Taipei’s dogs live it up in hotels. The hotels are complete with VIP suites and pools so that they will not be plagued by the stray dogs.
Two Taipei proprietors opened giant hotels for dogs with pools, salons, classes, and playrooms. These hotels offer pet owners the option of leaving their dogs so that someone can look after them. It is more expensive than home care but it is affordable to the average Taipei family.
“It’s just like day care for children,” said Kevin Lin, a former Wall Street employee who now owns the luxury Pet’s Dream Park hotel. “A major reason I opened this business is to ease the stray dog problem.”
Stray dogs are a common sight in less developed countries but there are also stray dogs in Taiwan’s cities.
In the 1980s, there was a boom in pets in Taiwan where people buy puppies and expect them to not grow and then when they become adults, they just abandon them.
There are rescue shelters which offer pet boarding services but with the comfort that Pet’s Dream Park and Little Treasure hotel offers, it is simply irresistible.
“I’ve seen small dogs kept in cages and wondered why if people can live in such nice surroundings dogs can’t also,” said Yao Pen-thun, owner of the Little Treasure hotel.
At Pet’s Dream Park, dogs can spend hours in an indoor pool or getting groomed at a beauty parlor. Nervous pets can have their VIP roomsat no extra cost.
Little Treasure takes its dogs for nature walks, and makes them listen to stories to help their mood, according to the website.
Some pet owners leave their pets for even a month if they are going on long business trips outside Taiwan.