Second Home Pet Resort, Phoenix

In 1989, Roger and Cheryl Naumann became the proud parents of a lemon beagle they dubbed Pogo. The pup's playful demeanor was clouded by a host of congenital health conditions, each handled with unrelenting love by her owners. Pogo brought joy to Roger and Cheryl for 16 years and left her stamp on the world in the form of Pogo's Place, a pet-adoption facility in the lobby of Second Home Pet Resort.

Inspired by their beloved pooch, hotel executive Roger and his wife Cheryl, president and CEO of the Arizona Humane Society for almost six years, combined their talents to open the pet lodge. Nestled into a mountainside like a billy goat's summer cottage, the 16,500-square-foot haven boards cats and dogs in luxury suites, with staff onsite 24 hours a day.

Air-conditioning and heating systems maintain comfortable temperatures in cats' and dogs' separate quadrants and play areas. Pooches being boarded or babysat at doggie daycare frolic around an area that spans 1,000 square feet, with more than an acre of grassy knolls and playground equipment surrounded by 7-foot walls. Under supervision, they explore the Splash & Play water park's decks and waterfalls to cool off or practice their synchronized-swimming routine. Kitties scale trees and paw at scratching posts in the cat atrium. Pet cams accessible via the internet at any hour and extra care for special-needs pets give owners peace of mind, and grooming offered onsite pares down their to-do lists.