Where to find a last minute pet sitter?

September 2, 2010 2:07 PM

Can you help me find a last minute dog sitter for this weekend in Santa Monica?

My boyfriend and I just moved across the country, bringing our 6-month old French Bulldog with us. I'm not currently working, so I've been taking care of the pup during the day myself.

Unfortunately, a member of my boyfriend's family passed away this morning, and we're flying back East for the funeral this Saturday.

Since we hadn't established a relationship with any dog walkers/dog sitters, I'm having difficulty finding someone who will return my phone calls, let alone one who's willing to take on our puppy on such short notice, and without having time to schedule a "meet and greet" with us. I'm sure the fact that this is a holiday weekend isn't helping matters.

Do you know of any dog sitters or even a nice kennel who may be willing to bend their rules and squeeze in our pup? Any suggestions you may have in the general Western LA area are welcome. Thanks!

posted by Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld to Pets & Animals (6 answers total)

we use club fido by LAX, open boarding (no cages).

Its good.
posted by outsider at 5:00 PM on September 2, 2010

Best answer: I have a good friend who lives on the Westside who dogsits for extra money. The only hitch is that she also has a dog of her own and prefers to take the dogs she's "sitting" back to her place. Memail me if you're interested and I'll get in touch with her. She's very honest and reliable.
posted by ljshapiro at 5:06 PM on September 2, 2010

Best answer: i just sent your note to my friend Meliss@ Humme® in Santa Monica. GREAT dog trainer, and Badonkadonk's "mom". http://www.petinsurance.com/healthzone/pet-articles/new-pets/Wackiest-Dog-Names-2010.aspx if she can't do it she'll know who can!
posted by ChefJoAnna at 5:09 PM on September 2, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks so much for all of your assistance guys! Of course shortly after I posted this I finally got a call back from the very first sitter that I called this morning, and she agreed to help with the pup. If I ever end up in a puppy bind in the future, I'll be sure to keep the folks you suggested in mind, I really appreciate it.
posted by Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld at 6:33 PM on September 2, 2010

We left our dog at Club Fido once and he came home with ticks and clearly hadn't gotten much sleep. Not recommended unless you use Frontline. We had better luck with Rover Kennel, in Culver City. The dogs sleep on separate beds (so they stop playing and goofing around for long enough to get some rest), and while they (like most dog daycares) do require a play evaluation, it takes like 10 minutes and you can just leave your dog right afterwards if you need boarding that day.
posted by little light-giver at 9:18 PM on September 2, 2010

It's not on the west side, but I love Canine Cabana on La Brea...in case you're ever in a real bind. They don't use kennels - it's all open boarding - and have plenty of couches and pillows for the pups to sleep on. I think employees even pull out cots and sleep with the dogs at night. Super cute and Lisa is the best.
posted by buzzkillington at 8:28 PM on September 3, 2010