How to distinguish a dubious zoo hotel from a reliable one. Check list

Zoo hotel for cats and dogs is a fashionable option for temporary overexposure. This is more convenient and faster than persuading friends to take a pet with them for a while. If you think that in such hotels pets are kept in aviaries or cages, we have good news for you: this is no longer the case. How modern zoo hotels look like was shown with a specific example in the article “”. 

But so far, not all hotels for pets meet the new standards. And your dog or cat is at risk of some psychological trauma. 

To choose a hotel where your dog or cat will be truly comfortable and safe, save the SharPei Online checklist. Yana Matvievskaya, the managing director of the zoo hotel, helped us to compile it. She has been working with overexposures for more than 20 years and knows firsthand what conditions to create for a pet so that he can calmly survive the temporary separation from his loved one.  

Even if you are in a hurry, please do not risk your pet’s health. Check 9 facts before you check into a pet hotel. At least ask these questions by phone and ask them to send documents to the messenger. 

• Agreement and act of acceptance of a pet

If the pet hotel does not provide these documents, it is safer to look for another one. The pet will be safe only in the hotel, which takes full responsibility. Not in words or in advertising, but fixes this responsibility in the contract and the act of acceptance. Carefully study the hotel’s liability clauses and measures in case of a pet’s illness: whether they exist and what they consist of. 

• Requirement to provide a passport

If the passport is not asked – think three times. We do not recommend leaving your pet in such places, because its safety is in doubt here. Pets are not accepted to a decent zoo hotel without it. 

• Availability of individual rooms for a pet with everything you need

If a zoo hotel offers aviary or shared pet cages, it’s best to check the conditions at a neighboring one. After all, this is a colossal stress that harms their well-being and health. It is safer and more humane to choose hotels with individual rooms, where no one will interfere with your pet and where bowls, a bed and toys will be prepared for him.

• Conditions of detention

If the hotel does not provide the usual conditions for a pet and is not ready to add them for you, this is not your option. Conventionally, if your cat or dog is offered to live in a room with a dozen noisy and not the most friendly neighbors. To avoid surprises, check in advance how many pets will be in the same room as yours, what the temperature is and how noisy it is. Next, ask how often the pet will be fed and visited. Find out how often it will be cleaned, bathed, what will be played with it. 

A separate item is the diet. Discuss what and how often the pet will be fed. It’s safest to leave your dog’s or cat’s favorite food. And instruct the zoo hotel staff to strictly adhere to the usual feeding regimen for the pet. 

• Territory for walking

For a pet to feel good, he must have the opportunity to play and run. If you have a cat, it is better to choose rooms with balconies so that she can take a walk in the fresh air. If you have a dog, choose a hotel with plenty of space and good grounds. 

And there are hotels of the “family” type, where dogs walk not separately, but together – and here a large territory is especially important. Some owners specifically look for such hotels so that their pets can walk in each other’s company. Usually they contain small friendly dogs. A good example of such a hotel is Natalia Mamaeva’s Dalmatin.ru.

• Room finishing quality 

If a dog or cat is offered apartments made of OSB, lining or chipboard, this is bad. Such materials absorb dirt and odors. This means that it is almost impossible to clean up after previous pets with high quality. It is safer to choose a room made of durable and easy-to-clean materials. Ideally, this is a tile, but plastic will also work. 

• Room processing

If the zoo hotel does not use specialized chemicals, steam generators and air recirculators, then the room may be contaminated. That is, it is not safe for a pet to be in it. Check out this detail, which many, due to inexperience, do not yet know. 

• Number of staff in the hotel

If the hotel has few staff, all previous promises are doubtful. Conventionally, one person per 100 pets will be clearly not enough. Be sure to specify who exactly and how often will monitor the pet. And what additional services, if necessary, can be ordered for a pet. For example, do they provide veterinary services that are popular today, grooming procedures, classes with a cynologist.

• Online surveillance

If such an option is not offered, it is strange. Today, online surveillance is a must have for a modern pet hotel. To be calm for your pet, choose a zoo hotel with the ability to connect to such a camera at any time. So you can see what your pet is doing and what mood he is in in real time. 

If the pet hotel does not meet any of the checklist factors, we do not recommend you take risks with it.

But that’s not all. Before the final choice, we recommend that you go to the hotel for an excursion to see with your own eyes how everything works. Find out what additional services the hotel offers, whether there is a zootaxi – sometimes it is very convenient. Be sure to get to know the staff and ask additional questions to avoid problems in case of force majeure. Here are their examples:

• What do the guests of the zoo hotel do? How is their day planned?
• What do staff do if a pet is sick or injured?
• Who is responsible if the pet damages the equipment of the zoo hotel: for example, if the dog gnaws on toys?
• What do you do if your dogs get into a fight while walking?

When you find out everything, take a short timeout. Calmly digest the information, read reviews on the Internet – and conclude an agreement. If you are not too lazy to check all the aspects from this checklist, then it is quite possible that you will find “your” pet hotel the first time. Write to us later on how it went.