Dogsitting during hospital stay
Our first baby is due around the holidays (last week of December) and we are trying to figure out how to arrange dogsitting care without knowing the specific dates or times that we will need it. We don't have any family in the area and many of our friends will be out of town for the holidays. Does anyone have experience or suggestions about arranging for doggie care during labor and delivery in a hospital? Our dog is very low maintenance but does need to be let out every few hours and would need someone to stay with him overnight. Thanks!
Nov 7, 2021
Parent Replies
We've had really good experiences with Rover.com. Perhaps reach out to one of the sitters there and explain the situation and see what sort of flexibility they have?
Hello! Congratulations on the pending arrival of the new family member.
When we had a baby we left our dog with her walker which was fantastic and it gave us all the peace of mind.
It is something you can do starting ASAP. Most dog walkers do boarding for dogs they walk and that person will be the one who will be able to help last minute and most likely during the holidays. You can also consider keeping the walker for the first months after baby arrives as it is hectic times and it is good to provide the dog with routine.
We take our dog to doggie day care at Just Pet Me on Broadway in Oakland. They also do overnights and are SO flexible. You’d probably need to bring you’re dog in for an evaluation before baby comes, but they are so understanding and you don’t need a reservation in advance. We love them! We had our baby 2.5 weeks early in July and they were a lifesaver.
We dealt with this when our baby was born in April! What we ended up doing was boarding him at Dog Social Club in Oakland—we made a reservation starting on my due date but we called and explained the situation and they were really understanding when I went into labor a couple days early so had to start early. We probably could have just gone to drop him off there ourselves when my contractions first started but in the end we had a friend come let themselves in with a spare key and then take him to Dog Social Club. Hope that helps!