Travelling with pets is sometimes challenging. Not all hotels accept them while others require supervision at all times. Not to mention, most establishments are anti-animals, requesting owners to leave their dogs outside. This makes it tough to visit certain places and enjoy your vacation to its fullest.

Dogs, especially, need special care and attention. Consequently, finding somewhere suitable for your beloved can take more work than lining up a hotel for your family. Unless a friend or family opts to look after your dog, you will need to find a sitter or kennel. That said, most dog lovers prefer not to use kennels—and with good reason. If you’re feeling bereft of alternatives, here are two to consider.

House-Sitting Services to Replace Pet Boarding

Although you leave home to travel, your pets can stay put if you hire a house-sitter. House-sitters live in your home and tend to your pets and household duties. This keeps your property safe and maintained while you’re away. Of course, trustworthiness is a concern, so you will need to vet the person before passing the keys. As well, you will want to make sure that your dog is comfortable with strangers in the environment.

Although a familiar place for your dog, a stranger in the home might freak him or her out. Should this be the case, you can always hire someone to check-in. This person would come by for feeding, walking and playing, but leave your dog alone most of the day.

Home-Style Pet Boarding and Dog Retreats

If you’d rather not invite a stranger into your home, you can drop your dog off at someone else’s place. Such home-style boarding services are cropping up more often, where your dog can live with another family temporarily. These services offer both group-sitting for a playful, social atmosphere and private-sitting for a more intimate setting.

If you use a known organization like MadPaws, Rover or DogBuddy, then you also get the peace-of-mind knowing each boarder has been background checked and is adequately insured.