To See A Man Spa About A Dog

Every dog has its day… of pampering!

 

- Stef Dela Cruz

Being man’s best friend is harder than it looks: Even if dogs dedicate their lives to their human companions without asking for much in return, some of them end up rehomed, abandoned, or abused.

You can say it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there.

And because dogs are a howling success as man’s besties, they at least deserve a day at the spa, yes?

Now that you’ve had more than enough of dog puns, let’s follow Topper, an adopted Chihuahua who has done such a great job as BFF to comedian-author Stanley Chi, as he spends the day at the Libis branch of The Dog Spa & Hotel for some well-deserved de-stressing and pampering.

Clean As A Hound's Tooth

“Topper loves baths. Maybe it’s because he knows there’s a treat waiting for him after each bath,” said Stanley, Topper’s human for six years and counting. “I think he will enjoy the first time he gets groomed at the dog spa.”

It wasn’t much of a surprise that Stanley was right. After all, The Dog Spa & Hotel started as a community for dog owners on Facebook.

“It was a pet lover’s page where members could share best practices. We realized we had so many dogs and we weren’t happy with services and supplies we found elsewhere,” said Eric Villanueva, who co-owns The Dog Spa & Hotel with James and Erlene Loverio.

“Supplies were too expensive in the Philippines because there were too many middlemen. We started sourcing products from abroad. When the members of our page found out that we had a grooming service, there was an increase in demand and we had to open a second branch. We now have fifteen branches, eight of which we own while the rest are franchised.”