POOCHES SEEING OUT COVID-19 IN LAP OF LUXURY
POOCHES are still getting stays at a luxury resort for pets amid the coronavirus crisis as owners take breaks from their animals despite not taking holidays.
The $3-million AAA Pet Resort in Mudgeeraba has been giving dogs and cats a luxurious home away from home since 2011.
It treats animals with massages, nature walks and premium treats.
Michael Avery, expresident of the dog boarding industry, and daughter Kelly opened the resort because they said they wanted toZ give pet owners a more high-quality experience than basic dog kennels.
Typically, dogs stay between five and 10 days but with the current travel restrictions in place, they are predominantly doing daycare.
“We usually have about 150 dogs stay at the one time, during peak times, but now we are down to 12 dogs,” Mr Avery said.
“Peak time is usually over school holidays and Christmas. Most weekends we have 100 dogs. That’s what’s really hard because we had so many trained staff and we can’t do anything for them at the moment. Thank god for JobKeeper.”
To create AAA Pet Resort, Mr Avery purchased an existing dog kennel, knocked down 90 per cent of it and renovated. The building was finished by Christmas last year.
“It’s about three to
3.5 metres a room, rather than these tiny concrete rooms they had before.
“Pretty much everyone who walks in expects to see cages and dogs locked up. That’s one of the biggest things I hate about the industry – dogs in cages.
“They don’t do it while they are at home, so why do it when they are away?”
Each bedroom has a bed, airconditioning, a leather lounge, TV with animal films playing, chandeliers and toys.
Standard rooms start at $35 and go up to $190 a day.