Lap of Luxury

Dog's life nothing to complain about at resort From the Howard County Times.com 06/14/07 By Lane Page

Zelmo enjoys some time outside with his play group at the Perfect Pet Resort in Lothian, where the animals get three one-hour periods of outdoor recess. Because vacationing pet parents need to relax in the confidence that their dogs are having fun too, Elizabeth Chaney traveled the world researching the perfect pet resort. Then she came back home to Lothian in southern Anne Arundel County to design and build ... The Perfect Pet Resort.

And make no mistake, this is no ordinary kennel. In fact, the word hardly applies. Many people would love to have a home as airy, spacious and attractive as the 16,000-square-foot facility whose two-story lobby is so downright huge that incoming or outgoing clients needn't get too close for comfort.

With windows inside as well as out, visitors get a panoramic view of the interior. No one disappears behind closed doors, the sound of clicking claws receding as (s)he is led away down a long hall. Instead, in one direction we watch Berry the beagle getting her floppy ears cleaned by groomer Amanda; in another, peek at just-exercised Chips the border collie and Spike the Pomera nian peacefully sleeping it off.

Offices (except for the owner's upstairs) are tucked in corners and open to view, which allows their occupants to keep an eye on the clientele.

Chaney, a farm-raised University of Delaware biology major, had started a small animal-training business in 1999 and began to feel bad when her customers kept asking if she could also board their dogs.

"They'd say 'My dog knows you and I trust you,'" she recalls. "I had no facility, but I wanted to be able to provide the service." She did her research, then found property and an architect, Tom Reinecker.

"I'd talk function and he'd talk form," Chaney says, and the duo came up with a structure that addresses both issues, sometimes even better than she had imagined.

Despite all the windows (including skylights in the luxury Cedar Hall suites), the ICF (Insulated Concrete Forms) exterior and interior construction method Chaney selected for its insulating, sound- and fire-proofing qualities has made a real difference for canines with weather issues.

"Dogs do really well here when it storms," she notes. "Even with all the windows, you don't feel as much wind or hear as much sound." Separate wings offer suites of three sizes, and all can be turned into "two-bedroom" units by sliding open one of the smooth-surfaced walls. No chain link and concrete block here, and the only cages on premises are the several in which just-bathed customers have their coats gently blow- dried.

Everyone enjoys raised beds, climate-controlled temperatures, two squares of premium food, treats and three half-hour play sessions daily, along with relaxing classical music. They tried soft rock, but the effect just wasn't the same, Chaney says.

Cedar Park garden-view suites offer more space, two televisions, trees and a replica of the royal dog chamber, but even the queen's corgis could hardly luxuriate more than Niko the affenpinscher, reclining on a miniature Victorian-style chaise lounge. At his feet but looking no less comfy lies Stoli the golden retriever. It's nap time and the unmatched pair, like the other Cedar Park denizens, are snoozing between outdoor play sessions. This special space (as well as the lobby and cat room: see below) is furnished with antique couches, but no one is going to tell these guests to get down. Canine art, such as the touching sculpture of a young woman and her German shepherd presented to Chaney by her parents, decorates the lobby, giving one the impression of a gallery with an occasional four-footed visitor.

Of course there's a bit of barking when people pass

these are dogs after all -- but it's more the wagging and smiling type than anxious yapping.

Outdoors, meanwhile, where a group of 15 or so sorted by size play happily in a double-gated pen supervised by Tina "the Life Guard" and her pooper scooper, it's surprisingly quiet. No toys, no overstimulation, just plain dog-on-dog good times, just the thing for pups who don't usually get a lot of exposure to others. Chaney has seen Doggie go home more confident and better behaved for the experience.

Other options are one-on-one playtime with a staff member and toys or a "nature walk" on the 14 acre-property large enough for events such as periodic pet expos and an upcoming doodle romp (a get-together for specimens of the trendy hybrid retriever-and-poodle mixes called labradoodles and goldendoodles). Private or group obedience training is also available.

And although not everyone objects to the smell of wet dog, there is an indoor play area for bad weather that can also be rented for functions such as a playgroup for Italian greyhounds. The resort's Doggie Day Spa services (also available to boarders and day-care patrons) include the HydroSurge bathing system, providing a combing action flow of shampoo and water through a hand-held massage sprayer, plus massage therapy and even acupuncture treatments performed by credentialed practitioners.

Feline fanciers, by the way, needn't be miffed. The resort offers an exclusive cat room with eight two-room condos (or four-room, for two-cat families). They can savor the same luxuries as the dogs next door, with individual attention and aromatherapy as well. And while dogs enjoy group activities, Chaney observes, the feline idea of a treat is to explore the cat room alone.

A staff of 25, certified by the American Boarding Kennel Association, sees to it all.

Ah, yes, prices. Canine accommodations begin at $38 per day, up to $70 for a garden-view suite. A second dog sharing space is an additional $20. Day care runs $28, an initial massage consultation and session is $70, same for acupuncture $85. Cat care begins at $22 per day.

Remember, "You're paying for much more than just accommodations," Chaney says. You can shake on it.

The Perfect Pet Resort (410-741-0000 or 301-627-5200; www.perfectpetresort.com) is at 840 West Bay Front Road (Route 258) in Lothian.