State-of-the-art kennel fulfills lifelong dream

Having officially opened Dec. 22, A Precious Pet Resort in Henniker is the fulfillment a lifelong dream for owner Mary Green.
For twenty years Green has been working in grooming salons, shelters and rescues, and after relocating to New Hampshire a year ago she decided to build her dream kennel.
The resort is located on Old Concord Road and, according to Green, is a high-end kennel geared toward a stress free vacation for the pet, like their owners will have when they go away.
“The whole kennel was designed so it would be a place where I would want to leave my dog, because I’ve seen the kennels around and I wouldn’t want to leave my dog in any of them,” Green explained.
Currently, Green and her husband are parents to a mastiff, two cats and an adopted one on the way, and 17 rescue birds, from macaws to doves.
Having exotic birds, Green has found it difficult in the past to go away because no one could take care of them. Because of this, Green decided the resort would be open to boarding exotic birds and cats as well.
Although she’s constantly surrounded by animals now, Green maintains it’s not stressful.
“We don’t find it stressful because being around animals is a stress reliever,” Green emphasized.
The resort features a multitude of private suites with radiant heat floors designed to be safe and comfortable to relieve pet stress. Each luxury suite has hand-painted walls to match custom made pillows and therapeutic cots that take the pressure of pets’ joints.
Pet owners can choose themed suites like pirate, teddy bear, autumn, holiday, fishing, Americana, and more.
A maid service also visits each suite every day to do laundry.
Additionally, there is no chain link within the resort.
The resort also features curtains in each room and tinted glass doors so the dogs going down the hallway can’t see the other dogs, which leads to barking. For naturally noisy dogs, the resort also has sound absorption panels in some suites.
Green is also working on creating tiki huts and cottages for the smaller dogs, because they like and feel more comfortable in smaller areas.
Standard dog boarding services include a suite, 4 potty breaks, play time, a walk, dog food, snacks, tuck-in service, and a complimentary bath on the scheduled retrieval day.
Doggie day care is also available anytime during the resort’s regular business hours, from $2.50 an hour.
For a nominal fee, dogs may also be treated to full service grooming, teeth brushing, unlimited bottled water, paw-dicures and ear cleaning, 1 on 1 playtime, bedtime story with gourmet cookie, and snuggle time with senior citizens in the TV lounge.
Green’s father moved to Henniker last year and even though he went to the Community Center he still found it difficult to meet people. Because of this, Green came up with the idea to have a lounge area in the resort where seniors can gather, play with the dogs and enjoy coffee and donuts.
A Precious Pet Resort also fosters dogs for the local dog pounds, although she only takes in a total of fifty dogs at a time.
“I cut it off at fifty dogs and I remember my bank giving me a hard time because my building is bigger,” Green recalls, adding they did this because they didn’t want to overextend their services because they care about the animals they board.
The resort employs three workers, one whose sole job is to play with the dogs. “That’s all she does. She takes them outside in small groups, or separately if they don’t get along,” Green commented.
Standard cat boarding services include a 3’x5’ playhouse with jungle gym food and radiant heat floors. Standard bird services include a cage, if not provided by the owner, bird food, daily maid service, and unlimited bottled water.
The resort also extends grooming services to clients, but they have to be customers.
To find out more about the resort, visit www.apreciouspetresort.com or call 428-7178.