**BEST FRIENDS PET CARE KENNEL at DISNEY WORLD FAQ**

[cherylp3]

Just a note: there are some road closures this month due to Ironman competitions, please check the best friends wdw webpage for details.

 

[BamaTigger]

Just a note: there are some road closures this month due to Ironman competitions, please check the best friends wdw webpage for details.

Thank you cherylp3!

Here is whats on the website :

May 8 and 15 Race Day Advisories!Planning to visit us on either May 8th or May 15th? Please be aware the section of Bonnet Creek Parkway in front of our building will be closed from 6 am until 10 am for the Danskin Triathlon on the 8th and the Ironman Triathlon on the 15th and you will not be able to drive to our building.

For guests who need to drop off or pick up a pet during race hours, we will be providing a special “shuttle” service from the parking lot of the Port Orleans Riverside Resort. Please follow the signs to our tented area in the Port Orleans parking lot where our staff will assist you.

If possible, you may want to postpone your visit that morning until after the race, when you will be able to drive directly into our parking lot as usual.

We appreciate your patience as we do our best to accommodate you and your pets without interfering with the races.

And, we wish good luck to all the race participants!
.

 

[dwtraveler]

I am not going to get into the specifics of cost or anything like that, but just want to say that yesterday was our first experience with this pet center and we were very happy! Our sable cocker is 5 months old and has never been left before. We were very nervous when we dropped him off but the whole check in process was great. We met at least 5 people who were so friendly. The facility was clean and Snickers, who usually cries when not in sight of us, didn't even look back as he was lead out of the room.

When we picked him up 6 hours later, we couldn't wait any longer, he was joyful and energetic. We were told he had, well, done his business and eaten all of his food. We went out to the play area for a few minutes where he jumped in the fountain some and relieved himself again before getting into the car where he lay down and fell asleep. He had had an eventful day with new experiences but was comfortable. Last night, he was his usual self, eating right on schedule and enjoying his walks. Went to bed as usual and even slept late, yeah!

We have no qualms about his stay tomorrow and the next week as we enjoy all of our vacation plans that even include a little outlet shopping. As annual pass holders we enjoy the slight discount but feel the price is fine for what we are getting in return, a well taken care of pet. We have had a positive experience and are looking forward to more good days!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Does anybody have any information on the Pocket Pet area? We have a 4.3lb rabbit we are considering taking with us in Dec, I'm just not sure about leaving her for a week. My cousin or a friend will care for our cats and dog and that is fine, they love my cousin, but she doesn't know how to care for Mable.

Mable is used to a 6ft x 2ft multilevel apartment of her own, with a large hay box and litter pan blanket and toys. I don' t think she would like to be confined for 8 days. The prices at BF compare to that of a local place we have used before for our other rabbits.

I just don't know what to do.

Suzanne

 

[BamaTigger]

I am not going to get into the specifics of cost or anything like that, but just want to say that yesterday was our first experience with this pet center and we were very happy! Our sable cocker is 5 months old and has never been left before. We were very nervous when we dropped him off but the whole check in process was great. We met at least 5 people who were so friendly. The facility was clean and Snickers, who usually cries when not in sight of us, didn't even look back as he was lead out of the room.

When we picked him up 6 hours later, we couldn't wait any longer, he was joyful and energetic. We were told he had, well, done his business and eaten all of his food. We went out to the play area for a few minutes where he jumped in the fountain some and relieved himself again before getting into the car where he lay down and fell asleep. He had had an eventful day with new experiences but was comfortable. Last night, he was his usual self, eating right on schedule and enjoying his walks. Went to bed as usual and even slept late, yeah!

We have no qualms about his stay tomorrow and the next week as we enjoy all of our vacation plans that even include a little outlet shopping. As annual pass holders we enjoy the slight discount but feel the price is fine for what we are getting in return, a well taken care of pet. We have had a positive experience and are looking forward to more good days!

That is a GREAT review!!! Im so glad you had a great experience with the resort! Sounds like your little baby had a great time!!!! If you took any pics we would love to see them!

Does anybody have any information on the Pocket Pet area? We have a 4.3lb rabbit we are considering taking with us in Dec, I'm just not sure about leaving her for a week. My cousin or a friend will care for our cats and dog and that is fine, they love my cousin, but she doesn't know how to care for Mable.

Mable is used to a 6ft x 2ft multilevel apartment of her own, with a large hay box and litter pan blanket and toys. I don' t think she would like to be confined for 8 days. The prices at BF compare to that of a local place we have used before for our other rabbits.

I just don't know what to do.

Suzanne

Hello PrincessSuzanne! Nice to see you again! I have a link to just a few pics of the pocket pets page on Facebook...

http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.215319901817784.66484.139930586023383

On the official website, it says this of pocket pets...."We strive to care for many types of family pets…within reason of course! Our facility provides a safe little haven for “pocket pets” such as hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits and ferrets. Pet parents must provide their own housing/cage and all supplies (food, bowls, litter, etc.) for their pocket pet.

So, im assuming that you will have to take Mable's own crate! So It really depends on what you want to do, if you have to take her own crate, then that would be ideal so she wouldnt be out of her element. I dont know what your local kennel requires, so you may want to check with them. The most important thing is, is to do what would make Mable most comfy!

 

[dwtraveler]

Just thought I'd report another good day for Snickers yesterday. It was another half day and he again had a good time. Ran into the building ready for fun and went off without looking back. This is so much better than the crying fits into the vets! Tomorrow will be his first full day and we are having him groomed as well so I will post how that goes afterwards. We are a little picky about his grooming since he gets a show cut instead of a regular cocker cut but after talking to the groomer there, we have high hopes and I know he will enjoy the extra attention to help break up the day.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

That is a GREAT review!!! Im so glad you had a great experience with the resort! Sounds like your little baby had a great time!!!! If you took any pics we would love to see them!




Hello PrincessSuzanne! Nice to see you again! I have a link to just a few pics of the pocket pets page on Facebook...

http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.215319901817784.66484.139930586023383

On the official website, it says this of pocket pets...."We strive to care for many types of family pets…within reason of course! Our facility provides a safe little haven for “pocket pets” such as hamsters, guinea pigs, rabbits and ferrets. Pet parents must provide their own housing/cage and all supplies (food, bowls, litter, etc.) for their pocket pet.

So, im assuming that you will have to take Mable's own crate! So It really depends on what you want to do, if you have to take her own crate, then that would be ideal so she wouldnt be out of her element. I dont know what your local kennel requires, so you may want to check with them. The most important thing is, is to do what would make Mable most comfy!

Unfortunately , I won't be able to take her house with me, it is 6ft long x 2ft wide and wouldn't fit in our mini van, if we wanted it to. I think she would be too closed in in the large crate we take her to the vet in, she is never in it more than a few hours at a time, since we have to go to Birmingham to her vet. There aren't any places I have found around here that will board a rabbit. I don't know what I will do, maybe give my cousin some training, I mean all she would really need for those few days is food added to her bowl and her daily vegetables and hay added to her hay box.

I still have plenty of time. I think I am more worried about the 6 hour drive stressing her out, then having to be cooped up for 7 days and then another 6 hour drive home. IDK.

Suzanne

 

[BamaTigger]

Just thought I'd report another good day for Snickers yesterday. It was another half day and he again had a good time. Ran into the building ready for fun and went off without looking back. This is so much better than the crying fits into the vets! Tomorrow will be his first full day and we are having him groomed as well so I will post how that goes afterwards. We are a little picky about his grooming since he gets a show cut instead of a regular cocker cut but after talking to the groomer there, we have high hopes and I know he will enjoy the extra attention to help break up the day.

Thats great to hear! Im so happy Snickers (cute name BTW!!) is having a good time and that is less stress on you as well! Would love to see pics if you have any and please keep us updated on the grooming!!!

Unfortunately , I won't be able to take her house with me, it is 6ft long x 2ft wide and wouldn't fit in our mini van, if we wanted it to. I think she would be too closed in in the large crate we take her to the vet in, she is never in it more than a few hours at a time, since we have to go to Birmingham to her vet. There aren't any places I have found around here that will board a rabbit. I don't know what I will do, maybe give my cousin some training, I mean all she would really need for those few days is food added to her bowl and her daily vegetables and hay added to her hay box.

I still have plenty of time. I think I am more worried about the 6 hour drive stressing her out, then having to be cooped up for 7 days and then another 6 hour drive home. IDK.

Suzanne

Suzanne, I think it might be best to just teach your cousin some Rabbit sitting! I too think the stress of the drive and then the couped up environment might be too much for a bunny! And if your bunny is stressed, then you will be too, so maybe a stay at home for the bunny may be best! Let us know what you decide!

 

[TomWolf]

She said that if we forgo the 30 minute play group that comes with booking the villa, add the four, hour stay and play, it is an additional 11.00 a day, instead of 22.00. That explains the 11.00 charge for stay and play on our last trip.

I sent them an email from work today asking if that option was possible for Foster. (I'm still on a tight budget, but he's a very social dog). So hopefully they can do it. I'm heading down there with him next week. Filming the whole trip.

 

[kaysmommie]

I sent them an email from work today asking if that option was possible for Foster. (I'm still on a tight budget, but he's a very social dog). So hopefully they can do it. I'm heading down there with him next week. Filming the whole trip.

Great . Will you post a review when you get back? I'm also hoping someone can comment on how well the A/C works there. My Pug can't get too warm. She is booked for a villa in July, waitlisted for a VIP suite.

 

[BamaTigger]

I sent them an email from work today asking if that option was possible for Foster. (I'm still on a tight budget, but he's a very social dog). So hopefully they can do it. I'm heading down there with him next week. Filming the whole trip.

Awesome! Would love to see the film! Have a great time!

Great . Will you post a review when you get back? I'm also hoping someone can comment on how well the A/C works there. My Pug can't get too warm. She is booked for a villa in July, waitlisted for a VIP suite.

Yes, I too would like to know if the A/C is working better.

 

[TomWolf]

Awesome! Would love to see the film! Have a great time!

One more question...
The Premium Bed. Foster doesn't really have a bed at home. He sleeps either on the carpet or on the kitchen floor. I was going to "Buy" him a bed for the trip... but he'll never use it other than for this trip. Should I just spend the extra $5 a day for a Premium bed? That'll save me money on buying him one. Anything else I should think about bringing? I was just going to bring him, a few of his toys, and maybe some of his food (in case he got picky). Should I get a blanket for him or anything?

Tom

 

[BamaTigger]

One more question...
The Premium Bed. Foster doesn't really have a bed at home. He sleeps either on the carpet or on the kitchen floor. I was going to "Buy" him a bed for the trip... but he'll never use it other than for this trip. Should I just spend the extra $5 a day for a Premium bed? That'll save me money on buying him one. Anything else I should think about bringing? I was just going to bring him, a few of his toys, and maybe some of his food (in case he got picky). Should I get a blanket for him or anything?

Tom

Tom, well, Im an overpacker, so of course Im going to say yes to the blanket! LOL...but honestly, you might bring a blanket , you never know. Especially if it smells like home, because that will put Foster more at ease to have something from and smells like home. And I think the $5.00 per day for a bed is a great idea, he may just enjoy it!

When I travel with my boys, I always take their own food, their favorite toys, blanket, and bedding (cause they are picky!!). Something else you might want to take with you are those disposable pet wipes, just in case Foster gets dirty or has an accident, etc. Those things are handy to have! Maybe take some of Foster's treats if he gets any at home, then when you go visit, Foster can have a treat! Dont forget Fosters vaccination papers too!

 

[BamaTigger]

One more question...
The Premium Bed. Foster doesn't really have a bed at home. He sleeps either on the carpet or on the kitchen floor. I was going to "Buy" him a bed for the trip... but he'll never use it other than for this trip. Should I just spend the extra $5 a day for a Premium bed? That'll save me money on buying him one. Anything else I should think about bringing? I was just going to bring him, a few of his toys, and maybe some of his food (in case he got picky). Should I get a blanket for him or anything?

Tom

oh yea, go ahead and write your last name on everything you take with a Sharpie marker. Toys, blanket, etc. That will save time at check in.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

Tom, when we took our little Riley Belle I took several blankets (she has half dozen or so ) from home that had the "home" smell. I thought I'd need to be rotating them out during the week for fresh ones but never needed to. Hers stayed perfectly clean & unstinky. Even if you get the premium bed maybe having the blanket with the smell of home will make it a little more comfy for Foster. I didn't set Riley's stuff up for her but when we went for our first visit we found that the staff had spread her blanky over the big bed in her villa. I thought that was so sweet.

As for paying for the premium bed vs. purchasing one to bring, we bought Riley a little cheapy donut-shaped bed at Ross for like $10 or $15. The cover is removable/washable. Since our November trip to Best Friends/WDW she gets to use this bed for visits to my mom's house. I just leave this bed there so whenever I travel to visit my folks it's one less thing to pack. Riley already has a great big doggy bed at home PLUS she sleeps on my bed against my legs at night. One could say that little princess has a king-size Tempurpedic, too. Wow! We really do spoil her, huh???

 

[BamaTigger]

Tom, when we took our little Riley Belle I took several blankets (she has half dozen or so ) from home that had the "home" smell. I thought I'd need to be rotating them out during the week for fresh ones but never needed to. Hers stayed perfectly clean & unstinky. Even if you get the premium bed maybe having the blanket with the smell of home will make it a little more comfy for Foster. I didn't set Riley's stuff up for her but when we went for our first visit we found that the staff had spread her blanky over the big bed in her villa. I thought that was so sweet.

As for paying for the premium bed vs. purchasing one to bring, we bought Riley a little cheapy donut-shaped bed at Ross for like $10 or $15. The cover is removable/washable. Since our November trip to Best Friends/WDW she gets to use this bed for visits to my mom's house. I just leave this bed there so whenever I travel to visit my folks it's one less thing to pack. Riley already has a great big doggy bed at home PLUS she sleeps on my bed against my legs at night. One could say that little princess has a king-size Tempurpedic, too. Wow! We really do spoil her, huh???

They did the same thing with Rascal's blanket! They would always spread it out over his little bed. They are really sweet there! Sounds like Riley and my boys are spoiled to the max! haha!

 

[TomWolf]

Tom, when we took our little Riley Belle I took several blankets (she has half dozen or so ) from home that had the "home" smell.

As for paying for the premium bed vs. purchasing one to bring, we bought Riley a little cheapy donut-shaped bed at Ross for like $10 or $15.

I got him a blanket to bring, and I'm getting him used to having one all this week. As far as getting him a bed... he's kinda big, so the cheapest bed I'd be able to get him would be about $50. So... I'm going to check out the regular bed... and if that won't work for him... I'll opt for the Premium.

 

[sweetpee_1993]

I got him a blanket to bring, and I'm getting him used to having one all this week. As far as getting him a bed... he's kinda big, so the cheapest bed I'd be able to get him would be about $50. So... I'm going to check out the regular bed... and if that won't work for him... I'll opt for the Premium.

I don't think you'll need a premium bed. I know it's kinda hard to see in this picture but both my teenage sons & I were sitting on Riley's standard bed in her villa with plenty of room to spare. We could've fit another adult easily if we sat closer.

Riley is a 10 lb. toy schnauzer and I bet you could fit 15 or 20 of her on that bed. LOL! It's pretty big. We had to walk past a lot of other villas to get to Riley's and I saw other big dogs on the beds. In one villa there was a pair of labs or maybe one of them was a golden. Either way, they're what I would call sizeable dogs and there were 2 of them curled up together on the same size bed as what our dog had. My step-sister has a great dane and boy, is he ever great. I think he could pass as a thoroughbred, actually. Anywhoo, I think he could probably make himself comfy on that bed but he'd have his legs hanging off if he spread out too much. I think they probably have bigger beds that they use for all the dogs. We didn't pay for a premium and they gave our little pooch that giganto thing. I bet they don't have really little beds. By only having the bigger ones they can cover all their bases from little dogs on up to the bigger varieties.

Great that you got your Foster a blanket. I totally love Ross for buying super-cheap biiiiig blankets for Riley. When she was a pup we bought her baby blankets which we still use only for her medium-size kennel at home. Her preferred blankets are her twin-size-people-bed ones that I picked up for no more than $10/each. She looooves 'em, too. When I wash them she will follow me from the dryer in the laundry room out to the living room, wait patiently for me to fold it, and as soon as I lay it down (on the floor or the sofa) she's parked on it. Such a little princess!

 

[BamaTigger]

I got him a blanket to bring, and I'm getting him used to having one all this week. As far as getting him a bed... he's kinda big, so the cheapest bed I'd be able to get him would be about $50. So... I'm going to check out the regular bed... and if that won't work for him... I'll opt for the Premium.

Im sure he will appreciate the blanket and the smell from home!. Im betting the regular bed will be big enough! Im sure they have plenty to choose from!

I don't think you'll need a premium bed. I know it's kinda hard to see in this picture but both my teenage sons & I were sitting on Riley's standard bed in her villa with plenty of room to spare. We could've fit another adult easily if we sat closer.

Riley is a 10 lb. toy schnauzer and I bet you could fit 15 or 20 of her on that bed. LOL! It's pretty big. We had to walk past a lot of other villas to get to Riley's and I saw other big dogs on the beds. In one villa there was a pair of labs or maybe one of them was a golden. Either way, they're what I would call sizeable dogs and there were 2 of them curled up together on the same size bed as what our dog had. My step-sister has a great dane and boy, is he ever great. I think he could pass as a thoroughbred, actually. Anywhoo, I think he could probably make himself comfy on that bed but he'd have his legs hanging off if he spread out too much. I think they probably have bigger beds that they use for all the dogs. We didn't pay for a premium and they gave our little pooch that giganto thing. I bet they don't have really little beds. By only having the bigger ones they can cover all their bases from little dogs on up to the bigger varieties.

Great that you got your Foster a blanket. I totally love Ross for buying super-cheap biiiiig blankets for Riley. When she was a pup we bought her baby blankets which we still use only for her medium-size kennel at home. Her preferred blankets are her twin-size-people-bed ones that I picked up for no more than $10/each. She looooves 'em, too. When I wash them she will follow me from the dryer in the laundry room out to the living room, wait patiently for me to fold it, and as soon as I lay it down (on the floor or the sofa) she's parked on it. Such a little princess!

Riley is such a diva! I love it!!!!

 

[athenna]

I'm sure this is off topic, but I need some advice.
My fiance and I adopted a puppy Long ago we booked a 9 day trip to WDW in Oct...We are looking for the best, but most economical way to board the dog. She can't be on plane w/us, she's already 30lbs now. We don't want to put her in cargo, rent a car, etc.
My friend has recommended our local PetSmart hotel..She'll end up being boarded for 11 days...That's going to be one heck of a bill Since there is no one else that can take care while we are gone, do we have any other alternative


TIA