Leaving your dog at a kennel can be the hardest thing you can do as a dog owner. It's stressful for both you and your dog. But there are several steps you can take to make your dog’s home away from home more tolerable. First, check out the kennel carefully and ask for references. Care will vary tremendously between facilities. Find out how much room your dog will have to live in and whether he’ll be walked and played with, and for how long each day.

Be sure to bring familiar bedding material, chew toys, and something that smells of you, like an old T-shirt you’ve worn but haven’t washed. If there is some way to see that the dog is walked for 30 minutes every day he will feel happier and less stressed.

Dogs left at home are happier in pairs than single dogs. But even a single dog will be fine for a day or two if you have someone visit several times a day to feed and walk him. Some dog owners make telephone calls to their home numbers while away and leave messages on the answering machine so their dogs can hear their owners’ voices over the loud speaker. You can make a point of saying your dog’s name and using the same tone of voice you use when you talk to