Anyone else tied down due to your animals?

[GMAMINIS]

OUR ANIMALS PLAY A BIG PART IN WHAT WE CAN AND CANNOT DO. WE TRIED GOING CAMPING LAST YEAR AND THAT WAS A DISASTER. MY HUSBAND IS NOT AS NERVOUS AS I SO I WAS ON THE PHONE ASKING MY BROTHER IN LAW TO GO CHECK THEM TWICE A DAY ALONG WITH MY MOM AND DAD CHECKING THEM AND CARING FOR THEM.NEEDLESS TO SAY WE ENDED UP HOME 2 DAY EARLY. I GUESS THERE IS SO MUCH TO DO AND FEED I AM ALWAYS AFRAID SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET IT MESSED UP. MY MOM AND I TAKE TURNS CARING FOR EACH OTHERS ANIMALS WHILE WE ARE OUT OF TOWN AND OUR NEIGHBORS HAVE MY MOTHERS # JUST IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY. STILL IT IS NOT THE SAME HAVING SOMEONE ELSE TAKING CARE OF THEM, AND I HATE TO ASK OTHERS AS I FEEL I AM BURDENING POEPLE AS IT IS NO 10 MIN JOB. I WOULDNT GIVE IT UP FOR ANYTHING THOUGH SO I GUESS YOU ALWAYS FIND A WAY TO MAKE DUE

:

 

[crponies]

I think it is very common for people with animals to have a problem finding suitable and affordable help to be able to leave them behind comfortably. I have a hard time with it too.

 

[chandab]

We raise Red AngusX cattle for a living, so we are tied down to that, however I like to be home, so don't mind that we don't travel much. We did get a honeymoon when we got married 5 years ago and that was very enjoyable. We do go overnight once in awhile and my inlaws will take care of the animals for that short of time with no problem.

 

[Field-of-Dreams]

Oh, yeah. We have two different people to take care of my animals- one doesn't water as frequently as I wanted and put the brood mares in the wrong stalls, and forgets to bolt some gates sometimes, the other "forgot" to lock out stallion's gate, and he got out with our OPEN MARES. Fortunately, he is 26" tall and the mares are mostly much taller, but I had four 2YOs and one yearling in that area, plus a friend's mare in for breeding to a DIFFERENT stallion. *sigh* It didn't seem that any were in heat, so maybe I dodged a bullet- we'll see. To be safe, all wll be put on my stallion report.

And now, my friend is getting married on the 18th of this month, and I have a mare due pretty close to then. I will NOT go if she hasn't foaled, and since it's 1300 miles away, it's not like I can leave early. I wouldn't trust either of my sitters to foal her out.

Lucy

 

[PaintedPromiseRanch]

Very definitely, but I dont think I would have it any other way. Guess I just prefer to stay at home and do it myself. My horses are my entertainment, my enjoyment, my life and I dont think I really would want it any other way. :bgrin Corinne

me too CeMom! we do go from time to time (usually camping with some of the big horses) but someone needs to feed the ones left at home... we have used different people over the years, boy do i miss my neighbor Barb at the old house, i never worried when she was watching the critter kids... since then we had a volunteer and her two daughters that would do it, until they got their own horses and quit coming over. my daughters' friends have done it a few times and most recently my farrier, who has a partner/boyfriend and is trying to get him to do most of the farrier work these days so she can get more into training and other less strenuous activities (yeah right :new_shocked: ) - and boy was that comfortable! she was awesome, even cleaned stalls which i never ask for, picked up dog poop and played ball with the dogs... so now i just have to pray that she is never busy when i want to go somewhere

:

edited to add, i do miss them terribly when i am gone, and the first thing i do when i get home is go see everyone to give and get hugs and kisses and let them know how much i missed them, and make sure they are all ok.

 

[CyndiD]

I am very content to stay PUT...never had the itch to wander...but we are lucky that we do have an 'agency' that is licensed and bonded to take care of animals while you are gone...they even feed fish, turn on and off lights..take in mail..ect. while you are gone and their prices are according to what you need.

I had them once when we took off to Arkansas to visit my son...they were great! I did not worry at all... :lol:

 

[CyndiM]

We are lucky to have family and neighbors we can rely on. I like my home and I'm not ready to travel the way my hubby would like to but I do go for short trips.

Heck Marty, if I wouldn't leave home I would have never been able to meet you. :aktion033: And we have been talking about another trip to TN. Our friends have moved to Jasper permently now so Steve wants to go visit them again. That means I'll get to drive up to visit you.

 

[RJRMINIS]

[SIZE=14pt]Hi Marty,[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14pt]No you are not alone, My hubby always want to take us on a vacation, and I never will leave for more than overnight, cause I don't trust anyone with the animals. If I can feed well one morning, then I am ok to go overnight if I am back before dark the next day. But no more than that. I seriously considered selling quite a few animals, but haven't seemed to be able to do that yet. All my horsey friends are to far away to have them do chores. So for now vacations are out for us.

[/SIZE]

 

[MInx]

OMG yes we are tied down! And sometimes it gets to me! As many here know we are in our 60's (me 66 this month and hubby 68) and all our retired friends are constantly going away even just overnight etc..they are petless and it frees them up to go..

they do miss their dogs and she would like another but her hubby says no.

We do have reliable sweet people about 20 miles away that we can board them with and we did that last Winter while Carl took me to Florida for 3 months rest..

However here we are being summoned to a family reunion and to attend a retirement celebration for my sister in law. She is the LONGEST employee EVER of the University of Michigan! 53 years! So we really need to go but it will be 4 days min. gone maybe 5 and no one to care for them so will try to board them up there IF they will take them...

the two dogs will go to the kennel and all this plus gas etc will be a very heavy expense for us!

Without the animals we could just jump in and go BUT I would be very lonely, sad and miserable! So it's a small price to pay as far as we're considered..and so it goes..lovin' it

:

Maxine

 

[The Simple Life Farm]

We sorta feel tied down. We really only go to horse shows, so they all go with us sometimes. I have 6 dogs and 1 cat that needs to be cared for. My BIL would come stay at the house. I made pics of horses with their feeding requirements, he always got the horses names mixed up :bgrin . Now my MIL takes care of them, but she doesn't come as often as she should. I have 4 very small inside dogs, so we put in a doggie door. Once the dogs go through the door, they are inside a 6' dog kennel. It is small, but works for a weekend show. I don't have to worry about coyotes getting them at night, it has a strong top on it. I put down a 2x4 panel on the ground to prevent the dogs from digging out. The grass grows right up through it, you would never know it was there. I leave the bathroom faucet dripping for the cat, and give him a ton of food, so he is fully taken care of without anybodys help. The two bigs dogs (great Pyr) get 50lbs of feed, so they just need water every other day (I fill up a kiddie pool for them). I try to make it simple as I can, so it won't be a big chore for anyone. Hope you find someone you feel comfortable with.

 

[wildoak]

Ha. 35 horses, 9 cats and 4 dogs....we are officially tied down LOL. I do show, and my husband (along with my part time barn help) does a respectable job of feeding, although not quite the way I do it

We actually did take a real non horse show vacation though in July - I had about 6 people looking after things here, and my boarders came out and stayed the week in the barn apartment. They loved it, was like a mini vacation for them, and it eased my mind tremendously. We were gone about 10 days, and had no major traumas. Barn girl did apparently forget to latch a gate one night, and boarders found mares and babies grazing out IN FRONT of the barn the next morning instead of back in their lot, but everyone survived it and I didn't find out until I was on the way home, so no heart attacks.

Jan

 

[SilverDollar]

Yes, I feel a bit tied down too, but I am such a homebody and I love my animals, that I don't really mind. My hubby LOVES to travel (to faraway places, too--Cambodia, Nepal, Vietnam) and for long periods of time. In the last four years he's been gone three times for 3-4 weeks at a time. We are down to 6 horses and 1 dog now, but at the highest count had 8 horses, 2 dogs, 2 cats, and a house rabbit. I don't like to travel much these days--it's a huge pain--so I'm okay with it. But, my hubby thinks we should take "grand" vacations together. Me--I consider my little "ranchette" my ideal place to be instead of some resort.

I have had a hard time finding reliable sitters but recently have been paying my neighbor who's now 15 and her mom comes, too. Her mom feels the same about her horses as I do mine and both are very experienced. I leave a binder with all kinds of information and finally am able to go away (but only USA trips) and feel somewhat comfortable leaving. I also pre-package all the horses' pelleted feeds and supplements to make sure each gets the correct feed.

Good help is really hard to find, so I am seriously considering leaving my stressful corporate job (pays well but the stress will kill me) to become a professional pet sitter. I plan to specialize in horses, since those sitters are the hardest to find. I figure I don't travel anyways! Doing lots of research right now so any suggestions on what you all look for in a sitter would be most welcome!!

: Feel free to PM me.

I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one who feels this way.

:

 

[Warpony]

Yup. Though most of the time I don't consider it being "tied down" I consider it a good legitimate sounding excuse to not go places I'd rather not go. Heh.

The critters also act as a great excuse to leave places early if I am really wanting to escape without being obvious about it.

"Oh, look, time to feed the animals! It's been great fun hanging out with your screaming kids and listening to you and your spouse bicker but I really must run!"

 

[anoki]

Yup. Though most of the time I don't consider it being "tied down" I consider it a good legitimate sounding excuse to not go places I'd rather not go. Heh.

The critters also act as a great excuse to leave places early if I am really wanting to escape without being obvious about it.

"Oh, look, time to feed the animals! It's been great fun hanging out with your screaming kids and listening to you and your spouse bicker but I really must run!"

Too funny!!!

I'm with ya on that!! Though I did it going through school!! I didn't go out partying very often, coz I knew I had chores to do the next day....many people didn't understand it....then again many people (some of my family included) don't understand it today!

I am somewhat tied down here at home...though I know my dad will care for the horses, but just not the way I like them cared for....but I know they will be fed twice a day & will always have water in front of them....and Mom checks on them a couple times a day too. I am more tied down with the big horses, mind you, it isn't as bad anymore since there are only the 3 horses at the barn, but still, if the owners want to go away, I have to be available to look after the horses! Not a big deal, but it is a responsibility!

Right now the only 'vacations' I go on are dog show related....so I don't consider them much of a vacation...and miss Moxie is the one I would worry about the most while I was away. Anoki I know is in the best of hands, and the minis are like I said looked after ok, but the 'princess', well she is a different story....

#1 I don't trust that she wouldn't try to look for me (one day I left her with my parents and they let her out, and she was trying to track my car!!!!!! :new_shocked: )

#2 If anything happened to her while I was gone (even though I know it may be out of peoples hands) I would just feel horrible....and I know my mom just doesn't want that on her shoulders!! lol

#3 I don't enjoy her payback when I do leave her places....man can she be vindictive!!! lol

So yeah, unless I can go somewhere with her (and flying her is out of the question...just can't bring myself to do that), then I won't be going anywhere...at least not in the foreseeable future

: I guess that's what I get for being with her 24/7 :bgrin

But I am all too happy to just stay home anyways!

:

~kathryn

 

[woodnldy]

Yep, I don't have anyone I would trust to watch over all my critters either. My mom and hubby both are wanting to take a trip, just a few days , and I am really balking at it.

 

[Margo_C-T]

Add me to the list-Yep! It takes an 'act of Congress' for me to get away for more than just the day...I used to have a good friend(Paid, but still, a good friend) who would come and stay the nights-it was great!-but, she quit doing that, for a closer-to-full-time job w/ predictable hours! I guess it is fortunate that I lost my interest in breed showing at about the same time I pretty much lost my ability to be able to be gone for very long(Adieu, World Show!)

Now, my adult daughter is occasionally willing to take care of things-if it fits her schedule(she has every other Friday off on a 10 hour-a-day work schedule at the Los Alamos labs, and usually comes down here and stays Fri. and Sat. nights, as she likes to shop, get her hair done, and see old friends in Albuq.) She is very good at it, and I greatly appreciate her, believe me! I reciprocate by caring for her dogs whenever she travels. Nowadays, I don't often WANT to be gone; I love my place. However, trail driving out-of-town sometimes beckons; for instance, a couple of us from up here went down into the southern NM mountains recently for a trail drive with other drivers, and had a BALL! It was a pretty long drive, but worth it! My daughter cared for everyone. Although I have a chart of hay weights for all the horses, and a scale, I usually just fix the hay feedings ahead of time, laying them out on those woven' plastic' feed bags, for ease of carrying-it makes things much simpler for whoever's feeding. I could do the same with the grain feeds, if needed, in plastic bags, but so far, haven't really needed to. Anything that helps whoever's feeding keep it simpler and complete the job faster is helpful, I believe. I clean pens twice daily, so that is an additional chore for the 'sitter'.

(It's true that having to be home EVERY AM and PM for the chores is 'sometimes' a benefit...Heeheehee!)

Margo

 

[Casnos Minis]

[SIZE=14pt]I hvaen't gone anywhere since CAssidy (my daughter) was 1 year old (now almost 8). NOw that I have the minis and our new addition (big horse) Drew and 2 dogs and a cat. I'm nervous to go away. When I had just my old dog my hubby's BF came and stayed with him for the week we were gone. My mom can't do barn chores because of her fybromyalgia and my dad is in a wheel chair so he can't do chores. If we go away this winter like we hope to do on a family vacation my cousin will have to come care for the minis and Drew will go to my instructor's if she has room otherwise he'll stay here. My horse don't go out in really nasty. cold weather so it'll will be differant for my cousin as her horses used to stay out 24/7.[/SIZE]

Christy

 

[Suzie]

Yes at times it does feel like being tied down. Luckily this year we found a wonderful person to trust our animals too! But we still don't go far. I am not a traveling person. One day away and I want to get back home. My husband would travel more if I would, but I live in paradise to me so why go looking elsewhere? I have spent a lifetime creating the perfect place to live, so why leave it is my thoughts. I have been self employed for the last 10 years, so I am tied down anyway in a sense.

Personally, I can go to the barn and sit and watch my babies play and be perfectly happy. Breathe in fresh air, listen to birds, watch clouds float by....when I think of sitting in traffic, dealing with crabby strangers, high prices, long lines....leaving here for a "vacation" seems a bit of an oxymoron to me.

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Ditto that Suzie!

 

[Sandy S.]

OH I AM SO GLAD THAT EVERYONE ELSE HAS THIS PROBLEM TOO. ALTHOUGH SOMETIMES I DO FEEL I NEED A VACATION. WE DO NOT TRUST ANYONE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR HORSES, JUST WE HAVE SEEN THEM TAKE CARE OF THEIRS AND EVEN THOUGH THEY SAY THEY ARE A HORSE PERSON, WELL THE WAY THEY TAKE CARE OF THEIRS IS NOT THE WAY WE TAKE CARE OF OURS. SO WE STAY AT HOME OR LEAVE AT 6 IN THE MORNING AND GET BACK AT 10 AT NIGHT AND THAT IS OUR TRIP. HERE I THOUGHT I WAS OBSESSIVE OVER ANIMALS LIKE THEY SAY ON DR. PHIL, GUESS THERE IS A LOT OF US OUT THERE. WE HAVE WAY TO MANY, IT GOT A LITTLE OUT OF HAND, BUT THEY ARE ALL FAT AND SASSY, THEY ARE FED BEFORE WE ARE, AND HERE WE ARE DOING SOMETHING STUPID, HUSBAND HAS DECIDED HE WANTS TO RIDE, SO WE TOOK A PAINT MARE ON A TRIAL BASIS FOR 3 WEEKS, WITH HAY BEING SHORT. AFTER THE MINIS SHE LOOKS LIKE A DRAFT AT 15.2, BUT SHE IS A SWEETHEART, ARE WE CRAZY OR WHAT. I GUESS IT IS JOB SECURITY FOR ME, I KNOW I HAVE TO GET MY BUTT TO WORK TO FEED THE HORSES. WHAT I MAKE GOES TOWARDS THERE CARE WHAT HUBBY MAKES IS WHAT WE LIVE ON. BUT FOR THE LOVE OF HORSES IS ALL I CAN SAY.