who takes care of you minis when you are not available

[Hill Haven Farms]

We usually have a friend of ours whom we completely trust to "house-sit" if we go somewhere that we can't take the dogs... but 90% of the time we go out of town.. the canine members go with us. In that case... our neighbor (both Sue and Marion)....again... whom we completely trust with all members of the fam... will watch the gang. Our cats are pretty self sufficient for a few days.. and they keep an eye on the horses. I try to keep things pretty basic when we are gone. They will throw hay and water... We aren't gone for longer than a week...so I don't have them mess with grain or supplements...I would be lost with out them... I do the same for them....actually this week Marion is leaving for Colorado...so I will be watching her 10 horses, 3 dogs and 5 cats....

 

[Matt73]

If both of us are away (as we are at least once/year), Dan, our employee, looks after the fur-kids. I trust him and he does a good job looking after everyone. I also, of course, leave back-up numbers of other very trusted friends and vets etc.

 

[Taylor Jo]

I "USED" to have my granddaughters come do it their mom would bring them, but that relationship went south when my husband died. So by the suggestion of my dog sitter at the kennel I use I called a local vet and they gave me a # of a neighbor of mine 3 miles from me. He's been great. Charges me $15.00 2x a day and he does everything and he's had horses before and his family sometimes comes with them and they all like the all the horses and call them by their names and tell me little stories of what they've done.

He's got my vets and friends # and detailed instructions in how to feed them and he cleans the stalls really well. Him and his wife have helped me out a lot since my husband passed and I appreciate them immensely. He helped me hire and electrician / plumber to redo my barn cause I needed more plugs and my pipes froze up on me. They've taken stuff to the auction for me and put together my new TV which I didn't have a clue in how to set up...... Very nice people. I've paid him of course but still it's nice they've helped he didn't have to. I'm just thankful I found someone to take care of my horses.

I got my truck stuck the other day with my trailer on it and I was talking to him and he's like "Why didn't you call me, I'd come and towed you out?" Just nice people. TJ

 

[Candice]

We hadn't gone anywhere since getting the minis because I know how much work they are and finding someone willing to do what I do isn't going to happen. My husband badly needed to get away though so over Thanksgiving last year I conceded and accepted that for the 6 days we were gone things would not get done exactly as I would do them, but that my horses would be looked after daily and fed. We have a very kind neighbor that we paid to look after things and he did. They were overfed, my stalls were cleaned (threw all the manure and bedding over the stall walls) and they were brought in when it rained and the ones needing blankets had their blankets put on and removed as needed. They all survived. Do I want to go away again any time soon NO!!! I'm still struggling to get my stallion back to an acceptable weight. (he did not need an all he could eat T&A buffet), and I did have the joy of moving a weeks worth of manure upon arriving home, but no harm!!! My neighbor was funny though. He was telling my husband that at first he thought he was making out good with what we were paying him. By the second day he felt underpaid. There was also some comment made about me not being right in the head, but I can't remember how that went.

 

[Gini]

We have been in Alaska for a month and our Son and his wife move into our house and take care of horses and the dogs in the house.

Going home on Monday and I can't wait!!!! We do get updates daily and our vets are on call if either the horses or dogs need care. Just make sure you have enough feed for the horses and other animals. There is nothing that aggrivates the sitter more than running out of the food.

This desert person will be glad to get out of the snow and back to my house and animals.

 

[Connie P]

Luckily for me my husband takes care of everything for me when I go away. I rarely ever do though because I just like it at home for the most part. I am preparing to go on a cruise though and it is all set for him to manage the farm while I am away with my daughter.