Furryghor: A 5-star home away from home for pets

If you are a pet owner, one of the major concerns you have faced more than once is — who will take care of your dog or cat because you cannot take them with you when you go on a trip somewhere either alone or with your family or friends.

The immense love for your pet sometimes even compels you to cancel the trip — be it work-related or vacation — to make sure nothing unfortunate happens to them.

However, if you live in Dhaka and are looking for solutions to this worrisome issue, pet hotel “Furryghor” now has them for you.

The specialised daycare/boarding house for animal companions at Mirpur’s Zoo Road can take care of your furbabies maintaining their safety and meeting all types of needs, be it for a day or several days, in a home-like environment.

Such hotels are very common in developed countries around the world but this is the first of its kind in Bangladesh. But with such affordable offers, the hotel has already attracted much interest from pet owners across the capital city.

Talking to The Business Post, Furryghor co-founder Rakibul Haq Emil, who is also the founder and chairman of PAW Foundation, said they created the hotel only with the welfare of pets and their affordable care in mind.

He said they currently have three rooms for dogs and 14 glass-walled cabins for cats with all the amenities a pet could need. “But we plan to increase these numbers.”

Per day cat boarding at Furryghor will cost you Tk 500 and per day dog boarding Tk 1,500. The hotel also has multiple packages for both types of pets and even a discount on shared stays. However, the daily costs go down if anyone keeps their pets here for a longer time.

For example, a cat’s stay for over five days will cost Tk 470 per day, Tk 450 per day for over 10 days, and Tk 400 per day for over 20 days. On the other hand, a dog’s stay for over five days will cost Tk 1,300 per day, Tk 1,200 per day for over 10 days, and Tk 800 per day for over 30 days.

If the owners do not leave food for their pets, Furryghor provides nutritious and proper food items to the animals and there is a separate charge for that.

How it all begun

Several years ago, architects Emil and Nuzhat Nabila, an expatriate living in Australia, became acquaintances through animal rights activities at PAW Foundation. Emil also met young businessman Khalid Farhan through Nabila later.

The trio of animal lovers used to discuss what can be done for the welfare of pets in Bangladesh. During one such meeting at the end of December 2021, they decided to establish Furryghor because there was no such boarding house in Bangladesh where a pet owner could keep their animals for daycare or night stay.

They started working on it in January 2022. The business took shape in a month and their journey started on February 13. The portmanteau “Furryghor” means a home for pets with fur. “Ghor” in Bangla means house or home.

Emil said, “We started with a capital of Tk 20 lakh. I’m an architect. This hotel business is not my profession. It’s been built from our sense of responsibility towards animals.”

Asked why they decided to open Furryghor at Mirpur, Emil said, “When you set up such a hotel, you have to have all necessary treatments available for the pet animals. We chose this building because it has a veterinary clinic for pets.

“Moreover, the rent of this place is reasonable. We would have had to spend a lot more money if we had opened this at Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara, Dhanmondi or Bashundhara Residential Area.”

However, many people from the city’s upscale areas now come to Furryghor to avail of its services for their pets. Their number is higher than the clients they have at Mirpur, Emil said.

He added that many foreigners, ambassadors and diplomats keep their pets at Furryghor. “Considering their interest, we are thinking about opening another branch at Baridhara or Gulshan in future.”

Trained staff

Emil said that apart from the three partners, they have three more trained staff — including a manager and two caregivers — to provide food and care to the animals at the hotel, which is under CCTV camera surveillance at all times.

“Those who leave their animals with us do so because they have no choice. It’s no longer a luxury,” he added.

Manager Toa Noor Raha told The Business Post that the animals staying at Furryghor are always cared for and fed following the directives, meal chart and other related information provided by their owners. Anyone can check on their pets through video calls between 10am to 6pm.

Every room is thoroughly cleaned after its occupant checks out. And, to stop diseases from spreading, one animal never comes into contact with another animal if there is any risk, she said.

Raha said that 24-hour medical care is available for the animals at the pet clinic with doctors and other facilities on the second floor of the building that houses Furryghor. However, the customer will have to bear the separate cost for this.

“Pet parents must submit a photocopy of the National Identity Card or its number and vaccination records of their parents. Our people keep them informed about how their animal is behaving or if there are any problems or not,” Emil said.

“Since our operation started, we have received a good response so far. On average, 70-75 per cent of the hotel remains occupied every day,” he added.

Possibilities and constraints

Emil said the prospect is good if someone wants to enter this business since it’s only been started by them and the field is wide open. “But they will have to be organised. If they are not, then it will be very tough for them to do better.”

“Investment is not the main issue here. There are pet food dealers or suppliers who have the money but are not doing this business. If anyone wants to do this, they will have to have compassion for pets and understand animal behaviour. Skilled manpower is a major challenge. We felt it before starting and we still do,” he said.

“We also saw that the government has no rules or regulations for such pet hotels when we were running around in different agencies and departments for necessary documents. No one could tell us under what sector would our business fall.

“Our authorities are still following old ideas and policymakers are not thinking about anything new. The government needs to pay attention to this,” Emil added.