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Comparing boarders and pet sitters in Columbia
Annie Harp & Julia Van Horn
May 7, 2009 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Whether you’re looking for a trustworthy place to board your buddy or a reliable service to sit for your critters, a solution is at hand. Check out our handy breakdown of pet sitting and boarding services in Columbia, and figure out which pet care provider is right for you. Some pet care professionals have decades of experience behind their prowess, and most have animals of their own. From interactive boarding to pet sitters with an artistic side, these Columbia businesses will keep your creatures content while you’re away.
PET SITTERS
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Home Alone Pet Sitters Plus
Founded: Eight years ago
Who: All kinds except horses
Specifics: Pet-sitting services are approximately $20 a day but depend on where the client lives. Each additional daily visit costs less. Visits usually last 45 minutes, but “If it’s a cat that doesn’t want anything to do with me, I don’t really stay,” owner Anne Beauchamp says.
She has 15 years of experience in the pet-sitting business and runs a family business, with help from her daughter Lori Tarwater.
Call: 256-2348
Abode & Critter Care
Founded: 1992
Who: Dogs, cats, birds and pocket pets
Specifics: Base fee is $10 a visit, with a small fee depending on miles traveled to a client’s house. Homes and pets are visited up to three times a day, and visits last about an hour. Owner Kathy Burleson is happy to house sit as well as pet sit. She even picks up mail and looks after plants.
Call: 443-5551
The Pet Nanny
Founded: More than a year ago
Who: Any type of pet from dogs and cats to turtles and ferrets
Specifics: $15 a visit. Each visit lasts about half an hour, and animals are visited at least once a day. In addition, if a family on vacation has small children, pet nanny Donna Williams leaves a booklet for the kids about their pet’s week with the nanny. The story is told from the animal’s point of view, Williams says.
Call: 881-5119
Visit: petnanny-online.com
Tiger Tail Pet Sitters
Founded: August 2008
Who: Mostly dogs and cats but also accepts pets such as chickens and rabbits
Specifics: Standard visits usually last 20 to 30 minutes and cost $13 for one pet and $3 for each additional pet. Cats usually get one visit a day, but dogs average three. Engaged couple Elizabeth Askren and Ryan Tate opened their pet-sitting business out of a genuine affection for animals, including their wire fox terrier Briggs and schnauzer Bailey.
Call: 268-6747
Visit: tigertailpetsitters.com
PET BOARDERS
All Creatures Animal Hospital
1300 Business Loop 70 W.
Founded: 1984
Who: Dogs, cats and pocket pets
How Much: $12.30 to $19.80 per day depending on size of pet
Specifics: The aptly named All Creatures Animal Hospital has housed everything from rabbits to parrots. Pets are fed once or twice per day, depending on owner preference, and dogs are walked at least twice a day. Owners are welcome to bring any toys from home that can be safely left with a pet in a kennel. All Creatures has two groomers on staff, and baths cost between $8.90 and $32 depending on pet size.
Call: 875-0907
Hours: Monday – Thursday 7 a.m. – 6 p.m., Friday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sunday 8 a.m. – noon
Bed & Biscuit
1412 Jade Road
Founded: 2003
Who: Canines only
How Much: $20 a day per dog, $14 for each additional dog
Specifics: Indoor runs are 5 feet by 6 feet, and outdoor runs are 5 feet by 12 feet. Each dog has access to both through a doggie door. Bed & Biscuit opened in 2003 and has handled odd requests ranging from detailed daily brushing routines to special diets of chicken breast, green beans and sweet potatoes, owner Candy Pezold says. After staying five nights, pets get a free bath. Dogs are taken outside to play four times a day.
Call: 474-3515
Hours: Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. – noon and 2 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. – noon, Sunday 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. (pet pick-up only)
Columbia Pet Hospital
400 Nebraska Ave.
Founded: The building has been a boarding facility for 60 years.
Who: Dogs and cats
How Much: $14 a night per dog, $8 per cat
Specifics: Each dog has a doggy door to an outdoor run and goes indoors and outdoors as it pleases. Kennel floors are heated in the winter. Columbia Pet Hospital also waives the fees for the final day of boarding with the purchase of a dog or cat wash, so a pet owner that can’t make the 11 a.m. checkout gets a few precious hours and a clean pet. Baths, which normally cost $24.50, include a shampoo and condition, a nail trim and an ear cleaning.
Call: 443-7274
Visit: columbiapethosp.com
Hours: Monday – Thursday 8 a.m. – 6 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. – noon
Horton Animal Hospital - Northeast
2608 Paris Road
Founded: About 25 years ago
Who: Dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, ferrets and pocket pets. Exotic pet owners might need to provide their own cages.
How Much: Cats are $9.25 a night. Prices for dogs vary from $11.75 to $19 depending on weight.
Specifics: Pets are walked twice a day and also have a twice-daily play time. Horton Animal Hospital has two other local boarding locations at 1700 I-70 Drive SW and 2200 Chapel Plaza Court.
Call: 474-9508
Visit: hortonanimalhospital.com
Hours: Monday – Thursday 7:30 a.m. – 7 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. – 5 p.m., Saturday
7:30 a.m. – noon.
Loop 70 Vet Clinic
2400 Business Loop 70 E.
Founded: 40 years ago
Who: Dogs, cats, birds and pocket pets, but owners of birds and pocket pets must provide their own cages
How Much: Dogs and cats are each $10 a day
Specifics: The facility is all indoors and is heated and air-conditioned. Dogs are walked three times a day and have access to indoor runs. The Loop 70 Clinic also offers $10 pet baths.
Call: 443-2227
Hours: Monday – Friday 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. – noon
The Pet Center, Ltd.
2504 W. Worley St.
Founded: 1989
Who: Primarily cats and dogs; owners of other types of pets usually bring their own kennels or cages.
How Much: Cats are $12.30 a night. Dogs are $13.50 to $19.50 based on weight.
Specifics: Veterinary technicians watch over all pets at The Pet Center, so the staff is comfortable with older pets or those with special needs. The Pet Center has approximately 70 kennels of various sizes for different sized animals.
Call: 445-3000
Hours: Monday – Friday 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday 7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.
The Pet Fair
1706 I-70 Drive SW
Founded: 1972
Who: Cats and dogs
How Much: Cats are $11 a night, and prices for dogs range from $12 to $19.50 depending on weight.
Specifics: The Pet Fair sometimes exercises its canine clients at Cosmo Park’s Cosmo Canine Stroll. Pets go outside to play twice a day.
Call: 445-7783
Hours: Monday – Friday 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m., Saturday 7:30 a.m. – 3 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m. – 5 p.m. (pet pick-up only)
Rock Bridge Animal Hospital
5095 S. Providence Road
Founded: 1972
Who: Dogs and cats
How Much: Cats are $11.83 a night. Dogs less than 20 pounds are $12.38, dogs 21 pounds to 50 pounds are $13.48, and dogs 51 pounds or more are $14.58.
Specifics: Dog runs are about 6 feet by 3 feet, and dogs are taken out three times a day. Pet baths are available for $24.75.
Call: 443-4501
Visit: rockbridgeanimal.com
Hours: Monday 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Tuesday 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m., Wednesday 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Thursday 7:30 a.m. – 6 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m., Saturday 7:30 a.m. – noon
Rolling Hills Animal Hospital
3505 Buttonwood Drive
Founded: The current location opened 15 years ago.
Who: Dogs and cats
How Much: Cats are $12 a night. Dogs are priced according to weight: Dogs less than 30 pounds are $14, 31 to 54 pounds are $15, 55 to 99 pounds are $16 and more than 100 pounds are $17.
Specifics: Pets receive a complimentary bath with a two-night stay. Dogs are walked three times a day.
Call: 449-7387
Hours: Monday – Friday 7 a.m. – 7 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. – noon
South Paw Acres
5550 W. Gillespie Bridge Road
Founded: 7 1/2 years ago
Who: Canines only. Dogs must be neutered or spayed, older than 4 months, social with other dogs, nonaggressive and anxiety-free. All dogs must be current on recommended vaccinations, including the Bordatella vaccine (for kennel cough) and must pass a prescreening interview before being accepted into the program.
How Much: $35 a night per dog, $32 for each additional dog
Specifics: South Paw Acres uses a program it calls interactive boarding, in which dogs are allowed to play and live together in small groups on an acre of fenced land that includes a pond and shade trees. The dogs do not sleep in kennels but in a large communal facility called The Dog House. They can enjoy TV and classical music while they sleep as well as central air and heat. Massage therapy by a certified dog masseuse is coming soon, owner Faye Nowell says. Pets are fed twice a day, and baths are available for $20 to $35 depending on pet size.
Call: 446-2733
Visit: southpawacres.com
Hours: Open by appointment only
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