Best Friends pet center

[Disney4us2]

I will need to board our dog for a short while after we arrive in Florida. Has anyone boarded their pet(s) there?

Any experiences will be helpful. Did you visit your pet during your stay. Is it better not to visit your pet?

I will be doing day boarding as well as overnight boarding until we get our new home.

[mgmnut]

I have not boarded my dogs here so I can not comment on past experiences, but I have always thought this looked like an incredibly clean and comfortable facility.

I don't think I would think twice about leaving my 3 girls there (2 Boxers, 1 rescued wild Cayman dog). Looking at the pictures and web cam shots I would feel very safe entrusting their care with this facility.

As far as day visits, I think that would be harder on me than them. I actually think my dogs would love it there. Lot's of socializing and stimulation. I do think it is a bit pricey, but it looks like you get what you pay for.

[Dulcee]

We haven't used them yet but did visit and tour the facility our last trip there. We walked away with several impressions.

First, it was very professional, clean and well kept. They kept the same policies that were used by the old kennel system in WDW that you can gain access to your pet at any time, even 2am if you felt the need.

We loved the 2nd and 3rd tier options for dogs. These were "condo" set ups. In one the dogs are kept exclusively inside. The floor is concrete and the walls plexi glass/concrete which allows a lot of natural sunlight in. In the next level up they have access to an outdoor, chainlink area as well. You can house two large dogs together in both of these. Sounds between each kennel were really kept to a minimum and the overall mood here seemed calm and relaxed despite most of the kennels being filled.

We were not thrilled with the 1st level which is very similar to most vet kennel accommodations. Chain link cages, relatively small, close contact to other cages. Lots of barking. If you routinely kennel your pooch at a vets office its probably wouldn't bother them in the least. My high anxiety shep mix would have a meltdown.

The outdoor play areas were awesome. Lots of walking paths and even a wet play area. Also a doggy park that if your pooch is friendly they can play with other dogs that may be out and about.

You can't bring in your own bedding for fears of flea and ticks and you should send down a copy of vet records in advance. Also you can call and make reservations which was something that was highly recommended you do.

Prices were much, much higher then the old disney kennel system but to be fair I didn't find them astronomical.

When we've kenneled with WDW in the past we always stop 2-3 times a day for visits and walks. You can pay for this service now if you'd rather not visit. For us it was always a must and our dogs seemed to appreciate it. Since we usually park hop and take breaks mid day it was never a hassle. We also found that with the heat of the day our dogs were pretty pleased to get back into the air conditioning at the end of play time.

Long story short I won't hesitate to kennel our dogs at Best Friends our next trip. We're actually planning on booking Riverside just for the ability to be nice and close to the kennel while we're there.