Leave Your Dog at the Airport

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Traveling, with nobody to look after your pet? You can now bring them on the first leg of the journey — the trip to the airport.

At least, to a few of them. New Orleans, Chicago (O’Hare and Midway), Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston (both Hobby and Bush Intercontinental), Atlanta and Charlotte, N.C., all have Pet Paradise or Paradise4Paws pet resorts at or very close to their airports, CNBC says. Minneapolis has a service run by the Animal Humane Society, and Denver is considering proposals for a service.

These businesses offer not only boarding, but grooming, training, indoor and outdoor play areas, and other pet pampering. Here’s a look at pricing from Paradise4Paws’ Chicago locations, which are open around the clock:

  • Dog suites — from $50 per night.
  • Cat suites — from $30 per night.
  • Spa bath — from $40.
  • “Pawdicure” — $30.
  • 15-minute massage — $25.
  • 20 minutes of kitty laser tag — $18.
  • 10 minutes of personal cuddle time — $10.
  • 15 minutes of treadmill training — $20.

Sound like a lot? Maybe not. The American Pet Products Association predicts that consumers will spend $4.54 billion on pet grooming and boarding this year.

While the Paradise4Paws website only features questions about cats and dogs, Pet Paradise has apparently seen a wide range of pets.

“We’re running a hotel, but instead of people, we check in dogs, cats, the occasional pot-bellied pig and, once, some llamas,” founder Fred Goldsmith told CNBC.

Have you used an airport pet-boarding service? What did you think of it? Let us know on Facebook.

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