Find the right dog sitter

By Amber Kingsley

Here in America, we love our animals, to the tune of over 36% of dogs in households and more than 30% of people with cats. We also take very good care of them since the average home spends almost $400 per year on veterinary care for their pooch and just under $200 on medical expenses for their kitties.

Many pet owners, who want to provide their pets the best care for their dogs, hire dog sitters to take care of their furry pals at home.

And other industries in the United States are also taking notice of how attached people are to their pets and are allowing them into their businesses. Not just animal care stores like Petco and Petsmart, there are some other interesting places that pets are becoming more popular:

Hotels and Motels

Nowadays, many big hotel chains will allow pets at their facilities. Some charge a small cleaning fee or have a deposit policy in place and others may have a size restriction, but the fifty-pound weight limit is seldom enforced, but always check before booking. Some of the many places you can stay with your pet are:

● Best Western
● Drury Inn
● Fairmont Hotels and Resorts
● Hotel Indigo
● Kimpton Hotels
● La Quinta Hotels
● Loews Hotels and Resorts
● Red Roof Inn

Restaurants

You wouldn’t think that restaurants would be too keen on having dogs on the premises, primarily due to health code concerns, but there are thousands of restaurants across the US that will allow animals in their outdoor dining areas. If they are leashed and well behaved, dogs are welcome coast-to-coast, from The Barking Dog Luncheonette in New York to the O’Bistro Cafe in San Diego. At sites like Yelp, you can search for “Dog friendly restaurants,” in any city.

Rise of the Dog Park

According to USA Today, dog parks are growing at a rate faster than traditional ones citing statistics from 2010 when there were 569 of them in major cities, a 34% increase in five years when regular parks only grew by 3% during the same time. Citizens of Portland, Oregon love their puppies with the highest per capita ratio of dog parks to people at 5.7 per 100,000 people.

This increase in playgrounds for pooches follows a demographic that shows there are now more households with dogs at 43 million, compared to homes with children at 38 million. In many of these outdoor exercise arenas, things like benches and fences are funded by members of the community that purchase plaques or donate money towards the upkeep of the park and grounds.

Whether you’re playing in the park, vacationing with your furry friend, going on the road with Rover or flying with Fluffy, bringing them along isn’t always possible. So check out the infographic for tips on getting the best dog sitter for your pup should you need to leave them at home for an extended period of time.

Amber Kingsley is a young BFA graduate of a liberal arts university who majored in art history
and is now traveling as much as possible, working as a freelance writer. She loves art, photography, and music. She has a Yorkie puppy named Charles (“Charlie”) Xavier. Contact Amber through Google+.