Papillon

Our Boxer, Rocky, is normally well-mannered and sweet. But one thing he just can't stand is to be away from home or separated from us. When we have to go out of town, he manages (with difficulty) when we can arrange for a pet sitter, but he can't tolerate being left at a kennel, no matter how pleasant the facility may be.

We learned this the hard way. We left him, along with our cat, at a very clean kennel, where the people are careful about diet, medicine, and exercise, and where a vet is always available. It looked like an ideal setting, so we left them there without concern.

On our return, the manager of the kennel came to us and asked us to join her and the vet in another room for a private conference. She wanted to tell us that Rocky would no longer be welcome at the facility. It turns out that he had spent the entire time trying to escape. He had broken a tooth trying to bite through the latch on his cage. He had been on a hunger strike, overturning his food bowl and pooping on it at every feeding. Every time they tried to exercise him, he did his best to get away. On occasion he broke free of the handler and ran through the facility in search of an exit.

We don't know of any other dog who has been formally banned from a kennel.