I stare vacantly at this billboard every time I wait for the train at my local station, (which usually attracts only two species of ads: products for the elderly and ballroom/hula dance lessons) and had spun myself a tale that it was a retirement home that allowed larger-than-usual pets, so as to do away with grandma’s last excuse not to move to assisted living. Which is why it was today o’clock when I actually found out that Doggy’s Island is aimed at an entirely different demographic!
It’s a luxury resort for people whose ideal travel companion has four legs and can be counted on to answer every itinerary suggestion with a supportive “woof!”
At Doggy’s Island Resort and Villas, not only is every room double occupancy with a luxury nook designed especially for Fido’s comfort…
all the cafes and restaurants cater to those with fur as well as those without…
with a separate menu to tempt canine tastes…
and zero restrictions against giving the love of your life a seat at the table.
But it gets better! Instead of a swimming pool filled with shouting children trying to splash each other (and anyone who mistakenly thought they were reading their book safely out of range), this resort’s oasis of cool is strictly for Rex and Fifi. With an artfully rock-scaped “stream” to lend that forbidden no-leaping-into-the-lake-on-our-walk frisson, it’s all shallow end, so even the most petite breeds won’t get in over their heads.
There are four—count ’em, FOUR—expansive dogs runs, so little dogs don’t have to socialize with big ones if they don’t want to…
a mixed-breed run for those who do (or for owners faced with the conundrum of having two different-sized breeds that are banned from each other’s local exercise patches), and one that can be reserved for meet-ups with other owners (or those whose main reason for living is to take photos of seventy corgis racing around together on their stumpy legs and/or seventy shibas ignoring each other).
All of them are outfitted with comfy sitting areas for human companions, complete with shade to protect against unsightly tans and cooling mist jets for those steamy summer months.
If you haven’t already saddled yourself with a pesky spouse and kids, it’s not too late to get a dog, and all this could be yours!
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And if you know someone who’s planning a Japan trip, here are all the places I take my friends when they come to town…
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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