The Dog Resort

For a having a family that travels as much as we do, our dog Mocha has had it pretty easy in terms of where she has to stay while we're away. In Morgantown we had a wonderful friend who would take care of her while we were away. Here in Fresno we've had several people keep her in their homes while we took small trips here and there, and that seemed to go well, too.

For this recent trip to Austin, however, we decided we would put her up in a dog boarding place. Not that we didn't like the friends that she stayed with before, mind you. It was just more a question of not wanting to impose on anyone for a longer trip during the holidays.

I really don't know much about dog boarding places in general, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. My own limited experience comes from once calling our Morgantown vet to ask about boarding. We were were told that for an outrageous amount of money, she would spend her whole day in a cage and get to go out to do her business only one in the morning and once in the evening. (We didn't go there). The place we found in Fresno to keep her was recommended by several people here who really seem to love their dogs, so I decided to give them a call to make a reservation. My first clue that this was no ordinary boarding facility was when the very friendly reservation taker asked, "Now, what services would you like to arrange for Mocha?" Of course, with my limited knowledge of boarding, I was just hoping that someone would let her out of a cage more than twice a day, so this sounded promising. When I asked further, I found that I had stepped into a whole new world of pet boarding. This place had several packages that we could choose from, with a variety of services with each. These included options for multiple "nature walks", doggy playgroups/socialization hours, "one on one tender care", and Yappy Hour treats. (I kid you not.)

My first immediate external response was of surprise, and my later external response was of scoffing that people would pay for such pampering for their pets. Internally, of course, I wanted her to have it all. I especially wanted the "one of one tender care" (which translates to having someone coming in to rub her belly and pet her half an hour a day), because I want her to be happy and content while we were away.

However, we ended up choosing a more moderate package, and now that she's back from her vacation to the Doggy Resort, I would have to say that it was a success. In fact, for all we know, she had a wonderful time. We actually got a "Playdate Report Card" saying that she enjoyed it, and since Mocha can neither refute nor confirm this report we'll have to trust this information. I do know that she seems extremely tired since we've picked her up, so I suppose she just enjoyed herself into an exhaustive state. Some vacations are like that, you know.

I guess what happens at the Doggy Resort stays at the Doggy Resort.