I have to admit, the title of this post ALMOST kept me from reading it altogether. Wasn’t sure if it was about boarding planes, or… ???
In any case, I also would recommend a pet sitter. Licensed/bonded of course. Search the forums for pet sitter recs, I’m sure there are at least 500 threads that have covered this very issue.
Friends of mine use the boarding facility on California and Othello (or is it Frontenac?)… anyway, the one that is on the corner by Gatewood Elementary. Another friend, who has a much larger dog than a Papillion, boards at some place down by SeaTac, and another friend (who has boxers) boards out in Woodinville. How far are you willing to drive?