DogVacay.com – Dog Boarding Community

I will never use a kennel again! There are too many great people on this website to choose from who love dogs. You can scroll through pictures and choose the person who lives closest to you or who’s home would best accommodate your pet. You can even choose your sitter based on price or other factors such as number of previous positive reviews, whether the sitter works from home or is gone during the day, or if the sitter takes the dogs to a leash free dog park nearby. The sitters have the opportunity to obtain animal care certifications through Dog Vacay which decreases your anxiety level about leaving your babies with a new person. My dogs have extreme separation anxiety. They need to be next to a human constantly. I found someone who had no problem allowing my dogs to be within reach at all times. When I picked up my dogs after my vacation, they both appeared happy and healthy. I had problems in the past when I left them at a very nice kennel and they did not eat the entire week that I was gone. I could tell that they had lost weight when I picked them up. Also, the kennels I have seen do not allow you to bring your dogs beds. I’m not sure why. So they sit on a hard floor when they are not out for play time. The personal attention they receive while staying in a home as opposed to being just another number at a kennel makes a huge difference in the outcome. I highly recommend dog
!

Upon moving to Austin, we were in search of a new boarding option for our dog. We didn’t know too many people here when we moved, and we frequently make trips out of town. Our dog is admittedly a little spoiled, and I wanted a service that preferably had him staying in a loving home rather than being boarded in a kennel. I wanted it to feel more like home, and I wanted him to get a lot of attention and love anytime we were away.
served all of our needs! Since moving here, we’ve used this service multiple times and it’s been absolutely wonderful! We got lucky and found a great pet sitter immediately (I scoured the reviews and ratings and talked to multiple people before I settled on one). I wanted it to be someone reliable that I could return to and build a relationship with rather than board my dog with a different person each time.
Our particular sitter has been perfect for us. She is an elderly woman who spends the majority of her time at home and specializes in taking care of small dogs, which was important for us so we wouldn’t have to be concerned about issues getting along with larger dogs. She is extremely responsive and sends photo updates each day, provides lots of love and attention, and even lets our dog snuggle up in bed with her. I feel completely comfortable and confident leaving my dog with her anytime we leave for a trip. And he’s made lots of doggy friends there as well!
This service has been great for us! I noticed a different review complaining about the quality of the pet sitters. I think it’s just a matter of interviewing and finding the right sitter for you and your dog. Each person is going to want something different in a sitter, and I think DogVacay’s purpose is simply to facilitate that transaction. Each sitter charges a different amount, with many of them being extremely affordable!
We mainly use the overnight options on the site, but I believe pet walking and doggy daycare services are available as well. In addition, I believe a cat site has recently launched, though we have not yet had a chance to use that service.

it is pretty great!

DogVacay is basically airbnb for dogs. We always forget about our dog when making plans for nights or weekends away, so it’s DogVacay to the rescue.
Their customer service is excellent. When a booked sitter canceled, their concierge took the time to call and email me and screened new top notch sitters for me. They went above and beyond, both the original sitter and the concierge apologizing profusely.
Noodles was very happy staying with Melissa R, who was kind enough to text me photos of Noodles during her stay. Melissa introduced me to her dog and made time to show me that her own dog would get along well with mine. If I still lived in Austin I would certainly book Melissa R again.
DogVacay is such a convenience!

I have been very fortunate with
I purchased a groupon but ended up using dogvacay for a one night trip instead. I met Charlie and Madelaine. OMG they are wonderful. They made Bacio feel like family right off the bat. We had a meet & greet the night before her stay. She was introduced to the family pet Zachary and some of the other boarders. One dog wasn’t keen on Bacio so he was separated during our meet and greet. The following morning Bacio dragged me to the front door-​she was excited to go back. As soon as I left I received a text with photo of her walking with Charlie. Later that evening I received a pic of her bed on the floor next to Madelaine. I had told them she usually doesn’t eat very well when I board her. They made sure to make her feel comfortable so she actually did eat.
I had tried to contact two other sitters with no response and the dogvacay concierge noticed. They sent out messages to the local sitters and within hours I had numerous responses. That’s how we were paired with Charlie and Madelaine.
I can’t speak highly enough of them.
She will be staying with them whenever I go out of town and no longer sitting bored in a boardiing facility. When a pet is your family you only want the best for them.

I have not had a great experience with
. They have gotten a lot of publicity, but I am starting to wonder how carefully they screen their sitters. I had one «meet and greet» with a potential sitter, who had about 6 dogs she was watching at once. I had another person dog-​sit my dog for the day. When I went to pick up my dog, no one was home, and there were approximately 6 – 7 dogs alone in the dark, with the door unlocked. Anyone could have gone into the home and taken my, or any of the other dogs! There were also several people (at least 3) that I contacted about potentially dog-​sitting who never responded to my emails. If I had just had one of these experiences, it may not have been so bad, but all of these combined make me question how carefully dogvacay screens their sitters.