A resort where pets are pampered and every pet is a celebrity. That’s the promise that Pal’s Inn Pet Resort in Fountain Hills, Arizona, makes to customers who entrust their animals for daycare or overnight stays. Fulfilling that promise includes: quality care, an immaculate facility, friendly staff, grooming, training, massage therapy, organic foods and time for ‘pals’ to romp in a 2,000-square-foot, outdoor atrium complete with grassy turf, a waterfall, a fountain and mountain views. But that’s just the beginning, there is so much more.

“It’s an honor to take care of someone else’s pet,” said Director of Operations, Tracy Rothstein, who has an uncanny ability to remember names of every guest staying at the resort, which can house up to 90 dogs and 10 cats. “We take our jobs seriously and make sure the animals have a great experience when they are with us,” Rothstein said. “By their second visit our goal is to see the dogs pulling their owners into the lobby from the parking lot because they are so excited to get here.”

Dogs of every shape, size, and breed stay at the 12,000-square-foot resort in oversized kennels with off-the-ground beds and porcelain tile floors. The celebrity suite includes a four-poster bed, bottled water, and a television with a series of animal movies. There is a separate cattery for felines to roam or curl up in three-level condos.

Doggie daycare includes about 3 1/2 hours of group playtime. Dogs are let out together by size and group and closely supervised by staff. Overnight stays have 90 minutes of group play at no extra charge. A closed-circuit web camera set up in the atrium allows pet owners to log-in with a special password from their computers or mobile devices to check on their animals or watch them play.

The full-service grooming facility includes cuts, pedicures, teeth brushing and more. Animal massage therapy is offered for pets with arthritis, hip dysplasia or stress issues. Owners can also learn how to do pet massage therapy. A retail section at the resort’s entrance features bakery goods, raw diet and organic foods, toys, collars, leashes, and natural pet care spa products. Commissioned pet portraits are also available.

Rothstein offers a variety of training programs, such as Puppy Kindergarten, basic and advanced obedience, therapy, and on-and-off leash work. He also does in-home pet training for customers. Rothstein is a graduate of the Animal Behavior College in California and has been training dogs for nearly 20 years.

When it comes to caring for animals, Pal’s Inn goes beyond meeting the physical needs. The resort caters to spiritual and community needs as well. Rothstein is also a trained and certified animal chaplain. His One Spirit Animal Ministry provides spiritual support for the pals and their families.

“I bless animals, perform last rites, conduct animal memorial services, and provide bereavement counseling to pet owners” Rothstein said. “The death of a pet can be as emotionally devastating for an individual or a family as that of a human being,” he adds. “To some individuals, their pets are like their kids.”

Rothstein, who earned his certification from Emerson Theological Institute in California, will talk pet owners through options when a pal is ill. He will pray for the animal and provide spiritual support for the pet owner. He also runs a monthly animal grief support group. Besides serving owners’ needs when their pets pass on, Pal’s Inn is starting a new service: Celebrity Legacy Pet Care. This package is for people who either predecease their pets or become disabled and want pet care for the remaining life of their pets.

“Before pet owners pass away, if they want to plan for optimum care for their animals, they can specify in their trust or “last will and testament” to leave their pal an inheritance fund to be administered by Pal’s Inn,” according to Pal’s Inn Pet Resort founder and owner Rose Sampieri. “We would then care for the pet as a full-time resident of Pal’s Inn.”

When Sampieri, her husband Robert, and partner Don Leitzen founded Pal’s Inn eight years ago they wanted to be a business that gave back to the local community. Pal’s Inn is fulfilling that goal with compassion. The resort is well known in the community for reuniting lost pets with their owners, housing up to 17 rescue dogs at time in a separate wing of the resort for a significant discount, and working with three local animal rescue groups to find homes for animals and raise money for their food and medical needs.

“Town residents have become conditioned to bringing lost pets to Pal’s Inn,” Rothstein said. “At least once or twice a week a stray or lost pet is brought in.” The resort uses e-mail blasts or “Lassie alerts” (similar to an “Amber Alert” for a missing child) and phone calls to a network of clients and rescue volunteers in an effort to locate the pets’ owners. “People know they can bring animals in trouble here and they will be safe and well cared for until their owners are located,” Rothstein said.

Recently the resort reunited a Saint Bernard, a Mastiff, three pugs and two Jack Russells with their owners and found homes for a lost coyote-Shepherd mix, a small dog left in a park, a dog caught running in the road, and a two-week old puppy found in a parking lot.

“About 80 percent are reunited with their owners and the other 20 percent we are able to get adopted out to families,” Rothstein said. “The care and nurturing of that other 20 percent of the dogs, while they are awaiting adoption, has become a “ministry” for Pal’s Inn,” Sampieri said. “It allowed us to help launch a new, separate organization called Pal’s Rescues. It’s a group of volunteers who walk the rescue dogs here on a daily basis and aid in the adoption process.”

Rothstein also works closely with the rescue agencies to help their animals prepare for life in a kennel before they are adopted. From garage sales to car washes, Pal’s Inn is regularly involved in helping with fundraisers for rescue animals.

“Most recently we helped raise funds to cover medical bills for three stray dogs that came to us,” Rothstein said. “One dog had a fractured hip, another had a heart murmur, and the third had a torn ligament in his knee. All three found homes.” Pal’s Inn is not reimbursed by any municipal agency for feeding and caring for stray dogs. Donations from volunteers help support that effort.

In addition to working with rescue groups, Pal’s Inn works with the Fountain Hills CARE group, an organization that provides help to individuals who are survivors of a crisis. Pal’s Inn will take in animals on a short-term basis to help in emergencies. “We have become a needed command post in the community for rescue efforts, and are happy to serve,” Sampieri said.

In 2011, Pal’s Inn was recognized by the Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce for “providing a safe place to bring pets and a haven for abandoned animals.” Whether it’s a lost, abandoned, or well-loved family pet, Pal’s Inn provides the utmost care and love to any “pal” that comes through their doors!

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