Pooch pleasure palace a big hit with Brazilians

Heart-shaped ceiling mirror: check. Curtains drawn: check. Red mattress: check.

An establishment that opened this year has features that demanding clients naturally expect from a love motel. Brazil, after all, is a world leader in these short-stay houses of pleasure, which beckon couples for trysts away from prying eyes. They have names like Swing, Absinthe and Alibi, and design motifs like medieval castles or the American Wild West.

But Belo Horizonte's newest love motel stands apart from the crowd in one crucial aspect. It is for dogs.

Animalle Mundo Pet, an eight-story enterprise in an upscale district in the city of 2.4 million people, introduced its dog motel alongside aisles featuring items like beef-flavoured Dog Beer (non-alcoholic), a dog spa with a Japanese ofuro soaking tub and canine apparel emblazoned with the symbols of the local soccer clubs Atletico Mineiro and Cruzeiro.

"I adore the romantic feel of this place," said Andreia Kfoury, 43, a manager at a technology company who peeked inside the Motel Pet one recent morning while she and her husband were on a clothes-buying spree for their Yorkshire terrier, Harley. The couple, who are motorcycle enthusiasts, bought about US$500 worth of imported Harley-Davidson brand items for their dog.

"I'm definitely bringing Harley back here when it's time for him to breed," a smiling Kfoury said. "He is very macho, and would be a hit in this place."