We take our dogs to a real nice, real clean kennel. But it is a kennel.
Well, it’s the Doggie dude ranch.
Anyway, they spend most of their time outside, but if the weather is bad there is an indoor play area, so they are not in a kennel the whole time.
There is also a pool for dogs that take to water.
They make their own dog treats there, but you provide them with the food you want your dogs to eat.
Hi,
I manage a vet’s office and we have just basic boarding and not nearly enough room for our clients without compromising actual medical cases that need to be hospitalized- so I went on a tour of a couple local “doggie daycare” types in order to have a recommendation. One I went to, which would have been perfect since it was a block away from our building, resembled the inside of a high-end casino restaurant. While I waited, I heard the manager/salesman basically pushing a couple into buying a chunk of boarding- they were resisting and in his attitude he made it clear it was all about selling the package. When I toured the place- it had all the doggie “park” setting but everything was cement with thin rugs placed and dark and rather gloomy with its atomospheric “theme”. I wondered where I would go to order a drink and the dogs just kinda lay around. Got a really bad feeling about that place so went to another one near by.
This was also in the “doggie daycare” model but with a huge difference- it was absolutely designed with DOGS in mind- not furbabies, not the people buying it. They had suites with comfortable dog beds and a webcam for people to check in on their pets and during the day the pets would be in one of the two dog yards (one for big, one for little dogs). Each yard had a person who was to play with the dogs,throwing balls, etc. Everything was clean but very doggie- toys, beds, all looked well used and enjoyed. They closed for “nap-time” at noon. That day they were having “agility day” and had little bridges and jumps for the dogs- she informed me that tomorrow was pool day. The dogs all looked thrilled to be there as well as the employees. It was half the price of the other place and resembed a play room and not a high-end hotel. They had cat boarding as well- which was very nice and comfortable- and she apologized to me that they couldn’t set it up for the cats like they could the dogs (well…duh!).
I would definitely board my dogs at the second place-wouldn’t worry about them for a second. It isn’t for everyone though- they had to pass an evaluation and be spay/neuter to participate in the yard- but for dogs that like other dogs- it seemed to me it would be worth it. Our boarding at the hospital is very basic and its fine for short term- we walk the dogs outside 3 times a day but we just couldn’t compete with the doggie-park style kennel. Which is fine - we prefer to concentrate on sick animals and making them well.
[QUOTE=Smokinjbc]
I would definitely board my dogs at the second place-wouldn’t worry about them for a second. It isn’t for everyone though- they had to pass an evaluation and be spay/neuter to participate in the yard- but for dogs that like other dogs- it seemed to me it would be worth it. Our boarding at the hospital is very basic and its fine for short term- we walk the dogs outside 3 times a day but we just couldn’t compete with the doggie-park style kennel. Which is fine - we prefer to concentrate on sick animals and making them well.
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This sounds very much like the ‘Doggie dude ranch’ I mentioned above. Clean, plenty of activity. Our dogs are pooped after a couple of days there. They seem to have a great time.
[QUOTE=RedFury]
Agreed. But nothing like The Tried & True Method®, a.k.a., buying your way to eternal happiness. Start some sort of cult and if done correctly, you’ll be swimming in C-notes rather quickly. After all, I doubt there’s a richer, more powerful ‘nation’ in the world outside The Vatican. So, does that make all Catholics continuing to maintain the status-quo, “fools”?
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So let’s see if I get the gist of this. God = Dog. Makes sense (in a way). So prayer should go something like this I presume :
In the name of the Poodle, the Labrador and the Holy Chihuahua. Might work, they already have at least a saint, St-Bernard 
Well, no human needs to stay in a $300-a-night room. You don’t need an iPhone. And you can run around the block thinking of poor people as your daily exercise rather than paying $50 for a round of golf.
Speaking as a dog owner, I’m glad there are folks who pay insane prices to keep their dogs at a luxury dog hotel. That opens up kennel spots I can use. Well, that my Labrador can use.*
[QUOTE=Beware of Doug]
Many people, presumably including a fair number of holistic gourmets, also lick assholes.
[/QUOTE]
I think you meant to refer to people who write reviews of holistic gourmet restaurants.
By the way - I’ve figured out why, when you bring your dog in to the kennel, all the other dogs there bark like crazy. They’re chanting “Fresh fish! Fresh fish!!”*
**obscure “Shawshank Redemption” reference.
This is why I use an “in-house” petsitter now. For $15 a day she comes over 4 times for walks and feeding and playtime. They eat their own food and sleep in their own bed. I’m saved the hassle of transporting them to and from the kennel.
[QUOTE=Slypork]
Not to some stuck-up bitches or to their dogs. It should be going to help people in need.
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This gave me a chuckle.
Personally, I don’t find anything horribly wrong with pampering your pet–it’s your pet and presumably you want them to be happy. But then you get stuff like the hotel in the OP where clearly we’re getting into the area of things that are obviously not there to make the pets more comfortable, and I start to wonder what the pet-owners are thinking. Gourmet food? Sure. Fancy bed? No problem. TV and a disco ball? :dubious:
[QUOTE=Slypork]
I have a dog and buy him treats and toys. I think he’s cute and funny.
…
Can we please get our priorities straight people? Take care of the people first, poodles later.
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There are a lot of hungry people in China who would ask you the same question.
I don’t see a problem with this sort of thing, if people can afford it. As others have pointed out, it’s their money and they can do with it as they please. I’ve never gone for the “you can’t do (whatever luxury thing) because people are starving!” mentality. As long as you came by your money honestly, I don’t care what you do with it as long as it’s legal (and even if it isn’t, as long as it doesn’t hurt anybody).
When I go away for more than overnight, I board my cats at a lovely “cat resort” called Kitty Hill . They get their own “room,” a loving staff who take good care of them, vet care if they need it, and I don’t have to worry that the petsitter (a) has forgotten to come over that day, (b) got hurt or something and couldn’t come, (c) is dishonest and is robbing me blind, or (d) is irresponsible and leaves a door open so the cats can get out. For this bit of peace of mind, I pay about $70/day for the five cats. It’s worth every penny to me to not have to worry about the cat while I’m away, and I don’t apologize for it.
[QUOTE=Fear Itself]
There are a lot of hungry people in China who would ask you the same question.
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Isn’t that from the book, 50 Ways to Wok Your Dog ?
As David Cross said, when talking about those old people who leave $10 million to their cats in their wills, “A cat doesn’t know the difference between a crystal goblet and a shit-lined shoe.”
If you think your pet needs to live in elegance, you’re fooling yourself.
[QUOTE=winterhawk11]
I don’t see a problem with this sort of thing, if people can afford it. As others have pointed out, it’s their money and they can do with it as they please. I’ve never gone for the “you can’t do (whatever luxury thing) because people are starving!” mentality. As long as you came by your money honestly, I don’t care what you do with it as long as it’s legal (and even if it isn’t, as long as it doesn’t hurt anybody).
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I’d agree. I mean, do dogs need to be pampered? No. Do I need to get waxed every month? (Well, if you saw me unwaxed in a bathing suit, you’d know the answer to that one.) But do I need to get manicures, or a new vat full of cosmetics from MAC or a new sweater? No, but if I choose to spend money on those things instead of on the homeless/starving animals/etc., it is my call.
[QUOTE=Jayn_Newell]
Gourmet food? Sure. Fancy bed? No problem. TV and a disco ball? :dubious:
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Some dogs do need a TV, believe it or not. I knew one that would get terribly lonely without the TV being on. But a widesceen plasma TV? Feh. A radio would do the same thing.
It’s obvious that some of these amenities are aimed at pet owners who have not really thought things through.
[QUOTE=Max Torque]
As David Cross said, when talking about those old people who leave $10 million to their cats in their wills, “A cat doesn’t know the difference between a crystal goblet and a shit-lined shoe.”
If you think your pet needs to live in elegance, you’re fooling yourself.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, but considering what shit-lined shoes some people are…
(Note: I would not actually leave my money to my cat.)
[QUOTE=Hockey Monkey]
This is why I use an “in-house” petsitter now. For $15 a day she comes over 4 times for walks and feeding and playtime. They eat their own food and sleep in their own bed. I’m saved the hassle of transporting them to and from the kennel.
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I agree. Transporting petsitters to and from the kennel is a real pain in the ass.
Will she come to my house 4 times for $15 for walks, feeding, and playtime? That’s a freaking deal there my friend. And I don’t even have a dog… 
[QUOTE=Slypork]
I hear about bullshit like this and then think about where that money should really go. Not to some stuck-up bitches or to their dogs. It should be going to help people in need. Do you think the lucky people at the Broward Outreach Center get massages and a turndown service at night?
Can we please get our priorities straight people? Take care of the people first, poodles later.
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When I read things like this, I really wonder how some people can feel so comfortable making judgments on how others spend their money.
Does 100% of their disposable income go to help needy people? Do they not realize that someone else could look at how many CD’s they have bought, or how many movies they have gone to, or how much they spend on haircuts, or dinner out, and say the same thing about them?
I just don’t know how some people can decide they are the ones to draw the line on what is and isn’t proper use of someone else’s money.
I recently boarded my dog at a place for $18.00 a night. For $35.00 a night, my dog could have had her own little room with a little bed and a tv. If I had felt my dog would be happier staying in her own room, and I paid the extra for that, would that automatically make me a “stuck-up bitch?”
It just seems silly to me to judge someone, and make assumptions about someone, based on how they spend their own money.
And I will say that based on my experience from being actively involved in raising money for local charities, that is it the people who have enough money to spend on luxury accomodations for their dogs, that keep the local charities in operation.
The Broward Center that the OP mentioned states this:
“Funding for Broward Outreach Center comes from private contributions,
the State of Florida, United Way, Department of Children and Families,
and the Broward County Board of County Commissioners.”
Chances are that it is the “stuck up bitches” who board their dogs at places like Chateau Poochie, that are the ones who support fundraisers for places like the Broward Center.
So unless the OP really does use all of his/her disposable income to help people, and spent all of his/her free time volunteering to help people, then I would think his/her calling a luxury hotel for dogs, “Bullshit” was more about jealously of those who have the money to spend it on things like that, than worried about the people who are having to do without. Otherwise I just don’t know how someone can decide for someone else what is the appropriate amount of money to spend on other things.
(Unfortunately my dog got something stuck in her paw while on this latest trip. So far we are in $245.00 trying to get whatever it is, out. When I read things like this OP, I wonder if there are some out there thinking I should have just put my dog down, and then given the $245.00 to help people. Really, where do those that get upset about where folks chose to board their dogs, draw the line? I don’t get it.)
[QUOTE=Slypork]
Can we please get our priorities straight people? Take care of the people first, poodles later.
[/QUOTE]
You go first.
Besides, if you get people with money to spend money, that money doesn’t actually disappear.
Wow, and I thought the doggie resort near my house was bad:
They have deluxe rooms and luxury suites. The suites provide "top of the line Kuranda dog beds, outdoor window views, color tv’s tuned to the animal planet . . . "
At least the prices are reasonable though.
[QUOTE=Hockey Monkey]
This is why I use an “in-house” petsitter now. For $15 a day she comes over 4 times for walks and feeding and playtime. They eat their own food and sleep in their own bed. I’m saved the hassle of transporting them to and from the kennel.
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I want the name of your petsitter! I pay quite a bit more than that to have someone show up twice a day.
[QUOTE=winterhawk11]
When I go away for more than overnight, I board my cats at a lovely “cat resort” called Kitty Hill . They get their own “room,” a loving staff who take good care of them, vet care if they need it, and I don’t have to worry that the petsitter (a) has forgotten to come over that day, (b) got hurt or something and couldn’t come, (c) is dishonest and is robbing me blind, or (d) is irresponsible and leaves a door open so the cats can get out. For this bit of peace of mind, I pay about $70/day for the five cats. It’s worth every penny to me to not have to worry about the cat while I’m away, and I don’t apologize for it.
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Looking at their website, I’d LOVE to have access to a facility like that. Hell, I’d like to RUN a facility like that.