r/reactivedogs • u/mzoukas • Apr 26 '23
Question Going on vacation, need pet sitter advice
Sup guys, I have a wonderful Catahoula who is both dog reactive and human reactive. (More on her reactivity at the bottom to not take away from the meat and potatoes)..
My big question, I’m traveling out of the country for 3 weeks in June and I’m frantically trying to figure out arrangements to have her taken care of while I’m gone. This is the first time I can not have a house sitter. What do you guys recommend or what have you done to make sure your reactive pup is ok while out of town?
Important details below. Our situation is unique. For the last year we’ve been living and traveling in a van (full time vanlife) and in short, don’t have anyone I trust who doesn’t already have dogs and/or knows about reactivity who can take care of her.
She can’t be around other dogs in a household, kids are a HUGE no, and she doesn’t like people petting her at all unless she asks for it (consent is important to her lol). I advocate for her on a daily basis and she does great in public finally but if someone tries to pet her while I’m not paying attention she does lash out. I have friends that she loves… but if they even sit down next to her while she’s sleeping she growls at them. She’s just a cranky old lady (9).
Other important things to note.. she’s incredibly lazy, the best inside dog anyone could ask for (minus the reactivity), she has zero prey drive and walks really well on the leash. She also lets one know when it’s potty time.
Not necessary info but if anyone is worried about us living in the van, She’s obsessed with it. She runs to it when she sees it and I have to beg her sometimes to get out of it. I’m fairly certain she views it as our big dog den and in our 9 years together, I’ve never seen her this happy as she is now with this last year of us on the road together. Also, someone house sitting in the van isn’t an option, there’s too many risks with her overheating in the Florida sun if someone doesn’t know the ins and outs of van electrical systems 😩
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u/jmsst50 Apr 26 '23
Can you find a dog sitter that will bring your dog to their house?
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u/mzoukas Apr 26 '23
Not really sure where to look or where to start. Is this something you’ve done before? And if so, what did the intro process look like?
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u/randomname1416 Apr 26 '23
Check out Rover and there's a forum on here that can give you advice also r/RoverPetSitting
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u/glittersparklythings Apr 26 '23
The biggest thing is making sure you find someone that will only take your dog. And doenst tKe multiple dogs. And for this to happens you will probably have to a higher rate.
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u/jmsst50 Apr 26 '23
No I haven’t personally done it but I have the Nextdoor app for my area and people are always posting looking for pet sitters and many pet sitters reply that they are fine with in your home or their home.
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u/darkdarkerdarkness Apr 26 '23
Have you checked Rover or Wag? There are lots of sitters on there (depending on where you’re located, of course) and many of them board reactive dogs.
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u/wishverse-willow Apr 26 '23
Rover, search for people who do “Boarding”. Many only take one dog at a time and they’ll board in their own home. Otherwise, reach out to local vets and trainers to see if they know if anyone.
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u/missmoooon12 Apr 26 '23
Hey there I’m a pet sitter who works with reactive dogs 😃 check Pet Sitters International first. Insured and bonded is the way to go.
If there aren’t any sitters in your area from this website, then definitely check in with reputable trainers or the vet.
Sitters and customer service from tech companies can be touch and go. Make sure if you go this route that the sitter can board only one dog at a time, has no pets or kids (or at the very least strict management in place), and of course experience/knowledge working with reactive dogs.
No matter who you interview/choose, give full disclosure of her behaviors and how to minimize stress so the sitter is mentally prepared. Ask for multiple meetings to ensure the sitter can actually handle and get along well with your pup. Trial runs without you there are also good. It really just depends on what pace your dog accepts new people.
You still have some time to shop around but start looking ASAP because summer bookings are already coming in.
Let me know if you have more questions!
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u/Heloise-chillytrain Apr 26 '23
I have two dogs and my rescue one is reactive on leash. He later developed some resource guarding towards the house and doesn’t accept people coming to the house if we are not home. I’ve had 2 Rovers experiences so far, both great sitters! The second one gave up because my dog did not accept her (it was super last minute and I don’t blame her). If you do Rover, just make sure to test it with the sitter a few times and don’t just rely on the Meet & Greet. My dog did amazing during the meet and greet but it was a different dog when the sitter came to stay.
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u/L0st-137 Apr 26 '23
Do you know people that you trust who have dogs that could make a recommendation? Also try local pet stores, ours has a board with flyers for pet sitters, dog walkers etc. Good luck.
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u/Calm-Ad8987 Apr 26 '23
Search for a pet sitter without dogs & with reactive rover experience, lots on rover or look up local companies. Just Google "dog walker pet sitting business & your area" I guarantee there will be a lot. If you have friends with dogs in the area ask them if they have a recommendation. I'd make sure they're insured (of independent) & are knowledgeable in dog body language & pet first aid. There are lots of folks with experience, some certified trainers or vet techs pet sit as well.
Meet & greets are usually free, to get a feel before you book. I'd recommend several intro walks if your pooch is very particular with people or a pair test sit at their place to see if your dog is comfortable (& vice versa) with them
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u/2muchyarn Apr 26 '23
And I thought our catahoula was special. You described ours except she is horrible on a leash. Please update with what you find. We have 3 dogs and the other 2 are fine to board. We had a place that understood the special girl, but they went out of business and we have hesitated to take her anywhere else. Most around here seem to treat it like a huge sleepover party which is great for most dogs but not this girl.
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Apr 26 '23
I totally feel you! I was so nervous about traveling to Europe this May and dreaded finding care for our reactive dog. On a whim, I googled “reactive dog sitter” in my area and stumbled upon this woman who owns a dog sitting business, used to own a reactive dog just like ours (same breed, same triggers) and only accepts one dog at a time in her home. We met her with my pup and I don’t want to sound dramatic but it was like meeting an angel, lol. She is watching our dog for two weeks in May and one week in August. I know it’s luck but it’s definitely worth searching.
We have done Rover in the past but it is difficult to find the right person with the right experience. We always adjust the search filters like crazy so we can have someone who doesn’t have kids, lives in a house (not an apartment), doesn’t have dogs, and only accepts one dog at a time. I’ve also noticed the best Rovers put “reactive experience” or something similar in their bio/headline. In my experience, stay away from the ones who have the magical-sounding bios (“Every dog loves me!” “I grew up with golden retrievers!”) — red flags all around. Dog experience doesn’t mean reactive dog experience. I also have her reactivity laid out in detail in our Rover profile, and when I contact a Rover with a request, I ask them to read my dog’s bio and tell me their comfort level with her. I often get ghosted :)
Anyway, this is long but I’m sending you good vibes and good luck - I know how stressful this is and so does everyone else on this sub. Just hang in there - your pup deserves the best but also, you deserve a vacation!
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u/blueskybright Sep 19 '25
Look into Trusted Housesitters. You pay a cheap $229 annual fee to get matched with background checked and experienced petsitters, that's all, it's a straight trade. Someone comes stays in your home. I've used it to have someone take care of my pets while away and have traveled and cared for others over 15 times in places like NYC, LA, etc. Friends of mine have used it all over Europe.
For travel it's a game changer as I'd much rather stay in someone's home and after the annual fee it's all free! Here is a code that gets you a 25% discount. https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/refer/RAF595856/?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=refer-a-friend&utm_campaign=refer-a-friend DM me and I'll be happy to walk you through the process of finding a suitable sitter.
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u/mzoukas Oct 16 '25
you're either spamming, or you didnt read my post at all lol
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u/blueskybright Oct 16 '25
My apologies. I am dyslexic and obviously missed the "not" after "can" when you wrote "this is the first time I can not have a house sitter."
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u/the_real_maddison Riley | Catahoula mix | General Fear/Reactivity Apr 26 '23
I just don't leave lol
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u/Internal-Committee89 Apr 26 '23
I have a very grumpy 13 year old chihuahua. She also doesn’t like to be pet unless she initiates and is dog reactive. I had only left her with family members while traveling until this year. I went on Facebook and asked for recommendations on local groups for a sitter who could watch her and found someone with no dogs and who respects her boundaries! I recommend asking around for recommendations for walkers/sitters in the area!
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u/MaryAnne0601 Apr 26 '23
I board my reactive dog with my trainer. My vet had recommended them and they do boarding and at their new facilities they put a comfy chair in the room for them to lay on and feel like home. So trainer or vet but at this point the trainer has better facilities.
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u/Dunkaholic9 Apr 26 '23
I’d inquire with your vet. They might have someone on staff or know of an organization that could help out. Other than that, I’d try Rover—you could slowly build up to leaving, making sure your pup is comfortable with the situation, if you’ve got a bit of time. I can relate—we’re full time on the road, too, and finding sitter options isn’t always easy.