A family’s fortnight-long summer holiday to Brittany was overshadowed by an alarming message about the dog-sitter they had left looking after their pets at home.
The account has prompted a stark question for dog owners: is taking pets abroad on a family break preferable to entrusting them to someone else?
The writer describes returning to the same dilemma every August, as plans for a traditional summer holiday collide with the practical difficulties of caring for much-loved dogs.
Rather than leaving the animals behind, many families face the prospect of bringing them on lengthy journeys and adapting their entire trip around their needs.
But the experience of hiring a seemingly friendly pet lover proved equally troubling. A message received while the family was away left the owner “shaking” and changed her view of using a dog-sitter.
The incident has left the writer questioning whether a fortnight in Brittany can ever be genuinely relaxing when the welfare of the family’s dogs remains a constant concern.
