You are going away and your pet is not: boarding, day care and sitters

A dog cannot be left alone for more than 24 hours, and no animal for more than three days. The options for when you go away and how to choose well.

Ley 7/2023 (the Animal Welfare Act) bans leaving a dog unsupervised for more than 24 hours in a row, and any other companion animal for more than three days (art. 27.i). If you go away, someone has to look after it.

The options

Dog or cat boarding: your animal stays there for a few days. It is the classic option for holidays.
Day care: it goes in the morning and comes back in the afternoon. Useful if it spends many hours alone.
Home sitter: someone comes to your home to feed, clean and walk it, or stays the night. Many cats do better with this than with moving.
Trusted family or friends, with written instructions.

How to choose a boarding kennel or cattery

Make sure it is registered as an animal establishment (núcleo zoológico) in its autonomous community. Ask for the number.
Visit it beforehand. Look at the cleanliness, the space, the shade, the water and how much time the animals spend outside.
Ask which vaccinations they require, such as kennel cough, and how far in advance they must be given.
Ask what they do if it gets ill, which vet they work with and whether they will send you photos or updates.
Do a one-night trial before a long holiday.

What to leave with it

Its usual food, so its diet does not change suddenly. Its health record or passport, its medication with the dose written down, something that smells of home and a phone number where you can be reached. If it has a Petuki QR tag, update the message for whoever is looking after it.