Dog owners will be happy to hear there’s a new pet-friendly hotel and spa on the West Coast—made exclusively for four legged friends.
Coastal Animal Rescue and Education (CARE) Network welcomed its inaugural guests to ‘The Dog Patch’ last week, a boutique doggie daycare located near the Tofino-Long Beach Airport.
“We hope to cater to locals who are working, but everyone is welcome as long as they are up to date on shots and get along,” said CARE Network executive director James Rodgers.
Much like a hotel, guests are encouraged to make reservations to ‘The Dog Patch’ by visiting the online booking feature on carenetwork.ca or folks can send an email to dogpatch@carenetwork.ca or call 250-266-2273.
Depending on the size of the dogs, ‘The Dog Patch’ has the capacity to house six to10 dogs at once.
The facility is more than entertaining and comfortable for visiting pooches. Features include: a large yard with a wading pool, a large deck space, plus unique decorative accents like a hanging garden with catnip and antique ship portals for windows.
“One of our big goals was not to create a cinder block, chain link facility. We wanted to create a fun space,” notes Rodgers.
He went on to say that if guests appear to be stressed, they play soothing sounds of dog laughter or spray a calming scent made especially for cats and dogs with the help from Clarity Apothecary. A half-day stay at ‘The Dog Patch’ is $30 and guests have the option to select add-ons (like extra walks or grooming) and rates will also go down for multiple stays booked. Two-hour ‘surf sessions’ are available and for overnight stays, their rooms can accommodate single or double occupancy. Profits garnered from ‘The Dog Patch’ are returned into the charities coffers, Rodgers notes.
“It’s a very secure place. We have motion cameras and someone onsite 24/7,” he said, adding that a generous donation from Ocean Outfitters helped pay for the fencing and that CARE had an overwhelming amount of volunteer support to build the facility.
“Through and through, this community keeps showing how compassionate they are,” said Rodgers.
The namesake ‘The Dog Patch’ has a unique history. During the Second World War, the nickname for the Royal Canadian Air Force Base located at Tofino-Long Beach Airport was Dog Patch.
nora.omalley@westerlynews.ca
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