I have had to board my dogs a few times. Typically I do board them at my Vets kennel. But that kennel is in such demand, often times they are booked, way in advance, and unavailable on a moments notice. (For those wierd emergency situations.) I think its a good idea to research kennels and find a couple that you like even when you think you wont need them; so you are not scrambling, in the event of an emergency, to find a place to take your dogs. And yes, a good kennel will take both your Vets information and your emergency contact information. And you will sign a release that allows them to take your pet to your vet and authorize treatment should be it necessary. However, in the age of cell phones, this is probably less of an issue than it was in the past. I know one kennel owner who wants you to bring your dog there and spend time with him there a couple times per year, so the dog doesn't not associate the kennel as a place that you always leave him. She's a great dog lady and kenneling your dog there is like a doggie vacation. But she is too far away for it to be practicle for us to use. But If I had to leave my dogs for an extended period of time, for some reason and couldn't get a house sitter, that is the place I would take them. I have visited a few supposedly reputable kennels that I would not leave my dogs at, so its important to look around.

It sounds as though she's not urinating outside before you go to bed at night, right? How much do you walk with her when you take her out and how long are you outside with her at night? Is she peeing only at night or during the day also? I think she needs more consistent training along with lots of praise when she goes outside. Also try to train her to a command as she pees. My dog as learned that 'go tinkle' means just that. He drops his toy and runs over to his favorite place and does his job.........then comes running back with the happiest look on his face! If you don't like crate training, take her out on a regular basis, every 3-4 hrs or even more often, and watch closely for signs when she needs to go out.

I know what you're going through! The neighbor behind me had her house broken into and got a large dog to "guard" her property. Problem was that this dog barks at everything- makes no difference if it's a person or a butterfly. My husband and I were in the back yard discussing the best way to install a drip system and couldn't hear ourselves talking and we were less than 3 feet from each other. She's such a good neighbor in every other way, but she just doesn't see the problem. She thinks he'll grow out of it. Okay, he's 2 years old now and I told her "He's done growing. This has to be trained out of him". I was so tired of working in my garden and having this huge dog practically throw himself against the chain link fence between us and barking in my face. I felt like I had made it clear that there was a problem that needed to be addressed and it was also clear that she wasn't going to do anything about it, so I decided that I had to take care of the problem myself. Involving the police would be a last resort. I tried making friends with the dog. No help. Still barked. I did a bit of research and finally ended up buying a device similar to the one you talked about. But I bought a small hand held box that I could take out into the garden with me and use when necessary. My limited research suggested that an ultrasonic wave coming from an unknown source would surely irritate the dog, but that he would not be able to associate it with the fact that "I" was the one he shouldn't bark at. I mean, I don't expect a dog never to bark. Dogs bark. I just didn't want him barking at ME. The research also suggested that this wave should be preceded by a command. So, each time I was in the backyard I took the box with me. I'd go about my work and when he barked, I'd firmly say, "Cody, stop!" and push the button. Immediate results, but not permanent. Each time, the routine was the same. It only took a couple of days for success. Now, when I'm in the backyard and he senses a presence, he takes a run toward the fence. When he sees me, he slows to a walk and lowers his head and ambles on by. If someone else is in the yard with me, sometimes he'll bark, and he gets his "Cody, stop!". That's all it takes now. If my neighbor is out back when Cody barks and hears my command and his response, she just thinks he's figured it out himself. Yeah, he's figured it out alright. I would never tell her what method I used though. I might lose a good neighbor. I hope you have success with your problem.

Dogs don’t just pee “anyway”. That is nothing more than the excuse of a lazy owner. Dogs pee when they signal that they need to go and are ignored or when they are physically unable to hold it. I hope they aren’t just drawing the conclusion that it’s because she’s old as well. There are lots of reasons as to why a female dog might be incontinent, like a bladder infection or a problem stemming from when she was spayed. Heck, our dog had a problem with incontinence an it ended up being because of the cr*ppy prescription food the Vet wanted her on. It started shortly after we started feeding it to her for some tummy problems and it stopped immediately when I chose to stop feeding it to her. These owners need to step up to the plate and take care of the old girl the way she deserves to be cared for. Scenarios like this always baffle me. I mean, why have an animal if you don’t value it’s companionship and/or enjoy taking care of it? Nicole, I hope you don’t step back and let the owners care for their dog. She obviously needs a compassionate advocate who can speak for her and gently encourage the owners to do better.