The Japan Times - South Africa's luxury dog hotels give paws for thought

EUR -
AED 3.823403
AFN 79.112634
ALL 98.10997
AMD 415.0708
ANG 1.876424
AOA 950.914404
ARS 1090.13111
AUD 1.659265
AWG 1.876324
AZN 1.780543
BAM 1.949902
BBD 2.102152
BDT 126.965967
BGN 1.955843
BHD 0.392336
BIF 3034.387996
BMD 1.040956
BND 1.408845
BOB 7.194067
BRL 6.185046
BSD 1.041156
BTN 90.014168
BWP 14.400374
BYN 3.407211
BYR 20402.746043
BZD 2.091384
CAD 1.498212
CDF 2961.52069
CHF 0.943445
CLF 0.037397
CLP 1031.910761
CNY 7.570149
CNH 7.580276
COP 4435.515352
CRC 523.618731
CUC 1.040956
CUP 27.585345
CVE 110.670924
CZK 25.141905
DJF 184.998195
DKK 7.460743
DOP 63.925349
DZD 140.627973
EGP 52.378434
ERN 15.614346
ETB 131.212813
FJD 2.408562
FKP 0.857318
GBP 0.845132
GEL 2.976774
GGP 0.857318
GHS 15.832297
GIP 0.857318
GMD 75.989901
GNF 9010.518536
GTQ 8.047658
GYD 217.718333
HKD 8.106452
HNL 26.542023
HRK 7.681788
HTG 135.959418
HUF 410.896542
IDR 16942.710963
ILS 3.675877
IMP 0.857318
INR 90.014678
IQD 1363.652924
IRR 43824.26542
ISK 146.118712
JEP 0.857318
JMD 163.365869
JOD 0.738454
JPY 162.744156
KES 134.803819
KGS 91.031653
KHR 4196.095255
KMF 491.962147
KPW 936.860903
KRW 1496.551746
KWD 0.320917
KYD 0.867671
KZT 542.362128
LAK 22692.850134
LBP 93196.569507
LKR 310.911084
LRD 202.934565
LSL 19.247218
LTL 3.073674
LVL 0.629664
LYD 5.11628
MAD 10.40592
MDL 19.417176
MGA 4913.314063
MKD 61.532474
MMK 3380.985882
MNT 3537.170063
MOP 8.351798
MRU 41.513457
MUR 48.352199
MVR 16.041213
MWK 1807.618576
MXN 21.341379
MYR 4.624455
MZN 66.527331
NAD 19.247084
NGN 1620.768943
NIO 38.306805
NOK 11.742457
NPR 144.023067
NZD 1.8376
OMR 0.400687
PAB 1.041156
PEN 3.870797
PGK 4.166168
PHP 60.73249
PKR 290.062382
PLN 4.224599
PYG 8235.091411
QAR 3.79012
RON 4.975877
RSD 117.153392
RUB 103.312946
RWF 1449.011352
SAR 3.903939
SBD 8.821823
SCR 14.836374
SDG 625.615326
SEK 11.461935
SGD 1.410709
SHP 0.857318
SLE 23.62895
SLL 21828.335792
SOS 594.901562
SRD 36.51657
STD 21545.696434
SVC 9.110444
SYP 13534.515498
SZL 19.247678
THB 35.29727
TJS 11.39496
TMT 3.653757
TND 3.326376
TOP 2.438027
TRY 37.109758
TTD 7.072641
TWD 34.026804
TZS 2628.415263
UAH 43.728335
UGX 3831.429522
USD 1.040956
UYU 45.562189
UZS 13537.638308
VES 57.972478
VND 26117.596848
VUV 123.584438
WST 2.915539
XAF 653.982049
XAG 0.033826
XAU 0.000378
XCD 2.813236
XDR 0.802178
XOF 654.229378
XPF 119.331742
YER 259.250465
ZAR 19.26425
ZMK 9369.860898
ZMW 29.021522
ZWL 335.187546
  • RBGPF

    0.1600

    62.36

    +0.26%

  • SCS

    -0.2200

    11.58

    -1.9%

  • BCC

    -1.2000

    127.92

    -0.94%

  • GSK

    -0.3500

    33.43

    -1.05%

  • RIO

    -0.6100

    61.12

    -1%

  • BTI

    -0.1600

    36.57

    -0.44%

  • NGG

    -1.5400

    60.05

    -2.56%

  • RELX

    -0.2900

    49.26

    -0.59%

  • RYCEF

    0.1500

    7.42

    +2.02%

  • CMSD

    -0.0400

    23.96

    -0.17%

  • CMSC

    -0.0600

    23.49

    -0.26%

  • BCE

    -0.2400

    23.15

    -1.04%

  • JRI

    -0.0400

    12.53

    -0.32%

  • VOD

    -0.1700

    8.38

    -2.03%

  • AZN

    0.2400

    68.2

    +0.35%

  • BP

    -0.3900

    31.13

    -1.25%

South Africa's luxury dog hotels give paws for thought
South Africa's luxury dog hotels give paws for thought

South Africa's luxury dog hotels give paws for thought

Three dachshunds lay claim to a big bed, while an agitated mongrel yaps constantly and a miniature schnauzer appears disgruntled despite soothing Bob Marley tunes playing over the stereo.

Text size:

It's just another morning at SuperWoof, a luxury dog hotel in South Africa's city of Cape Town, where the wealthy check in their canines for some serious pampering.

Should the dogs feel like a sundowner later, drinks are available in little bottles of ChamPaws -- a cocktail of water with a dash of rose petal and South Africa's famous rooibos tea.

Opposite the dog hotel is a night shelter for Cape Town's many homeless -- a pervasive legacy of apartheid. And a short distance down the road, a makeshift tented camp has mushroomed on the curb.

But for wealthier South Africans, doggy daycares or fancy hotels are where they leave their furry babies while away on overseas vacation, or if they are just unavailable for one reason or another.

SuperWoof competitor AtFrits is located in a rapidly gentrifying district.

Situated near the colourful houses of the Bo-Kaap district, this home-away-from-home for dogs is surrounded by hipster cafes, art galleries and sushi restaurants.

- 'Presidential suite' -

Inside, dogs can stay in the budget section of the hotel, where they hang out together, or have a private "presidential suite."

These are decked out with baroque chandeliers and exquisite wallpapers, with canine portraits in faux-gilt frames on the walls.

One suite has a tongue-in-cheek name: "K9 Nkandla" -- a nod to ex-president Jacob Zuma's massive rural homestead, which the scandal-plagued ex-leader notoriously upgraded using millions of dollars in public funds.

Dogs have been a divisive topic in South Africa.

They were used by apartheid police to crack down on protesters during the liberation struggle.

Some politicians complain that whites care more about their pets than the majority of their impoverished black compatriots.

"If a person can afford to keep their dog in such circumstances that's their business," said Hassan Khan, who works at The Haven District 6 feeding centre next to SuperWoof.

Tilana Kruger, a 35-year-old property broker, recently moved to Cape Town from Johannesburg and regularly drops off her beagle at AtFrits.

"He can't wait, he literally jumps out the car," she told AFP by phone.

Whether luxury dog hotels should exist in a country with such high levels of poverty and inequality remains a moot point.

A stay in the most expensive of AtFrits' rooms costs 535 rand ($35) a day. The government puts the national poverty line at 890 rand a month.

AtFrits owner Yanic Klue argues that that she is doing her bit to fight poverty by creating employment.

"I have 37 staff I give an income to," she said.

She donates 10 percent of the hotel's earnings towards helping stray dogs, including sterilisation.

She also runs a non-profit project teaching women in South Africa's impoverished townships to sew dog clothes for the hotel's shop.

- Doggy chakras -

South Africa's strict lockdown at the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic depressed demand for dog hotels because people worked from home and didn't go on vacation.

But with the economy re-opening, owners are returning to the office, and many dogs are now experiencing separation anxiety.

The hotel offers a range of therapies for suffering hounds, including gemstone therapy and reiki, a Japanese relaxation technique, said Klue.

Dogs "also have chakras and they also get blockages," she explained, referring to the belief that the body has points through which energy flows, providing harmony.

And for those equally anxious owners who want to check in on their pups while they are away, cameras in all the hotel rooms mean they can watch their pet's antics any time... on "Petflix."

S.Ogawa--JT