The New York Times
July 31, 2005

TIME FOR VACATION: WHO WILL WATCH THE DOG?

By Margaret Farley Steele

Before leaving for California this summer, Karen Young of Darien hired
a pet sitter for her two dogs, a local woman willing to come into her
home to prepare the high-carb meals the older dog needed.

Mimi Brophy of Darien hired a woman not only to come into her home to
play with and walk her 9-year-old yellow lab when the family was in
Colorado, but also to administer the pills he takes.

For pet owners, renting a cottage and making airplane reservations are
just the start of the vacation process. Finding someone, and for most
pet owners it has to be the right someone, to dote on the dogs, cats
and parakeets is a challenge and can be expensive, costing as much as
$55 a day in Connecticut for boarding and sometimes even more for in-
home care.

"You would have had to call in March for a booking in July and
August," said Helen Larkin, who operates Larkin's Run Kennels in
Durham with her husband, Tim. In early July, they were already three-
quarters full for Christmas week, she said. Debra Bennetts, a
spokeswoman for the Best Friends Pet Care chain, which has four
locations in Connecticut, said some people book a year in advance.

"It is not uncommon for us to be full on summer weekends and for whole
weeks in July and August," she said.

Mrs. Young tried kennels, teenagers and others to care for her dogs
when she was away before finding Monica Frate, a pet sitter in Darien.
Her rates can hit $70 a day to care for two dogs.

"The continuity gives me peace of mind," Mrs. Young said. "I know
they'll eat what they should be eating, and they're happy in their own
environment."

For overnight stays, the expectations have risen. Many pet owners are
looking for more than just a bed and a roof. Jim Krack, executive
director of ABKA, the trade association for pet care service
providers, said pet owners were looking for supervised community play
time, one-on-one exercise sessions and cage-free boarding. (The name
change from the American Boarding Kennels Association reflects the new
more active style of kenneling, he said.)

"Dogs are viewed as members of the family now, and their owners want
kennels to offer the same amenities that they would want day care to
provide for their children," Mr. Krack said.

All-day indoor play is included in the $55 overnight rate at Dog Gone
Smart in Norwalk, with indoor swimming in a heated pool ($15)
available, too. At Best Friends, the tab can hit $50 a day. At its
Norwalk location, basic boarding ranges from $26 to $30 a night,
depending on size, but nearly 85 percent of customers book playtime,
either a two-hour play group for an extra $20 or 15-minute one-on-one
sessions with a staff member for $6, Ms. Bennetts said.

In the search for lodging, no distance is too great. The Larkins of
Durham, who have 69 dog runs on 6 acres about 95 miles from Manhattan,
have a steady clientele from New York City, people who value country
living for dogs and pay $20 to $38 a day. Guinea pigs, rabbits and
even hermit crabs are welcome; a pot-bellied pig was a regular guest
for several years.

"We'll take anything as long as the owners feel comfortable," Mrs.
Larkin said.

Roger Ball, the owner of Day Hill Kennels in Windsor and who cares for
pets from around the state and Massachusetts, said a 45-minute drive
was not out of the question for his clients.

"We strive for a personal relationship with the owners," he said. "We
know the pet when it comes in. People will drive a long way for that
comfort level."

Many pet owners prefer in-home care to kennels. Some sitters stay at
the owners' homes; others, like Tina Dodge of Guilford, make house
calls three and four times a day. She charges $15 a visit.

"Boarding seems cruel to me," said Mrs. Brophy, in Darien, who has had
the same sitter since her dog was a puppy. "Bailey gets frightened.
She needs to be out and walked and around people. I also worry about
kennel cough."

Mrs. Young of Darien also likes having the plants watered and the mail
collected, duties pet sitters routinely undertake. Nursing and even
cooking can come with the job.

"Some people give you a recipe to follow and microwave instructions,
the whole nine yards," said Tonya Vellotti of Norwalk, Bailey's pet
sitter, as she diced a long-simmering chicken that she was serving
with rice to a dog that had cancer.

Cathe Delaney, membership coordinator of the National Association of
Professional Pet Sitters in Mount Laurel, N.J., said sitters can make
a lot of money. Some sitters said $100,000 was within reach of an
enterprising dog walker in Connecticut.

"Most of them don't even work at it themselves," Ms. Delaney said.
"They send out their staff. "

Pet Sitters International in King, N.C., has 121 members in
Connecticut and about 7,350 nationwide. Both organizations offer
members insurance and provide referrals.

Most pet sitters charge by the half-hour. The average rate nationally
in 2003 was $14.36 a half hour, plus $1 to $3 per additional pet, Ms.
Delaney said. (The national average for kennels is $16.65 a day.) Ms.
Frate of Darien charges $15 a walk; $60 for 24-hour care. In
Brookfield, Liz Noble bills $20 a visit or $65 for an overnight plus
$20 for any midday dog walks.

"It's become the trendy business," said Ms. Frate, a dog sitter since
2000. "A lot of young mothers are doing it for extra income."

She has a steady weekday clientele and said she takes only one
additional round-the-clock vacation job at a time, referring others to
her partner or other area dog walkers. She also limits her clientele
to Darien and parts of Norwalk because of the high price of gasoline.

Established sitters said pets and their owners must be well behaved.
Ms. Vellotti, who has been bitten countless times, will not work with
consistently aggressive dogs or clients who "abuse their privileges"
-- treating her disrespectfully or always calling at the last minute,
for instance. She has cared for chinchillas, birds, horses and even a
monkey. "I'll never do a monkey again," she said. "It threw poop at
me."

Want the names of sitters or kennels that are a really good deal? Good
luck. Some pet owners guard the identity of their beloved caregivers
the way some parents conceal baby sitters' names. Most secretive of
all are those using the pet-care underground -- people who care for
dogs in their own homes. These businesses don't have a commercial
kennel license, which costs $100 and requires inspection by a State
Department of Agriculture agent, so they operate on the sly.

Licensing is meant to keep animals healthy, said Wayne Kacasek, deputy
director of regulation and inspection for the agriculture department.
He said the state had issued 246 licenses.

"We're not swooping through the countryside rounding up kids who are
walking dogs," Mr. Kacasek said. But those who advertise and run a
commercial operation must have a license.

Still, the pet-care underground is popular. A "bed and breakfast" for
pets in East Windsor touts a low-stress cage-free environment and
takes in just one or two dogs or cats for $25 a night. A similar
family-style setup in Stamford charges $50 a day. There, the dogs roam
and romp as they would in their own homes. Such operations have always
existed, but it's impossible to track their growth because they avoid
conventional advertising and publicity, said Mr. Krack of the ABKA.

Two dogs belonging to Debbie Berman of Rye Brook, N.Y., stay at a home
in Meriden several weeks a year.

"My dogs get so spoiled," she said. "They sleep in their bed and ride
in their car. It would be easier to go to a kennel 10 minutesaway and
I'm sure they would get good care, but it's not the same. I am happy
to make the trip because I know my dogs will be happy. They love it
there."