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I'm looking for suggestions and what kind of experience people might have had with dealing with a situation like this and worked and what didn't.

I have two 3 year old, 80+ lb (36+ kg) dogs and my new job requires me to travel 75% of the time, which is a new experience for me. I've looked around at boarding places and it seems like that'll turn into about $18,000/year.

I don't think just having a person come over once a twice a day would be sufficient. It would probably be better if they had other dogs to play with, such as the case with boarding. I don't really know what other options there might be short or getting a roommate since I'm new in town and don't have friends who would be willing to watch my dogs for me.

If anyone has any dog boarding hacks, they would be much appreciated.

lila
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Raksha
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  • Is traveling by automobile an option, or do you need to fly? – James Jenkins Jan 04 '19 at 17:26
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    @JamesJenkins most of the time by plane, unfortunately. But you think that I should bring them with me whenever I drive? I guess if the employer is paying for the hotel, we could get a dog friendly one. – Raksha Jan 04 '19 at 17:54
  • Are you bouncing from one location to another, or are you primarily going to one geographical location for several days at a time? – elbrant Jan 04 '19 at 18:05
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    Getting a roommate is probably not a viable option unless they are signing a lease stating they agree to take over 75% of the care of a pair of 80lb dogs...

    I know this is the last thing anyone wants to hear, but, if you think you are going to stay with this job position in the long term, do you think it's really best for the dogs to be with their owner only a quarter of the time, and otherwise boarded or babysat by various people?

     – Meg Jan 04 '19 at 18:21
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    @Meg if the OP spends 75% of their work time traveling, they may still have 50% or more of their weekly life to spend with the dogs. A pet in a single person with no kids family may have more person time, then a pet in large family with multiple commitments for other things. – James Jenkins Jan 04 '19 at 18:50
  • Fair enough. It would depend on how the travel is arranged. (A few days of travel out of every week vs M-F 3 out of every 4 weeks, for example, could impact the type of care arrangement you might want.) – Meg Jan 04 '19 at 19:22

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In some work travel scenarios, you can change to full time RV living. You and the dogs live in the Recreational Vehicle (RV) as your only home, and travel to where ever you need/want to. Be aware that if your dogs bark while you are gone, this is not going to be feasible.

Alternately a full time roommate/dog sitter may be the solution. Everyone's situation is different, but if for example IF you live near a college campus, there is going to be a student who loves pets and needs discounted housing. You offer low (free?) rent in exchange for dog sitting duties.

The related question How should I accomodate my cat if I travel for work? discusses options for leaving cats alone for a couple days. While that might work for some cats, I don't see it working for dogs. Dogs need hours of people time every day.

Lastly, you may need to decide between a different job, or re-homing your pets.

James Jenkins
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