Is Boarding or Pet Sitting Best for My Pet in McKinney, Texas?

In McKinney, you have great options for both Boarding and Pet Sitting.  But the two kinds of care will feel very different to your pet.  To help you decide, we’ve put together a lot of thoughts and a tool that should help you decide which way to go. 

For first time pet owners or parents with a new pet, deciding whether Boarding or In-Home Sitting is best can be perplexing.  If you have a trip coming up and are wondering what to do with your pets, the answer depends a lot on your pet’s specific characteristics. If for example your pet is anxious or aggressive, a boarding situation might not be best. On the other hand, if your pet is boisterous and high energy, a home pet sitting situation might not be best. 

At Backyard Pet Services, we have this conversation with pet parents almost every day.  To arrive at a good answer for each particular pet, we have developed a list of characteristics that point one direction or the other to help you decide which kind of care is best. What you are looking for is a preponderance of factors pointing one way or the other.  We recommend answering the following questions for each pet and then step back to look at the overall pattern. 

Is Anxious when Mom/Dad Are Away

If your pet has separation anxiety when you are away, a pet sitting solution may well be the best answer period. The reason is that your pet sitter will form a relationship with your pet and the strength of that relationship will help to ease the anxiety of the pet.

Is Anxious in New Situations

If your pet is anxious in new situations, again a pet sitting solution might be the best. Homebodies do great when they are in their comfortable and familiar surroundings. Forcing your pet to accommodate to new realities when you are away adds to your pet’s stress. They are missing you and they are also grappling with all new surroundings that might not be as safe and friendly feeling as home. 

Is Afraid of Bad Weather (Thunder/Lightning)

If your pet is afraid of bad weather, such as thunder and lightning, a boarding situation will add to their stress. New surroundings coupled with scary sounds and other pets will stress your pet completely. Bad weather is better endured in familiar surroundings than in new ones.

Is Shy and Doesn’t Like Strangers

If your pet is shy and doesn’t like strangers, boarding my might seem overwhelming. Different shifts throughout the day and different employees will make it hard for your pet to form a bond with its caregivers. In this situation in-home pet sitting will be more comfortable for your pet.

Is Afraid of Other Dogs

If your pet is afraid of other dogs, boarding will be stressful.  By definition, boarding environments are group environments and dogs are alert to signs of fear, stress, and submission.  Like middle-schoolers, other dogs can turn into bullies and must be overseen by boarding staff so that everybody is on their best behavior.

Can be a Picky Eater 

Larger dogs have an advantage with food when it comes to going without for a few days. If your large dog is a picky eater, a few days of reduced calorie consumption will generally not be catastrophic. For smaller dogs and dogs with medical situations such as diabetes, the stakes are much higher. Very small dogs can have a blood sugar drop as a result of not eating that must be managed closely. Obviously when a dog has an insulin or other medication protocol that must also be managed carefully. A home pet sitter is able to watch food intake very closely and engage a number of strategies to get your dog to eat.   Because the sitter has completely focus on your pet, they will not give up until they are successful.  In a boarding environment, the same (full) bowl of kibble might be ignored for a few days in a row.

Is Elderly and Set in His or Her Ways

Senior dogs have the most difficult time adapting to change. In particular, when the dog’s vision is impaired, they are relying upon contextual clues such as echolocation and habitual path-taking to get them where they want to go (for example, outside or the food and water bowls). In a boarding environment, an elderly dog is completely dependent upon the caretaker’s care and attention to ensure food, water, and potty needs are met. 

Has Complicated Medication Requirements

When there are many medications, a home pet sitter will be able to track and deliver the medications without distraction.  Additionally, the sitter can take pictures as part of their visit update to give you the absolute assurance that each dose got delivered just right and right on time. 

Is a Resource Guarder (can be aggressive about food, toys, etc.)

Resource garters make for dicey situations at boarding facilities. Managing food resource guarding is a little bit easier since a pet can be kenneled while they eat.  Managing toy guarding can be far more difficult as toys are an inherent part of group play.  Resource guarding pets are far more likely to start or become involved in a dog altercation in a group setting. 

Is Aggressive with Strangers

With the right planning and socialization, your pet sitter can become a trusted friend and lose the “stranger” status before you leave town.  Gaining friend status can be harder at a boarding facility as there are more staff involved and frequent staff changes.  In your dog’s eyes, this looks like a parade of strangers and will be hard to tolerate. 

Is Aggressive with Other Dogs

There is no way around this one.  Dogs who are aggressive with other dogs will have to be kenneled almost all of the time in a boarding environment.  This makes for a boring and stressful day as other dogs can be seen getting out of their kennels and moving to the play environment.  

Has lots of Boisterous Energy

Boarding facilities are great places for dogs with lots of energy. The staff and the schedule will ensure that there is lots of playtime and a full and busy day for your pet. In-home pet sitting can come close to this level of activity, but doing so requires a visit pattern of four or more visits per day.

Is Destructive when Left Alone

Boarding facilities will have the best environment for destructive pets.  Everything there will be designed for dogs so the likelihood of true destruction is minimized.  Plus, the boarding staff provides almost constant supervision so the opportunity for destruction is also kept to a minimum.

To summarize it all, here is a simple tool that you can review to help you make your decision. Once you have a majority of answers pointing a single direction, you’ll have a good basis on which to make a decision. 

As far as where to go once you’ve made your decision, we can help with that too! We have complied a list of the top Pet Sitters in the McKinney area, which you can find here. For Pet Boarding, great care can be obtained at these places: 

• Castle Creek Pet Resort: They have both an indoor & outdoor play area for your pet(s)
• 2nd Family Pets: They have a pool for dogs that love the water
• Backyard Pet Services: Small-scale boarding with our owner