The Pampered Pets Guide To Philly
HIGH-END PET HOTELS
R.C. Dog Care. A daycare facility that also keeps your dogs overnight, in separate suites furnished with beds and toys from home. R.C. has a 2,000-square-foot yard in which dogs can play for several hours a day, according to a schedule you can view online. $32-$35 per night. 580 Kansas Road, Warrington, 215-918-2292; rcdogcare.com.
HIGH-END PET HOTELS
R.C. Dog Care. A daycare facility that also keeps your dogs overnight, in separate suites furnished with beds and toys from home. R.C. has a 2,000-square-foot yard in which dogs can play for several hours a day, according to a schedule you can view online. $32-$35 per night. 580 Kansas Road, Warrington, 215-918-2292; rcdogcare.com.
Great Valley Pet Hotel. Some rooms come with cable TV and central air. The two acres of open space include a wading pool and an obstacle course. Plus, Great Valley has a grooming service and daycare, so your pooch can socialize while you’re away (at $15 extra per day). Separate area for cats. $24-$26 per night for dogs; $15 for cats. 25 Davis Avenue, Frazer, 610-296-8330; greatvalleypethotel.com.
DOG-FRIENDLY EATERIES
Tavern 17. The new artisan restaurant in Center City’s Radisson Hotel doesn’t just offer dog-friendly sidewalk seating; it provides pooches with their own menu, including all-beef (hot) dogs and “Bow Wow Cluck” pulled chicken. 220 South 17th Street, 215-790-1799; tavern17restaurant.com.
Triumph Brewing. One of Triumph’s own brews and a steak frites for you, and for the hound, a water dish and a burger, specially chopped up and sans bun, at the New Hope location only. 400 Union Square, New Hope, 215-862-8300; triumphbrewing.com.
PET BOUTIQUES
Chic Petique. Its two shops, in Queen Village and Northern Liberties, stock everything from gourmet natural foods and shampoos to fancy collars, plush robes and luxe bedding. Owner Lindsay Condefer also runs the Chic Petique Foundation, a canine and feline rescue. 1040 North 2nd Street, 215-238-0981; 616 South 3rd Street, 215-629-1733.
Spot’s – The Place for Paws. Owner Andrea Deutsch is well-educated in, and adamant about, stocking only all-natural pet foods, including some fit for human consumption — one reason the smallish shop has such a loyal clientele. She also sells dog beds, toys and accessories. 854 1/2 Montgomery Avenue, Narberth, 610-668-SPOT; ilovespots.com.
Bone Appetite K-9 Bakery and Boutique. For the truly pet-indulgent, homemade “gourmutt” baked goods, from cookies to birthday cakes, along with hand-painted doggie bowls, custom bedding and dog-themed housewares. And, of course, plenty of free samples, so bring the pooch with you. 8505 Germantown Avenue; 215-247-4292.
PET SITTERS/DOG WALKERS
Monster Minders. After an initial get-to-know-you meeting, they’ll walk your pooch for $11 (15 minutes), or stop in to visit the cat while you’re away for $17 (30 minutes). They’ll stay longer — for the night, if you want — and for another couple bucks, they’ll even post online updates on your pet’s well-being. And most employees are animal CPR-trained, just in case. 215-925-1119; themonsterminders.com.
Madeline, Paws and Claws Sitter. At your first meeting with Madeline, she’ll fill out a detailed form with all your pet’s info — doctor, medicines, weird habits. When she’s finished visiting your pet, she’ll leave you a log of what happened while you were gone. Besides feeding and walking, she’ll also clean cages, bring in papers and water plants. $17-$25 per 35-minute visit, throughout the area. 215-288-7753; pawsandclawssitter.com.
DOGGIE SPAS
Doggie Style. Want your pup to smell sweeter than you? Give her a day of beauty at Doggie Style, a boutique with a high-end groomer who offers a brushing, a coconut-and-berry shampoo, a fluff and an ear cleaning for as little as $30. Grab Fido a doggie doughnut from the store’s “barkery” on the way out. 1635 Spruce Street, 215-
545-5900; retail store also at 114 South 13th Street, 215-545-4100; doggiestyle2.com.
Dogma Premier Dog Spa. Not only can Dogma pamper your pooch with a therapeutic spa bath, creme rinse and nail polish; it also offers aromatherapy, hydrotherapy, laser treatments and rehab for injured animals. Grooming starts at $40 for small dogs. 105 North Aberdeen Avenue, Wayne, 610-341-DOGS; dogmadogspa.com.
Braxton’s Animal Works. A third generation of Braxtons runs this huge Main Line pet shop, which can supply everything you need to feed, bathe and train your pup, cat, rodent or bird. Its frequent-customer rewards program has serious discounts. 620 West Lancaster Avenue, Wayne, 610-688-0769; braxtons.com.
DOGGIE DAYCARE
See Spot Stay. There’s something for every pooch here: a puppy socialization program, an active-dog playgroup, a reserved-dog area, even a private pen for a dog who’s having a bad day. See Spot Stay gives every dog outside time in its private yard, with a kiddie pool in summer; inside, pups can lounge on couches or frolic in one of four playrooms. A (free) three-hour play test is required before admission. See Spot Stay also offers boarding and training. $25 per day, with multi-day discounts. 685 North Broad Street, 215-769-3313; seespotstay.com.
Karen’s K9 Care. Karen offers tons of ways to entertain your dog: jungle gyms, indoor and outdoor play areas, toys, special events and parties — and plenty of cozy blankets inside for resting in between. K9 Care also offers overnight boarding. $25 per day, with multi-day discounts. 457 Lancaster Avenue, Frazer, 610-725-8973; karensk9care.com.
All Good Dogs Daycare. This is where you send Rover if you want him tired out by the end of the day. It’s mostly wide-open space, peppered with jungles gyms and a tire maze; inside are blankets, orthopedic mattresses and quieter areas, for older dogs. The daycare makes a point of rewarding dogs with healthy treats, and even celebrates birthdays with special cakes and gifts. It also offers spa services. $28-$35 a day. 2306 Church Road, Cherry Hill, 856-667-2764; allgooddogsdaycare.com.
Pet Nanny. A Main Line service that will walk your dog, visit your cat, spend the night, or just pop in for dinner if you have to work late. For $22, Pet Nanny will also pick up extra supplies you may have forgotten. And you can schedule your visits online, 24 hours a day. 610-716-7826; petnanny.net.
And Toto, Too. This Norristown-based service gives out report cards on how your pet is behaving. 610-222-8110.
PET EVENTS
Carnivale of the Dogs. The highlight of this annual gala in Rittenhouse Square is the Pet Parade, with costumed dogs (and sometimes people) strutting before a panel of (minor) celebrity judges. Sponsored by Commerce Bank Rittenhouse and Penn’s veterinary school, the festival also includes an Ask the Vet booth and a trick-training program. September 8th.
Dog Days of Summer Festival. It’s almost impossible to leave this event in Headhouse Square without adopting a cat or dog. Run by the Alliance for Philadelphia’s Animals, Dog Days features cute furry creatures, many of whom you’re allowed to pet, hug, and otherwise try on for size. See animal-alliancepa.org for details.
POOPER-SCOOPERS
Miss Poop. First, the scooper will carefully search every inch of your lawn for poop; then she’ll rake it into a bag and toss it in your trash; then, if you want, she’ll disinfect any areas hit by your dog in error — like, say, the front porch. Based in Chester County, Miss Poop — Phoenixville’s Miriam Hughes — scoops anywhere in the region. She also sends out an online newsletter with dog tips and general info. $15 a week for up to two dogs. 610-933-1506; misspoop.com.
Clean Scoop Dog Waste Removal Service. Have them in weekly, biweekly, or just once a season. They promise to make your grass walkable in bare feet — no matter how often Fido does his business. The Fort Washington-based company serves the Main Line and other suburbs, and offers gift certificates. About $12 a week for one dog. 215-887-7698; cleanscoop.net.
HIGH-END PET HEALTH CARE
The Veterinary Hospital at Penn has everything — emergency rooms, major surgeries, clinical trials, pet psychologists, even a doggie and cat blood bank — which is why it’s the go-to place if your general practitioner can’t fix what ails your pet. The following are just a few of the areas for which Penn Vet is renowned (215-746-VETS; vet.upenn.edu):
The New Bolton Center in Kennett Square includes one of the world’s largest horse surgery facilities; it’s where Barbaro was rushed after he fractured his leg at the Preakness last May. It also houses the Widener Large Animal Hospital, with stalls for up to 150 horses, as well as programs for several different types of aquatic and farm animals. 382 West Street Road, Kennett Square, 610-444-5800; vet.upenn.edu/nbc.
The feline renal transplant program offers transplants for cats in kidney failure, a common ailment of older kitties, for $8,000 and the promise that you’ll adopt the donor as well. 3900 Delancey Street; 215-573-4434.
The Behavior Clinic literally saves lives. Before you give up on your misbehaving dog, try the behavior specialists at Penn, who can turn Cujos into kittens … or at least understandable, manageable best friends. 3900 Delancey Street; 215-898-3347.
The Rosenthal Imaging and Treatment Center, a 9,200-square-foot facility set to open this year, will be the only place in the area equipped with state-of-the-art MRI machines and CT scanners for small animals. Doctors here will also perform radiation therapy for dogs and cats with cancer, a rare specialty offered by Penn. 3900 Delancey Street, 215-746-VMRI; vet.upenn.edu/RITC.
PETS & THE GREAT BEYOND
Paws to Heaven. It’s okay if you don’t want to say goodbye; the staff of this family-owned Pennsauken crematorium will do it for you. They’ll pick up your newly deceased, including horses, and return the ashes to your vet in a cedar box — or in one of hundreds of specialty urns, some costing as much as $700, for sale on their website. Paws will even bury the ashes for you in a nearby cemetery. 9140-B Pennsauken Highway, Pennsauken, 856-665-7221; pawstoheaven.com.
Abbey Glen Pet Memorial Services. The folks at Abbey Glen started out caring for living pets in the mid-’60s, at a North Jersey pet hotel. They branched out into the funeral business in 1982, when they opened a lush, calming cemetery in Sussex County. Now they also run a crematorium in Quakertown, which some local vets — including Queen Village Animal Hospital — call to pick up and drop off your deceased cat, dog or horse. You can attend the cremation if you like. 80 Kelly Road, Quakertown, 888-651-7555; abbeyglen.com.
