Views and Interviews

Mallika Kumar – IT consultant

We have two cats that are so strongly grounded at home that they will not survive even for one day anywhere else - even the neighbor’s place which is practically next door. (And a familiar hunting ground for food, when they have fish on their menu for lunch, or dinner.)

I sometimes think it’s easier to take a dog on a vacation with you, than a cat. For one thing, I haven’t seen it done before; I also think it’s hard restraining a cat at a resort location. And if I do manage to take my cats along, I’ll find them on a tree in five minutes – and refusing to come down. Keeping them on a leash defeats the purpose of going on a vacation with your pets.

Veena Bhaskaran – interior designer

We have a friendly dog, who loves a change of scene as often as we can manage that. Long drives, walks in the park, and vacations in country-home settings – these are some of the things he loves to be part of. But taking him to a resort at our timeshare location is not an option, because our home resort does not allow pets as part of the family. So that’s a NO even before we get there.

I am looking at other timeshare resorts via the exchange options available, and I have come across one that does allow pets. But there’s more to it than simply taking your pet along; you’ve got to check on pet-handling guidelines and other restrictions that may be enforced in public spaces. You also need to check on meal options available, and what you can additionally take along. (Things like basic medication based on guidelines given by your vet.)

Gauri Srinivasan – investment advisor

We have three dogs at home, and if you’re saying a vacation becomes difficult with one pet, imagine our predicament with three. It’s a huge challenge for us, and very expensive if we were to consider a good kennel service option for one week.

Another problem with a kennel service is the infections your dogs can pick up out there – even if a place is managed well. Our timeshare resort is pet friendly but has a limit on the number of dogs you can bring along per room booking. And that invariably is one dog per booking.

Vinod Prabhu – banking professional

I have a cousin in Chennai who volunteered last year to come over and look after our dogs – right here at home. She’s a real dog lover and our dogs took to her almost instantly – I think they can instinctively tell when it’s someone who can connect on their frequency.

Having a family member taking over that responsibility at home (which is familiar ground) makes things easy and reassuring. Because we can keep in touch via phone calls and video calls – just to keep the conversations going with our pets.

Frankly, I am not comfortable with the thought of using a pet as a reason for not going on a vacation, though that could be one of the reasons. If you don’t have a cousin helping out, as mine did, find a friend (dog lover) who can look after your pet for a week. It’s going to be difficult, but you can try.

There you go – you’ve just heard what young professionals have to say about the prospect of taking a pet along on your vacation. Or the challenges linked to leaving a pet behind. They also talk about resorts not opening their doors to dogs (and other pets.)

We’ve also realized that pets and vacations can draw many comments, suggestions, and feedback – so we’re keeping this line open. For information on kennels, volunteer caregivers, and other services you might find useful.

Here’s some additional reading on the subject:

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