RETIRED BUSINESSMAN RONALD MAK keeps his beloved rottweiler, Benz, in a pet hotel and makes visits three to five times a week. He loves big dogs but lives in an HDB maisonette where such dogs are not allowed. Benz has never been to Mr Mak's home. -- ST PHOTO: MUGILAN RAJASEGERAN

He has spent more than $10,000 on his beloved canine but with HDB rules barring big bruisers like Benz - it weighs 42kg - the rottweiler has never stepped inside his HDB maisonette in Bishan.

'I just love big dogs,' said Mr Mak, 61, a retired businessman. 'When I bought Benz, I knew he'd have to live in a pet hotel until I could afford private property. I don't think that will happen any time soon.'

So three-year-old Benz checked into a pet hotel in Pasir Ris where Mr Mak visits it three to five times a week for emotional reunions.

Mrs Mak is not keen on big dogs. In fact, she thinks her husband is barking mad for shelling out big bucks to keep Benz in the suite life for the last 21/2 years. A mistress would probably cost less.

Mr Mak confessed that he often gets an earful from his wife for having spent so much.

'But it's only $300 a month. Someone who drinks and smokes probably spends more than me,' he said.

There are many people like Mr Mak who have resorted to hotels when they could no longer keep pets.

The stays can last for years. The Pet Hotel in Pasir Ris has 20 long-stayers - all dogs, including a mongrel with eight years under his collar.

At Roland Pet Care, also in Pasir Ris, 15 of the 25 residents have been there for more than a year.

A hotel manager said most big dogs go to pet hotels when their owners downgrade from landed property to apartments.

It is either a pet hotel or be put down, he added.

Some dogs are there because the owners have exceeded the permitted number they could keep.

The owner of the five Kembangan rottweilers, which attacked and injured a smaller dog last November, is one such case.

Two of the dogs are being boarded at a pet hotel after the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority ordered that owner Satpal Kaur keep only three dogs. The two dogs are up for adoption.

While daily fees at pet hotels may seem low - $20 to $30 - keeping a dog there for years can be costly.

Construction businessman Yio Eng Yeow has spent $7,000 housing his German Shepherd Ralph in a pet hotel for the past 18 months.

Mr Yio, 60, moved from a semi-detached house to a five-room HDB flat when his business ran into trouble, but the pain of parting with $400 a month beats being separated from his dog.

'Ralph has been a part of my family for the past nine years. He's like the son I never had. I miss those times when he would wait for me to come home,' said Mr Yio, who has four daughters.

Dogs also suffer from separation anxiety, said Mr Johnny Taguiam, a vet technician at The Pet Hotel.

'The dogs will show signs of stress because they are no longer with their owners. Some lose their appetite. But this usually lasts for only a week, until the dog adapts to its new home.'

Some pets do check out of the hotel. One lucky Siberian Husky found a new home after seven months.

Housewife Lisa Lim picked up the abandoned husky and sponsored its hotel stay until a new owner came along last month.

Ms Lim, 42: 'Keeping a dog in that small space for a long time is not right. We are glad he now has a new home.'

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