Drivers along U.S. 278 near Bluffton watched with curiosity as a cinder block building was built with dozens of small doors. Now, the Pet Paradise boarding facility is ready for pet owners to see the inside.
About a week into its soft opening, Pet Paradise was averaging 20 to 30 dogs a day, said manager Shelby Ehly, who has been with the company five years and has three dogs and a cat of her own.
“We are a facility that can hold 192 dogs if you’re filling up every single room,” she said.
The most deluxe of the rooms are called VIP suites and feature a raised bed, a television, a dedicated webcam so owners can peek in, and a vanilla ice cream treat from Jack Frost ice cream shop .
“We just give them a little bit,” Ehly said. “Nothing that is too much for them, and they love it.”
Many of the kennels have a dog-sized garage door that can be opened so pets can spend some time in a small fenced outdoor area, and still others are completely indoors for dogs who can’t or don’t enjoy being outside.