I’m mostly looking for support because it’s hard to find people who understand this.
We recently rescued a lovely pointer-beagle cross who has a lot of anxiety and is very hyperactive. He also has separation anxiety and can’t be left alone. We found a wonderful dog minder for him and met with her twice, once at a park and once at her house. We told her our boy was super excitable and needed lots of play, and she said this was perfectly fine. He also has no recall (which we are working on, but it’s very slow going) and is an escape artist. We told her all of this, and she said she was comfortable with him and could handle everything.
We dropped him off this morning, and she again said he would be great. An hour later, I got a call saying we had to pick him up and she wouldn’t board him anymore. Apparently, while loading him into her car, he escaped. She managed to get him back but didn’t want to risk it again. She also said he was too high-energy for her and her own dogs.
I completely respect her decision, so we picked him up right away. But I feel so defeated. She knew what he was like—we told her, she met him—and yet she couldn’t handle him. It makes me feel so sad for him because so many people in his life just give up on him straight away.
Now we’re stuck looking for another dog minder as soon as possible. We had prebooked this week and organized it with work, and now I’m in trouble with my manager for having to work from home today. I know it’s not his fault or the dog minder’s; they just weren’t compatible. But I can’t help feeling so upset about the situation.
If anyone has any support or has been through something similar, I’d really appreciate it.
I’m really sorry to hear that. It must be so discouraging, especially when you thought you had found someone who could care for your dog’s needs.
Try to reframe today in a more neutral or positive light. You almost lost your dog today and might never have seen him again. Thankfully, that didn’t happen, so in some ways, it was a lucky day, despite being sad and frustrating.
It sounds like the dog minder was a bit out of her depth and panicked. I worked in rescue for years and once had a fearful hound escape his crate and shoot out of the van when I opened the doors. We were in a city park, and my blood ran cold. It probably took 90 seconds to get him back, but it felt like 30 minutes.
When evaluating future minders, it’s okay to ask about specific experience with escape artists and anxious or fearful dogs. Expect more than just “yes, I have experience and will be fine.” Alternatively, you might look for someone who can stay at your home, where your dog will be more comfortable and less likely to bolt.
If anyone has any support or has been through something similar, I’d really appreciate it.
The dog minder was a little inexperienced unfortunately. I would suggest you introduce the dog slowly to the next dog minder.
You want to make sure your dog is ok being left there. Spend some time with your dog at the child minder and once he’s comfortable there, leave him for 5 mins or 30 minutes. If it’s not possible to be on the premises because of other dogs there, instead have a walk and then leave him there for a short time.
Once he can handle that, organise short stays at the child minder so he can learn to relax there between the walks and activities. Build up progressively to a full day.
Unfortunately, the dog minder lacked experience. I would propose that you progressively introduce the dog to the next dog minder.
You want to make sure your dog is comfortable being left there. Spend some time with your dog at the child minder, and after he’s at ease, leave him for 5 or 30 minutes. If you are unable to stay on the grounds due to other dogs, take him for a walk and then leave him there for a short period of time.
Once he is able to manage it, arrange for brief visits at the childminder so he may learn to relax in between walks and activities. Build up gradually to a full day.
Yes, I got the impression as well. She looked so confidence in him, and I assumed that after seeing him for 2-3 hours, she’d be able to make an informed choice about whether he was fit or not, but I believe we needed a trial first.
We also believe he may not be suitable for home boarding. She suggested that he could do better in a larger setting with more dogs, which I agree with. He has a lot of energy, and I would expect that other dogs would help him burn it off.