LIL' BUDDY'S BLOG - In Chicago, Swanky Digs for Us Dogs, Cats While Are Humans Are Away!
THE CHICAGO IL REAL ESTATE MARKET, AND OTHER THINGS CHICAGO, FROM THE POINT OF VIEW OF A LITTLE WHITE DOG!
I'm back again, you dogs, with my Human Dad Dean! Hope you're enjoying the summer weather. Here in Chicago, uncharacteristically cool weather turned 90-degrees-plus in a hurry, earlier this week.
These days, the recession has hit the U.S. Economy hard, and the Travel Industry even harder. In business, employees are taking fewer trips, and bunch out-of-town excursions together in hopes of saving their companies money, and perhaps prolonging their own jobs.
Despite the down economy, however, one Schiller Park IL entrepreneur is doing quite well, thank you, with his new ultra-swanky, 24-hour/7-day dog and cat boarding facility near Chicago O'Hare Airport. The Paradise 4 Paws Resort, very close to the airport, offers private rooms, flat-screen HDTV's, webcam access and wi-fi, an indoor grassy area, and a cooling play pool. Read the whole story, by Reporter Ann Meyer, in the June 22nd Edition of the Chicago Tribune.
The facility is geared to the growing number of Chicago Area Pet Owners who need to board their dogs or cats before leaving town on business, and find the limited hours of neighborhood Doggy Day Care facilities unacceptable for their work and travel schedules.
The "Resort Fee" - a pricey $47 per night! Included: a private room, plenty of playtime (my Lil' Sis Gracie Ella Moss would love this), and expert, loving care around the clock. Doggy Day Care - available anytime, day or night, runs up to $32 per day. Discounts are provided for pets desiring extended stays, for repeat customers, and for those boarding more than one dog or cat during a trip.
As you dogs well know, we are just another member of the family for most humans - they treat us like their own kids! And I, for one dog on four paws, am not complaining! Perhaps that is one reason the pet care market seems nearly recession-proof.
In 2008, spending on humans' pets reached nearly $43.2 Billion, up from $41.2 Billion in 2007. This year, on of the pet industry trade associations predicts another 5% rise in spending on we dogs and cats - perhaps as high as $45.4 Billion.
Indeed, retail pet food and supplies giant PetSmart, has even jumped on the pet resort trend. They currently run 152 PetsHotel Locations, including several here in the Chicago Area. Personal Care, room without bars, as opposed to cramped cages and kennels, and loads of exercise and playtime are the norm here as well - although these facilities are not open around the clock like Paradise 4 Paws is. According to a PetsHotel spokesperson, occupancy peaks around traditionally-heavy travel dates and holiday weekends.
And the new facilities are indeed swanky, so we dogs can enjoy some R & R while our humans are away. Paradise 4 Paws offers standard rooms - not cages - sized to 4' x 7', with an additional 4' x 4' patio. Larger rooms, drywalled, are also available for families with more than one dog - perhaps, for example, me and Gracie.
You listening to me, Daddy Dean and Momma Susie? Next time YOU go out of town, won't you send US DOGS to the resort, too?
We promise not to cause a dog riot that will worry you, or make you cut your trip away short!
YOUR ACE REPORTER ON FOUR PAWS,
BUDDY HOLLY MOSS & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
