Norwalk-based and founded Best Friends Pet Care opened a satellite facility at Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
“We”™ve been looking forward to this day for a long time and we are very excited to finally be ready to open the doors and show off this special facility,” said Dennis Dolan, CEO of Best Friends Pet Care. “It incorporates the very best concepts from our other Best Friends facilities with some imaginative ideas that we think will delight and surprise our Walt Disney World guests.”
Dolan said the one-of-a-kind pet resort offers 17,000 square feet of air-conditioned indoor space, 10,000 square feet of covered outdoor runs and play areas, and a 25,000-square-foot dog park for the use of clients and their pets.
Best Friends Pet Care is privately held by Brynwood Partners of Greenwich. Best Friends opened its first facility in Norwalk in1996 and has since expanded to more than 40 pet care centers in 18 states. The details of the partnership deal were not disclosed.
According to Phil Bernard, vice president of Walt Disney World Operating Participants, the facility, which he said had many pet guests booked for the Labor Day weekend, is able to accommodate as many as 300 pets for both daytime and overnight boarding.
“Dog owners can choose from a variety of accommodations, ranging from a standard 32-square-foot all-indoor suite, to an expansive 226-square-foot Very Important Pet suite with television, raised bedding and private outdoor yard,” Bernard said.
Bernard said feline guests to the resort spend their visit in the separate “kitty city” pavilion away from the dogs in two and four-room condos. There also is a special area for the boarding of pocket-size pets, small mammals and birds.
“Working with Best Friends Pet Care, we are pleased to be able to extend our commitment to pets traveling with their owners,” Bernard said.
