PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — The holiday season is the busiest time of year for pet boarding facilities.
At Waggin Tails Resort in Peoria, they were at max capacity with 65 dogs and several cats for Thanksgiving weekend. Guests were treated to a special Thanksgiving meal with turkey, rice, green beans and pumpkin for dessert.
“We’ve been fully booked probably for the whole month of November. Typically our customers know to book in advance,” said Alaina Duffy, co-owner of Waggin’ Tails Resort.
Camp Bow Wow, which was two locations in Peoria and East Peoria, had a few slots left.
Cassie Snell, owner of Camp Bow Wow, said they opened their second location because of the holiday season rush.
“It’s because years past, we were booking full here and we knew there was a demand for it. People wanted to go out of town but they couldn’t find a reliable place for their pets. That’s why we opened a second location, so between our two we have availability for people,” she said.
Camp Bow Wow housed more than 80 dogs at the Peoria location for Thanksgiving weekend. Each guest received special Thanksgiving meal toppers and participated in a turkey hunt, where an employee dressed up like a turkey and let the dogs chase them.
Snell said safety is their number one concern. The yards are monitored by counselors and live web cams. They are also fully staffed at all times, including holidays.
“When they are hired, they understand that they are committing themselves to be the ones to care for these pups on the holidays, so that our pet parents can enjoy the holidays worry free, but the perk is they get to hang out with us with the dogs and just be loved on with unconditional love all the time,” she said.
Duffy said their employees enjoy working holidays so they can spend time with dogs.
“We like to give a lot of our employees the holidays off, but with taking care of live animals, that never stops. My mom and I, we’re the main two here on the holidays, but then we do have some holiday help that they don’t mind. They actually volunteer to work the holidays,” she said.
Duffy advised pet parents not to delay booking for Christmas, which is just as busy as Thanksgiving. Waggin’ Tails Resort is “almost full” for Christmas, with a few slots left.
“We always recommend for the busy holiday season, you want to book at least a month or two out in advance,” she said.