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The time for holiday festivities is fast approaching and animals around the world are in desperate need of a place to stay while their parents travel. This means it is time for all pet parents to make the tough decision on who to trust with their fur babies, whether it is friends, family, a pet sitter, a boarding facility or themselves.   

Downtown Doggy Daycare, Canine Country Club, Wild Paws, Bark Avenue Pet Resort, Smitten Kitten and Wags are just a few pet boarding facilities located in the Des Moines and Ankeny areas.   

If considering a pet sitter, apps like Rover, Wag and Fetch are a great way to start looking around. Asking other pet parents who utilize a pet sitter is also a good way to find someone trustworthy who has experience.   

However, if asking a stranger is too much, another option is having a friend or family member pet sit instead.   

Dog owner Siri Chanthavong brought another obstacle up, explaining she has her daughter pet sit because dog boarding is very pricey. 

For young college students with pets, schooling and animals can be expensive. If the goal is to save a little cash while also utilizing a boarding facility, some of the cheaper options include Downtown Doggy Daycare and Bark Avenue Pet Resort.   

Downtown Doggy Daycare, the cheapest kenneling, starts at $39 a night for 1-3 days with prices lowering the longer the stay.   

Bark Avenue Pet Resort also provides a more budget-friendly option with their lowest rates starting at $34.95 for standard overnight care.   

However, price is not the only deciding factor. Some pet parents also value the comfort and happiness of their animal while they are away.   

“It’s good for her to have some time away too. When we get going on holiday vacation, she, in theory, gets to go have fun too,” said dog parent Jed Findlay.   

Chanthavong also brought up a concern about her own dog.  

“She gets a little attached sometimes, so that’s what I worry about too… Sometimes when I leave the house and don’t come back, I’ll see that she didn’t eat her food because she gets depressed cause nobody’s home, and then once I come home then she’ll start eating and drinking,” Chanthavong said. “If she goes to other places, then I don’t know if she would eat or drink.”   

This is a concern that some pet parents can relate to, as it is common for some animals to become stressed in the environment a boarding facility provides. It is not a guarantee though, as the Findlay household acknowledges that their dog Layla loves Wild Paws, the boarding facility she stays at while they’re gone.   

“She gets there and gets excited and frankly doesn’t really want to come home when we get her,” Findlay said.   

Now, when looking at cats, Smitten Kitten is one of few feline boarding facilities in the area with fees starting at $30 a day for one cat. They also offer grooming services, a place to purchase cat supplies and it is even a location that hosts adoptable cats with their partner, Whiskers TNR.   

Some cat owners choose to leave their cats at home, leaving a pet sitter, friend or family to come and check up on them instead.   

“With the cats we left them here and we’d have neighbors who’d come and take care of [them],” Findlay said.   

The reasoning behind this decision was simply because of the amount of attention each animal needs, as their cats did fine on their own while their dog needed more.   

In the end, the decision should be based on what is available to the pet parent, as well as what works for them and their animal. Every animal and person are different, and not everything will work out the same way as it did for others. It is important to put comfort and happiness above all else and, as Findlay said, “find a place where they’re happy and you’re happy.”