All Aboard: The Ark Arrives at JFK Airport

Pet Oasis
Pet Oasis
A dog was weighed at the Pet Oasis at the Ark center, which houses various in-transit animals. Photo Credit: Johnny Milano

Jet-setting pets have a new travel retreat in the Ark at JFK—an 80,000 square-foot facility that houses an animal resort, a veterinary hospital, and an equine center.

A recent article in The New York Times details the Ark’s offerings, including accommodations for dogs, cats, birds, fish, horses and other animals while they are in transit.

Pets can be left by owners before they fly, and staff members will groom, feed, water, walk, play with and then transport pets to the plane. Some animals (such as horses) that require a period of quarantine when entering the United States now have a posh place to chill. The equine import center has 23 stalls with nonslip flooring and high-end hay.

On hand, a veterinarian hospital managed by the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine will oversee animal care and disease prevention.

The resort, “Paradise 4 Paws,” at the Ark has 130 spots for dogs, including a “Top Dog Suite,” which has a full-size bed, a 32-inch flat-screen TV and a 24-hour webcam, so owners can monitor their dog’s well-being.

Good news for traveling pets and their people: With all the travel I’m about to do for the NY Dog Film Festival, I may have to make a puppy stop at the Ark!

Tracie Hotchner is a nationally acclaimed pet wellness advocate, who wrote THE DOG BIBLE: Everything Your Dog Wants You to Know and THE CAT BIBLE: Everything Your Cat Expects You to Know. She is recognized as the premiere voice for pets and their people on pet talk radio. She continues to produce and host her own Gracie® Award winning NPR show DOG TALK®  (and Kitties, Too!) from Peconic Public Broadcasting in the Hamptons after 9 consecutive years and over 500 shows. She produced and hosted her own live, call-in show CAT CHAT® on the Martha Stewart channel of Sirius/XM for over 7 years until the channel was canceled, when Tracie created her own Radio Pet Lady Network where she produces and co-hosts CAT CHAT® along with 10 other pet talk radio podcasts with top veterinarians and pet experts.

Dog Film Festival - Tracie HotchnerTracie also is the Founder and Director of the annual NY Dog Film Festival, a philanthropic celebration of the love between dogs and their people. Short canine-themed documentary, animated and narrative films from around the world create a shared audience experience that inspires, educates and entertains. With a New York City premiere every October, the Festival then travels around the country, partnering in each location with an outstanding animal welfare organization that brings adoptable dogs to the theater and receives half the proceeds of the ticket sales. Halo was a Founding Sponsor in 2015 and donated 10,000 meals to the beneficiary shelters in every destination around the country in 2016.

Tracie lives in Bennington, Vermont – where the Radio Pet Lady Network studio is based – and where her 12 acres are well-used by her 2-girl pack of lovely, lively rescued Weimaraners, Maisie and Wanda.

One thought on “All Aboard: The Ark Arrives at JFK Airport

  • Henry
    April 17, 2017 at 4:34 pm

    Aww, very cute photo! Thanks for sharing 🙂
    Henry

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