May 29, 2003

Pets Can Now Enjoy Their Own Vacations; Boarding Facility Aims to Please Dogs and Cats as Much as Owners

Jessica Medinger Nelson. The Washington Post. Washington, D.C.

The new state-of-the-art overnight facility boasts luxury suites with deluxe accommodations, expansive views, gourmet treats, the finest in bedding and generous check-in and check-out times.

And it's all for cats and dogs.

That's right, Anne Arundel's County's newest resort is for pets, not people. Set on 14 acres of wooded beauty along Route 258 in Lothian, this 16,000-square-foot facility is a dream come true for pet owners, a place where they can drop off their cats and dogs and go off on vacation with nary a worry about how their pets will fare without them.

But don't call this place a kennel. No, this is the Perfect Pet Resort.

"It's a pet resort because of how we handle the animals," said owner Elizabeth Chaney, the 30-year-old Lothian native who opened her business in March. "I don't like to use the word kennel."

Indeed, the Perfect Pet Resort is different in that its lush offerings are much more extensive than the average kennel and can be much more expensive, with daily accommodations for cats and dogs starting at $20 and $25, respectively, but extending to $40 or $70 for more deluxe care and accommodations.

When entering the lobby of the sleek, modern building, guests are greeted by classical music bouncing softly off oversized windows. On a recent weekday, dog groomer Jill Hosinski could be seen maneuvering a very large black Newfoundland, Big Bear, onto a grooming table for his haircut. Nearby, Zippy the cat pounced from a worn, Queen Anne-style chair in the cat room to a front window ledge to check out a car pulling into the resort's gravel parking lot. The large tiger-striped cat was enjoying his structured free time outside his condo suite. Right now, he's the only guest staying in the cat room.

At the Perfect Pet Resort, dogs are checked into one of the facility's 88 one- and two-bedroom canine suites, which vary in size from 3 to 6 feet by 12 feet. Dogs are separated by size at the resort. Beagles, dachshunds, cocker spaniels and other smaller dogs, for example, are kept in one section of the resort; another section houses Labrador retrievers, German shepherds and other larger dogs. Each dog section has its own cedar-mulched and fenced play area for free play and bathroom breaks. The dogs are even treated to organized play groups. When they're not playing or being groomed, they can be found resting on freshly laundered bedding or enjoying one of several premium dog meals.

And the list of perks goes on.

Directly behind the reception desk is a space for the most pampered of pooches. The eight nearly completed "garden view" suites contain a few upgrades from the resort's standard suites, including gourmet snacks and televisions.

Chaney, who graduated from the University of Delaware with a biology degree and has worked in a veterinary hospital, developed the idea for her pet resort several years ago. She imagined a place where pets could go and feel like they were on vacation.

In 1999, Chaney had quit a medical sales job and started a dog- training business. It was while she was working with the dogs, teaching them to sit and obey and follow other directives, that Chaney came up with the idea for a pet resort. Clients, she said, were constantly asking her to board their dogs while they were away.

"It became very painful to say no to people because they really had a need," she said. "What pet owners want and what pets need, that was the driving force behind the whole thing."

So Chaney went to work researching and planning. She visited kennels around the country and in Belgium and Sweden. Within two years, the Perfect Pet Resort had moved from dream to reality. An ardent animal lover, Chaney designed the facility with a focus on ultimate animal care. She declined to say how much she spent on the project, but she maintains she spared no expense on amenities such as lots of windows and skylights. Chaney also insulated the walls for energy efficiency and to keep noise between the rooms and spaces to a minimum.

"What people want to know is if they have made the best decision they can for their pets when they go away," Chaney said. "[The pets] should have a good experience and be on vacation while their parents are on vacation."

Unlike many facilities where pets go behind closed doors when they are boarded, the Perfect Pet Resort takes pleasure in showing pet owners exactly where their four-legged friends will stay.

All this openness and luxury costs money, of course. Daily fees for dogs range from $25 to $55, depending on the size of the suite. Owners who prefer the suites with a garden view for their dogs are charged $70 a day.

A two-room feline condo costs $20 a day and has an area for sleeping and a separate space for the litter box. The penthouse feline condo with four rooms, a bedroom, a bathroom and two playrooms, is $40 a day. Additional costs for pets from the same family sharing accommodations ranges from $10 to $20.

The Perfect Pet Resort's special services include acupuncture, massage, grooming, individual playtime and nature walks on 152 preserved acres surrounding the facility and owned by Chaney and her siblings. Grooming services are available without an overnight stay. Day-care services are planned.

At least twice a day, every overnight pet guest leaves his or her suite for 30 minutes of exercise time. Cats receive solitary social time in the cat room while dogs participate in group play.

"A lot of facilities will separate the play from the boarding price," Chaney said. "But we don't believe in dogs coming in and not playing and not exercising, so we include it. We're not going to just put a dog in a suite and leave him there."

At the fun-loving pet resort, leashes are not necessary, and toys are prohibited in the play area to avoid jealousy. The resort's eight-person staff supervises the play sessions to ensure that the dogs do not become too aggressive.

"That's a pretty labor-intensive process," Chaney said, adding that constant supervision is fundamental to making an animal's stay a pleasant one.

Although the resort has been open for just a few months, John Keenan, resort manager, says the success of the place is evident in the animals' behavior.

"It really is a lot of fun when you get out there and you have 20 or 25 dogs at playtime. It's quite enjoyable watching those dogs just carry on," Keenan said.

He added that repeat customers report their dogs are eager to return to the pet resort, which is a good sign that they are well cared for during their stays.

"When the dogs come back, they literally drag their owners in," Keenan said. "They can't wait to get in and get back to the fun and games. That's what we're trying to accomplish."

The Perfect Pet Resort is at 840 West Bay Front Rd. in Lothian. For information about accommodations, call 410-741-0000 or visit www.perfectpetresort.com.

All pets must be current on their vaccinations and relatively healthy. The resort can accommodate pets with diabetes and other common ailments.