FLAT-SCREEN TVS, OUTSIDE PLAYTIME AND LUXURIOUS “SPA TREATMENTS” ARE THE CAT’S MEOW THIS HOLIDAY
New Grand Rapids Pet Spa and Resort Offers the Very Best for Dogs and Cats, Right Down to the Very Last Detail
November 27, 2007 - - - - Grand Rapids, MI - - - The holiday season means long days of shopping, overnight trips to see friends and family and possibly weeklong vacations for some. For many families in Western Michigan, ensuring that the family pet is taken care of ranks near the top of the holiday to-do list.
Whiskers Resort and Pet Spa, a luxury pet care center, recently opened in Grand Rapids on 29th Street SE. While there are several places to groom and board pets in the Western Michigan area, none were designed and built with every detail focused on a pet’s needs quite the way Whiskers was.
Melissa Verplank, Founder of Whiskers, put her 25-plus years of pet grooming experience into action when she made the plan to build and open Whiskers. An industry speaker, author, animal grooming award-winner and general animal lover, Verplank knew that Grand Rapids pet owners were looking for a better place to bring their animals.
“I wanted to create a warm, inviting and appealing place for animals to come,” said Verplank. “We thought about every single detail, from the specific mechanical systems so the dogs won’t smell the cats and vice versa to what type of material was used on the floors so dogs don’t slip and slide. Safety and cleanliness are our top priorities so they were top of mind in everything we did.”
Areas of Specialty
Whiskers specializes in three areas of pet care; Doggie Daycare, Grooming and Overnight Boarding. It is unique in that the 45 spacious canine suites give dogs nearly 70 square feet of living space. The suites are individually decorated to impart the look, feel and sound of a real home (or even better than home, since each suite features a flat-screen TV). All dogs enjoy regular outdoor playtimes on their own or in a group setting, based on the owners’ preference and pets’ social skills. Because Verplank feels that it’s important to have outdoor play, Whiskers doesn’t charge extra for this feature.
The cattery features eight modern kitty condos right off the front lobby, away from the canine suites so the cats are relaxingly out of earshot of the dogs. Cats also enjoy a flat-screen TV and the freedom to roam around the cattery several times a day. The grooming spa offers customized bathing and styling services to pets under the supervision of award winning Certified Master Stylists.
Whiskers is also a member of ABKA, the American Boarding Kennel Association.
Design and Construction
The Grand Rapids office of the R2 Design Group was the architect for Whiskers.
“Whiskers presented some fun challenges,” said Bill Roy, R2 CEO. “We met with Melissa and her staff throughout the project to discuss how to implement their unique needs into the renovation of the existing building. Melissa told us what was important from the animals’ point of view and we worked to make it happen. It was really an enjoyable collaborative process. One day, we were in the building during reconstruction with the general contractor (Grand Rapids-based Orion Construction) and the walls were literally coming down around us when we found a room with an old white board. We all gathered around and started talking about design elements. It all came together with a lot of team work.”
“I told R2 that we wanted an earthy, spa-like feel the minute you walk in the door,” said Verplank. “They nailed it. You feel like you’re entering a calm and inviting hotel which is so different than what a family usually encounters when dropping off their pets.”
“There were a lot of unique design elements we hadn’t encountered before,” said Jon Blair, Director of Design for R2. “For example, each canine suite had to be easy to clean without looking industrial. Melissa focused on the facility being open, clean and inviting. We accomplished this with an abundance of glass and a warm color palette.”
Unique (and Newsworthy) Features at Whiskers:
• A pet caretaker to animal ratio of 8:1 maximum, the best in the area.
• Indoor patios for each canine suite. Dogs can come and go onto the patio as they please.
• Special flooring material that was tested with senior dogs (who tend to slip on many surfaces). Melissa Verplank and R2 tested several “grit levels” to find a surface dogs wouldn’t slide and was also the right comfort level without being too abrasive for dog paws.
• These floors were put in before the walls, making it possible to have one continuous surface to maintain top sanitation standards.
• Separate mechanical systems for the dog and cat areas so dogs don’t smell the cats, inviting excited behavior, and cats don’t smell the dogs, invoking fear.
• Special mechanical systems designed to help control animal hair.
• Animal TVs are often tuned to The Animal Planet or Cartoon Network, which seem to be favorite programs of the pets.
• Six extra-large canine suites for families with more than one dog.
• Eight large, individual outdoor play yards surrounded by a six-foot vinyl security fence. A swimming pool will be added this coming spring.
• A full-service salon and spa for cats and dogs. The grooming department is guided by several of the premier animal stylists in the country. Several of Whisker’s senior stylists are Certified Master Groomers with the International Pet Groomers Association.
Whiskers still has some availability for the holiday season and pet owners are encouraged to tour the resort and book early to ensure availability.