Is there a solution to this? Diana writes in with a possible remedy:
"I have two dogs and my exchange info says that we will board them if necessary, but truthfully, I would rather not. How often do people really want you to board animals? Our dogs come and go out of our home whenever they please. I keep my sliding door ajar when I am home. They spend as much time in our fenced in yard as they do in the house and I wonder if most people would want them boarded."
Sending your animals to a kennel or a friend's home while you are on vacation could increase your swap options. It might make the difference for some people who don't want to deal with your pets during their stay in your home. But should you do it?
Over the course of our 40 exchanges, we boarded our cats for the convenience of swap partners exactly twice. The first time it was time for our new kitten to be spayed. Since she would be safer with the vet post-surgery, both cats stayed at the animal clinic. The kitten recovered from her operation better than she would have if she were running around at home. She was affectionate with the clinic staff and they allowed her to sit with them in their office.
Some pets do fine in a new environment. Others, most definitely, do not. Naturally shy, the adult cat spent those two weeks crouched in the corner of her cage. When I came to get her she was rigid with fear, and had been throughout her stay. The smells and sounds of the clinic's "patients" brought her fresh frights each day. What an awful experience for such a sweet cat.
Clearly, kenneling our pets was not going to allow them, or us, to have a relaxing vacation. We would have to find a new solution if we were to expand our home exchange horizons to include allergic swap partners.
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