9/4 Best Friends Pet Care Grand Opening Day!
A week or so ago, we stopped by Best Friends Pet Care to get some pre-opening photos – we've followed it since construction first started! I was able to arrange a tour on opening day of the facility to share with Mousesteps readers – a big thank you to Deb Bennetts, spokeswoman for Best Friends for being so generous with her time and giving us a complete look into the new pet resort! (this has been such a busy week at WDW for us, including the new Space Mountain music, Halloween decorations at the MK, and getting photos of the Art of Animation construction near the Pop Century Resort!)
The opening of Best Friends Pet Care signals the end of the Kennel Clubs at the parks and Fort Wilderness, which leaves me with a twinge of sadness after seeing guests with their pets at the parks for most of my life. On the other hand, as someone who thinks of pets as family, I started using more upscale boarding facilties myself a number of years ago when I didn't have a pet sitter. I don't find the Kitty City condos at Best Friends Pet Care to be out of range in price from what I've spent at other facilities that weren't as nice and didn't have a staff member there 24 hours. If I had to leave my cat at a boarding facility, I would take her to Best Friends – there is a lot of peace of mind in knowing that someone is there around the clock.
One tip – make reservations! Best Friends had 200 dogs coming in for Labor Day weekend and VIP suites are sold out for every weekends through the end of the year. If you want a choice in where to put your pup, it's best to call when you make your Walt Disney World reservations (877-493-9738)
Best Friends offers 17,000 square feet of air-conditioned indoor space, 10,000 square feet of covered outdoor runs and play areas, and the 25,000 square foot dog park which can be used only by Best Friends clients and their pets.
The outside of Best Friends:
Kitty City has cat condos – each is two levels, but you can pay extra for a four level condo. For 2 levels, it is $21.00 for one cat for resort guests ($23.00 for non-resort). For a 4 level it ranges from $30.00 to $32.00.
When the cages are being cleaned, the cats get some roaming time in. Cats and dogs are kept in separate locations to keep from stressing the animals. I would love to see a couple of pet suites for cats in the future!
A couple of decorative items in the room:
Deb Bennetts, who gave the two of us a tour around the facility. She is very enthusiastic and knowledgeable.
Pocket Pets, which can include bunnies, hamsters, rats, guinea pigs and such. No venomous pets or primates are accepted at Best Friends:
Kyle, a fish mascot from the Magic Kingdom kennel:
