BamaTigger
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- May 29, 2002
Yes the staff will put their harnesses on for the walks. My boys wear harnesses, and they were more than happy to oblige with our wishes.
Wanted to offer an update on our situation for May. I've called a buuuuunch of times...still no availability in a villa or VIP. On my last call I asked if BFPC recommended any other kennels nearby in the event they are totally booked. I was told that they can't *recommend* anyone else but they could give me a couple names/numbers for other nearby facilities that offered similar accommodations to what they offer. I was given 'Fur & Feather' and 'VIPet'.
Fur & Feather I ruled out because of their deposit/cancel policies. It's definitely worth pointing out because it's not very clear on their website. I caught onto it mostly from the bad reviews I found on other sites where the owners were upset over losing a lot of money with the unforgiving deposit/cancellation policy. They charge your credit/debit card for the full amount of the boarding fees for your pet's stay upfront as the so-called deposit. Their cancellation policy is different for their peak dates and for the different levels of accommodation. It's kinda unclear on their website. It appears they charge that total for boarding as the deposit on their nicer rooms (similar to the villas at BFPC) then if you cancel at any time you're outta luck. They don't give any other time-line or cutoff periods for their off-peak. Just doesn't settle right with me as a consumer.
VIPet we called to get all the particulars after studying their website and various reviews online and being satisfied with what we saw. They have 3 different room sizes for the pooches. They don't have separate rooms like the BFPC villas/VIPs. They remind me more of stalls all in a larger room like in a public restroom but the "walls" go all the way to the floor. You can walk by the "stalls" and see down inside them. Does that make sense? There are televisions that play movies all day in each big room but not necessarily where each stalls' occupants can see it. They get the benefit of the voices and sounds. Some of the stalls will be where the dogs can see the picture if they want to. They provide bedding, toys, etc. Each day the dogs get 3 on-leash walks and the "rooms" cleaned/picked-up 3 times a day. Playtime (group or individual) is an additional cost along with various other offerings similar to what BFPC does. Also to note, playtimes are in a nice indoor play room with dogs of similar sizes. They don't put little dogs playing with big dogs. They do allow bedding and toys from home. Food from home is recommended. If you bring bottled water that will be given to your dog at no additional cost. Bottled water from them is available for $1.50/bottle. I like the food/water policies. I spent a good 1/2 hour talking to a nice young lady, Sonia, on the phone. She was very patient with me, listened to me yammer about Riley's normal daily routine, and answered my every concern with how that would mesh with their care & offerings. We discussed options and things at length. Sonia really put my mind at ease in a big way.
One of my biggest concerns was how Riley lost so much weight because of her refusal to eat when she was with Best Friends in November 2011. I was assured that this was something that VIPet has also experienced and we discussed how they would handle that in our absence. We will be on a cruise this go around so it's not like we can get a mention while visiting that Riley isn't eating and have the chance to get her to while there. Sonia said that when a 2nd day of not eating occurs they will (with prior okay from owners) offer a wet food. She said they've had a few instances where a caretaker sat with the dog and hand-fed the food kibble by kibble to encourage eating. I'll be sure to pack cans of the prescription Science Diet I/D that I keep at home for when Riley gets an upset belly. Even when she had the ruptured anal gland a while back and I couldn't get her to eat for anything, she would dive into the plates of wet I/D like a mad woman. LOL!
I won't go into the price differences between VIPet at this time because, obviously, it's signicantly less than BFPC. Of course, Best Friends is our 1st choice. This is not a decision driven by cost in any way. It's a necessary evil with no availability for the accommodation we prefer for our baby girl.
If it's okay with BamaTigger I'll come back and offer a report when we return to let y'all know how it went with VIPet. Again, I'm not trying to recommend anyone over BFPC because on a WDW vacation I think it really is the best option for proximity and awesome-factor alone to have your fur-kids vacation with Best Friends. I'd like to offer the info as a backup for others who might get caught in a short-notice or busier time of year situation, like us, and there's no availability with BFPC.
Of course thats fine sweetpea! My main choice is always BFPC, but when they are booked we all need to know of an alternative....its our fur kids best interest at heart!
I havent heard of that place. Sounds nice! Unfortunately, my Taz won't eat ANYWHERE but our home or unless Im right there!
I always tell BFPC if he doesnt eat, its fine..he will eat when I come visit! Picky ol dog! lol
I asked a question by going to their Facebook page and received an answer there the same day, I think. Although, that's no replacement for a phone call. I hope you heard back...
Last time I just used the "contact us" form on the website 
