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Pets can enjoy their own vacation at Prairieview motel
Steven Magnetta and Allison Doherty of Grayslake brought their puppy Lilly to the Puppypawlooza Meet Up at Best Friends Pet Care in Lincolnshire, a weekly social group play hour for dogs on Saturdays at the pet care center. | Ryan Pagelow~Sun-Times Media
Best Friends Pet Motel
22096 Pet Ln.
Prairieview, IL
847-634-9444
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Updated: May 6, 2013 2:10AM
PRAIRIEVIEW — Without a go-to pet sitter that’s ready to work on short notice, flying out to Vegas on a whim isn’t always the best decision for the pet.
It is for Best Friends Pet Care’s clients, though.
Formerly known as American Pet Motel, Best Friends Pet Care in Prairie View offers dogs, cats, rabbits, snakes and most other pets the individualized care they need while their owners are away on vacation, at work or on holiday.
According to manager Karyn Chylewski, some people bring their dogs in for a couple of days during winter storms to get the exercise they can’t from an outdoor walk with their owner.
“Being in the suburbs on 8 acres, you really don’t get that kind of land anymore these days,” Chylewski said. Best Friends Pet Care accepts all pets, as long as they are not poisonous or too large. Those with big dogs need not fret, however, as she added that “too large” applied more to a horse than a Great Dane.
“I wrote to my folks around Christmastime and said that we had 300 dogs, 37 cats, 2 rabbits, 3 ferrets and a partridge in a pear tree—it was like the twelve days of Christmas here,” Chylewski laughed.
Owners concerned about their pets getting the individualized care they need to have a happy and healthy stay can customize their visit with the “Play & Stay Their Way” options.
Option #1 will fill a more social dog’s day with energized, supervised and healthy play with similarly playful pups. They will end their day in a private two-room suite to sleep until the next day arrives; option #2 means more one-on-one attention and three of the five individual activities, which include walking and exploring, playtime, cuddle time and a bedtime story; a la carte is the most individualized care a pet can get, where the owner can choose from an even larger assortment of activities and treats for their pet to enjoy.
“Anything from the most active pet who wants a lot of physical activity and six hours of play, to maybe a more senior-aged pet that just wants a bedtime story,” Chylewski said, “some extra cuddle time, a walk—you can tweak it to what your pet needs.”
Chylewski, who has a three-year-old lab of her own, named Ruger, recently decided to start hosting a free puppy playgroup every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. to encourage socialization in group settings.
“I remember when I had gotten my dog, and after an hour of play with his buddies, he would sleep for an entire day. We thought this would be would be a great way for people to start their dogs off socially and then have the afternoon off,” she added.
Between play time with their friends, cuddling, bedtime stories and even training and grooming, Best Friends Pet Care offers a multitude of services. They even email owners a picture of their pets having a great time, so they can rest assured that all is well.
For pets like rabbits, hamsters, lizards and the like, staff members are trained by specialists to understand how to properly care for each.
For more information, visit bestfriendspetcare.com.
