How to Ensure Top-Tier Pet Care While You Travel This Holiday Season

Holiday Pet Care | Concierge Pet Services | Dogs On The Run®

The holidays should feel joyful (not stressful) but every pet parent knows the truth: planning travel is easy; planning care for your pets is the hard part. The holiday season is the busiest time of year for professional pet care, and families often find themselves scrambling for last-minute help, compromising on quality, or turning to apps where trust is murky and professionals are overbooked.

Your pets deserve better than last-minute solutions. And you deserve the kind of peace of mind that only comes from knowing exactly who is in your home and how your pets are being cared for while you’re away.

At Dogs On The Run, we believe holiday care should never be a gamble. Here’s how to secure exceptional, reliable, concierge-level pet care this season and why booking early makes all the difference.

Why Holiday Pet Care Is Different (and Riskier) Than the Rest of the Year

The holiday months create a perfect storm:

• Travel spikes. Families leave town and need consistent care.

• Professionals book out early. The most trusted providers fill their calendars quickly.

• Pets experience more stress. Schedule changes, crowded homes, weather shifts, and seasonal hazards can impact their behavior and comfort.

• Inexperienced sitters take on too much. Many apps see new caregivers join only for the holiday rush, often without proper experience, safety knowledge, or support.

This is exactly why holiday pet care requires more than availability, it requires professionalism, preparation, and partnership.

The Concierge Difference: Personalized Matching (& Support) Matters More During the Holidays

Most families don’t want a revolving door of new sitters. They want a trusted, vetted, dependable professional who will care for their pets with the same attention they give at home.

Dogs On The Run exists for this reason.

We take a concierge-style approach, ensuring every family is matched with the right professional, someone whose skills, experience, availability, and personality align with the pets’ needs.

Our process includes:

• Reviewing your needs, care preferences, and expectations

• Matching you to accredited professionals with the right specialties (overnights, senior care, cat care, medication administration, first aid certification, etc.)

• Ensuring communication, reliability, and fit

• Keeping both families and professionals supported throughout the service

During the holiday rush, this level of personalized care is what keeps stress low and safety high.

The 2025 Holiday Pet Care Checklist: What Every Family Should Prepare Before Traveling

Use this now (before calendars fill up).

• Secure your professional early
  Holiday availability is limited. The earlier you reserve, the more likely you’ll be matched with your top-choice professional.

• Share your travel schedule upfront
  This ensures your professional can build a consistent routine for your pets and prevents gaps in care.

• Confirm your pets’ current routines
  Meals, walks, medications, quirks, comforts, preferences , your professional should know it all.

• Prepare your home
  Set out supplies, label medications, check locks/doors/gates, review alarm access, and list emergency contacts.

• Discuss communication expectations
  Daily updates, photos, and check-ins turn worry into peace of mind.

• Review emergency plans
  Know how your professional will handle sudden needs, storms, health concerns, or travel delays especially common during the holidays.

• Update your profile with any recent changes
  New medications? New behaviors? New service needs? Share everything now, not the night before your flight.

What Families Often Overlook When Booking Holiday Care

Even the most organized families miss these critical steps:

✔ Personality & environment matching matters.

Some professionals thrive with energetic puppies; others specialize in seniors or pets with anxiety. Matching the wrong fit can create unnecessary stress.

✔ Overnights vs. drop-ins isn’t one-size-fits-all.

Many pets do better with dedicated overnight care during the holidays to maintain routine and comfort.

✔ Pets feel holiday stress, too.

Crowded events, visitors, loud noises, changes in schedule, they all impact behavior. A skilled professional recognizes and responds appropriately.

✔ Your travel delays are common, plan for it.

Having a professional who communicates well and can adjust when needed is essential this time of year.

Why Booking Early Helps You Get the Best Professional

Demand during November–January often exceeds the number of available top-tier professionals. Booking early allows our Concierge Team to:

• Explore multiple options

• Match you with the strongest fit

• Confirm schedules and backups

• Create a smooth, stress-free plan

• Avoid premium holiday pricing crunches

The families who contact us early always get the best results; every time.

Travel With Confidence This Holiday Season

If you want a holiday experience where you can relax and actually enjoy your time away, this is your moment to get ahead of the rush.

Our Concierge Team is ready to match you with an accredited Dogs On The Run professional who meets your family’s expectations, and exceeds them.

→ Reserve your holiday care now. Availability is extremely limited.
Call (760) 991-5444
Or visit www.DogsOnTheRun.com