Disney For The Dogs?

[MKforReal]

Has anyone ever brought their dogs with them? I'm not even sure if any of the resorts allow them and if it would just be silly to bring them along. If they do allow them, are there any dog parks or things of thay nature? What say you?

 

[Tinkerbell397]

I think that you will find that there are no Disney Hotels that allow dogs unless they are service dogs. You can find excellent dog care centers that I believe are part of or at least in close proximity to Disney. My question is....and I am a dog lover.....why would you want to bring your dog? You spend most days, all day in the parks and they are not allowed there. I would imagine that the trip would be very stressful and lonely for a dog. I would never consider bringing my dog...even if Disney allowed it.....noises, fireworks, crowds, unfamiliar surroundings.....your dog will be happier at home with a familiar sitter or in a kennel. Sorry if this is not the answer you wanted to hear.

 

[Kingdom Konsultant]

Disney actually has kennels on property since they do not allow pets at their hotels. Universal on the other hand does offer pet friendly rooms with an additional fee. It's a beautiful kennel and I have had many clients that have used them and raved. Here is the link

http://www.bestfriendspetcare.com/waltdisneyworldresort/

Pam

 

[MKforReal]

Oh. Ha. I know this will sound weird but I wasn't even considering it. The only reason I asked was because I know of one place that allows them from what I've seen and that is Fort Wilderness.

I just thought it was interesting and wanted to see if there was more to this.

 

[Dog Ate Mouse]

The dogs will come with us on the WDW trip this year. When we arrive they will get checked into Best Friends over by Port Orleans Riverside and will be in the V.I.P room together. Then when I know my two girls are safe and sound then the DWF and I go and check ourselves in. The Best Friends Kennel in WDW is absolutely wonderful and I highly recommend it. Your Dogs will be treated like they were at home in a really cool environment with TV and never in a cage with the VIP package. Also a discount on the package if you are staying at a WDW resort. Boy can I go on and on about this set-up.

 

[Tinkerbell397]

I checked out the website for The Best Friends Kennel. What a beautiful facility. I especially love the private suites. I was unaware of the fact that Best Friends is a chain and there are 4 or so around the country. I would not take my pet to Disney but it is very nice that the convenience is there for those who do. And the fact that you can stop in and visit you pet at any time leads me to believe that they are very confident in the good care that they provide.

 

[stichrules]

Fort Wilderness is the campground and that is the only place where Disney allos dogs. They are not allowed in the Cabins only in the campsites. And they have specific campground loops for cmpers with dogs.

 

[Chernaboggles]

I believe the closest dog park is the Dr. Phillips Community Park, which is probably 4-8 miles away from WDW, depending on where you're staying. It's a multi-use park that includes a fenced, off-leash dog area. There's also a playground, splash pad and walking/jogging trails. It is free, open to the public, well maintained and patrolled by staff. Here are a couple pics I took last week.

Just for the proverbial record: we're here for a long time, are staying off-property, and we maintain a regular work schedule during the week (only hit the parks after 6:00pm). I wouldn't recommend bringing a dog along on a regular WDW vacation unless that dog is very well adjusted and enjoys boarding. Having him with us definitely restricts the amount of time we can spend in the parks on any given day.

 

[MrsCoker]

We have boarded our year and a half old yellow lab at Best Friends four or five times. We love it! We are local and have made BF our "boarder of choice".
We typically choose the indoor kennel with two walks for $39.00 per day. Occasionally we will splurge and pay the $22.00 for a four hour play group session (thirty minute playgroups are $15.00, so it just makes sense to us to pay the few extra bucks for some good exercise and socialization for our active pup!).

Every time we have boarded our dog we have received an email from BF with a picture of her looking VERY happy! She has always been returned to us clean and healthy. In fact, one time while she was there she had a bit of a tummy ache and they called us to let us know and ask if it was okay for them to give her some meds to settle her stomach.

I would absolutely recommend BF to anyone!

 

[Belle2013]

I love Best Friends Pet Care! My dog (golden retriever) has stayed multiple times and they email a picture of him to me ( love that as I get awful anxiety when away from him). The facilities are excellent and it isn't much more than paying a kennel. Also it helps they are open 7 days a week 365 days a year with hours coinciding with the parks. You can buy a la carte items, which I always purchase playtime for him. The workers there are so kind and they love pets (which is a good thing ).

 

[tracyandalex]

I used to work at a Best Friends in NJ when I was in highschool and I can tell everyone that they are great places to board your pets. I certainly would not hesitate to leave my dog at a Best Friends.

 

[tyoyowoowooj]

What are the prices for best friends?

 

[HouCuseChickie]

What are the prices for best friends?

http://www.bestfriendspetcare.com/waltdisneyworldresort/services-rates/boarding/
You have to scroll down a bit to get the rates.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

We boarded at BFs in a VIP suite before. It was very nice and I thought being able to visit daily would be wonderful. Our little dog is very attached to people. She's with someone almost always. It's a rare occurance for her to be alone and when she is it's for only a few short hours. So, us coming and going caused her way more stress. I've never seen her so frantic and freaked when we came in. It was terrible. I was so worried about her constantly because I knew she wasn't doing well. We took her to the dog park and tried to engage her but she just wanted to stay at our feet. It was very un characteristic of her to not play at all. The staff noted that she wasn't eating and it didn't take long for us to visibly see her weight loss. At home she eats when we are in the kitchen. She's not a solitary eater. But when we'd all come visit she would be so frantic she wouldn't eat. The kids & I took to sitting in the car while DH went in to get her to eat. Mid-way thru our 10 night vacation the kids & I stopped going in altogether. Only the husband went in. It was better that way because she wasn't as frantic. The coming & going isn't a good fit for all dogs. It's more upsetting for ours. She's better if we take her somewhere, separate, and let her adjust. Most recently we boarded our toy schnauzer at VIPet in Kissimmee. The cost was considerably less, she got more walks, and even with the additional playtime add-ons the cost was less than half what the cost would've been at BFPC. What really impressed me was how they took her needs into consideration. We explained about her eating and other quirks. We wouldn't be around to come feed her. They took her blankets and things so she would feel okay. For the first time in a long time we picked up a not shell-shocked dog. And she didn't loose weight! BFPC is beautiful and nice as can be. If visiting your pet while on vacation is important it's a great option. For us, it's not the best option. Our girl will definitely board at VIPet again. BFPC? Not for us.

 

[Dog Ate Mouse]

The one thing that is never mentioned is did you ever train your dog to be kenneled as a pup like you would train them to sit, stay and so on. Our first Dog was spoiled and was never boarded and family always came over to watch her. This was our fault for her not handling seperation. Now our current two Dogs goes to Best Friends up Here in Berlin, Southern NJ. They are part of a weekly play group that they go to about two times a month. This play group gets them use to the Facilities. Next they have been kenneled their for a weeks stay and were together. Also since they attend the Doggie Day Camp twice a month they get to be in Doggie Day camp every day that they are kenneled while we are away. This means 7 hours out of the kennal playing with other dogs that have been observed and found even tempered to play with other dogs. This is what I mean by training them to be able to handle boarding. Just like going to the groomers the Dogs get use and lose their fear of the facility because it becomes routine. Dogs are creatures of habit and do not like to much change in their life. My dogs are 5 and 3 years old. When they first started training to be kenneled and play at the facilities they were scared in the beginning. Now when we arrive at Best friends they can't wait to go and jump out of the car and lead us to the door. So when I kennal at BF in WDW my Dogs have the VIP package and have their toys and beds with them and I do get them to have play sessions and yes I do along with the Mrs. Pop in to play with them in the Double fenced in dog park and we play frisbee and tug of war. I also get reports on them daily from the staff. Up here in NJ I log into the web site and view the dogs on the web cam in the play groups. The staff provides daily updates and twice durring the week they send us pictures of them playing. Now BF in WDW handles our feeding instruction very well and our Dogs eat normally because they had a good work out and are hungry. We always add play time for them when staying in WDW. In NJ they have 7 hours out of the kennals to play in the Doggie Day camps 7 days a week. Sorry for the long winded explanation but like anything else with Dogs they need to be trained about boarding and grooming. It is harder to try and do this on dogs a few years of age but a lot easier if started right from the get go. I have had Dogs all my life and have really gotten into dog training over the past ten years because I love dogs and want my dogs to be the best they can be. So when I make these statemnets I am truly speaking from experience and with a true understanding of dogs. Yes not every dog is the same and have to sometimes be treated a little differently to achieve the same end result. But my point is it can be obtained pretty easy. Some Dogs don't do good at BF's but will do good with a pet sitters or an in-home boarding facility. I have come to learn their are options that are not always spoken about and you have to go and look for them. A good place to start is your local vets office.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Our dog is crate trained, yes. She goes in her crate/kennel when we aren't home because it's her safe little den. We've had her groomed every 4-6 weeks since she was a wee pup but still shakes violently when we pull up in front of the groomers. She hates it. Same with the vet. She goes to the vet regularly but she knows what that place is. It truly is the separation from me more than anything that she doesn't do well. At home im rarely out of her sight. She follows me around. If I work in the yard she lays down on her bed & waits. I take her with me when I make trips to visit my parents which she loves. As long as I'm there. If I leave her with my parents she follows my mother around and mopes until I come back. The nature of our lives is to mostly be at home. I'm a stay home mom & I homeschool my sons. Like I said, rarely does she have a need to be away from us. When boarding has to happen and I can't leave our girl with family the best option for us is a small, more personal level kennel. That fits her better. I don't do dog daycare and the like in our daily lives because we don't need to. It would be a frivolous expense. I'm home and I don't work. You know? If I was to board at BFPC I would not go back to visit. I'd let my husband go in for feedings if needed. ((We've learned if she is resistant to eating her regular food she'll be happy to dive into wet food because that's not something she gets often & loves.)) But, for less than half the cost we can board her in a perfectly nice facility with great care. There's no need or perk for us to pay twice as much for the on-property boarding. It simply doesn't suit us. Nothing against BFPC. They're nice.

Our dog is simply a pack dog. We only have 1 dog because her proper care (health & grooming) is not feasible to multiply for more dogs. We are her pack. That's just the way it is. She loves to play with other dogs of similar size & energy levels. Totally normal. But at the end of the day, I am who she looks for. Also normal.

 

[Dog Ate Mouse]

Hi sweetpee_1993, when I replied to this thread I was not replying to you or trying to tell you what to do in any way shape or form. I aplogize if it was taken in that way. I will say my one rescue dog that we gotten as a 6 month old pup gone wrong as an xmas (Aussie Sheppard Chow Mix) present has the same issue that you are stating with groomers and Kennal. It took a great deal of work, love patience and training to get her over this. The DWF and I are young Grandparents in our erly 50's so I have more time and energy to devote to my dogs. If our kids were around still in the house then I would not have that luxory either. Now my Border collie mix is another rescue dog that had smaller issues wtih anxiety seperation and since our kids are grown and married is why we adopted this rescue dog I spoke about in this post. I introduced these two dogs a few times to make sure the chemistry to get along was there. Once I did this the Border Collie Mix has never had this issue. Again if I had little ones and college and so on, I do not know if I could have afforded to have two dogs. But from my learnings and trainings, I have seen that all dogs with issues can be over come but it does truly take time and patience. With little one in the house or teenagers, there is not always alot of time. Boy how I understand that. Again, please take no offence and know that I mean do dis-respect to you at all.