Summer Camp for Pets Is Cat’s Meow

While many New Yorkers pile into cars, trains or buses for a summer getaway on Long Island, another crowd boards an air-conditioned van and heads for suburban Rye, less than an hour from Manhattan.

These vacationers are the dogs and cats of the rich and famous--and even ordinary people--who think that their pets are entitled to a respite from the dog days of summer.

These privileged pets board air-conditioned Grumman vans that take them to the shady three-acre retreat of the Rye Country Boarding Kennels.

The facility, which accommodates up to 100 pets, requires reservations a month in advance for the summer and other busy holiday periods during the year, said owner Stella DiEdwards.

The pets of “senators, governors and movie stars” board at the kennel, DiEdwards said, but she discreetly declined to reveal their names.

Fees range from $5 a day for cats to $6.50 for small dogs and $10 for large dogs. A St. Bernard’s summer at the kennel could cost $600.