Pete the Vet: Everything you need to know about holiday care for pets
The summer is upon us, and many Irish families will shortly be heading off on holiday. It’s all very well to pack our suitcases and head out the front door, but if you have a pet, you may need to work out how your pet will be cared for in your absence.
Traditionally, there was only one option available to pet owners; boarding kennels for dogs, or a cattery for the cats. This is still a good option for many situations, but in 2022 there are other options that many may not be aware of.
Unlike many other countries, in Ireland, there are no official regulations governing standards of boarding premises for pets. Anyone can set up this type of service, as long as they pay attention to planning permission issues (and indeed, many may not even do that). This lack of regulation means that it’s up to pet owners to do their own research to check up on the quality of the premises and the services offered. A helpful shortcut is to seek out a member of the Irish Boarding Kennels or Catteries Association, (ibkca.ie) as these businesses are obliged to meet specified standards.
Most boarding facilities are dramatically oversubscribed during the summer months, with bookings needing to be made several weeks in advance. If you are going to choose this option, ideally you should arrange a preliminary short-term trial stay for your pets, perhaps over a long weekend. This will give you a chance to understand how the facility operates, and how your pets get on during their stay.
Some people make a seasonal career for themselves moving into peoples' houses while they are away on holidays. They charge a daily rate (anything from €20 to €40) but they can bring many benefits from minding the pets (including feeding, walking, medicating if needed, and just keeping them company) to watering the plants, caring for the garden, and providing that extra security of a continual human presence in your home. Many pet-sitters market their services by word of mouth, but there are now websites that provide a useful central marketplace for pet sitters (for example, petsittersireland.com) and there are added advantages such as quality control of pet-sitters, as well as insurance cover. Individual arrangements can be made to suit you and your animals: you can have someone just visit your home one or two times a day, or you can have someone live in. It’s all up for discussion and negotiation.
A more recent, and more affordable innovation is to list your home on a specialised website (trustedhousesitters.com) which allows you to create a profile for your house as a holiday destination, so that a pet carer from overseas can come and stay in your home, caring for your pets for no charge while they enjoy their holidays. Reviews on the site allow you to check potential candidates' profiles and experiences.
Other websites (Gudog.com or ]petsittersireland.com) allow you to find pet lovers who will care for your pets in their own homes. For dogs especially, this can be the closest option to their normal lives, and therefore arguably the least stressful. They can live with a normal family, settling into a daily routine similar to their usual one, with walks, resting time, meals and family time. Again, it makes sense to do a trial run in advance of a longer holiday: ask the pet-sitter to cover a weekend for you, and make sure that your pet enjoys the experience.
Many people use this same principle but without paying anyone, by giving their pet to a friend or family member. While there are circumstances where this can work, it can be a huge “ask”, putting pressure on your own relationship with the person helping you out. And by the time you’ve bought thank you gifts at the end of your holiday, you may begin to feel that simply paying someone who chooses to mind pets in their home as a semi-professional can make more sense.
In recent years, Ireland has become a far more pet-friendly country. Many rental properties, hotels and guest houses now allow you to bring a dog or cat with minimal extra costs, and pets are allowed into many restaurants and into far more public places than in the past. So if you are having a staycation, there’s a real possibility that it could make sense to take your pet with you. You need to plan this carefully, checking out whether pets are allowed in advance. Dedicated websites make it easier to do your research (dogfriendlyireland.ie or discoverireland.ie).
It’s easier to take your pet with you overseas now, especially when you're travelling to other EU countries. The basic requirements are to have your pet microchipped and vaccinated against rabies. Your local vet can supply you with a "pet passport" that carries details of your pet’s identity and vaccination status. Special worming doses, given by your vet overseas, are also needed immediately before you travel back to Ireland.
Holidays don’t need to be stressful for pets and with thought and planning, can be thoroughly enjoyable.
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