Dubai: For many pet owners, planning a holiday is often fraught with concern about where to leave their precious pets.
Dubai now offers a range of options for owners, from luxury pet services including seven-star hotels to boot camps and training facilities, pet sitting, even pet food delivery options.
Your much-adored pets can be left at day care during the week or checked into a pet hotel when abroad on holiday.
And no longer is purchasing food for them only a matter of picking it up at pet stores. There are designer meals ready to be delivered in bulk anywhere in the UAE.
Residents with pets have welcomed the new services and are pleased to see the pet culture growing in their communities.
Emma Johnson from New Zealand, owner of a 70kg, two-year-old Great Dane, said she uses several pet services, including day care, boarding, and vet facilities. Rescued by the Animal Action UAE group, the Great Dane, named Nelson, was adopted at four months old.
Johnson said she takes Nelson for day care at ‘Positive Paws’, and is happy to see her dog enjoying his time at the facility. “They accommodate larger dogs, and use positive tactics to train them,” she added.
When looking for boarding services, Johnson takes her dog to ‘Homley Petz’ in Ras Al Khaimah to enjoy the natural surroundings at the facility’s farm. “They have many Great Danes at the facility and it’s become Nelson’s second home. When I drive him down there and he realises that we are outside the farm gates, the crying starts because he is desperate to get inside — it’s hilarious to watch,” said Johnson.
The facility offers everything from dog training and pet sitting to pet boarding, boot camp and behavioural training.
Dubai resident Janet Logan, 53, from the UK, said she takes her two-and-a-half-year-old beagle, Winston, to day care once a week at Woof pet services. “I have peace of mind knowing how excited my dog is to see everyone at the facility,” she said.
Another pet owner, graphic designer Claire Lambert, 39, from the UK, said she was impressed with the services at the seven-star facility, Urban Tail Pet Resort. Lambert booked a small vacation for her cats, Sampha and Louise, at the resort while she was on vacation. “When we were shown around the facility, we saw the cats happy in their self-contained en suite kitty condos, with soothing music playing,” said Lambert. The cats and kittens are taken out to play in a safe environment called the Kitty Village once a day. “The best feature for us was the kitty cam, because you can log in and check on your cat while you are away, which was very reassuring. I would look forward to seeing them every day,” said Lambert.
Pet resort
One of the city’s elite pet services, Urban Tails Pet Resort, currently serves 4,000 clients whose dogs and cats stay at the resort regularly. Damien Wheatley, operation manager, told Gulf News the busy periods include Easter time, Christmas, Eid, and the summer, when pets are usually dropped off for several weeks at a time while their owners are on vacation.
“The cats and dogs each get their own suites or kitty condos, comfy couch, and a food menu,” he said. Wheatley explained that the resort’s restaurant offers different types of food, including fresh chicken, and rice for dogs. Movies such as 101 Dalmatians and Lady and the Tram are played in each suite to keep the pets from feeling lonely, explained Wheatley.
While dogs have the option of swimming at the dog pool, cats can enjoy playing around in the cat jungle.
Gulf News also talked to the Dubai pet food delivery store, Dubai Pet Food, whose online services have been available since 2011. Selling over 12,000 pet products and providing second day delivery to all seven emirates, the company also opened a store in Dubai Investment Park in 2014.
“We have all kinds of products for dogs, cats, and horses, as well as riding gear, like helmets, and boots, and cat toys and leashes. We also have small reptiles and fish for sale, along with aquariums and fish food.” said Emily Kaminski, general manager at Dubai Pet Food.
The online store makes an average of 120-160 deliveries a day, while the pet store carries out adoption days every few months that sell rescued puppies and kittens looking for a home.
