So the NYTimes has a most viewed story on fancy dog kennels. Let me try to convey the gist of it in 4 clipped paragraphs...
The kennels’ amenities are becoming more lavish as well. Heated tile floors and high-tech ventilation systems are de rigueur. In many cases, chain-link dog runs have given way to rooms — for marketing purposes, kennel owners refer to them as “bungalows,” “villas” and “suites” — that come with solid walls, windows and custom-made furnishings. And even as the prices for such pampering rise — in some instances well beyond $100 a night — dog owners are lining up to give their pets what they view as the perfect vacation.
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If a dog stays in the $50-a-day “ambassador suite” at Club Bow-Wow, a staff member sleeps overnight in the room. Dogs that opt for the “presidential suite,” also $50 a day, spend the day in the office of the center’s owner and manager, though they aren’t quite interns.
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Pampering is certainly part of the package. In the afternoon, when the dogs return to their suites from their daily activities, they get freshly baked biscuits. Baths and massages are available for an extra charge. And before lights-out, around 9 p.m., Ms. Beuning or one of her employees reads a bedtime story over the sound system. The stories, written by local schoolchildren, may tell of dogs “chasing kitty cats in their dreams,” she said.
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The daily rate includes the “personal suite, platform bed, comforter, toys, TV/DVD, two walks, one 40-minute jaunt to the dog park, feedings, unlimited bottled water, climate-controlled facility, daily maid service, 24-hour on-site care,” the Mazzu’s Web site says. For an additional $25, Mazzu’s will serve the dog a filet mignon dinner. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/business/yourmoney/24dogs.html?ei=5087%0A&en=1dfdb26b5a8b6635&ex=1159329600&pagewanted=printAs the article points out, these businesses are not based on the biological and psychological needs of the dogs but rather they cash in on the guilt and anthropomorphising of the have-too-much owners. To me the ultimate place for a dog like my english springer spaniel, Molly, is to go spend a week with her littermate, Mack, who is owned by a friend. Mack comes here when his owner travels. They get to hang out and be dogs. And I think it is great but that's not something that could be replicated in a business.
So here is mine: property that backs up into county property, somewhere where the dogs can walk and run for hours. A large common area, maybe astroturf (which can be hosed/easily cleaned), a couple of long runs off of that. Bathed once a week, (more often if needed). A pool for warmer weather. They eat chicken. They sleep in their own crate (if trained that way) or a nice sized pen. Excitable, high energy dogs kept separately from those who can be mellow. No TVs, DVDs, filet mignon, platform beds, etc.
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