Terminal just for animals opens at JFK

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - Harry is a military service dog who recently flew in from Iraq and awaited his final leg of travel to Virginia inside the brand-new Ark at John F. Kennedy Airport.

The full-service animal rest reception center is open around the clock. The high-end $65 million facility offers a pet oasis where dogs departing or arriving from international or long-distance travel can get full veterinary and grooming services. By summer, there will be a Paradise 4 Paws bone-shaped splash pool and doggy spa for pets that board there overnight. And then there is the equine facility, where horses can lounge comfortably as specially designed fans wick away their perspiration and opera plays on speakers.

The Ark will cater to everyone from dog owners whose companions are too big to fly in cabin and have to go cargo to owners of show horses or breeding horses who need to fly their equines overseas. A wing for birds is in the works, too.

The terminal backs right up on to the runway so Ark employees can easily pick up and deliver their guests from to and from their flights.

Prices start at $125 for services for dogs and cats to $350 for horses.

The owners estimate that once the ark is fully complete 20,000 thousand animals pass through by year's end.