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A Regular Barkingham Palace

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By LAURA KINSLER

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 8, 2008

TAMPA PALMS - With three Chihuahuas, two poodles, a dachshund, a Yorkie and one slightly stubborn Scottie, playtime at PetSmart's new PetsHotel is a bit of organized chaos.
Ponch is a jumper. Cowboy just wants to be held. And Norman, the 3-year-old Scottish terrier, goes straight for the rubber, foot-shaped squeaky toy while his "dad" watches nervously from outside the glass. "He always tears them up," Chris Leko said. "If we were at home, that thing wouldn't last 30 seconds."

Leko and other PetSmart employees volunteered their dogs to test-run Florida's first PetsHotel and Doggie Day Camp, which opened July 29. The facility offers daytime and overnight boarding for 200 dogs and cats.

Norman surprised Leko. With seven hours a day of supervised playtime, the doggie day camper was too busy moving from toy to toy to destroy anything.

If an animal misbehaves, the PetsHotel staff gives a quick correction. Over in the "big dog" room, manager Hilary Zaragoza reminded Rowdy the bulldog that it's not polite to, ahem, sniff more than once. After all, dogs need their personal space, too.

The PetsHotel is not an ordinary boarding facility. The lobby, with a cozy fireplace and leather club chairs, is designed to feel like a real hotel. Cats get their own room with a separate air filtration system so they don't even have to smell the dogs.

"Every cat gets 30 minutes a day of TLC time," Zaragoza said. "We'll either brush them or play with them. Some cats don't like to be held, so we just touch them."

Dog owners have a choice of a standard kennel or a private suite with a raised bed and television.

"People look at this and say, 'Oh, how ridiculous,'" Zaragoza said. "But we do this because a lot of owners leave the TV on for their pets" when they're away.

In addition to the playtime, pampered pooches get special treats, such as soft-serve ice cream and peanut butter-filled Kongs. Special "relief rooms" adjacent to the playrooms allow dogs to do their business without going outdoors.

The PetsHotel is open whenever the store at Market Square is open: every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. "We're here until 9 p.m., and we're open on Sundays," store manager Mike Carpenter said. "A lot of boarding facilities aren't open on Sundays. We have someone here 24 hours a day."

At $27 to $37 a day, the PetsHotel costs more than what many veterinarians charge for boarding, but the prices are comparable to upscale kennels, such as Rompin' Rovers and Fuzzie Buddies. Doggie Day Camp costs $21.

Although the facility opened for business Tuesday, the grand opening is scheduled for Aug. 16 and 17. Anyone who tours the facility will receive a voucher for one free overnight stay or day camp.

FACTS OF THE MATTER

WHAT: PetSmart PetsHotel and Doggie Day Camp

WHERE: 6248 Commerce Palms Drive, New Tampa

WHEN: Open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday

HOW MUCH: $14 a day for cats, $27 to $37 for dogs; $21 for doggie camp

INFORMATION: Call

(813) 558-8160 or visit www. petsmart.com.

Reporter Laura Kinsler can be reached at (813) 865-4844.

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