What to do with pets during vacation?

This question is asked by every owner of a dog, cat, rabbit, guinea pig, rats, and other pets. A responsible person will find a solution in such a situation and ensure care for their pet during the trip. Moreover, it is the duty of every owner.

Unfortunately, there is also another scenario. Despite the tightening of penalties for abandoning animals (for example abandonment is punishable by imprisonment for up to 2 years in Poland), every year during the vacation period many of them are left homeless, and uniformed services, shelters, and pro-animal foundations are overwhelmed with work. Pets are left in various places: in front of shelter gates, left in cages at the dump, tied to trees in the forest, or released into parks (the latter mainly concerns rats).

Remember, if you witness such a situation, always react – call the municipal guard, police, or one of the foundations, try to "secure" the disoriented animal so it doesn't run away and hurt itself. If you see someone abandoning an animal (this person is committing a crime), take a photo/record a video and call the police.

Furthermore, leaving a guinea pig or rabbit alone at home for more than a day, even with a supply of food and water, can end tragically for the pet.

So, what to do with your pet when going on vacation?

There are several options:

• leaving them with family/friends - in this case, it's good to educate the temporary caregiver about behaviors to watch for to not miss any illness, leave contact details for a veterinary clinic, and specify what not to feed the pet to avoid endangering their health
• hiring a petsitter, an experienced individual who will take care of the pets according to the needs of the specific species
• leaving them in a pet hotel, where owners can leave their small friend without having to worry about their health and safety; this option works great for small mammals like rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, degus, chinchillas, which can be transported with all their belongings
• taking them with you on vacation - this often works well for dogs, but other animals can also be taken, provided they cope well with travel and we have ensured that during transport and at the destination, we can create suitable conditions for them – beware of high temperatures in the car.

So now you know what to do to fully enjoy your vacation and recharge your batteries without worrying about your little friends :)