CHESHIRE -- At Paws Pet Resort and Spa in Cheshire, the pets are the ones who feel right at home, whether they are there for the day or being boarded for a week.
“We want to give them peace of mind knowing that we’ll take good care of their fur babies and give them lots of love and attention,” said Robin Whitright, who owns Paws Pet Resort and Spa with her husband, Joe.
The two started their company ten years ago after recognizing a need for a better experience for pets.
“A kennel isn’t a place where people would want to drop off their pet, so we decided to open up a pet resort, and a lot of people didn’t understand what a pet resort was. They didn’t understand webcams, and flat screen TVs, and toddler beds with group play times and individual play times,” said Robin Whitright.
So the Whitrights customized their space. They built Paws Pet Resort and Spa from the ground up in Joe’s hometown of Cheshire.
“For example, the air handling system on the roof top to the heated floors in the indoor and outdoor suites, to the webcams in the luxury suites. Everything is designed around the pets,” said Robin Whitright.
It’s also designed so pet owners know their dog or cat will get an individualized experience during their stay, whether that means play time in the cat room or a story before they settle in for bedtime in one of the 22 luxury suites.
“In our luxury suites, we have a webcam, so they go away on vacation, or they work during the day, they can log on on their cell phones and see their pet in good hands,” said Joe Whitright.
Another design element is a way to keep it all clean!
Along with the staff spending about 12-14 hours a day cleaning up after the pets, the building has features like outdoor siding and slanted floors.
“If you at the floor drain in the center, if you look at the floor, it goes down on a pitch, at an angle, so when we are done at the end of the day, we sanitize, we foam everything down with the hose and squeegee everything down the drain. It’s very clean,” said Joe Whitright.
It’s those touches and the friendly staff that keep customers like Doug Brown coming back.
“I work for 8 hours a day obviously, and it’s great to have a five-year-old lab with a lot of energy come here to Paws and just burn off all his energy, because when he gets home, he’s relaxed and calm, which is great,” said Brown.
In its ten years in business, Paws has seen more than 10,000 dogs come through its doors.
Joe said the best part of the day is seeing the joyous reunions.
“Especially when there are little kids involved and they see, they get so excited to see their dog, it’s the best part of my job,” he said.
Because of its success, Paws is expanding into the building next door.
The Whitrights say they are thankful for the community support they’ve received over the years in Cheshire. In turn, they have been big supporters of different charities in town, like the Cheshire Lights of Hope.
For more information on Paws Pet Resort and Spa, click here.