ftwildernessguy
<font color=green>I have a linen closet at home fu
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2003
- Messages
- 6,586
Mickey the Wonder Beagle took one for the team last week and spent 8 days in Best Friends day care. Here is my review:
This is the sign off Bonnet Creek.
The kennel is just around the corner from the Fort across the street from Port Orleans Riverside. It's really not too inconvenient for Fort visitors or visitors at SOG or Port Orleans, but if you're staying at another hotel or a park guest, it's kind of a haul and I'm thinking Best Friends placed it here to be convenient for the Fort guests who would be the most apt to utilize it.
Here is a view of the front:
And another view of the front:
There is a decent sized parking lot and you can pull up under the entrance to drop off or pick up. The lobby is large, but the check in process is cumbersome and time consuming. If you are just dropping off for the day and you have already registered but are behind somebody who is just registering, it is quite a wait. They really need to streamline this. When we first dropped Mickey off, I asked for a tour but they had just cleaned the floors and they were wet and wouldn't allow me back, so I got one later when I picked him up.
The place is incredibly clean. No odor whatsoever. There is a fairly large staff and they all were young, enthusiastic and friendly. The cat area is in the front, sound proofed and looks like a fun place for cats I guess. There is another room for pocket pets and somebody was boarding a Beta fish. Now if you don't like to leave your dog in a kennel and didn't like the set up at the old kennels, you are going to hate the new place. The main part of the building is a huge kennel that resembles a puppy warehouse. The kennels are stacked two high in really long rows, about 4 rows wide. It is extremely loud and it wasn't anywhere near full, so I'd hate to be there when it was. Luckily, Mickey is a senior and is losing some of his hearing. The staff runs around with earplugs.
The luxury suites were ridiculous. Flat screen TV's playing Disney movies with dogs sleeping and not paying any attention to them. Little tiny dogs in huge spaces. These guillotine doors going to outside play areas that looked more than a little dangerous, and really high ceilings which I still haven't figured out. Remember the story about the 76 dollar a day suites being booked solid until Christmas? A lie. I saw one dog in the VIP Luxury Suites the whole time I was there, and the staff told me they were available if you wanted them.
Mickey was in Day Care, and I got a discount because I had reserved his kennel before 1 June when the old kennel was operating, so I paid less than the 26 bucks a day. He had a double kennel with an elevated cot and a separate room he hung out in with his Tigger. I sprung for ice cream time (4 bucks a day, Frosty Paws or something similar if you are familiar) and he got 2 walks a day. They would have fed him but he eats breakfast and dinner with us. They will provide medication if you bring it and give them instructions. Outside there is a nice doggy park with a water fountain to cool off in (but nothing smells worse than a wet beagle in a camper, so we passed) and a little waliking path around the park which Mickey liked when I would pick him up at night.
They do have a groomer on premises and for 25 bucks Mickey got a bath, his nails trimmed and his ears cleaned on the last day. That was really nice.
There is a staff member present 24 hours so if you are late from the parks, you don't have to call security anymore.
Here is a picture of Mickey they took and emailed me, and it was featured on a flatscreen TV in the lobby:
Overall, I would use them again. I thought the wash and wax job he got was a pretty good bargain. Mickey liked it and he got the Potty Champ award when he left, which doesn't surprise me since that animal can poop at will. I think the luxury suites were absurd and really doubt that will pay off for Best Friends, but time will tell. I would like to see the main kennel area subdivided to make things a little quieter for the guests, and they need to streamline the checkin proceedure a lot. It may not be too bad for Fort guests, but it sure is inconvenient for others. It seemed that a lot of employees were using it, and I think they get a discount.
So there you have it. The good, the bad and the ugly about Best Friends.
This is the sign off Bonnet Creek.
The kennel is just around the corner from the Fort across the street from Port Orleans Riverside. It's really not too inconvenient for Fort visitors or visitors at SOG or Port Orleans, but if you're staying at another hotel or a park guest, it's kind of a haul and I'm thinking Best Friends placed it here to be convenient for the Fort guests who would be the most apt to utilize it.
Here is a view of the front:
And another view of the front:
There is a decent sized parking lot and you can pull up under the entrance to drop off or pick up. The lobby is large, but the check in process is cumbersome and time consuming. If you are just dropping off for the day and you have already registered but are behind somebody who is just registering, it is quite a wait. They really need to streamline this. When we first dropped Mickey off, I asked for a tour but they had just cleaned the floors and they were wet and wouldn't allow me back, so I got one later when I picked him up.
The place is incredibly clean. No odor whatsoever. There is a fairly large staff and they all were young, enthusiastic and friendly. The cat area is in the front, sound proofed and looks like a fun place for cats I guess. There is another room for pocket pets and somebody was boarding a Beta fish. Now if you don't like to leave your dog in a kennel and didn't like the set up at the old kennels, you are going to hate the new place. The main part of the building is a huge kennel that resembles a puppy warehouse. The kennels are stacked two high in really long rows, about 4 rows wide. It is extremely loud and it wasn't anywhere near full, so I'd hate to be there when it was. Luckily, Mickey is a senior and is losing some of his hearing. The staff runs around with earplugs.
The luxury suites were ridiculous. Flat screen TV's playing Disney movies with dogs sleeping and not paying any attention to them. Little tiny dogs in huge spaces. These guillotine doors going to outside play areas that looked more than a little dangerous, and really high ceilings which I still haven't figured out. Remember the story about the 76 dollar a day suites being booked solid until Christmas? A lie. I saw one dog in the VIP Luxury Suites the whole time I was there, and the staff told me they were available if you wanted them.
Mickey was in Day Care, and I got a discount because I had reserved his kennel before 1 June when the old kennel was operating, so I paid less than the 26 bucks a day. He had a double kennel with an elevated cot and a separate room he hung out in with his Tigger. I sprung for ice cream time (4 bucks a day, Frosty Paws or something similar if you are familiar) and he got 2 walks a day. They would have fed him but he eats breakfast and dinner with us. They will provide medication if you bring it and give them instructions. Outside there is a nice doggy park with a water fountain to cool off in (but nothing smells worse than a wet beagle in a camper, so we passed) and a little waliking path around the park which Mickey liked when I would pick him up at night.
They do have a groomer on premises and for 25 bucks Mickey got a bath, his nails trimmed and his ears cleaned on the last day. That was really nice.
There is a staff member present 24 hours so if you are late from the parks, you don't have to call security anymore.
Here is a picture of Mickey they took and emailed me, and it was featured on a flatscreen TV in the lobby:
Overall, I would use them again. I thought the wash and wax job he got was a pretty good bargain. Mickey liked it and he got the Potty Champ award when he left, which doesn't surprise me since that animal can poop at will. I think the luxury suites were absurd and really doubt that will pay off for Best Friends, but time will tell. I would like to see the main kennel area subdivided to make things a little quieter for the guests, and they need to streamline the checkin proceedure a lot. It may not be too bad for Fort guests, but it sure is inconvenient for others. It seemed that a lot of employees were using it, and I think they get a discount.
So there you have it. The good, the bad and the ugly about Best Friends.
Ever tried giving a beagle who will eat just about anything (mine is Dora the Explorer) a blueberry facial? 
