Animals in distress siezed in B.C.

[Catherine]

That is a very good guideline for recognizing a puppy mill. A real breeder will want you to see the whole litter and the parents and the grandparents if they have them. They will have pictures and stories. A real breeder will talk your ear off about the dogs and the dogs will clearly love the person and be friendly.

The same would be true of a boarding kennel. You should be able to see the whole place. The person should have some pets of their own that you can see interact with them.

There should not be too many animals at once.

Better is finding someone who will take your dog into her home. For a cat, a cat sitter who comes to your home is best.

A good animal sitter will not mind you checking out their place or asking for references. They will let you see their pets and you can judge how they act around animals.  The best place to find a sitter is to ask your local pet store (not a big box store).

I occasionally board small animals like guinea pigs, rabbits and hamsters. I don't have more than one pet boarding at a time(two if the person has a pair). You are welcome to look my place over, handle my animals, sit down to a cup of tea and ask as many questions as you want. I keep any boarding animal in my kitchen so I can keep a close eye on it.

I do a bit of cat sitting. We are preparing a month in advance for a 9 week cat sitting. I know the cat well and I plan to take dinner over and eat with the cat and things like that to keep her company.  My neighbours know I will look after Zooey very well. I will make sure she gets her meds.

A person that knows you and your pet and is a friend is more likely to actually care for your pet.

I turn my place into bunny spa when Luna Bunny comes.