NewMama and I took a much-needed mental break and went on vacation last week. Unfortunately, we were unable to accommodate dogbert, and ended up boarding him at our vet's facility - much to our consternation. We had heard horror stories of dogs who had terrible experiences while being boarded, and came back "different". Would the past year of training, nurturing and socializing be lost after a week of boarding?
We were comforted by several factors. First, Ramsay was familiar with the vet and has never been afraid to go - he seems to enjoy ANY place where he can interact with other dogs. Next, the facility was run by our vet, so if anything were to happen to our little snausage he was already at the right place to be treated. Finally, we were fairly confident in the degree to which we had socialized Ramsay - carting him off to different places to meet different people/dogs, leaving him for an entire day with his grandparents or his grandparents' neighbor (who owns a well-trained dog who Ramsay loves to play with and is a great role model).
After 3-4 days, we finally broke down and called the boarding place to check on Ramsay. Our worst fears had NOT materialized! Dogbert was given a very positive evaluation by the staff. They were captivated by his blue eye, and were entertained by the same antics that put smiles on our faces on a daily basis. Some of their observations: 1) always re-arranging his living space - especially his blanket, which is at one minute up in his loft, and the next minute on the floor underneath his loft, 2) likes to be outside, 3) hard to catch, as he is so fast (with a smile, NewMama informed them that we race Ramsay - LOL!). We were comforted by such great feedback, and the fact that dogbert seemed to be having fun entertaining the staff.
Ramsay seemed none the worse for wear when his Grammy and Pappy picked him up, and has been pretty much the same ole dogbert now that our little family has been reunited. Thank goodness for socialization!
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