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Airport pet kennel may get MAC approval next week
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Where to put your basset during a business trip?
The Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC) may have the place for you, if it approves an airport pet kennel at its Monday meeting.
The commission staff is proposing a boarding and grooming kennel in a vacant building at the northern edge of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport -- near a popular off-leash park -- so travelers can drop off their pets, park their cars and take a shuttle to their terminal any hour of any day.
"So many dog owners travel, and this could be a one-stop service," said MAC spokesman Pat Hogan.
Americans spend $38.5 billion a year to care for their critters. To attract a business person willing to spend the estimated $1 million to renovate the building, the staff is recommending a long lease -- up to 20 years -- with about $48,000 in annual rent. It could be up and running by March.
Airport kennels are catching on at airports around the country, including Denver, New Orleans and Jacksonville, Fla., Hogan said.
In Seattle and Portland, Ore., Airpet Hotel operates kennels just outside the airport grounds, said co-owner Geoff Whittreich.
"My partner and I used to be frequent business travelers, and when you're heading out of town on short notice, finding a place to board your pets is always a pain," Whittreich said.
Chris Snyder owns the kennel closest to the airport, Al's Boarding Kennel in Mendota Heights, about four miles away. She's not keen on a new competitor, noting that airport travelers are a big part of her business.
"I don't want to lose any part of my business if it does indeed become a reality, she said.
H.J. CUMMINS
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