Leaving Your Dog While Traveling: Complete Care Checklist

Written by Elle Padgham, Communications Lead.

Leaving your dog while you travel is easier when the care plan feels boringly familiar. The right sitter or boarding facility, a written routine, current veterinary information and a low-key handoff can reduce surprises for everyone. The best arrangement depends on the individual dog, not on a universal rule that home care or boarding is always better.

This US checklist covers how to choose care, run a trial, prepare supplies, authorize emergency decisions and return home without turning the whole trip into a dramatic event.

Should your dog stay at home or board?

Some dogs settle best in their own home with a trusted sitter. Familiar sleeping spots, smells and walking routes can make the daily rhythm easier to preserve. Other dogs need the staffing, secure facilities or medical access of a well-run boarding kennel or veterinary boarding service. A confident social dog may enjoy a carefully managed facility, while a dog who finds unfamiliar dogs or noise difficult may not.

UC Davis veterinary behavior guidance recommends deciding around the individual animal and notes that boarding or veterinary facilities can suit dogs with specific medical or exercise needs. Ask your veterinarian when age, illness, pregnancy, injury or behavior makes the choice less straightforward.

Choose and check the caregiver

Interview a sitter in your home or tour the boarding facility before paying a nonrefundable balance. Watch how staff approach your dog. Calm observation and consent matter more than an instant cuddle. Check references, insurance, training, staffing, overnight supervision, escape prevention and the backup plan if the assigned caregiver becomes ill.

Questions for a pet sitter

• Who provides backup care if you cannot attend?
• How often will you visit, walk and update me?
• How do you secure doors, gates, keys and alarms?
• Can you give this medication exactly as directed?
• What would make you call my veterinarian or an emergency clinic?
• Are you trained in pet first aid, and are you insured?
• Will anyone else enter my home or handle my dog?

Questions for a boarding facility

• Which vaccines and parasite precautions are required, and when must records arrive?
• How are dogs grouped, rested and monitored?
• Are kennels, play areas and exterior doors secured by more than one barrier?
• What happens during severe weather, a power outage or evacuation?
• Is a veterinarian on site or on call?
• Can staff follow a measured diet and medication schedule?
• Will you stop group activity if my dog shows stress?

The UC Davis boarding guide recommends prioritizing facilities with clear vaccine requirements and preparing medication in original containers with written timing and dose instructions.

Run a short trial before a long trip

A meet-and-greet is useful, but a trial visit gives better evidence. Ask the sitter to complete one walk and meal while you are nearby, or book a short daycare visit or one overnight stay at the facility. Check eating, drinking, sleep, stool, escape behavior and recovery after the trial. A little tiredness can be normal after novelty. Persistent panic, injury, vomiting, diarrhea or refusal to eat deserves discussion before a longer stay.

Do not introduce Finch & Barker Mushroom Chews as a last-minute travel solution. They are an everyday wellness product for eligible adult dogs, not a calming aid, sedative or treatment for separation-related distress.

Prepare a written dog care sheet

Leave one printed copy in an obvious place and send a digital copy. Use exact quantities and times instead of phrases such as "a scoop" or "as usual." Photograph the food measure and demonstrate medication. Give the caregiver permission to tell you when a request is unclear.

• your itinerary, time zone and two ways to contact you;
• a local backup person who has agreed to help;
• your regular veterinarian and nearest emergency clinic;
• written veterinary authorization and an agreed spending limit;
• current medications, allergies, diagnoses and vaccine records;
• food amount, meal times, water routine and foods to avoid;
• walking route, harness fit, bathroom cues and yard rules;
• sleeping place, safe room, crate routine and maximum alone time;
• known triggers, bite or escape history and handling preferences;
• microchip number, current photos and ID-tag information.

Count enough food and medication for the full trip plus a reasonable delay. Store everything in original or clearly labeled containers. Never ask a sitter to hide a bite history, improvise a medication dose or let the dog roam off leash.

Make emergencies actionable

Write what the caregiver should do first if your dog escapes, is injured, repeatedly vomits, has trouble breathing or cannot urinate. Confirm which clinic is open after hours and how transport will work. Tell the veterinary office who may authorize care. A phone number without permission, transport or payment planning is not a complete emergency plan.

If an eligible adult dog already follows a stable routine with Mushroom Chews, record the labeled serving for the sitter and keep it separate from food and medication. Do not start them during the trip, double a missed serving or describe them as treatment for anxiety.

Keep departure day ordinary

Meet normal exercise and bathroom needs, then use a brief familiar goodbye. Do not exhaust the dog or create a long emotional ritual. Leave enough time to hand over a health change, but avoid rushing around the dog. For boarding, follow the facility's drop-off instructions and disclose vomiting, coughing, diarrhea, limping or medication changes before arrival.

Pack familiar, safe items only when the facility allows them. A washable mat or blanket can carry familiar scent, but loose bedding and toys may not be suitable for every chewer or kennel setup. Label possessions and accept that safety policies may require alternatives.

Updates without micromanaging

Agree on a realistic update schedule before leaving. Ask for useful observations: appetite, water, bathroom habits, medications, energy, sleep and any unusual event. Constant messages can distract a caregiver and may increase your own anxiety. One clear daily report is often more useful than a stream of vague photos.

When your dog struggles

Call the veterinarian if a dog stops eating, repeatedly vomits, develops diarrhea, seems painful, has breathing difficulty, becomes unusually lethargic or shows another concerning change. Behavior distress also matters. Repeated escape attempts, self-injury, prolonged vocalizing, inability to settle or refusal to eliminate may require a different environment and professional advice.

Do not instruct a sitter to give human medication, cannabis products, another pet's prescription or an improvised calming dose. Significant separation-related distress needs a veterinarian and a qualified reward-based behavior professional, not a supplement experiment.

Coming home

Greet calmly, take the dog out and return to the normal meal and sleep schedule. Ask the caregiver for a factual handoff before judging the trip by the first excited minutes. Some dogs sleep more after a stimulating stay. Contact the caregiver or veterinarian about persistent coughing, diarrhea, vomiting, injury, pain, appetite loss or major behavior change.

Frequently asked questions

Is a pet sitter always less stressful than boarding?

No. Many dogs prefer home, while others benefit from facility staffing, security or medical support. Judge the dog, caregiver and environment together.

How early should I book dog care?

Book as early as practical, especially around US holidays, and leave time for interviews, records and a trial. High-quality providers can fill months ahead.

Should I video-call my dog?

Usually the update is for you, not the dog. Some dogs react to a voice without being able to find the person. Let the caregiver decide whether a call helps or disrupts settling.

What if my dog takes medication?

Confirm that the caregiver is willing and able to give it, provide original containers and written instructions, demonstrate the method and leave veterinary contacts and authorization.