Subject: Frommers
From: "Merilee:::Kern Communications" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 20 Feb 2008 22:46:30 -0800

http://www.frommers.com/blog/2008/01/new-solutions-to-take-care-of-fido-and.html.

Comments, opinion and advice from the founder of Frommer's Travel Guides

Jan 14, 2008
New solutions to take care of Fido and Fluffy during your vacation
In speaking with friends about how their recent holidays went, I was surprised by how many mentioned that they had to alter, curtail, and sometimes even abandon their vacation plans simply to accommodate the schedule of their pet-sitter. 

Some people are lucky enough to have a nearby family member who can temporarily adopt the dog, or a neighbor who can stop by the house to care for the cats (and, as a bonus, pick up the mail and water the plants). But what happens if you don't have a trusted pet sitter, or if your usual helper is unavailable, as is often the case around popular holidays? 

Many people would rather ditch their travel plans than board their beloved pets in a kennel, where animals typically spend 20 hours or more per day in a small cage (for cats: 24 hours a day) and may be exposed to diseases (including the common and dreaded "kennel cough"). What's more, kennels frequently book up early for popular travel times.

When your choice is between the kennel and canceling you plans, consider using the Internet to find a pet-sitter. The options range from using the un-vetted virtual classifieds of your local version of Craigslist (www.craigslist.org) to signing up with one of the new, specialized services that have popped up. 

Fetch! Pet Care (www.fetchpetcare.com), founded in 2002, has 120 franchises offering pet-sitting, dog-walking, private boarding (a kind of "free-range" kenneling), and related services in 32 states. Care.com (www.care.com), founded in 2006, maintains lists of independent pet-sitters, babysitters/nannies, elder care, and tutors across the United States. 

With Care.com, though you can view in-depth profiles of care-givers for free, you must pay to become a "premium" member if you want to get the contact information and run background checks (at Fetch!, all employees are subjected to a background search). Fees are $15 registration plus $25 for one month, $45 for three months, or $120 for a year.

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The Author
 Arthur Frommer is generally acknowledged to be the nation's foremost travel authority. He is the founder of the Frommer's travel guides, the author of a twice-weekly newspaper column syndicated by King Features and the host of a nationwide Sunday travel radio program broadcast to more than a hundred stations by the W.O.R. network