South Africa | A dog’s life in a luxury hotel

(Cape Town) Cocktails, cushions and gilded frames: these luxurious rooms, in a hotel located opposite a shelter for the homeless in Cape Town, are intended for dogs entrusted to caring staff during the summer holidays. their masters.

In South Africa, one of the most unequal countries in the world, where poverty has been further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, dogs are not necessarily at the bottom of the ladder.

At SuperWoof, three dachshunds laze on a large bed, a crossbreed barks relentlessly, and a miniature schnauzer listens to Bob Marley music wafting through the premises.

Each dog’s name is listed on shelves where their leashes and other small items are neatly stacked.

If later the animals feel like enjoying the sunset, they can at the same time sip a bottle of ChamPaws, a cocktail made with water, rose petals and rooibos, an infusion of red bush leaves, popular in South Africa. South.

And it is not the only establishment of this type. About ten minutes away, in the popular district of Bo-Kaap, with houses colored with postcards, AtFrits plays the competition.

Real estate broker, Tilana Kruger, 35, comes to drop off her Beagle there. She describes the place, located between trendy bars, art galleries and other sushi bars, as “a second home” for her dog: “He can’t wait any longer, he literally jumps out of the car” for go.

” Presidential suite ”

But even in the kingdom of dogs, disparities exist. In the economy section, animals are kept in a common area where they lounge on sofas in front of specialty TV channel Animal Planet.

The canine elite can reserve a private “presidential suite”: baroque chandeliers, exquisite wallpapers, portraits on the walls.

One of them was baptized “K9 Nkandla”, in reference to the luxurious residence of ex-president Jacob Zuma, renovated with millions of dollars with public money.

The more expensive suite costs 535 rand ($44), or about thirty euros, per day. For comparison, the poverty line in the country is set at 890 rand per month ($73).

This debauchery of luxury for animals, in a country where dogs – widely used by apartheid police during demonstrations – remain a divisive subject, is sometimes criticized.

The owner of AtFrits, Yanic Klue, retorts: “I have 37 employees to whom I give an income”. It also donates 10% of its revenue to stray dogs, in particular for their sterilization.

She also runs a social project to teach township women how to sew clothes for dogs, which are sold at the hotel shop.

“If someone can afford to have their dog kept in these conditions, that’s up to them,” said Hassan Khan, an employee at the center for the homeless.

And for dogs who suffer from the anxiety of being separated from their masters, these hotels offer a whole range of therapies, crystal treatments and reiki, a Japanese healing method.

Dogs also “have chakras and they also have blockages”, assures M^me Klue. And to calm the anxiety of owners who entrust their pets, cameras installed in the rooms allow them to keep an eye on them from a distance, on “Petflix”.