Tied Down by Home/and or Pets.

[Helen]

We are just hitting this phase. We are down to two dogs, an 8 year old Great Dane and a maybe 7 year old spaniel/border collie mix (both adopted as adult dogs so their histories and ages are unknown). We are less than seven years away from ER. When the Dane goes, we are going to have to fight the urge to get another dog. I really want to travel extensively abroad when we bail from our jobs.

I think we'll travel a lot the first 5 plus years then slow down later on. At that point we could get another dog.

 

[simple girl]

The vet would tell us that it was hard on her to be put somewhere while we traveled, but we really didn't see any choice especially when she needed special medical attention.

She lived to 20. Once she passed we knew there would be no other pets for a good long while - it really does make travel difficult if you have to leave them behind.

Audrey

Having had 2 cats with medical issues as they aged (diabetes, hyperthyroidism), I completely empathize. My kitties needed injections/meds twice daily, special foods, etc., etc. They were on meds for 1 to 2 years before they passed. Fortunately, I found professional pet sitters who were familiar with giving meds/injections. Cats are really easy until they get older. You can't leave them unattended with just bowls of food and water for the weekend anymore...

 

[Outtahere]

I'm lucky with my parents living next door, they wouldn't think of boarding our lab or taking him with us, they think of him as their dog too. I've also thought a lot about what I'll do once he's gone, I'm leaning towards becoming a foster home. I figure that will still enable me to have a pet from time to time but also give me pet free time to travel if I want. I know the Lab Rescue League uses foster homes because that's where my little guy came from and they were the ones that gave me his sad background. I suppose I'll decide that when the time comes.

 

[Donzo]

Leaving the animals behind was/is a problem for us also.

We have 3 dogs(all volunteers - that just showed up) 3 cats(volunteers) and get this........a pot bellied pig - also a volunteer that showed up on our property(12 acres) about 8 months ago - she is a character. It is a shame that people come to the "country" and dump their animals - what are these folks thinking?!

We found a nice guy - kind of an old hippie that has a house watcher biz. He comes over every day lets the dogs off the porch/plays w/ them, cleans the cat box and checks all the food and water....yes also for miss piggy.

It cost $20 per day, $600 per month - does this sound high?

We have used him several times, once for a 5 week trip to FL. I hate having the added expense but find that I worry alot less while on the road.

As these dogs/cats etc go the the big farm in the sky - they will not be replaced. They are great to have now w/ the kids being home but I want to be free to go when the whim hits.

 

[shiny]

We found a nice guy - kind of an old hippie that has a house watcher biz.

It cost $20 per day, $600 per month - does this sound high?

That doesn't seem high. I pay $30 for a lady to keep my 2 dogs at her house!

I love animals and would seriously consider being the hippie gal who has a house watcher biz, but I'm thinking that the caregiving thing where I could go stay in a new place would be more fun (and seem more like ER than w*rk). I wonder if some of those places would let me bring my 12 pound dog with me. Maybe that will be my thing - I'm free but come with a shih tzu.

I've mentioned before that one of my dogs is almost 16, well he has recently been showing signs of dementia. This is going to be hard!

 

[Glo]

We had three cats and two dogs. We've gone away for 2-week stretches and the cats were fine with automatic feeders. The dogs we boarded. It does add significantly to the cost of a vacation.

We're retired now; we lost one dog last summer to cancer and this fall one of our cats died. I always thought I'd like to travel a lot when we retired, but we've changed our minds. If our house sells in this terrible market, we're moving to the country and we'll probably add a few animals.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Maybe I missed it, but has anyone priced out renting an RV so you can take your pets with you? My wife and I would like to continue some in-state california travel but a bunch of it would have to be 2-3 days. We'd have to bring our dogs with us if we did that.

Whats the ballpark per day/per mile charge and do they allow you to take pets or have a surcharge for that?

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Maybe I missed it, but has anyone priced out renting an RV so you can take your pets with you? My wife and I would like to continue some in-state california travel but a bunch of it would have to be 2-3 days. We'd have to bring our dogs with us if we did that.

Whats the ballpark per day/per mile charge and do they allow you to take pets or have a surcharge for that?

I checked it out before we went and bought one. The rental price was very, very high -- like $900 to $1200 per week for a larger unit. And you get to share the previous renters' black water holding tanks as an added bonus. Since then, we learned that the real enjoyment of the RV comes after you take it out a half dozen times, get it set up the way you like it, establish your routines.

In your shoes I'd consider purchasing a clean used one for a few thousand if you can identify a place to keep it. If you already have a pickup truck maybe a 5th wheel. Failing that, maybe you can find a more reasonable rental after all.

Our big dog loved it. Loved the interior, loved the woods, loved the stimulation, and made herself right at home. The rig saved us $25 a day of kennel cost, too.

 

[Elderdude]

Well, it looks like we not alone, anyway. . Sheesh, pot-bellied pigs, sheep, miniture horses!

It looks like we are going to be saddled with our dogs for most of our traveling. We did just buy a double cab pickup to haul a pop-up camper trailer, so we can bring the dogs with us. We also have a cat which we will have to still deal with over long absences. I will give a look at http://www.petsit.com/locate.asp also.

Thanks to all of you for your input. I'll be checking in for more input and/or commiseration.

 

[Martha]

To add to Rich's comments, when we looked at renting not only was the cost very high, the companies available to us did not allow pets.

Also, you are often stuck with a huge advertising logo on the motorhome, which is offensive to some.

Cruise America seems to be the biggest player in the rental industry, www.cruiseamerica.com.

 

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Mmm...no place to put it (well, I could cut down a large tree, knock down a fence, remove another half dozen extremely large shrubs, pour some concrete after making sure I wasnt covering part of the secondary leech field, and have a place...err...no...), and we'd use it maybe 3-4 times a year at most. 95% of our trips are one day. But it'd be nice to go down to san simeon, san diego, or eureka (hi al!) a couple of times.

I figured we'd be dealing with someone elses leftover goodies, but a lot of inexpensive hotel rooms treat you to that and more. Figured pet policies would limit us and leave us with a fairly half wrecked/stanky motor home.

But we could probably deal with it for 2-3 days. $1200 a week is pretty reasonable for a quick family vacation without buying into the storage/insurance/maintenance issues.

My neighbor has a pretty messy "hunting" 5th wheel to go with their regular high end 5th wheel, but alas I sold my expedition and I dont think my Pilot is within a country mile of being able to tow one of those. A fine effort on his behalf though to buy the new 5th wheel and then convince the wife to let him keep the old one for hunting trips.

Edit: checked out cruisamerica. Looks like pets a-ok as long as you clean it up and dont mind a $250 cleanup fee, which in my experience with renting stuff means they're going to charge you $250 no matter what, because they can. About $1200 including mileage for a 3 day rental and 1000 miles of travel, which is just about exactly what we'd be doing. Not too shabby.

 

[Zoocat]

I doubt if most people would want to try my solution.

I divorced 15 years ago, and my ex moved back east for a few years on
contracting jobs, although the house was still owned 50-50. Afterwards
she moved back, and we now live seperately in the same house (this
arrangement works out much better than being married did). This setup
has allowed us to keep dogs (3), since both of us like to travel. I also
solve the problem for a number of my friends, frequenty babysitting
about 6 other dogs (1 or 2 at a time)

You and your ex are remarkable people! And dog lovers too!

 

[simple girl]

We found a nice guy - kind of an old hippie that has a house watcher biz. He comes over every day lets the dogs off the porch/plays w/ them, cleans the cat box and checks all the food and water....yes also for miss piggy.

It cost $20 per day, $600 per month - does this sound high?

We've paid $12/visit at the lowest, and $15 per visit at the highest. We have the sitter come in twice daily. Now that is for 2-4 cats. The visits supposedly last ~ 30 minutes. I've found rates vary depending on the number of animals.

 

[audreyh1]

Maybe I missed it, but has anyone priced out renting an RV so you can take your pets with you? My wife and I would like to continue some in-state california travel but a bunch of it would have to be 2-3 days. We'd have to bring our dogs with us if we did that.

A lot of RVers travel with pets. It appears to be the majority that do. In fact, I suspect that a lot of folks own/use an RV specifically so they can take their pets with them when they travel.

But there are a lot of campground rules - pets always on leash outside, don't leave pet unattended, always pick up after your pet. Some campgrounds restrict pets or limit size or number. I see folks having to walk their dogs out in all sorts of weather - doesn't matter if it's raining or cold. Have to rub their dogs down and wipe paws before getting back in RV in wet weather. It's a job! Makes me so glad we're not traveling with pets!

I see rental RVers with pets. The Class C RVs that are popular for renting seem quite suitable for short-time family trip even with a pet or two. Yes, renting an RV is expensive and comparable to hotel/flight/car rental (no savings there), but it's a LOT LESS expensive than actually owning an RV!

Audrey

P.S. in renting an RV I'd be much more concerned about mattress/carpet cooties than a used but dumped black tank. You can always pour some bleach in the tank if you want it disinfected. Is it really any different than a motel room?

 

[mountaintosea]

I've always had pets. I'm one of those people always finding strays. Right now I have 1 cat and 1dog. The cat is about 12 . He was 6 months old when he showed up at my house. The dog I found on the streets and the vet said she was about 7 years old. If that is true then she is 12 also. I'm planning on retiring at the end of 2008. So I'm going to try real hard NOT to acquire any more pets. When they are gone I'm done for a while!!

 

[Tawney]

Thanks for this thread. I have about 7 weeks until ER and I'm tempted to get a dog! Reading all of your stories has convinced me to re-think. I want to be able to stay out all day, go away on a moments notice,etc. I do miss that doggy company, though. Our saintly family pet died 9 years ago. I'll reconsider one year out.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

I've had a chance to do a lot of thinking about this recently, with semi-retirement approaching and recently losing the family pooch.

There is absolutely no doubt that a dog is a ball and chain if you plan to do serious travel. Unless you are lucky enough to have family or friends nearby who will gladly watch your dog for weeks at a time and treat the dog like you would, you pay or the dog pays. Hard to argue that.

The alternative is to plan your life around your dog to some extent. Give up some spontaneity, pay big boarding bills, start RVing for much of your travel, and make other varied and sundry adjustments.

So I ended up rephrasing the question to myself. It's now, "how much does having a dog in our life mean to us, and how much are we willing to sacrifice for that to happen."

Not sure, but I gotta tell you it's a close call for us and the decision to get another one is slowly gaining ground. The benefits during the 75% our lives in which we are not travelling (or higher if you add in RVing) are pretty strong.

 

[lazygood4nothinbum]

earlier this month my brother took family skiing in the alps so i had their 1 year old golden retriever. poor thing being raised by them and their three little kids. took me two days to get it to heel and almost a week to knock at least some of the needy out of this dog. poor thing. anyway, it has been two years since i buried wolfpuppy so this offered ample opportunity to see if i wanted a dog again now or to continue my plan of possible continuous travel, maybe even selling the house and becoming a vagabond. after 10 days of cleaning up dog sh*t from the garden every day, of dog drool all over the house & me, of dog hair on everything, of that constant need for attention this puppy required, i feel certain in my decision to be petless for a while.

so my plan is no pet, maybe even no house, travel. but i do love dogs and i'll have a dog again either much later in life, or, similar to rving with pets, i would consider a dog to go along with a boat. i think if i got a puppy after moving aboard it could be trained to go on the poop deck so outside of lowering the puppy into the dinghy for shore excursions & fishing him out of the water when he falls in, travel would not be too inconvenient.

 

[rs0460a]

Another option is to act as a foster home for some "furkids". There are a lot of rescue groups (by breed - see my link) that need a temporary home during a "time of need".

If you can spare a few weeks during a time of the year (assuming you are retired - have the time, and are not traveling) these folks can surely use your help.

You can get your "animal fix" (no matter if it's a dog, cat, or "other") and save an animal from a "pound".

Just an option you may want to consider if you are not 100% for/against having a pet in your life.

Do a search engine entry for the words "rescue" and your "breed of choice"...

- Ron

 

[Sandy]

Another option is to act as a foster home for some "furkids". There are a lot of rescue groups (by breed - see my link) that need a temporary home during a "time of need".

While I am not FIRE'd yet (and have my hands full with the current allotment of pets) I have wondered about replacing these pets in the future when I am older and RE. i can't imagine not having them around, but the travel issues and my concern about their care should I die before them, make me wonder what I will do. This is a great idea that I will file away for the future.

 

[Jarhead*]

Not sure, but I gotta tell you it's a close call for us and the decision to get another one is slowly gaining ground. The benefits during the 75% our lives in which we are not travelling (or higher if you add in RVing) are pretty strong.

Rich: I've got my money on you getting another one.

Sometimes solutions appear that you hadn't figured on. (Especially when you're retired).

We currently have a 4 year old Lab that is probably the best "Duck Dog"
that I've ever owned.

Problem: I quit hunting about 2 years ago. My dog "Buddy", I could tell was upset with me because he wasn't ready to retire early.

Solution: A young friend of mine lost his Chesapeke last year, and was questioning the practicality of having to go through the process of training another one. "Why not use Buddy? He's upset with me".

That arrangement has worked great, and on the occassion when my wife
goes with me on an out of town Golf Tournament, my young friend takes care of "Buddy".

A little specific, huh?

For us, not having a dog isn't an option. (Like the bumper sticker, "I wish I was half as good as my dog thinks I am).

Our adult children live a good distance from us, and they are busy with their own lives, but Buddy hasn't got an agenda (Now that i've got him back to working part-time).

Anyway, sorry you lost your dog, but I think your 75% figure places you in the probably a good idea area.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Rich: I've got my money on you getting another one. ...I think your 75% figure places you in the probably a good idea area.

I know, I know... Just not right now .

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Another option is to act as a foster home for some "furkids".

Do you get attached and miss 'em when its time to give them back?

 

[rs0460a]

Do you get attached and miss 'em when its time to give them back?

Of course, you do get "attached", but you have to remember that you are only providing a home (and I have two Shelties "of my own").

Just a side note. I "fostered" one two years ago (when I got involved with the organization) who had kidney disease. No one wanted "Kai" and he was on the list for more than six months. Since one of my previous Shelties had the disease, I knew what to expect, and how long he would probably live (once the diagnosis was made). My hope that he would live for "4 seasons"; he actually lived 9 months (but he did see the 4 seasons ). I knew that my time would be brief, that I would probably get "too close" to him (I did), but all in all - I did what was best in the situation. He loved to play frisbee (the organization didn't even know he had the "talent") and he became a real playmate to my (then) 3-year old female.

A few months after he was put down (you get to know when "its time") I got an emergency call from the organization at work. Seems that they had an "emergency" and needed a foster home ASAP. I was called at work on Friday, asking if I could possibly take a dog for a few weeks. At the time, they had 12 Shelties at the farm ("foster farm"?) and could not take another. All the other foster folks were either booked or on vacation. It seems this dog was rescued before, but was currently in a "bad situation" at the time (I won't go into it, here). Anyway, I agreed (since we had the room, and the "kibble" to spare).

As it turned out, this was a case of finding that Jessie was truly a "diamond in the rough" and it evolved from a two week temporary stay to a (so far) 2 year adoption.

You do what you can, with what you can. I've already committed to take on a "fur kid" in foster care after May 1, and will continue to do so (I have the room, and a big yard to run). I'm sure my retirement will be much more fun with a couple of extra "little Lassies" running in "the back 40" ...

- Ron

 

[Outtahere]

Fostering is some thing I'm seriously considering for all of the above reasons. I need that "bag of fur" (as dh calls them) greeting me at the door but I also want some free time. I love our little lab dearly, he came from a rescue situation and I thank the foster home for giving him a good start to the journey to our home. We also want to travel some once I retire and I don't want to leave my parents with the task of taking care of my pets. They are watching my lab now and although they treat him like a member of their family it's still a lot to as of two 70+ people to do for more than a week or two at a time. He has seizures (the dog) and requires some extra attention and rigid schedule of meds to keep him seizure free.

Fostering would also please dh, he doesn't really want another pet.