What to do with the dog while you ski

It's the problem of every family arriving in the mountains with a dog, and oddly enough almost nobody deals with it before setting off. Dogs generally can't ride the lifts, they can't stay in the flat all day, and leaving one in the car in winter is never an option - cold kills just like heat does.

The three possible solutions

• Day care with a person - the dog spends the day with someone who takes it out. The most flexible solution, and usually the least expensive.
• Boarding or a dog day-care facility - licensed premises, fixed staff, equipped spaces. Costs more but doesn't depend on a single person's availability.
• Family shifts - someone skips the morning on skis. Works, but nobody wants to do it for a whole week.

What to ask whoever looks after it

How many dogs she looks after together, where she takes them, how long the walks are, and above all what she does if something happens. The right answer always starts with "I call you".

What to leave

Its own food, not a different one. Its own bowl. Something that smells of home. The health record or a photo of the vaccinations. Your vet's number and a local one. And a way to actually reach you: at altitude the phone often doesn't work, so also leave the name of the hotel or flat.

Organise ahead of time

In peak weeks, whoever looks after dogs is sought by several families at once, and at Christmas or New Year, whoever moves the day before rarely finds anyone. Move a few days ahead, just as you would for a lift pass.