking @ using them for my Chihuahuas. I'd like to get some real stories from other pet parents.

[henslee]

1. Try to avoid it. Bad for dog. Stressful. Exposes them to diseases. nt

[napi21]

2. I've never boarded my dogs at PetSmart, but I don't like them for

other reasons. My DIL used to take her sheltie there for their vet service (which is where your doggies woulb be) and they charge unbelivelably high prices! She paid $78.00 for Frontline Plus! There are many other examples I could give you that were worse. Friends of mine took their small dog there for their training class, and he was attacked by a much larger dog. They don't separate the classes by size.

HAve you checked with your local vet? They are usually a better option, and less expensive.

My favorite is the petsitter service where the pet sitter comes to your home to feed the dogs, play with them for a while, and take them for walks. You have to watch though, because some of them get extremely expensive too! I got lucky with mine. She charges $10.00 a day, but I have 2 Bichons and 2 cats. She also brings in the paper and the mail and calls me if there's any problems.

[xultar]

6. I have a sitter...but what if I go to my parents for the weekend?

You think it is o.k. for them to stay here in da house overnight by themselves?

[napi21]

8. My pets stay here overnight by themselves when I get the sitter.

There has never been a problem. She comes first thing in the morning to let them out and feed everybody breakfast.

I guess it depends on your doggies. If they sleep all night with no problem, then it's probably OK.

[HEyHEY]

3. The way things are these days

I wouldn't trust any big corp with the care of my animal ( if I had one)

[barb162]

4. no but I boarded my one cat

at the vet about 3 years ago and then I ended up spending a thousand bucks because he caught something there. I will never board again anywhere. I have sitters come to the house now; ONLY WAY TO DO IT!!!! They are comfortable in their own house and not as stressed, scared, let alone confined to those small cages at boarding places. And even if it's a big cage, they still have way more space in thier own home. Try to find a professional sitter, friend or relative. I hahve heard too many other horror stories of boarding places and the stories are people I know and their pets.

[Piperay]

7. I boarded my cat at the vet

I was seeing at the time (this was over 20 years ago) and he got into some fight or something with another cat and got his lung punctured. I was never told about any kind of problem happening but sometime later noticed he wasn't eating or moving around much and so took him to him to the vet where they did XRays and said his lung had been punctured. My cat was an indoor cat and never went out so I KNEW it had to have happened when he was boarded, anyway he was too far gone and he died. :cry:


I have a good vet now and have boarded both my two Desert Tortoises and my dog there for a couple days at a time but I still hate boarding them unless I absolutely have to.

[xultar]

13. WOW sorry to hear. Man that is awful can't believe they didn't check

the kitty out since he was right there in the vets office.

That is why I hate signing those release forms.

[barb162]

15. oh my God

I am so sorry. I had 2 horror stories with my regular vet of 15 years and then filed a complaint with the state and am trying to get their license taken away/ or suspended and/or fined big. I am so tired and damned sick of hearing of things like this. The beloved members of our households are suffering and being taken from us and the damned vets are often the ones causing it. And then they charge us for it. And I don't get shots for my indoor cats anymore...another moneymaker for the vets where pets are dying left and right. My one cat almost died of congestive heart failure after a shot he didn't even need. This kind of thing happens more often than people think and vets have no interest in telling people what the sickness and death rates are for pets because of these useless vaccines.

The vet where my cat stayed is a vet that boarded whereas my ex-vet didn't ahve those facilities. It was funny how the "boarder" vet wanted all documents that my cat was up to date on shots, which he was, and he was healthy as I had just had his physical done and then he came out of there sicker than a "dog."

Cry, oh you are so right... and SOB too. My God, you poor dear. Kisses from my babies in heaven to yours. It is the WORST thing when a pet dies totally needlessly before its time. I know, I know.

[barb162]

16. oh my God

I am so sorry. I had 2 horror stories with my regular vet of 15 years and then filed a complaint with the state and am trying to get their license taken away/ or suspended and/or fined big. I am so tired and damned sick of hearing of things like this. The beloved members of our households are suffering and being taken from us and the damned vets are often the ones causing it. And then they charge us for it. And I don't get shots for my indoor cats anymore...another moneymaker for the vets where pets are dying left and right. My one cat almost died of congestive heart failure after a shot he didn't even need. This kind of thing happens more often than people think and vets have no interest in telling people what the sickness and death rates are for pets because of these useless vaccines.

The vet where my cat stayed is a vet that boarded whereas my ex-vet didn't ahve those facilities. It was funny how the "boarder" vet wanted all documents that my cat was up to date on shots, which he was, and he was healthy as I had just had his physical done and then he came out of there sicker than a "dog."

Cry, oh you are so right... and SOB too. My God, you poor dear. Kisses from my babies in heaven to yours. It is the WORST thing when a pet dies totally needlessly before its time. I know, I know.

[madaboutharry]

5. I did take my dog there for

training classes and I have to say it was a good experience. The trainer was excellent and really helped everyone with their particular issues. My dog got a lot out of it.

I don't know anything about their PetHotel.

The one thing that really bugged me was when I heard them advertise on Michael Savage. I e-mailed a complaint to them about his "I hope you get Aids and die" comment. I got an answer back rather quickly from someone who said this was very troubling and that it would be reviewed. I don't know what the result was.

[Nikia]

9. We boarded our dog at a place out in the middle of nowhere

Our vet recommended this woman. Her kennel and the house were ajoining and she also had rescue adoptions of some breed of dog (I forget which). The dogs had large cages but she also let them out with her for a large portion of the day. Suprisingly she said that my dog was good and got along well with the other dogs. The reason that it suprises me is because our dog always barks and growls at other dogs when he is around us and has even provoked phyiscal fights with larger dogs.

[NMDemDist2]

10. i always get a house sitter

but then with my crew of 4 it's cheaper that way and the "kids" can stay in their comfort zone

[LWolf]

12. My mom always gets a housesitter.

I am compulsive about privacy. I don't want someone living in my space.

So far, I've taken my dogs with me or left them with a friend with 5 acres and somebody home all day. I leave a self-feeder and waterer for my cat/s, and have my sons take turns stopping by once a day to check on them and talk to them.

My mom swears by the housesitter, though. Her place is bigger; she has a guest room and bath. That probably helps.

[No2W2004]

11. From what I've seen and experienced,

I wouldn't board at petsmart..

I've only had to board Barkley twice, and both times were at his Vet. He did very well, as the staff are all very friendly and love him to death. The main way I can tell is that he still isn't a bit anxious about going back.

[xultar]

14. The PetSmart hotels look very kewl, they have suites with TVs for the Dogs

and multiple play rooms. The only reason I'd consider is because my mom doesn't know I'm adopting the 2 chihuahuas. So when I go to her place I could drop them off and pick them up on the way home.

But Since I do have a sitter I could keep my weekend with my parents short. Just stay saturday nite. My sitter comes and stays a while and then leaves. so maybe it wouldn't be that bad for them that I will be gone.

I am more concerned about me being sad and lonely without the pups than with them being alone I guess.

[barb162]

17. know what you mean

about "sad and lonely" although with me it is worry about them. I'd almost rather not go on vcacation anymore than leave them. And I used to be a very big vacation type, especially to Europe. Now I think I'd rather stay home and coccoon with my beloved babies than travel. (Then I don't worry about them, either.) I am amazed at how much I have changed...animals become more and more important to me as time goes on. And I was born an animal lover...it runs in my family.