The nex best thing?

If you've been wanting to visit the new mall that's been touted as Singapore're first and only pet-friendly mall, wait no longer - nex mall and its K9 Park have officially opened on the 28th of December 2010. PETS Magazine was invited to view the new premises.

Marketed to be the first and only dog park to be incorporated into a mall, the K9 Park situated at the corner of nex mall's Sky Garden comes fully equipped with two separate play areas for big dogs and small dogs respectively. Within each play area, dogs are allowed to roam off-leash, and use the exercise equipment provided. Although small, (and funnily enough, the area for large dogs seems a tad smaller than the area meant for small dogs) both play areas are also fitted with a water point and an efficient drainage system should any accidents occur. The management of nex also assured us that there would be a security guard stationed at the K9 Park during operation hours and that he or she would be responsible for regulating the flow of patrons in and out of the play areas.

Every evening the K9 Park is disinfected and cleansed thoroughly to maintain optimum hygiene standards for both dogs and their owners. In the day, cleaners are on standby if any messy accidents occur. However, owners are strongly encouraged to bring their own poo bags and necessary toiletries as the park does not provide them.

In an effort to cater to pet owners, Pet Safari and Doggiestyle Cafe, a pet-friendly cafe, are situated within a few metres of the K9 Park. Though Pet Safari has yet to open its doors to the public, expect to be blown away by the pet services and accessories they will be offering next year. Doggiestyle Cafe is a concept joint where pet owners can enjoy the luxury of dining with their pets. The cafe also offers pet-sitting services as well as spa services for dogs. As dogs are only allowed in the K9 Park, these services are sure to come in handy should you need to do a little bit of shopping on the side.

The only way to excess the K9 Park with your dog would be through a specially designed lift. The Pets Lift is accessible from the first floor of nex mall and will take you straight to the Sky Park on Level 4. Though the developers have been thoughtful enough to keep the pets lift away from the general public, so as not to cause concern to other shoppers, we found that the waiting bay at the lift was too small and narrow to contain more than five dogs with their owners. Also, without guidance from the management, we would never have known where the Pets Lift was either.

nex Mall is a wonderful mall with plenty of variety to meet your shopping needs, but as a pet-friendly location, we are not too sure. Perhaps frequent users of the K9 Park would like to let us know what they think and leave us your comments below.