text: Dog owner: What is it with people who can't board their dogs?  I like pets.  I've always had pets.  But even when I had a dog, I couldn't have allowed visitors to bring their dogs: My yard is small, it only has a 4-foot chain link fences (plenty for my dog but not enough to contain a larger or more determined one), and my dog didn't like other dogs.  There is no way on Earth I would assume my pets were included in an invitation to visit unless my hosts had specifically requested me to bring them.  There are lots of good kennels in my area (I've kept my own pets at two of them and even my undersocialized dog didn't seem to mind going); people have options.