Struth! It’s a dog’s life

 IN his continuing search for the more weird, wacky and wondrous in the world of travel, David Ellis says pets are increasingly being treated to pampering in top-flight hotels that can range from caviar for dinner, to physiotherapy, massages, facials, mud baths and nutrition consultations.

One European hotel already has part of its 5-star restaurant set aside for guests to dine there with their pets, while another offers a ‘play meadow’ with an expert dog trainer, canine physiotherapy options, massages, lymphatic drainage, laser treatment, and nutrition and detox programs.

In a recent survey of over 8000 guests world-wide, Small Luxury Hotels of the World (SLHW) was surprised to find some guests in China wanted their dogs to be offered Iberian pata negra ham or caviar for dinner, while in the USA a guest requested daily blueberry facials for their pooch, and another asked if their cat could be taken to the local zoo by a staff member – for a bird-watching session.

And in the UK one guest suggested pets be given personal butlers, while in Australia a couple here came up with what we think is the most-bizarre of requests: when they had to spend time away from the hotel, they wanted an SLHW staff member “to spend the day with our Burmese cat telling her how beautiful she is.”

THEY SAID IT: America is the only country in the world where a significant proportion of the population believes that professional wrestling is for real, but that the moon landing was faked. (David Letterman)

PHOTO CAPTION:

[] PAMPERED pooches lap it up at this 5-star hotel. (BSNews)