Dog-friendly Budapest has places to feed, groom and wash your pet. You can buy treats from a special dog bakery and, on the outskirts of town, even bury your four-legged companion in a canine cemetery. One thing missing, though, has been a dog spa. Until now, thanks to the newly opened Top-Pancs.
Set where Katona József meets Hollán Ernő utca, Top-Pancs has not been located in up-and-coming Újlipótváros by coincidence. As Szilvi Pochanics, director of this recently unveiled facility, explains: “There are currently 3,000 dogs living in Újlipótváros, and slowly there will be more canines than human residents”.
Here in a neighbourhood of moneyed urban professionals and young couples close to the city centre, it is increasingly difficult to exercise your dog properly, even in parks, as growing numbers mean keeping pets on a leash for much longer.
Given the area’s trendy reputation, many would raise an eyebrow at the idea of siting a dog spa here. But Top-Pancs is not only about letting your pooch splash in a pool and run around out of the rain – although a roof does come in handy when it’s pouring outside. Here, as Szilvi is at pains to point out, Top-Pancs provides physiotherapy and can help with musculoskeletal disorders. A pool 3.5 meters in diameter is ideal for this purpose – if, for example, your dog has a paralysed hind leg, it is possible to help its muscles recover by swimming in a special vest. Also, dogs who for some reason are afraid to swim, perhaps dropped in the water as puppies, can be taught.
Dog training is also about educating the owner. Many people do not even notice that their dog has any kind of physical problem, which can be cured with canine physiotherapy and massage. There will also be a dog beauty salon, an all-day care centre and puppy training.
Any non-dog owner, of course, would find it hard to imagine someone happily taking their pet into a basement room to run around instead of skipping about in the open air. But this covered space, as Szilvi points out, this is necessary because in summer the heat is unbearable for walks and in winter the salted pavement wears down dogs’ paws. Dachshunds, in particular, suffer when it’s frosty. Special equipment provides cooling, ventilation and heating, and there’s daily cleaning and disinfection.
Only healthy dogs with a registered microchip and valid vaccinations are allowed in.
Use of the playground is 800 forints/hr, the pool 1,000 forints. In the first ten days alone, 200 dogs have been welcomed, so there is a significant demand. Those training for dog shows can come here for special training, and a carnival is being planned with a canine dietician.
Top-Pancs
District XIII. Katona József utca 31
Open: Mon-Fri 8am-7pm, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm
