Macy Moore
Owner, MoorePetLove · Oakville, ON
If your dog panics when you leave the room, the idea of leaving them somewhere for a week probably makes your stomach drop. I get it — and I've boarded a lot of dogs whose owners started the conversation with "I don't know if this is even possible." It usually is. Anxious dogs can board well, but the setup matters enormously. Here's what actually works, from someone who does this in her own home.
Separation anxiety is about safety — your dog believes the world is only safe when you're in it. A kennel environment stacks the deck against an anxious dog: unfamiliar smells, constant barking, a cage between them and comfort. A home environment removes most of those triggers. There's a couch, a kitchen, a person moving around doing normal-person things all day. It's not home, but it rhymes with home — and for an anxious dog, that rhyme is what lets their nervous system stand down.
An anxious dog in a group of twenty is invisible. Nobody notices they haven't eaten, that they're pacing at 2 a.m., that they only relax when someone sits with them. I cap my group at 2–3 dogs specifically so nothing gets missed. With an anxious dog, the first day is often just quiet proximity — letting them follow me around, not asking anything of them, feeding by hand if they're too keyed up for the bowl. You can only do that when the dog isn't one of dozens.
Three things move the needle most. First, the meet and greet — always free, and for anxious dogs I'd suggest more than one visit if there's time, so the house becomes familiar territory. Second, pack scent: a blanket off your bed, a worn t-shirt. It sounds small; it isn't. Third, practice absences at home in the weeks before — short departures that end well, so "you leaving" loses a bit of its charge. If your dog is on anxiety medication or a vet-recommended supplement, send it along with clear instructions.
The long, emotional goodbye feels loving, but it tells your dog something is wrong. The kindest drop-off is boring: walk in, hand over the leash, warm and quick, leave. Most dogs — even genuinely anxious ones — settle within the first hour once the goodbye is over. The anticipation is worse than the reality, for both of you.
Don't take a boarder's word that your dog is "doing great" — look for proof. During stays with me you get daily photo updates through the app, GPS-tracked walks, and a digital report card. A photo of your dog asleep on the couch with loose, floppy body language tells you more than any reassuring text. And a good boarder will tell you the truth on day one, including "she's still unsettled, here's what I'm doing about it" — because honest information is what lets you actually enjoy your trip.
The free meet and greet is where we figure out, together, whether boarding will work for your anxious pup — and what their stay should look like. Bring your questions and their favourite blanket.