BOARDING and PET SITTING- a tribute to Roman

    I'm glad I'm home alone as I write because my heart is still breaking.  But in honor of Roman's life and the mistakes I made when I left him in someone else's care, I want to give readers some guidelines and precautions to take for those dreaded times when we have to go away without our beloved animals.
    Whether you choose to board or have an in home pet sitter, there is so much more to consider than just cost and facility.  Relationships can be utterly destroyed when decisions are made while you are away that you wouldn't have agreed to.
   

My husband and I went out of the country and left a family member to watch after our farm and the critters we consider our children.  Yes, I am without a doubt, a dog person, but I've had a Bengal cat for 6 years who was the love of my life.  He was wild.  He was crazy.  He was funny.  He never shut up.  He loved to hide from me and scare me to death when I discovered him.  And now he's gone... forever.
   Roman, being Bengal, was truly half wild animal (Asian leopard) and never took to using a litter box.  He would only go potty outside.  Every time I opened the door and let him out I knew it was a risk.  But I had no choice.
   So, the day after we left on our trip, when he came back in the house with what appeared to be a broken leg and was vomiting, I could not blame the sitter.  However, the fact that he was left in that condition for 5 days, suffering, and then put back outside, where he was apparently carried off by coyotes or wandered into the woods to die, is unforgivable. 
   I had left a note with a list of phone numbers and basic instructions, but had not been specific.
Here I will give you a list of questions and topics to discuss in detail with your care giver.  If only, I had done this before...

1.  Should the caregiver notify you if there is ANY problem?  If you do not wish to be contacted, or can not be contacted, then a very specific set of instructions needs to be in writing.
Examples:
Vomitting or diarrhea- go to vet. 
 Limping, but still walking- just monitor.  
Not eating- monitor. After 3 days- call vet.
Urinating on the floor- go to vet.
Blood in stool- call vet. 
Eye problems- go to vet.  Etc., etc. etc.  
  
2.  Who should make the decision if an animal needs medical attention?  The care giver?  A close friend?  Do you trust their judgement?  I did.  I was sadly mistaken.  A better discussion would have been to have the care giver take the animal to the vet and let a medical professional determine how serious the injury/illness is.

3.  To what extent should the animal be given medical treatment?  A dollar amount?  Life saving procedures and treatment only?  Comfort treatment? Spare no expense?  Hospitalize until owner returns?

4.  What if the animal gets away?  Does the care giver know how to access local Lost/Found Pet Sights?  Does he/she know your pet's favorite words that will lure him back?  "Treat!"  "Cookie!"  "Ride in the car?!?"
Does the care giver have his microchip number?   (Get your pets microchipped!)  Does the microchip company have your caregiver's phone number?

5.  Call your vet and authorize your care giver to consent to treatment and discuss payment.

6.  Is the care giver allowed to take your pet off the property- like to the dog park or to a friend's house?  Should your pet interact with any other pets?

7.  Who is allowed to handle your pet or be on your property?  Boyfriend?  Sibling?  Son or daughter?  Are you OK with your pet sitter's 8 year old daughter walking your dog around the block or the kennel worker playing tug o' war with your puppy?

8.  In the event of death, which unfortunately happens, what should the care giver do with the body?

    Lastly, here's what you need to remember: the person whom you have trusted with your animals is most likely as upset as you are that something has gone wrong.  They may be at fault for what happened, but they also may not have been.  Things happen.  Bad things happen.  When animals are not in their usual routines, weird changes can come about both behaviorally and medically.  Being angry at someone will not fix the situation.  You will be devastated if anything goes wrong.  But try not to jump on the blame train.
    Take good precautions to cover ALL your bases with safety and communication before you leave. Double check fences, gates, locks and collars. 
 Make sure your care giver has clear instructions on how to handle every situation you can think of and never assume that they would handle it like you would.  Because odds are- they won't. People all are individuals and react differently to the same situations.
    And for those of you who are care givers; cover your own bases and ask these questions so that in the event of the unthinkable, you can at least do exactly what the owner would have done if they were home.

I'm sorry Roman~ I'm so so sorry~