From Independent.co.uk/

Pets are soon to get their own hotel alongside their owners’ at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida.

A new hotel catering to dogs and cats is scheduled to go into operation at the massive theme park on August 27, taking care of cats and dogs while their owners stay in one of the resort’s 33 more traditional hotels.

The new “one-of-a-kind” Best Friends Pet Care Resort describes itself as a “luxury pet resort,” offering everything from walkies to grooming for pampered pets.

The property spans some 50,000 square feet (4,645 square meters) of indoor and outdoor space, 10,000 square feet (929 square meters) of which is covered outdoor runs and play areas for dogs, along with a “private dog park” where owners can spend quality time with their pooch on vacation.

Several types of dog rooms are available, ranging from air-conditioned indoor rooms, indoor/outdoor mixed suites and four VIP suites, which feature televisions, raised bedding and private outdoor yards.

Up to 270 dogs can be catered for in the resort, along with a further 30 cats in “Kitty City,” a complex made up of two- and four-room condos designed to provide “comfort and privacy.”

Other on-site facilities include a grooming salon, “pet playgroups” and staff to read bedtime stories.

“We’ve taken the ‘best of breed’ in every category to create the perfect environment for pets,” said Dennis Dolan, the CEO of Best Friends Pet Care.

“Our goal is to ensure that pets staying with us have a fun, action-packed vacation -– just like their families vacationing at Walt Disney World.”

Though it sounds far-fetched, the resort isn’t the first of its kind in the US and it isn’t the only luxury pet resort scheduled to open this summer.

The new 22,000 square foot (2,043 square meter) Barkley Pet Hotel & Day Spa is also set to open its dog and cat flap soon in California, offering “pawdicures,” leather furniture and webcams for owners who can’t bear to leave their animals out of sight.

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The Dog Files would like to thank Darren Tietsworth and the whole staff at Just4Pooches for inviting us to celebrate Halloween with them. Also, a big thanks to all the great dog lovers who spent weeks putting together such great costumes for their hounds.

Just4Pooches is located at 8 North Union Avenue, Cranford, NJ 07016. For more info call:1.908.709.4364 Feel free to check out the store and tell ‘em The Dog Files sent ya!

If you don’t live in the New Jersey area you can still shop online at Just4Pooches.com.

But this episode is special to us for quite a few reasons.

About six years ago, I was laid off from a company in New York City in the aftermath of 911 and I was at the point in my life where alcohol and staying out late at night began having diminishing returns for me.

I knew I was finally ready for the discipline and responsibility of having my very own dog.

I went out to a few shelters to look, but found only barking pit bulls waiting for me. No offense, but I’m a “floppy-eared dog” kinda guy. In hindsight, I’m not even sure why I chose the shelter route. At that time I didn’t even know what a puppy mill was.

After pounding the pavement for a week or two, my friend’s wife recommended a beautiful shelter in Madison, NJ. So we travelled to St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center and an hour later, I walked out with a furry hound that would change my life. 

I’ll be honest, it was pretty rough the first few weeks. This pointer/american foxhound mix had a tough first year of his life. The people who previously owned him kept him in a crate all day while they were at work. He didn’t exactly have the social skills he should have at his age and he developed separation-anxiety because of the whole “twelve hours a day in a crate” thing he endured the year before. 

But then a month turned to two and then to three. And that, in combination with me having a lot of time on my hands due to the lay off, changed everything.

I noticed, with the help of some treats, how attentive this hound, now christened Max, was to me. More so than usual I thought. I mean, I grew up with an English Springer-Spaniel and he liked his treats, but not quite like Max. With a little work he began to learn almost anything I asked him to do.

It started with a quizzical look on his face. He was clearly trying desperately to figure out what I wanted him to do. I could actually see the gears spinning in his head. And then, most times within 20 minutes tops, he figured it out. I taught him to sit, stay, lay down, roll over, crawl, speak, play dead, get his leash, shake, give me high fives, growl on command, spin in a circle, you name it and this dog would learn it…for a treat, of course.

And during that first year with him, he just kept getting better and better. He seemed incredibly happy and satisfied to finally have a place to call his home, and a human to call his trusted friend.

About two years ago, spurned on by my ever-growing love of all things dog, I got an idea for a show. What if we went out there and filmed all the amazing things that are going on for people to do with their hounds? What if we made a show that was a celebration of dogs and the people who love them?

I thought the shelter where I found Max would be the perfect place to start, so I called my friend, Jenn Schulz, who used to work there and she thought so too. She recommended their upcoming event, the ice cream social.

We had a great time shooting the social and both my co-producer, Courtney and I, knew we were on to something. That we might really have something special here.

And if that wasn’t enough, when we left St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center that day, Courtney took with her, an eight week old ball of fluff she named Buddha.

Courtney couldn’t have picked a better place to adopt him at.

Kenn Bell
Creator of The Dog Files  

Episode Links:
St. Hubert’s Animal Welfare Center