Dogs can be guests at four Disney World hotels

We won’t say that Walt Disney World is going to the dogs. Instead, the dogs are going to Walt Disney World. As of today, guests in four Disney World hotels will be allowed to bring their dogs.

Participating will be Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Yacht Club Resort, the Riverside section of Disney Port Orleans and the cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, the company announced Friday.

Although service animals have been allowed in Disney World hotels and there have been exceptions, such as during the recent hurricane season, it’s the first time

that the pet will be welcomed on a regular basis.

There will be a limit of two dogs per guest room. Disney says that the dogs must be well-behaved, on a leash when in the resorts’ public areas and be properly vaccinated.

Bringing along a canine companion or two comes at a price. The pet-cleaning rate will be $75 per night at Yacht Club and $50 at the other three available options.

Amenities will feature a welcome kit that includes a mat, bowls, an ID tag, disposable bags, puppy pads and dog-walking maps. A Pluto-themed “do not disturb” door hanger will signal to hotel workers that a pet is in the room.

Eventually, there will be pet merchandise for sale at the four resorts, Disney says.

For additional fees, Disney World’s on-property facility called Best Friends offers other pet-care services, including day care.

For more information about the program, which Disney says is a one-year trial run, call 407-934-7639.

WALT DISNEY CO./COURTESY The new service permits up to two dogs per guest room.