Lily's Vacation Home

Many dog owners struggle with what to do with their pups when they go out of town. There are a variety of options, including putting the dog in boarding (also known as a "doggy hotel"), hiring a pet sitter, or arranging for the dog to stay with friends or family. We have been extremely lucky that, so far, we have never needed to put Lily in boarding. While I know there are some great doggy hotels that we certainly wouldn't rule out as options if needed in the future, for both financial and comfort reasons I prefer for Lily to stay with someone that we know. Boarding can be expensive (in our area it runs $40-$60 per 24 hour period), and I feel better knowing exactly who is taking care of Lil and that she's getting plenty of individual attention.

We particularly lucked out in that Lily now has what I refer to as her "vacation home." Peter's wonderful coworkers, Kendra and Steve, have been generous enough to let Lily stay with them almost every time Peter and I have gone out of town since we adopted her. Kendra and Steve have a young daughter, Audrey, and their own rescue dog, Lizzy, a Wheaten Terrier/Golden Retriever mix.

While Lily gets along well with pretty much all friendly dogs, she has a special relationship with Lizzy. They are clearly attached to each other, and it is so much fun to watch them play together or follow each other around. While I'm sure Lily's fondness for Lizzy is based in part simply on the fact that she has spent more time with Lizzy than with any other dog (at least since we adopted her), Lily and Lizzy also have very similar temperaments. They're both gentle and sweet, and they have a similar play style in that neither of them likes to play rough. I always feel better about leaving Lily behind to go on a trip knowing that she'll get to spend the time hanging out with her BFF.

Lily and Lizzy cuddling

We are so thankful to Kendra and Steve (and Audrey and Lizzy!) for generously making their home Lily's "vacation home." It makes a huge difference to me to be able to go out of town and not have to worry about Lily, knowing that she's in such good hands. The only thing I worry about each time is that when we return and go to pick Lily up she won't want to come home!

adorable picture that Audrey drew of Lizzy and Lily