Animal Lovers Rejoice With A Better Way to Travel For Pets
ARK at JFK.
Cats, dogs, birds, but also horses, will finally have a safer and more humane way of approaching air travel. The stress of having to transport an animal is always a great challenge for their owners, but there is help - in New York, the new ARK Oasis at JFK Airport will ease some of the burden and complications of pet traveling.
A new $65 million terminal is opening this week, a 178,000-square foot space to ensure a safer passage for an estimated 70,000 animals a year – dogs, cats, rabbits, horses, birds, and more exotic species. The new facility will be open24-hour and is set to become fully operational by March, with further equine, aviary, veterinary and grooming offerings.
Besides cats and dogs programs, 24 elegant black steel stalls are all ready for their next horses, lined with fresh wood shavings on the floor, rubber mats for traction, hay and water buckets. Horses can even listen to soft music if desired, mostly opera.
The first of its kind in North America, where pet owners are by the millions, the various programs offer the basic food and drinks, but also pampering and grooming if desired, and maybe able to soon allow quarantine boarding, pending federal approval.
A Better Way to Travel.
“Transporting live cargo by plane can be a complex and arduous process for owners and animals alike,” said John J. Cuticelli, the Ark’s CEO. “Our goal is to create a more efficient and safe process by reducing the need for additional travel and offering trained animal care staff immediately pre- and post-flight.”
Cargo requirements and customs paperwork will be handled by the ARK, for a fee somewhat comparable to city kennels or boarding facilities for horses. Outdoor and indoor spaces will accommodate tiny, small, medium, large and extra large animals in a safe, clean and friendly environment.
Considering how Americans care for their pets, this should indeed be a very welcome addition to a more luxurious and deserved, way of transporting animals. The very first guests at the ARK Pet Oasis were a bunch of Korean puppies’ Springer spaniel travelling from Atlanta to Bangor.
Some of the luxurious amenities include climate-controlled stalls for horses, and a bone-shaped splashing pool for dogs. Some zoo animals will also be accepted at the facility.
Even For a Short Stopover.
Also functioning as a lounge, dogs and cats can stop in for just a few hours. When on a short layover, or when waiting to be picked up, pooches can enjoy a bath, shampoo with coat drying, treats, rest, and a bit of play when other kindred species are around.
After a long flight, one can be in desperate need of total refreshment, the equivalent to a trip to the groomer. For extended pet stays, a warehouse is being converted into a full resort baptized Paradise 4 Paws.
A la carte menus are offered to owners when they have special requests for their animals, for example, Cuticelli says “You could request: ‘I want my dog swimming twice a day, massaged once a day, running on the treadmill, let outside x number of times, and served a steak dinner.’ ”
WOW. We may want to stay there ourselves for a while.
More info here
Cargo Building 78A78A N. Boundary RoadJohn F. Kennedy Int. AirportJamaica, New York 11430
212-973-8275
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