I'm kind of obsessed with my dogs.
It's a real problem. At work, I daydream about cuddling with their fluffy little faces and when I'm at home, I can't stop bugging them. They are the most hilarious, adorable little nuggets in the world and that makes it hard to ever leave them.
Unfortunately, during the summer, we have to. A lot.
Between weddings and vacations and concerts and weekend getaways, we find ourselves scrambling constantly to try and find friends to dogsit them or making boarding reservations. And because they're rescue dogs, I always feel guilty bringing them to the boarders. So last night, we decided to do a trial run of something different.
The trial run was with DogVacay.com, a website and app where you can find local pet sitters. It's kind of like AirBnB for dogs, except they can either watch your dogs at their house or yours while you're gone. There are other perks too: your pets are covered by pet insurance while you're away and their concierge hotline is available 24/7 if there's an emergency.
Still, in all honesty, though I had considered trying DogVacay many times over the past year, I never planned our trips far enough in advance to do a proper test run. And test runs are important to me, since, like I said, I'm obsessed with my dogs.
Last week, DogVacay reached out to me and offered to send me out for a night on the town to try their service. Perfect! Ryan and I figured this was the best way to try it out: we'll still be in the area so if it doesn't work out, no harm, no foul. Meanwhile, we build a relationship with a dog sitter that will come in handy for all of our upcoming getaways.
After a few days of messaging back and forth with various hosts, we finally booked our night out with a couple who we thought would be a good match. They had two dogs of their own, they were really nice to interact with over the site, and had a fenced in yard - perfect for Brewer who can barely stand to be inside.
Amy gave me a little tour to show me how dog-proof and dog-friendly her home was and then I snuck out the front door, with a few dog-free hours to myself. I stopped at nail salon to treat myself to a pedicure, then met Ryan at home for dinner. By the time I got to the house an hour later, Amy had sent me a few adorable Pupdates... pictures that updated me on how well they were doing!
For dinner, we decided to check out The Red Door, which is a fancy restaurant nearby that we've noticed for years but never tried. But since DogVacay was treating, what better time to try it out?
The food at The Red Door was delicious. I highly recommend their Filet Pot Pie... it's essentially the perfect comfort food. After a yummy dinner, we wrapped up a great night out by picking up the dogs up from their Mini Vacay at Amy and Matt's house. And based on their happy, spastic dogfaces, I felt totally confident that Amy would be a great host for when we use DogVacay in the future.
I can't thank DogVacay enough for this great experience and for allowing me to get over my pet sitter-anxiety with this fun night out. Plus, on top of sending us out and letting us do a test run of their boarding services, DogVacay.com was also cool enough to give me a discount code for my readers. If you'd like to try it out in your area, just use coupon code: SANBRIEGO at checkout to save $10! Try them out and let me know how it goes!
Still, in all honesty, though I had considered trying DogVacay many times over the past year, I never planned our trips far enough in advance to do a proper test run. And test runs are important to me, since, like I said, I'm obsessed with my dogs.
Last week, DogVacay reached out to me and offered to send me out for a night on the town to try their service. Perfect! Ryan and I figured this was the best way to try it out: we'll still be in the area so if it doesn't work out, no harm, no foul. Meanwhile, we build a relationship with a dog sitter that will come in handy for all of our upcoming getaways.
Being a dog owner is hard
The night of the test run, the sitters, Amy and her boyfriend Matt, were waiting for us on the sidewalk outside with their adorable two dogs. After some hyperactive sniffing, barking and leash lassoing, Brewer and Banjo marched right inside their house like they owned the place and headed straight for the backyard. Lucky for Amy and Matt, their backyard area is made of gravel, so I didn't have to worry about Banjo's experimental gardening techniques while I was away.
Amy gave me a little tour to show me how dog-proof and dog-friendly her home was and then I snuck out the front door, with a few dog-free hours to myself. I stopped at nail salon to treat myself to a pedicure, then met Ryan at home for dinner. By the time I got to the house an hour later, Amy had sent me a few adorable Pupdates... pictures that updated me on how well they were doing!
For dinner, we decided to check out The Red Door, which is a fancy restaurant nearby that we've noticed for years but never tried. But since DogVacay was treating, what better time to try it out?
The food at The Red Door was delicious. I highly recommend their Filet Pot Pie... it's essentially the perfect comfort food. After a yummy dinner, we wrapped up a great night out by picking up the dogs up from their Mini Vacay at Amy and Matt's house. And based on their happy, spastic dogfaces, I felt totally confident that Amy would be a great host for when we use DogVacay in the future.
I can't thank DogVacay enough for this great experience and for allowing me to get over my pet sitter-anxiety with this fun night out. Plus, on top of sending us out and letting us do a test run of their boarding services, DogVacay.com was also cool enough to give me a discount code for my readers. If you'd like to try it out in your area, just use coupon code: SANBRIEGO at checkout to save $10! Try them out and let me know how it goes!
