Dogging it in South Africa
Archie and Tommy have found paradise on Earth in South Africa. Archie celebrated his birthday there recently at the Cape Town resort he favors, which offers a rooftop swimming pool that provides scenic views of nearby Table Mountain. Not far away, at a different resort, Tommy enjoys stays in his luxury “presidential suite,” which includes amenities such as daily cartoon showings, a comfy bed with a carved wooden headboard, a chandelier and a front wall made entirely of glass.
With the average daily hotel rate in the U.S. hovering around $150, you’re probably thinking that Archie and Tommy have it good. And you’d be right.
But Archie and Tommy are bulldogs.
NPR contributing writer and photojournalist Tommy Trenchard paid a visit to several Cape Town pet hotels in February; his story detailing the experience appeared last week on the NPR website. Archie was staying at the Superwoof Dog Hotel, where staff served a birthday cupcake to him. Basic daily room rates there start at $11.45. Archie’s outside activities while at Superwoof might include a weekend getaway to the Franschhoek Valley vineyards. Were Archie to hit it off with another guest, the hotel hosts weddings that feature confetti, a red carpet, a custom veil for the bride and a bow tie for the groom. For an extra fee, the hotel will provide a themed wedding cake or a night in a private honeymoon suite.
Tommy was staying at the atFrits Dog Hotel and Daycare. Prices there are a bit more upscale, ranging from $19.90 to $26 per day, for a luxury suite. A spa is also available as well as a salon that offers brushing, washing and blow drying, hydrotherapy and reiki, a Japanese energy-based alternative healing. Superwoof and atFrits are only two examples of Cape Town’s burgeoning doggy daycare industry.
While it’s not unusual for Americans to spend $25 to $50 per dog, per day, for doggy daycare, some may suspect that spending on pets may be out of balance in South Africa, and they may be right. A 2024 government report found that roughly half of employed South Africans earn less than $236 per month. For comparison, the average per-person income for those employed in the U.S. in 2023 was $5,500. And then there are, shall we say, disparities.
Across the road from Superwoof, Trenchard found Asanda Ncanda, 35, who said he has been living there under a highway overpass for the past four years.
“That’s where I sleep, under that bridge,” Ncanda told Trenchard. “And the dogs are up there with their own private pool. They probably eat more in a day than we do in a month.”
Superwoof Managing Director Bianca Couch told Trenchard that despite assumptions, most of her clients aren’t extremely wealthy. Rather, she said, they are average people who don’t want their pets to be home alone while they are at work.
I admit that I have taken advantage of doggy daycare, and I have complained about its cost. I used to think this was a “first-world problem.” But now I see that prioritizing expenditures to accommodate one’s pets is a problem without borders.
It’s undeniable: we love our pets. Because we do, we want the best for them in terms of food, veterinary treatment and daycare. And let’s face it, no one wants a pet to return home smelling like it has been … well, in a kennel. But I don’t think it’s rational to spend extra on pets for things that, because of their expense, we rule out for ourselves. And some of the “amenities” offered in Cape Town are just plain dumb. Like a wedding.
I have two female dogs, but I can’t see springing for a “wedding” for either.
Mainly because the father of the bride has to pay for the reception.