Arizona | California | Massachusetts | New Hampshire | New Mexico

Arizona

PetsHotel

4374 North Oracle Road
Tucson, Arizona
Telephone: (520) 407-0197, ext. 6
Website: PetsHotel.com

I generally prefer independent businesses to chains, but my People tried this PetsHotel last year and were thrilled with the friendly service of manager Joanne Dunavent and her staff. Alas, Joanne has departed, but Melina, Bre, Robin, Jillian, and all my other favorite PetsHotel employees are still around, taking great care of me whether I´m in for an afternoon of day boarding or an overnight stay. They don´t even mind when I try to sneak off to the kitchen, or fall asleep in the “hair dryer” cage after a bath, or tip my bowl over just one more time to dance around in the water. My People particularly appreciate the attentiveness of their night attendants: Their habit of spending a little extra time keeping “senior guests” company during the wee hours meant that when I had a minor health issue one night, I enjoyed personal comfort until PetsMart´s on-site medical facility opened in the morning. (April 2008)

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California

The Kennel Club Resort & Spa

3301 Fujita Street
Torrance, California
Telephone: (310) 539-2201
Website: KennelClubResort.com

Whether because of their summer swimming program, their involvement in a local animal rescue group, or their phenomenal staff (which has seen little turnover in the 10 years I´ve been staying there), this is, paws down, my All-Time Yappiest Place on Earth. Expertly run by Karen Welch, The Kennel Club´s services and her employees´ warm professionalism are the benchmark by which my People and I judge every other kennel. (August 2007)

PetsHotel

21848 Valley Boulevard
Walnut, California
Telephone: (909) 594-5043, ext. 6
Website: PetsHotel.com

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. (October 2007)

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Massachusetts

The Bark and Call Inn
Ashby, Massachusetts                                                                                      Guest Review by Brontë
Telephone: (978) 386-1102
Website: BarkandCallInn.com

I was a little worried when my People dropped me off here because the place is so comfy and domestic that I thought, “Is this my new home?!?” But the dogs already romping about in the fenced yard next to the Walsh family home set me straight, and then all I cared about was learning the finer points of tug o’ war. After our supper dishes were put away, I discovered that the entire guest house is just for us hounds! Like Goldilocks, I had some trouble finding the perfect crate in which to sleep. Owner/trainer Rebecca Walsh was very patient with me: She tried me in an upstairs room with several dogs, and I didn’t like it (meaning, I suppose, that I barked, but just a little bit I’m sure). Then she tried me in another upstairs room with just one quiet dog, and I didn’t like that place either. And then she moved me downstairs to a room with no other dogs – and I slept like a puppy. With cozy fireside naps in winter, and the promise of wooded hikes in warmer weather, a visit to Taming Anubis is like a mini country vacation at a canine B&B. Since we live not far over the state line in New Hampshire, I know I’ll be back for overnight stays and “day boarding.” – also known as “running around for hours on end so I arrive home an exhausted, happy hound.” And I’ve heard that my People are setting up a few in-home training sessions with Rebecca Walsh. Apparently, someone in our house has a jumping problem. (February 2009)

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Camp Canine Dog Daycare and Spa                                                      Guest Review by Brontë
202 Pond Street
Ashland, Massachusetts
Telephone: (508) 881-7364
Website: CampCanineDogSpa.com

Like a fancy prep school, Camp Canine requires an entrance interview for prospective guests. I confess I was nervous, what with my being a large, exuberant puppy and all. Would my tail get out of control? Would I bounce when told to sit? Would I have an embarrassing accident when meeting the staff? Yes, yes,… and yes. But they accepted me anyway! Wag, wag, wag, wag. The interview is intended to make sure all guests “play well with others,” because their entire days are spent romping around outside in one of the two large play yards: either the large dog yard or the small dog yard, which I was assigned to because of my age. (Since I was still on a three-times-a-day eating schedule at the time, I was brought in for lunch and a “rest period” along with several other dogs.)

As much fun as I had with my new friends, kennels with all-day, group playtime outdoors are certainly not suitable for every dog. My little big brother The Chausman, for example, would not have enjoyed it here, what with him being a fastidious little writer and all. (Then again, he probably would have failed the entrance exam! Woof!) My five-day stay at Camp Canine was only the second time I’d slept away from home – and the first without Chaucer (he knows I love him) – so Mom was really happy I was allowed to bring my favorite blanket with me. That’s unusual enough, but then the staff WASHED MY BLANKIE before sending it home with me. Mom was REALLY impressed. The play yards were scheduled for new turf and toys, which I look forward to checking out on a future visit. (August 2008)

Derbyfield Kennel
556 Depot Street
North Harwich, Massachusetts
Telephone: (508) 432-2510
Website: DerbyfieldKennel.com

This family-run kennel in the Mid-Cape region offers one guest feature this well-traveled terrier has seen nowhere else: visiting hours! Between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., owners may check their dogs out of the kennel – which meant Brontë and I were able to join in some of the family fun during our recent week in Cape Cod. The only requirements are that your people leave a credit card on file and that you’re back before 3:00. Derbyfield owner Barbara Furner says that some clients just swing by for a walk or a little playtime on the kennel property; others take their dogs out for the entire time. The only concern, she notes, is when a dog leaves for the day thinking he is headed home. If a dog seems agitated upon his return, Furner speaks with his owner about how some dogs just need a little more structure than others. This same level of personalized concern for her guests came across in the entire kennel team’s treatment of your senior correspondent (me!) at check-in. After listening carefully to my People explain how the cold exacerbates my arthritis and makes it difficult for me to stand some days – especially after a leisurely nap or extended stint at the typewriter – one of them said “We LOVE older dogs!” while another assured us that they had experience with elderly guests whose ailments are even more advanced than mine. Three woofs for our new home away from home on Cape Cod!
(March 2009)

Gibson Kennels

139 Upton Street, Route 140
Grafton, Massachusetts
Telephone: (508) 839-1757
Website: GibsonKennels.com

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. (August 2007)

PetsHotel

160 Alewife Brook Parkway
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Telephone: (617) 349-3481, ext. 6
Website: PetsHotel.com

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. (April 2008)

PetsHotel

1 Worcester Road
Framingham, Massachusetts
Telephone: (508) 370-9612, ext. 6
Website: PetsHotel.com

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! (July 2007)

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Sendaishi Pet Resort

355 Straw Road
Manchester, New Hampshire
Telephone: (603) 622-9684
Website: Sendaishi.com

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!) (May 2008)

Photographs courtesy of Sendaishi Pet Resort

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New Mexico

Canine Country Club

7327 4th Street NW
Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, New Mexico
Telephone: (505) 898-0725
Website: CanineCountryClub.com

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. (December 2007)

Canine Country Club

4201 Marna Lynn NW
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Telephone: (505) 890-8900
Website: CanineCountryClub.com

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.

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