At Chapel Hill Pet Resort, your dog may have a better place to stay than you do. Instead of being cooped up in its cage or forced to lead your work meetings with your most important clients, it can enjoy outdoor playing time in a shaded astroturf yard, cool off in pink and blue kiddie pools, chase new canine friends down a plastic slide, or follow the neon-yellow trail of a tennis ball. When the dogs come in for nap time, staff members treat them to Frosty Paws or peanut-butter-stuffed Kongs before they settle in on soft blue blankets.

If your dog has special needs or is shy or geriatric, the employees provide it with more one-on-one time in a private area. Owners who are dreading being left behind for their dogs' first day of daycare can set up tours of the premises to ease their qualms.