Dog Vacay!

When you go on holiday where does your dog stay? Cress and Eddie are lucky and usually stay with my parents, but on the odd occasion when we are all away at the same time we have to decide if I should book them into a boarding facility or find a friend that can help us out. But there is now another option to add to the list: Dog Vacay!

Dog Vacay allows you to find a real home to board your dog when you go away. What does that mean? Basically, they bring together dog lovers, dog owners and pet-care providers into a trusted and — more importantly — a vetted marketplace. The “dog hosts” on the site can either be professional sitters who have certifications and training or more casual dog lovers who want to watch a dog or two in their home. This sounds like a great idea not only for those who don’t want to kennel their dog but also for those who wish they could own a dog but currently can’t due to work commitments, travel, renting, etc.

Hosts are able to set their own rates and decide what kind of dogs they want to watch and when. Then dog-owners browse the site, schedule and book online. In the US the database of hosts is well established and can range from a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn ($15 a night) to a 22-acre ranch in Malibu with an animal trainer (at $80 a night). So each owner can hopefully find the right host to fit their needs and budget. In Australia the service is not established as they are still recruiting hosts, so if you are interested in hosting some pups register your interest.

Knowing your dog is safe and happy is central to the Dog Vacay experience and to ensure this they have put a number of verification checks in place to ensure each potential host is suitable. To do this they connect with each applicant through social networks (Facebook and LinkedIn), then verify phone numbers, email and a street address. Hosts also watch an instructional video and finally the Dog Vacay concierge desk calls some hosts and goes through a short interview process. Beyond this, Dog Vacay do recommend a meet and greet between each host and dog-owner. Once your dog is on vacation Dog Vacay also provides insurance coverage for your dog (in the rare event that anything goes wrong).

For a quick way to find out more watch the Dog Vacay video below and let’s hope this service takes off in Australia very soon.

Published on May 27, 2012