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Barkingham founder Lori Weiner
Barkingham Pet Hotel is an upscale spa and resort for four-legged residents and visitors to the Coachella Valley.
The 23,000-square-foot pet boarding, daycare, grooming and spa is a luxury pet resort in Palm Desert, owned and operated by animal lovers since 2011.
Having grown out of their original space, they bought the land and custom-built the facility from the ground up and opened this new facility in 2017.
Lori Weiner (the appropriately named owner) turned her passion for furry friends into both a business and a mission. An avid bull terrier lover and onetime thoroughbred horse rescuer, she has lived in the Valley since 1982.
The spacious and spotlessly clean facility was designed to accommodate cats and dogs. With a caring staff of 20 on-site 24 hours a day, it offers every level of pampering.
From individual cubicles to luxury suites with beds and TVs, the brightly colored lodging — replete with themed murals — offers something for all sizes, breeds and temperaments.
Doggie daycare is popular, as Henry, the gazelle-like Goldendoodle puppy that I occasionally care for, will attest. Henry loves mixing with other doggies in a safe and amenity-filled environment. There are no cages and the time is taken to understand each pooch individually, their needs and likes, as well as the owners’ preferences. Each animal takes a ‘temperament’ test, so their personality is known to the staff.
On Dinah Shore Drive, you’ll know you are there by the giant outdoor pet sculptures. Animals know it too; their tails will begin wagging as you drive into the parking lot. Once inside, the gleaming lobby, the pleasant and helpful staff welcomes both animals and humans.
Boarding, grooming, daycare and training options are à la carte. There are five hotels on the premises. One of them is Manda-rin Orien’tail. Then there is the Paw’ninsula, The Sunset Barkee, Griffith Bark and finally, the W’oof. There are 65 suites with appropriate murals (by artist Jiji Lee), shiny flooring, and comfortable bedding. Webcams are available for concerned owners. There is an expansive outdoor area with a shade and water feature; popular with retrievers. A boutique and numerous products are for sale, and proceeds go to the California PAWS Rescue.
Weiner is a certified clinical animal nutritionist, and she devotes a lot of energy to rescuing animals, saving them from abuse and euthanasia. “We take the dogs who are medically challenged, two hours before they are going to be euthanized.”
One such doggie — a bull terrier named Kane — had had both eyes removed due to a scratched cornea and bilateral entropion. He now lives happily in Oregon.
PAWS, with Barkingham’s support, has facilitated 1,500 adoptions since 2011. With so many Covid puppies in the homes of unprepared owners, the need has grown. Currently, a California PAWS Rescue Ranch development is in the works on six acres in nearby Whitewater. The ranch will offer rescue animals a chance to decompress from their confinement in a shelter environment.
The ranch will promote health, wellness, and agility training until the animal is adopted. Those not adopted will live out their days at the ranch, well cared for, and at peace.
Set to open by the end of this year, the ranch will feature 8X12 individual pet houses with covered patios.
The second annual Red, White and Black Tie event takes place Dec. 7 at Weiner’s home in Rancho Mirage. Naming rights for the pet accommodations on the ranch will be up for bidding. Summers and the holiday season are busy times for Barkingham, as many people travel and need their pets in caring hands.
Barkingham is there so humans can travel and celebrate without worrying about their kids, and the ‘kids’ look forward to a stay at the venerable facility. Lori says: "We believe your pets deserve as great a vacation as you do."
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