Hotels for Pets Become Common in Russia

Some pets live in better conditions than people

A funny piece of news has been recently reported worldwide. A man was sentenced to spend 30 days in a dog kennel for the malicious attitude to his child. This seems to be a cruel sentence to a certain extent. However, there are all kinds of kennels. A respectable individual would not mind living a day or two or even a month in certain dog kennels.  One has to acknowledge - some pets lead happier careless lives than some people. 

There are four hotels for pets officially registered in the city of Vladivostok (Russia's Far East). Unofficial pet hotels are countless. The first hotel - Home Zoo Garden - opened in Vladivostok on February 14, 1996. It became the first hotel for animals to appeared in Russia's Far East. Hundreds of cats and dogs have spent relaxing time in the hotel - owners can house them there both for several hours and even several months. A full-day stay in a pet hotel costs about 150 rubles ($5, depending on the breed), and  75 rubles for cats ($3.5). At present, there are four dogs and four cats staying at the Home Zoo Garden.

All rooms in the hotel have been designed by its director who used to be an engineer. The interior of the rooms for cats and dogs is designed in light green colors - it pacifies the nervous system of the animals. As soon as a pet finds itself in a room, several employees watch it during a certain period of time to see how an animal reacts to the new environment. If neighbors complain, if it is difficult for a dog to get along with other guests, there are isolated rooms for such animals in the hotel too. However, pets are usually friendly to each other.

The most frequent question that hotel employees hear from their clients is: "How will my little dog/cat feel here? Tamara Borisova, director of the hotel, believes that such questions are odd as it would be better for people to think how they will feel without their pet. 

Before accommodating an animal, hotel managers have a long conversation with clients. They need to find out the usual lifestyle of a pet, its timetable, its character and habits, if it is friendly or aggressive to other domestic animals, what it likes to eat and how it likes to sleep. Such a conversation guarantees that a pet will not have to be nervous about anything. If something troubles a dog or a cat, hotel managers will find a way to pacify it: they will either play with it or let it go out to see and sniff around. Every guest in the hotel is fed individually. They do not call restaurants, of course, but if a dog prefers only dry food - they will serve only dry food. Pet sausages, home-cooked meals and everything else will be served to everyone's liking. Owners can order the food for their pets themselves and all recommendations will be taking into consideration. In general, the hotel service for pets can be categorized as five-stars service.

German dogs have an even wider choice in how to spend time. German artist Karl Friedrich Lenze has applied for a licence for opening a brothel for dogs in Berlin. "If dogs can't get what they want, they get cranky - just like people," the artist said in a statement. The owner of the future establishment said, the brothel's "employees" of both sexes would be carefully vetted. Lenze is intended to outfit the brothel  with rooms for private encounters and even a "bar" where clients would have an opportunity to choose their partners. Karl Friedrich Lenze plans to charge dog owners 25 euros per 30 minutes for their dogs' pleasure.

Julia Guseinova