Five Star Doggy Hotel

Pets can be a problem when the owners go on holiday, but holiday-makers to and from Nelson have had this problem solved for them by Hank and "Heine" Heinekamp, proprietors of the Marsden Valley Boarding Kennels. Informed sources told us that the kennels were the most up-to-date in Australasia, and while we have no specialist knowledge of facilities elsewhere, we certainly can testify after a visit to the kennels to the excellence of the accommodation and to the care lavished upon their charges by Hank and "Heine". To us it was apparent that looking after dogs was for them not a job but a labour of love. The dogs are bathed when necessary, groomed, exercised and fed from a kitchen attached to the kennels with as high a standard of hygiene as could be expected from a diatetic kitchen.

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Mrs Flora King, from Golden Downs, hands over her pedigree Basenjis to Hank for their short stay. Above, it's bath time for this beagle and at left, Heine completes the operation with a towel and a few loving words.

The dogs even have a menu - biscuits for breakfast, milk for lunch and meat (red stripe beef) for dinner. An automatic water system ensures that the water in each of the 12 pens is always fresh. So popular have the kennels become (many animals are sent here from the North Island) that Hank is shortly to commence work on a new block of kennels and a new cattery At the moment the cattery will accommodate only 24 felines, but demand is forcing Hank to build another to take a further 24.

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A view of the main kennel block. Entrance to each pen opens on to a central corridor within the building.

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Hank, acting as chef, prepares dinner.

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Cats in the exercise pen of the cattery find the tree entertaining.

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Waiting for their exercise.