Disney Goes to the Dogs

Dog days at Disney World
Walt Disney World in Orlando is going to the dogs. Literally. The
company wants to coddle dogs with bedtime stories and treat cats to
tuna on Ritz crackers. "We will be able to provide wonderful
experiences for pets," Dennis Dolan, president and chief executive
officer of Best Friends Pet Care Inc., told The Orlando Sentinel. His
Norwalk, Conn., company has a contract from Disney to operate the
resort's five existing kennels -- and to build a state-of-the-art
boarding center where dogs and cats can board in two-room suites with
patios.

Ice cream snacks? Bottled water? Elevated beds with lamb's-wool
bedding? Even orthopedic beds will be available. For dogs used to
curling up on a child's bed and drifting off to sleep as a parent
reads a bedtime story, bedtime stories will be available. For those
conditioned to nap in front of a TV, televisions can be provided.
What's playing? Dog movies.

"A lot of people leave their televisions or radios on at home during
the day to keep their pets company. This is really an idea that came
to us from our clients who wanted a more homelike setting for their
pets," said Best Friends spokeswoman Debra Bennetts. She added: "What
we provide is luxury suites. . . . It's really for that person who
wants to make sure that their pet is being pampered the way they get
pampered at home."

Cats will get a different kind of pampering. Their "condos" will come
with lofts. Their TVs will play videos of birds. They can have
aquariums to watch.

Dolan said luxury boarding for pets has been emerging for years, and
he considers his company to be one of the innovators. Best Friends has
44 other boarding centers nationwide. Most of the luxury features are
available at most of them. At those other Best Friends facilities,
basic boarding fees for dogs range from less than $25 to more than $40
a day, depending on the local market and the size of the dog. Luxury
features, such as 10 minutes of cuddle time, can be purchased
separately for $2 to $12 per feature or in packages that add $12 to
$38 a day to the cost.

The company has not yet set its Disney World luxury rates.

Report by David Wilkening