The best dog holiday care for your pup

Two cute, fluffy pooches with floppy ears, one brown and one golden, sit closely next to one another.

The best dog holiday care for your pup

25 September 2023

Whether you travel for longer periods of time or prefer weekends away, for some dogs, when they can't join you, BorrowMyDoggy can be a better dog holiday care option than dog kennels.

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We have such a pawsome community of borrowers who offer a helping hand to owners just like you, all for the love of dogs. If you have a holiday planned and your pooch has to stay at home, a lovely local borrower may be able to provide the care your dog needs while you’re away.

Alternative Dog Holiday Care to Kennels

Whether you’re going away for a day, a weekend or longer, each one of our premium borrowers has been verified and covered by our safety features, so you can have peace of mind that your dog is well cared for.

Dogs are such special members of the family so we’ve pulled together some helpful tips and advice on finding holiday care for your dog through BorrowMyDoggy. Here’s everything you need to know:

Doggy member Elvis, the Miniature Dachshund lying on a blanket in the comfort of his own home whilst his owner's are away — Doggy member Elvis, the Miniature Dachshund

Our tips for finding a borrower for holiday care

Search before you subscribe - we allow all members to sign up for free to take a look at the suitable matches in your area before they subscribe. We often recommend increasing your search radius as pick-ups/drop-offs will be less regular.
Start contacting borrowers as early as possible - once you've taken a look around, you can subscribe and start messaging. Finding the right match can take some time, from messaging to regular meets, so the earlier you start your search, the better.
Tailor your messages - as borrowers are volunteering their time they might not all be able to offer holiday cover, especially at short notice. Always start a conversation by asking them more about them, what they're looking for, their availability etc. before mentioning specific dates. Borrowers want to get to know you and your dog and build up a relationship before any borrowing. Check out our messaging guide for more tips.
Get to know more than one borrower - send as many messages to suitable borrowers as possible, the more members you contact the more likely you are to find a match. You may not find one borrower to cover all your dates, so why not try finding 2 or 3 borrowers to help? Or if they can't help this time, they may still be able to help in the future.
Get to know each other really well - it might go without saying, but get to know borrowers really well before they borrow your dog on their own.
House visits - whether borrowers are coming to your home or your dog is staying with them, we recommend home visits too. Here’s what to look out for a dog-safe home.
Go for walks first - we find that the best holiday care is given by borrowers who have spent time getting to know a pup first. This can be regular or ad hoc walks or even shorter stays before an owner goes away - we want everyone to be comfortable.
Say thanks - As borrowers can’t accept payment (as this voids our insurance) why not say thanks with a card, a box of chocolates or something pooch-themed?

Doggy member Milo, the Cockapoo chilling in the garden — Doggy member Milo, the Cockapoo

What our members have to say

Many of our owners find wonderful borrowers to help them with their pup while they're on holiday.

Frequent traveller and owner Maggie joined BorrowMyDoggy for dog holiday care because she found kennels “tough” and that her dog, Maximus, would “pick up bad habits”.

When we go on holiday, we know Maximus is having a fantastic time as well. We’ve become friends with our borrower and it’s nice to leave your dogs with a friend as opposed to a kennel where you don’t know anybody.

Our owners often share that BorrowMyDoggy is a more affordable option than traditional kennels and dog walkers, especially as our annual membership helps to cover subscribed owners and borrowers when taking care of a premium BorrowMyDoggy dog.

Darcy’s owners, Michael and Rosanna, love to be with their dog all the time, but as they shared:

BorrowMyDoggy interested us as it puts us in touch with people who genuinely love dogs. We trust that BorrowMyDoggy borrowers are going to love and care for our pet as much as we do. If we want to go away for the weekend, BorrowMyDoggy is such a better experience than kennels as she gets constant attention from her borrower, Lauren.

BorrowMyDoggy can be an alternative solution to kennels where owners can have peace of mind knowing their dog is well taken care of by someone who wants to look after their dog simply because they love dogs, not to get paid.

Find holiday care for your dog

We hope you find a lovely borrower to help you soon. If you’re ever struggling to find the right match please do not hesitate to contact our help team.