Best Friends Opens Luxury Pet Resort at Walt Disney World Resort

[Master Yoda]

You may never use that place again, but would you tattoo your name across your body with a stapler?

I am guessing no but he does appear to be a fan of cut and paste and seems to have an axe to grind with the new kennel.

http://www.my3cents.com/showReview.cgi?id=87910

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38460520&postcount=8

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Does this mean if I want to spend the day at MK, I have to take a monorail and get in my car and drive to the facility in the middle of the day in order to walk my dog? If so, this really stinks. I want the old kennels back.

No. Your dog will be walked by the staff according to whatever accommodations you are paying for. At Best Friends, the dogs get walked. You don't have to be the one to do it.

I have used the kennels at EPCOT, Animal Kingdom and Hollywood studios a number of times and found them to be a reasonably good and clean habitat for a loved pet. Best Friends, who have been operating the kennels in a professional and pet-friendly manner for several years, have shut them all down in favor of one new, large, fancy pet “prison”. Why a prison? 1) The only material thing dogs have with them at all times to connect them to their owner both logically and emotionally is their collar. This is immediately removed from the dog when they are processed in (substitute a plastic collar, aka Orange Jumpsuit). 2) The dogs’ own leash, over which the owners have the ability to maintain sanitation, is replaced with a shared leather leash over which neither the owner nor the facility has any control of the sanitation. (no belts in this prison!) 3) Unlike the older kennels where the known and trusted owners take the animals to and from their kennels, the new facility does not allow owners past the front processing desk. So the animals get no reassurance when they are put into their kennel and probably even worse, are fetched out of their kennel by some stranger. So if the animal is nervous about being in the kennel, imagine what it must be like to have some stranger come and try to get you to go somewhere else. We teach our children not to go off with strangers and we expect the same of our pets. Of course, in prison all those rules go out the window. 4) There are more people working at this location than the prior kennels. Pets do not have the ability to get to know any particular staffer (guard). 5) Even with more staff at the larger location there are not enough. Long waits to retrieve your pet for personal time or to return them afterwards are typical (I imagine just like visiting a prison inmate). The facility, itself is impressive (to humans) and it is probably reasonably good for the pets but the processes around treatment of the pets from their arrival to their departure is more focused on humans’ and lawyers’ interests than the best interests of the pets. The pictures are representative of only a very few areas, most of which your pet will never see. Their idea of a “Suite” (upgraded but not deluxe accommodations) is a typical kennel cage with one still sliding steel wall that opens several times a day to a small outdoor fenced area. They probably think it’s a great freedom for the dogs (as if they were human). I think that the dogs finally get used to their cages and then a wall disappears to expose another unfamiliar area. I’m sure all these “features” would be beneficial for a long term stay with plenty of time to become accustomed to them all. However, for a few days, the pets are in a constant state of confusion. Needless to say I will NEVER take my dog back to this prison.

Okay. I think you are unaware of some of Best Friend's policies. There are inaccuracies in what you posted.

1. Your material things statement. This is WRONG. You are welcome to bring a bed, blankets, toys, etc. from home. Dogs are NOT stripped of their possessions. They are, however, limited as to how many items are in their kennels at any given time. If your dog has 15 toys in his/her kennel it crowds the space and creates more potential for "accidents" to be more of a mess. Use your brain on that one.

2. Gotta laugh on this one. My dog is not connected to me by her collar. That's just odd. Half the time she doesn't even wear one at home because she doesn't need to. She's inside all day and goes out into a small, fenced backyard with supervision. At boarding facilities the collars are removed for safety reasons...like if they get caught on something they pose a choking hazard. Also, dogs have been known to get their collars off. Mine has. What about if a dog is trying to remove their collar and ends up choking themselves? Having the dogs remove their collars makes things easier & safer. The paper collars do not harm the dogs in any way, are very sanitary (which brings up the point that you find the reused leashes unsanitary but not the single-use paper collars), and aren't a big deal if they get lost. Haven't you ever discussed this with a boarding facility? It's standard practice.

3. Owners ARE allowed to visit their pets in appropriate areas designed for that purpose. This new facility was designed and built with both pets and owners in mind in order to create a rich experience for BOTH. Would you expect to go hang out in a restaurant kitchen where other people's food is being prepared? No. It is not designed for that. You would be in the way. You could contaminate other people's food. There are other pets that have to be considered. I certainly wouldn't want just *anybody* off the street where they can jack with MY dog. That policy, again, is standard in the industry and is in place for the security of the pets.

4. Yes, there's more staff at the new place than the smaller kennels. Does this detract from the overall experience for the average pet? I think not. I can speak for my dog in particular who LOVES people. She wants to be friends with and engage everyone. The more the merrier for her. If your pet has people-anxieties then perhaps you can mention this to the staff. Also, if the variety of caretakers is a problem perhaps this type of accommodation isn't appropriate for your pet. Don't speak for all dogs, though, because your situation doesn't apply to everyone.

5. The longer waits to visit or retrieve my dog says one thing to me: the staff isn't rushing. If the staff isn't rushing around freaking out other peoples' dogs then that's a good thing. I can be patient and wait so that ALL the dogs have a decent experience. It's not about me me me. I'm good with that. I have no clue how visitation at prisons goes. Can't help ya there.

And let us discuss the kennels. The suites are not just a cage. They are a small room. With a television. Not very kennel-ish to me. Well, at least I don't have a television in my dog's kennel at home. Could be just me. :shrug: As for the sliding metal doors that aren't open 24/7...big ol' fat "duh" on that one, sweetie. The facility has been open since the very end of August / beginning of September. It's hot as Hades outside. Would you prefer for Fido's inside room temperature to be as hot as outside? No? Didn't think so. At the Pet Paradise we frequent in Houston we were told the doors are not kept open all day because it raises the inside temperature too much. Smaller or older dogs (or puppies) could overheat easily. It's in their best interests to keep them inside out of the heat during the hottest parts of the day and open their doors periodically during the rest of the day. Makes sense when you think about it.

Personally, I would never in a million years have paid to keep my dog at any of the previous kennels on property. Part of what I pay for is to NOT have to walk her the usual 3 - 5 times a day. I don't want to be taking care of her in someone else's facilities. I want to pay them to do all the work so I can relax and enjoy my vacation. When I come visit I don't want to be doing all the not-fun stuff. I want to play and cuddle and enjoy my dog. The new facility is pricy, admittedly, but it's not unheard of prices for the accommodation or services either.

If you had specific bad experiences at the new Best Friends facility I would love to hear what those experiences were. Your post came off as you judging the facility and ripping it to shreds when the majority of the things you complained about are all standard practice within dog boarding facilities. Those types of criticisms aren't exactly warranted. It sounds to me that you don't like this kind of accommodation which doesn't mean you don't like Best Friends Pet Resort. If this kind of accommodation doesn't fit for you or your pet's needs then by all means do not bring your pet there. It does, however, fit with ours.

We have a vacation villa reserved for our little toy schnauzer Nov. 12 - 21. I'm excited for our girl to get to go on vacation with us this year. That's not something I would've done previous to the Best Friend's opening.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I am guessing no but he does appear to be a fan of cut and paste and seems to have an axe to grind with the new kennel.

http://www.my3cents.com/showReview.cgi?id=87910

http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=38460520&postcount=8

Go on with your eagle-eye there, Yoda! LOL! I thought it was strange a person joining and their first post was all that mess. :animwink: And inaccurate mess at that.

 

[Master Yoda]

Go on with your eagle-eye there, Yoda! LOL! I thought it was strange a person joining and their first post was all that mess. :animwink: And inaccurate mess at that.

The cut and paste tirade is a pretty common tactic used by posters or trolls with nothing more to offer than a pre-scripted agenda. Nine times out of ten said agenda is full of inaccuracies, logical fallacies, etc. Whenever you see one of these just highlight a sentence in the middle (they will sometimes change the opening or closing to make them appear more genuine) and run a google search. You will typically find the exact same tirade on multiple sights and in the case of long dis-proven crack pot conspiracy theories (ie anti-vax propaganda, 9/11 truthers, moon hoaxers, etc) you will also run across articles that will do a line by line debunking just like you did.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

The cut and paste tirade is a pretty common tactic used by posters or trolls with nothing more to offer than a pre-scripted agenda. Nine times out of ten said agenda is full of inaccuracies, logical fallacies, etc. Whenever you see one of these just highlight a sentence in the middle (they will sometimes change the opening or closing to make them appear more genuine) and run a google search. You will typically find the exact same tirade on multiple sights and in the case of long dis-proven crack pot conspiracy theories (ie anti-vax propaganda, 9/11 truthers, moon hoaxers, etc) you will also run across articles that will do a line by line debunking just like you did.

Cool beans. Thanks! Ignorance aggravates me but the subject matter is of importance since we'll be there soon. I've been doing research on this. I don't like the price but it seems like a nice place that follows standard industry practices. Whoever is disgruntled with this specific facility has yet to state why. :shrug:

 

[Master Yoda]

Cool beans. Thanks! Ignorance aggravates me but the subject matter is of importance since we'll be there soon. I've been doing research on this. I don't like the price but it seems like a nice place that follows standard industry standards. Whoever is disgruntled with this specific facility has yet to state why. :shrug:

And I will wager that they never will. If I had to guess I would bet that they are against kennels in general and are just pushing an agenda.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

And I will wager that they never will. If I had to guess I would bet that they are against kennels in general and are just pushing an agenda.

My thoughts exactly. It takes all kinds, I suppose. I should be glad when the goobers of the world make the rest of the population look like Einstein.

 

[Figment82]

We had a negative experience with Best Friends kennel, but that above post is just insane.

Basically, in our case, there was a miscommunication and they put our dog in an indoor space when we paid for an indoor/outdoor one. If we hadn't gone back the next day to take our dog out back to run around and see his kennel (and yes, they do let you back there during specific times) the problem would have gone unnoticed. They claimed we were lying, but after we proved there was a mix-up, they ended up apologizing and giving our dog a free nail clipping. Would we take our dog back? Probably not. But to call it a prison? Please....

 

[slappy magoo]

My thoughts exactly. It takes all kinds, I suppose. I should be glad when the 'tards of the world make the rest of the population look like Einstein.

Not to push an agenda, OR copy and paste...but I should be glad when people who otherwise write like they do indeed have some reasonable intelligence stop using a term like "'tard."

 

[sweetpee_1993]

We had a negative experience with Best Friends kennel, but that above post is just insane.

Basically, in our case, there was a miscommunication and they put our dog in an indoor space when we paid for an indoor/outdoor one. If we hadn't gone back the next day to take our dog out back to run around and see his kennel (and yes, they do let you back there during specific times) the problem would have gone unnoticed. They claimed we were lying, but after we proved there was a mix-up, they ended up apologizing and giving our dog a free nail clipping. Would we take our dog back? Probably not. But to call it a prison? Please....

This is the info I'm looking for. If people have something happen good or bad I'd like to hear it so I have the heads-up. Thanks for posting your experience.

Not to push an agenda, OR copy and paste...but I should be glad when people who otherwise write like they do indeed have some reasonable intelligence stop using a term like "'tard."

Oh dear. Didn't mean to ruffle any feathers with the loose use of a term. My apologies. I shall edit. :animwink:

 

[Mouse Man]

This review is from my past visit to Best Friends this past September 2010

First let me state that I am a dog owner and my Dog stayed at Best Friends in Berlin, New Jersey. The DWF and I on our last day at WDW took a tour of the Best Friends Facility that is on the side of across the street from PORS. We were introduced to the staff and then were taken on 1/2 hour tour of the facilities. My Border Collie will be staying there on our next visit in the VIP Room. First let me start out by saying that it cost me $44 dollars a day for my Dog's play and stay at Best friend in South Jersey. Since my dog goes to a Doggy day camp two to three times a month, when she stays at the kennal she is out of her cage from 7:00 AM through 5:30 PM playing with the other dogs that do Doggie day camp every day during her stay. Now after seeing the Best Friends in Fla I was blown away for what they have to offer and all they do for the dogs. Not to mention the kennals are climate controled, your dog is walked for 30 minutes at a time twice a day. Big friendly rooms with flat screen TV where you can place there Bed inside and all there toys. You can visit you dog daily and take them outside into the Dog Parked that is fenced in twice and has water fountains and pools for the dogs to play in and a well groomed area so in my case I can play frisbee with my dog. The price is $69.00 if you are a resort guest and a litttle higher if you are not. Then they have the vacation Villas the next package down with about 1/3 less of what they offer in the VIP for about $59.00 and then there is what I call the regular kennal style that is priced around if I remember correctly 27 to $30.00 a night. Needless to say My Dog will be staying in VIP mainly due to her being a Border Collie that will keep her busy and entertained. Not to mention the DWF and I would be over playing with her once a day for about an hour. The facilty and staff was excellent and I can see that my Dog would be treated very well. Also in the Higher priced rooms that are limited they have web cams so you can view your dog via the internet in thier area 7x24 basis. Lastly I did not notice where your driving from but all the Holiday Inn Express are Dog friendly and if you might know where you are stopping on your stay you can contact them and they will have a room prepared for your family and the dog. We did meet two dog owners who were picking there dogs up from Best Friends and highly praised them as well. It might seem a little pricey yes, but I feel my dog is in good care where I can pop in any time since staff are always on site 24 hours a day. We love our dog and good kennals are hard to find along with good staff. This is why my Dog stays at the Best Friends in South Jersey and next year will be staying in the VIP section at Best Friends in wdw. I hope this helped you out a bit.