Arizona | California | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | New Mexico

Arizona

PetsHotel

California

The Kennel Club Resort & Spa

PetsHotel

I´ve stayed at this new PetsHotel just once, checking in the day of Pasadena´s Wiggle Waggle Walk last fall. As I had just trotted in the heat for several miles, urging my team of two- and four-legged participants on to the finish line, I was feeling a trifle weary. Well, if truth be told, I was pooped. So staying at a kennel with an on-site medical office had its appeal – just in case the ol´ hip started acting up. Icy Hot, anyone? After two days I was thoroughly refreshed and, as usual, had the staff eating out of my hand. Oh, or was I eating out of their hands? No matter, they were certainly friendly and attentive to this venerable terrier.

Massachusetts

Gibson Kennels

Gibson Kennels is a country dog´s paradise, but even a city slicker like yours truly can appreciate its down-home atmosphere and beautiful surroundings. The boarding and daycare building sits on the same property as owner Bob and Mel Gibson´s horse stables and family home. The experienced doggy people on staff always take a few extra minutes to see how “the little monsta,” as Bob calls me, has been since my last visit. Despite numerous kennels closer to our New Hampshire home, the sense of security my People feel when leaving me with the Gibsons for an extended stay makes every minute of the 90-minute drive worthwhile.

PetsHotel

Imagine my delight when I trotted into this brand-new PetsHotel location in January and heard someone call from behind the reception desk, “It´s Chaucer!” At last… my books have received the acclaim they deserve and my name is now a household word! As I searched my satchel for the inkpad, preparing to paw-tograph copies of my books, of course, my People discovered that my big fan was “just” an employee who knew me from the Framingham store (see listing below). Nonetheless, she remembered me! I expect I´ll be visiting this PetsHotel fairly often in the future. It is ideally located for dropping off one´s canine companion when heading into Boston for, say, an afternoon at the theater followed by dinner. Like most PetsHotels, they close at 9:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 6:00 p.m. on Sundays. Not late enough to hit a jazz club after dinner, but certainly hours that are easier to work around than those you´d find at most independent doggy hotels.

PetsHotel

I´d stayed at this PetsHotel a handful of times, mostly for day boarding, until last July when my People headed out of town on (imagine this!) a non-dog-friendly trip of 10 days. They were a bit trepidatious about leaving me at a “chain store” kennel for such an extended period – we writers can be a bit difficult to handle, you know – but Gibson Kennels was booked solid. I am happy to report that my visit was a thoroughly enjoyable one. Those employees who weren´t already familiar with my delightfully eccentric personality before that visit certainly were afterwards. And I did my best to support the local economy by racking up a large bill, thanks to all the a la carte options available (“I´ll take two peanut butter Kongs, and then, this afternoon, three individual playtimes…”). With the opening of the Cambridge PetsHotel (see listing above), I probably won´t be visiting this location much anymore. I´ll rely on you, faithful readers, to let me know you enjoy your stays here instead!

New Hampshire

Sendaishi Pet Resort

After two less than ideal stays at another Manchester-area kennel, I was thrilled to find the Sendaishi Pet Resort. In addition to what are now standard activity features at many doggy hotels – multiple play yards, swimming sessions with kennel supervisors – Sendaishi offers its furry guests the choice of two hiking trails around their 60-acre property. I´ve enjoyed the leisurely half-mile walk around the pond several times, leaving the mile-long hike up into the rustic hills to the younger pups. For those guests suffering occasional aches and pains – or recovering from a surgery or injury – Sendaishi recently opened a canine rehabilitation and fitness center, featuring everything from an underwater treadmill to therapeutic ultrasound. Veterinarian-prescribed medications are also dispensed free of charge – a welcome detail given that most kennels I´ve stayed at charge at least $1.00 for this service. (On my most-recent kennel stay of about a week, I ran up $30.00 in “medication administration” fees!)

Photographs courtesy of Sendaishi Pet Resort

New Mexico

Canine Country Club

Check out the pictures of the guests using the “Doggy Jog” machine on this kennel´s website! I´ve enjoyed staying at the Canine Country Club several times over the last few years when traveling through the Land of Enchantment. During my first visit, I arrived with a leg injury. (As I recall, I´d been bouncing around in the holding “cage” at the groomer´s the day before, sticking my front paws through the metal rungs in an attempt to unlatch the door, when my foot quite inexplicably got caught. I gave my leg a good twist trying to extricate myself – most embarrassing.) The Country Club staff made sure I was kept quiet and took all my medications; by the time I left, three days later, I was back to doing my Tigger impressions.

Canine Country Club

Since I have not stayed at this location of the Canine Country Club yet, I´d welcome comments from my fellow canine travelers who have! Please see my review of their Westside location above.