being away from your kai

HappyBrindle

Hello all,


Life being what it is, situations may arise in which an owner has no choice but to be away from home for an extended period of time (sudden medical situations of loved ones involving long distances come to my mind, but I'm sure there are other circumstances, too.)
Dear kai owners, could you share any relevant experiences, and how you and your dog(s) handled such or similar situations?
I'm fortunate in having a relatively predictable and very stable family situation at this time; we also don't travel all that much. But if anything were to arise, I want to know what I can do to minimize anxiety for the family kai. Thank you for your insight!

WrylyBrindle

I have 4 dogs and one can't go anywhere or be boarded, so one of us stays home and the other handles what needs handling. If I just had the Kais, we could probably take them with us. They are small and well socialized.

Rikachan

@HappyBrindle - unfortunately, the example scenario you mention occurred with me this year. For the time being I live alone with my Kai Rika about 250km away from our family (children's schooling in Japan is super-stressful). My younger brother suddenly passed away at the beginning of the summer and there was no one I could ask to the care of her (my Kai Rika), since my wife's work schedule was booked at the time and I live in a remote location. I was able to find a vacancy at the relatively close pet store I use (they have a small hotel for pets too), so I vetted the environment and reluctantly left her there (the staff and facility were great, I'm just an overprotective dad) while I traveled overseas. Due to rescheduling, my wife was able to come up and take her to my house after a four day stay at the pet store.

What I learned from the experience: She was stressed and under exercised. She poo'ed in her room one of the days. (either stress or they didn't walk her enough). She's never had an accident in the house at any time while we've been together. We have two solid walks a day, rain, sun, snow, whatever (7-10km). I will change my wake and sleep schedule to accommodate her when my work schedule also changes.

At the hotel I was sure to leave her a favourite blanket and a toy, so she had some smells and sights from home.

When I came home, she was just fine. She was happy to see my wife when she was picked up, and she quickly, easily, naturally went right back into the daily groove she was used to (my wife makes sure to do things like walks and feeding just like I do). There was no problems with her afterwards, and when I came back home, she was happy to see me and didn't even "berate" me like she sometimes does if I have to occasionally leave her home alone after a long day at work.

UPDATE/NOTE: I should mention that the staff at the hotel said she was quite friendly, easy to walk, didn't complain, and presented no problems during her stay. However, even though I chose a "room" over a crate/cage during her stay, a room is only a 1 metre by 3 metre enclosure. About the size of a cramped convenience store WC.