Traveling This Summer? Here's What to Do With Your Dog

Summer is the busiest travel season of the year, and for dog owners, it comes with a question that starts the moment you book a flight: what happens to the dog?

It's not a small question. Your dog's wellbeing while you're away affects how relaxed you are on your trip, how healthy they stay, and how smoothly everything goes when you return. The options available to you have different implications for your pet — and knowing how to evaluate them makes the decision much easier.

Option 1: Bring Your Dog Along

For some trips, this is genuinely the right call. If you're driving to a pet-friendly destination, your dog handles travel well, and you've done it before without incident, bringing them can work beautifully.

The honest reality, though, is that most summer travel doesn't fit this description. Flights involve cargo holds, airline restrictions, and significant stress for most dogs. Road trips through desert heat require constant attention to temperature, rest stops, and car safety. And many hotels, vacation rentals, and family homes aren't set up for dogs in ways that work well for the animal.

If you're considering bringing your dog, think carefully about whether the trip is actually better for them — or just more convenient for you.

Option 2: Ask a Friend or Family Member

This works — until it doesn't. Relying on someone who loves your dog but doesn't have experience with dogs creates gaps: irregular feeding, skipped medications, incomplete supervision, or a sitter who doesn't know how to read your dog's stress signals.

It's also an imposition that compounds over longer trips. A friend who enthusiastically agrees to "watch the dog for a week" may underestimate what that actually involves. The result is often a sitter who is overwhelmed, a dog whose routine is inconsistent, and a pet owner who feels guilty about the whole arrangement.

If you go this route, be specific: write everything down, over-communicate expectations, and make sure the person knows what a vet emergency looks like and what to do.

Option 3: Boarding

Boarding facilities have become significantly more sophisticated in recent years. The best ones offer socialization groups, outdoor space, and webcam access so you can check in remotely.

For highly social dogs who thrive in group settings, boarding can be a legitimately good experience. For most adult dogs — especially those who are older, anxious, or bonded tightly to their home environment — boarding is stressful in ways that compound over the length of the stay.

The core issue is environmental: your dog is sleeping somewhere unfamiliar, surrounded by the sounds and smells of stressed animals, on a schedule that isn't theirs. That stress is real, even at a nice facility.

Option 4: In-Home Pet Sitting

An in-home sitter — one who stays in your home rather than visiting briefly each day — is the option that most closely replicates your dog's normal life. They stay in their own space, maintain their routine, and have consistent one-on-one attention from a person they've already met.

This approach tends to produce the calmest, healthiest dogs at the end of a stay. There's no adjustment period, no environmental anxiety, and no illness exposure from other animals. It's also the only option that keeps your home occupied and cared for while you travel — mail collected, lights on, house looking lived-in.

The tradeoff is that you're entrusting one person with both your pet and your home, so vetting matters. You want someone who is insured, experienced, willing to do a meet-and-greet before the stay, and communicates proactively throughout.

How to Choose

Your dog's temperament is the most important factor. A highly social, young, energetic dog who loves other dogs may do well in boarding. An older dog, an anxious dog, or one with medical needs will almost always be better served by in-home care.

The length of the trip matters too. A single overnight might work fine with a trusted friend. A week-long international trip is a different calculation — the stakes are higher, and the quality of care compounds over time.

Plan further ahead than you think you need to. Summer is the busiest season for pet sitting. Quality sitters in Los Angeles, Ventura, and Orange County book out weeks in advance. If you're traveling in July or August, this is the time to start looking.

One More Thing

Whatever option you choose, make sure your dog's ID tag is current, their microchip registration is up to date, and your sitter has your vet's contact information and the name of a backup emergency clinic. These aren't worst-case-scenario preparations — they're basic responsible travel for any pet owner.

If you'd like to talk through what in-home care would look like for your specific situation, I'm always happy to connect before you commit to anything. A good fit matters, and a quick conversation is the best place to start.