Pet-Aways

[talon]

Yanno, I dearly love stupid little Xoco and indulge her fiercely, and I depend upon and indulge Itzl quite a bit, but "camps" for dogs and special vacations just for dogs seems a lot over the top.

There are doggie camps set up that I think cater more to the dog owner than the dog: chlorinated pools where dogs are made to swim because the owners think it's "cute", and obstacle courses for dogs that have never been taught agility (and clueless owners trying to get dogs to play on teeter totters and ramps and run through tunnels when they've never encountered them before), and paw painting classes and so on. It appears to be agony for the poor dogs and not a treat at all.

The owners seem to be having a great time, but the dogs are always struggling to get down, get away, and avoid the strange toys and things.

By the time the dogs acclimate to the new place and toys, it's time for them to leave, and once again it looks to be a struggle between dog and owner.

Since Itzl, as a service dog, has to go with me everywhere, we've seen a lot of these places and have learned to avoid them. Itzl is pretty easily amused and doesn't need all this "entertainment" and "enrichment" - partly because he is a service dog and therefore has a job to do, and partly because he's a dog, not a toddler. A lot of the doggie camps and doggie vacation places I've seen look like ideal places for toddlers, and not so much for dogs.

The only thing Itzl and I encounter as we travel that we really wish was done a little differently are toileting facilities for dogs. In some places there are none at all.

If the popularity of traveling with pets increases enough that toileting facilities for them becomes common, then I'll politely ignore the doggie camps and enrichment programs.