Ok, my sister lives out of town with her 3 boys and hubby.I am having thanksgiving dinner at my house with the entire family (30) people! anyway, I have a new puppy and I told my sister no she could not bring her dog. She cannot afford to kennel the dog and I do not want the chaos of my puppy and her dog running through my house on thanksgiving...I know she will ask again and I don't want to be mean but, I would never and I mean never ask her to bring my dog to her house for over night. I can see my puppy now, he would be all over the place with excitement and we all know what that means, pee!!!!! no thanks! I don't want us to argue over this and I don't want her kids to be mad at me beacuse they didn't bring the dog so what do I have to say to her for her to realize this is not acceptable!I already said NO but I know this is not the end.. p.s. give me some good Turkey tips! love you Mama's
I have to say that if your sister has not found a place for her dog yet she may not find a kennel that has room. Thanksgiving and Christmas are the two biggest holidays for kennels. A lot of them get book up during the summer for the holday weekends.
You could tell her if she insists on bringing her dog that she has to bring a kennel and while people are at your house the dog needs to be in his/her kennel. She can take him/her out to potty while everyone is there insist that she put him/her on a leash before letting the dog come out of the kennel. That way she should have full control of the dog and you won't have to put up with two crazy dogs running throught your house.
Hope this helps you a little
Amy
Susan,
Then don't expect your sister to be able to come to family events. I know it's a big inconvenience, but as a dog owner, I often have to take my dog with me when I visit my grandson. I plan my trips so that the weather is ok to leave my dog in the car, but my visits have to be short, and I have to take her out of the car to pee and stretch. It is not possible for me to put her in a kennel or leave her at home. Sometimes people just don't have anyone they can ask to take care of the dog--hence the reason why some people need a dog for a companion. Yes, this annoys some people who don't understand, but it's the best I can do.
You have to decide how much you're willing to put up with to see your sister and your nephews. Is there a room or garage/porch where their dog could go?
Susan,
I am a long time dog lover and owner. I have had my big Newfie/Lab/Marshmallow Russell since he was four weeks old. Yes I love him. Yes, I feel terrible leaving him alone - even for short trips. But I know he gets in the way just by being himself. My gosh, he's 106 lbs! He can't help himself.
That being said ...
I would never force him on anyone! Even though he's the most docile dog in the world! He is the sweetest most gentle dog ever. I would never ever MAKE anyone open their home to him. I can't believe that your sister is making a stink (pardon the pun) about this. There has GOT to be a friend or a neighbor she knows that can watch her dog for the few days she is gone.
Stick to your guns. Holidays are crazy enough as it is. If your SIL brings it up again just tell her "Oh, I know it's so tough to leave him. I WISH we had the space and time, but you know how crazy it's going to be" and nothing else.
Good luck to you. You may have to resign yourself that holidays are chaotic and crazy and stressfull. Try and shrug it off and enjoy yourself.
Jenny
I am the biggest dog lover, I have 3. Love them, love them, love them! However, I wouldn't bring them along to someone's home, especially if they already said no. I think she shoudl check into boarding , but she may not find one accepting anymore this late. Surely someoone can help her out. Or in the past we have had friends or hired a teen ager to come to our home to let our dogs go out and take them for walks. But with only one dog that may not work well, we had 2 at the time keeping each other company. We all know what lonely dogs are capable of. If it comes down to to it, what if she brought a kennel along and kept the dog in your garage/basement or wherever? Just a thought!
I agree with everyone else. Just tell her that if she wants to bring the dog bring a dog kennel. If Money is an issue tell her to look on www.Craigslist.org I have found them for as little as $30 and they fold up
Good Luck,
Mary
Why not offer to pay to kennel her dog for her? If it's just one night, it doesn't need to be a high-end place, many vets do it for pretty cheap.
Since she has 3 children, I bet she has a teenage-type babysitter that she calls every now and then for an evening out. Maybe she could call someone like that whom she trusts and ask them to dog/house sit while they are away. P.S. McCormicks Turkey Rub on your raw bird then put it into a bag and in the oven. No need for basting, and the stuffing can go in there too.
She can't bring a crate and crate the dog away from the commotion? I don't know how long she's staying, but from her perspective, it's difficult to leave a dog for too long because they have to be let out to potty, etc. Kenneling is sometimes not the best option because, like daycares, they carry a lot of disease. I would see no issues with someone wanting to bring a dog to my house for the holidays, as long as they brought a crate and crated the dog for the majority of the time they were there. The dog really isn't going to hurt for a bit of crate time and it keeps her from worrying about it and him out of your hair.
Hope this helps!
Susan,
I might have a solution for you. Check out the kennels/doggie daycares near your home and offer to pay for your sister's dog to stay there for a day. That way she won't have to pay for a kennel the entire time, and it will only cost you $20-$30 for the day. I suggest that you pay so it will take the "I can't afford it" out of the argument.
If she doesn't agree to that, maybe you put the puppy in the kennel (I know- probably not the best solution, but would help keep the peace). If you have a trusted friend who will be alone on Thanksgiving, they might enjoy having a puppy for the day.
Anyway, I hope that helps. I have two dogs and have to travel for the holidays, so I understand. My dogs love doggy daycare- they have a great time, get lots of exercise and a bath.
Just remember- kennels fill up for the holidays so call soon, and be prepared to present vaccination records.
Having been on both sides of this issue I understand. Do either of you use crates? I say crate her dog in the garage, your dog in the bedroom he prefers. Have the kids take them outside to run them a couple times a day.
Also, I have a prescription to calm my dog, which makes her sleep. Maybe you could both get one and keep the dogs sedated for the visit.
Otherwise, all you can do is ask her to please get a neighbor or friend to look after her dog. Tell her there is too much chaos with 2 dogs and that you will keep your dog in a bedroom so he is not bothering anyone either.
First of all, how old is your puppy? If it won't have it's parvo vaccine by Thanksgiving, just tell your sister that it would be dangerous to expose your dog to other dogs because it is not up to date with its shots. Another solution would be to crate train the puppy and keep it in a room away from all the chaos. Dog, or no dog, there is going to be excitement for puppy and therefore, lots of pee. If the other dog comes anyway, think of it as an opportunity to socialize your puppy with another dog. Maybe your sister could ask a neighbor to come over and let her dog out and feet it while she's away. Much cheaper. There are also dog walkers that will provide that kind of service at a much cheaper price than a kennel. Make sure the service is reliable and insured and bonded so she doesn't get robbed while away by the dog walker. Just some thoughts. Good luck. If you need some advice on getting the excitable peeing under control, just respond individually to me.
Good luck,
Caroline
We're hosting dinner this year, too. We'll have about 30 people and no one lives locally so about 20 of them will be crashing on the floor of our basement, in our guest room and some of the kids will be on the floor of our kids' room. I'm looking forward the chaos -- it'll just be a few days and it'll be FUN. Anyways.... 3 people are bringing their dogs. To us, pets are part of the family... we always bring our dogs when we visit family in upstate NY and they always bring their dogs. It's partly financial but also because dogs are part of a family.
Anyways... the dogs have never been any trouble. If anything, they keep all the kids entertained playing in the basement and backyard. :-) When we're trying to eat, though, the dogs are either outside, locked in the laundry room or in the basement. You could just put the dogs in the garage or laundry room or outside the majority of the time.
I think you should find a compromise or offer to pay for the kennel. It can get expensive and most people I know can't afford a kennel (around here 1 dog is over $30/day at the cheapest place). After all, her and family are already paying for gas and other travel expensives to come see you. I can't imagine telling any relative, but especially my sister, that they can't come just because we don't want their dog to come. We think it's important to see family, especially at the holidays, and to me it seems silly to nitpick and basically tell them they can't come just because they have a dog.
If you stand firm with her having to have a crate for the dog to be in it might not be too bad. Does she crate train it already might be the first question. Other wise the dog would whine a lot.
I use celery to season my turkey. Along with onion and salt and pepper. Oh and let the bird sit for some time after taking it out of the oven to soak up the moisture and flavors. I like to use the oven turkey bags for less mess when cleaning up.
Good luck.
I would offer to kennel her dog at a nearby facility and offer to pay for it. If not, tell her the only way she can bring the dog is if it stays outside or in a crate somewhere in the house/garage. It's your house, you have a right to decide who/what can come to it. We don't have ANY pets for a variety of reasons and I would not want a dog visiting inside my home. We have already decided if my SIL wants to bring her dog for a visit we will be making a reservation at the kennel down the street or sadly, they can stay home. It's their choice, not mine.
Can you offer to help pay for the kennel? Or completely pay for it for her? What about having the dog and puppy in the garage? They could romp around together, and would probably enjoy each other. Plus would be so tired at the end of the night - ALL will sleep well.
Good luck to you - sounds tough, but I wouldn't give up a visit with my brother over a pet issue (since we already have several running around) - really - whats one more?!?
i know you said you don't want her to bring the dog :o) BUT we always bring out dog ( 4 year old chocolate lab) to holidays. however, we are nice enough to not let him disrupt anything & most of the guests don't even know he's there. we bring his kennel & keep him in the basement, garage, or outside (he is normally an inside dog) & then put him in his kennel at night. we play with him & take him for walks to keep him happy & not barking.
maybe you could let the dog come, but say he can't be inside?
Is her dog crate trained? Is your's? Maybe you could agree to let her bring her dog, IF he is kept in a crate during dinner? And if your sister and her husband take turn "babysitting the dogs" when they need to go out. Trust me, you will be surprised over the next few year how many times you may need to say "can I bring the puppy".
My family is full of dog owners, we all travel with our pups, Thanksgiving at Grams is full of people inside and doggies in the yard.
And think, you can use this as a great time to socialize your dog.
Do you have a garage the dog can wait in? I just think family relationships are a little more important than a dog and even a dog peeing on the floor. Really, in the long run a little craziness is worth it. Why create a possible riff in family for this? I really am not an animal person, but if this were my sibling, I would say bring yourself, and if you absolutely can't afford a place for the dog we'll work something out. Family first!
The first Christmas we were in our new house we had my sister and my parents over. My parents were on their way to Arizona to live. They both brought their dogs. We had 8 people and 4 dogs in the house for that weekend. It was crazy! We had a great time though. When they all left we had to clean a few spots on the carpet, but we'd have had to do that anyway with the kids running in and out and all the mud. We all love our dogs, they are part of the family. Our dogs love each other. My lab, Sarah, gets so excited when I tell her that her cousin Sammy is coming to visit. I know that my sister and parents wouldn't want to kennel their dogs just to visit for a weekend, its expensive and upsetting for the dog. Its so much easier just to travel with the dog. When its time to eat, all dogs out, with treats of course, it's Thanksgiving, or Christmas for them also. When its bed time we leave the doors open, so the dogs can roam. We tried shutting the bedroom doors and the dogs whined all night long. If your dogs are reasonably well behaved and you are firm, they should all be fine. I can't even imagine not seeing my family over the holidays just because I didn't want the dogs to visit. That would truly be a shame.