Doggie day camp vacations

Following on the success of the canine campground, Klaiman opened a separate facility for cats. Camp Cat Safari, located in a beautifully remodeled turn-of-the-century building in Presidio Heights, is a landscaped green house that offers felines the unique opportunity to enjoy the feel of the great outdoors from this safe enclosure. Surrounded by trees and plants, there are towers full of tropical fish and aviaries of twittering birds so that felines can look, but not munch.

“Cats love it,” says Klaiman. “Feline guests are allowed to play here on their own so that there is no cat fights. And apart from the boarding facilities offered, local cat owners are also bringing their felines for day trips to hone their natural hunting instincts and sit and watch birds.”

According to Joseph James, owner of The Dog Adventure Camp in the Columbia Gorge in Stevenson, Wash., many foreign tourists bring their dogs to camp while they enjoy some of the outdoor amenities the area has to offer.

“Lots of hotels in the area are beginning to tell guests about the types of facilities that are available to pets, and tourists are taking advantage, letting their pets off leash to have a mini vacation of their own.”

Many pet camps such as James’s also offer dog obedience classes.

“You’d be surprised how much a dog can learn in a day,” he says.

Pet Camp Cat Safari / Mark RogersPhotography.com Masai "hunting" at Camp Cat Safari in San Francisco.

Others like the Great Dog Adventure Park in Seattle, Wash., offer a variety of entertainment, including painting classes and a recreation room where they are allowed to sit on the furniture and watch cartoons while drooling over peanut butter treats.

But for city slickers, the main attraction at many of these venues is the great outdoors, with no rules—as long as there are on their best behavior.

“Dogs are allowed to bring their own toys to sleep with if they are staying over, but we don’t encourage their own toys for outside play because then they get possessive,” explains Sevier. “We have plenty of stuff here for them and it’s surprising how they know it's communal property and are happy to share. There are never any fights. They are far too busy having fun.”

It is indeed, a dog’s life.

Sandy Robins is an award-winning pet lifestyle writer. She is the recent recipient of the Humane Society of the United States' Pets for Life Award. Her work appears in many national and international publications.

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