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!
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:
Best Friends offers grooming:
This area is for dogs who don’t have proof of required shots. Dogs must be current on Rabies, DHPP and Bordetella – written proof from the vet is required. Cats must be current on Rabies and FVRCP and written proof needed as well. We were told there were some hidden Mickeys around the facility, but this was the only one I noticed:
The Vacation Villas for dogs are the second most expensive of the boarding options. These include one potty walk, playgroup, a flat screen TV (the pups were watching Lady and The Tramp when we walked by) and turndown biscuit. There are 14 of these villas which are 72 square feet with a 28 square foot relief patio. I think this is a nice size room for dogs,and cost $53.00 for resort guests and $59.00 for non-resort.
In the back, there is a nice dog park with water feature, double gated – as well as a dog walk area for dogs who might not want to socialize:
Indoor playgroup area:
Outdoor:
The piece de’ resistance of Best Friends Pet Care are the VIP Luxury Suites – these are 226 square feet (!), which leaves plenty of room for more than one family dog. (second and third dogs sharing the Villa or Luxury suite will receive 50% off the second and third dogs).
Patios:
We didn’t get photos of the standard dog suites – the indoor-outdoor are from 36 to 48 square feet and include a pet cot and outdoor patio with one potty walk per day. The indoor suites are 32 square feet, and provide a pet cot and two potty walks. You can find the full list of prices on the Best Friends website. The prices are a big jump from the kennels, but guests on the first day really seem to love the facility. There didn’t seem to be an immediate answer on whether a bus would stop at Best Friends, but I hope that will be the case (since it’s so close to Port Orleans, that would make sense as another stop on the Port Orleans line from the parks and Downtown Disney).
There are a variety of pet items and treats for purchase near the front desk:
Front desk:
For more information on Best Friends, visit them online! If you are planning on bringing your pet to Walt Disney World with you – your first call after making your Disney reservation should be to Best Friends Pet Care.