We board our dogs when we are gone for an extended period of time. They are spoiled rotten by the people at our vet's office. The last time we dropped them off, they were immediately greeted with, "How are the (last name) boys today?" They have been well cared-for.

If we are only going overnight, we get someone to come by to feed/check on the dogs.

We are able to leave the cats with a self-feeder and plenty of water for overnight trips. They do just fine that way. When we are gone for an extended period, we have someone come by to check on them. They get waaaay too stressed if we board them. Besides, can you imagine the cost for boarding 5 animals for a week?