Tourism Breaking News
My Second Home, the world’s largest indoor dog park and Dubai’s first and largest luxury pet resort, is gearing up to launch a new daycare and boarding facility exclusively for small dogs as part of its US$10 million expansion plan. Schedule to open in time for the festive season, the 46,000 sq ft pet destination will be the third resort-style venue for My Second Home, which launched its first luxury home-from-home dog care brand in Dubai Investments Park in 2015, followed by a sister venue in Al Quoz in 2021.
Located at DIP 2, the new facility will feature indoor pools , relaxation areas and extensive play space. Its launch comes in response to customer demand for a dedicated venue for small dogs – such as toy breeds and small spaniels – after extensive research and input from hundreds of My Second Home’s 4,000 members. As with My Second Home’s existing destinations, pet pick and up and drop off services will also be available.
Sean Parker, General Manager at My Second Home, said: “All of our dogs are allocated a daycare group to suit their size and temperament, but the reality is that our first two facilities were originally built on the premise that one size would fit all. In our new, small dog venue, every feature – from the pool depth to the low-rise chill-out ledges – will be designed with the smaller breeds in mind.
“The upsurge in pet ownership during the pandemic – particularly of smaller dog breeds and cats – has created huge demand – which we met by building more boarding suites. Across the DIP and Al Quoz facilities, boarding capacity has now reached 250 dogs and 40 cats.”
Each day, My Second Home’s boarding, daycare, grooming and training resorts manage the welfare and socialisation of 300 dogs.
The original venue spans 63,000 sq ft – equivalent to around 30 tennis courts – and features the world’s largest indoor free play dog park, three pools and outdoor off-leash play areas. The second, built to meet demand for a replica resort at a convenient location for members from the northern areas of Dubai, offers the same services and quality across 30,000 sq ft. The new, third venue spans a total 46,000 sq ft, including 35,000 sq ft of indoor space.
Paul Sowerby, Co-Founder of My Second Home, added: “My Second Home has been a success from day one. We knew that doing something on this scale could be tricky and that the real test would be succeeding in doing it more than once. Although we’re still learning even after being operational for eight years, we’ve got the business model right and are in a great position to go for a third venue.
“Bolstered by demand and feedback from our valued members, we’re ramping things up again in Dubai and exploring potential partnerships outside the UAE. The model works – and is very portable.”
Aside from the expansive indoor and outdoor recreation and socialisation space that My Second Home resorts provide, it’s the attention to detail, rigid safety regime, welfare protocols and commitment to pet wellbeing and enrichment that appeal most to users.
Longstanding customer Graham Silverlock, owner of two young cocker spaniels, said: “Pet owners know what they want, and they want it consistently. That’s a big challenge for dog daycare and boarding businesses that set their stall out to provide a world class service all day, every day. Our dogs mean the world to us and it’s important to know that the service level will be right every time. That’s the My Second Home difference: they have the time to understand our family’s needs – and particularly those of our beloved Bossie and Tupsu.”
