A Happy Dog Day Camp LLC

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My husband and I were going on a day trip and decided to board our 2 dogs for the day. We chose Happy Dog Day Camp because they were close to us--on Tudor Rd--but it wasn't the greatest experience. The girl on the phone was polite and answered all my questions, and told me we could set up a trial period before boarding to make sure our dogs were comfortable. We were also told we could tour the facility. When we arrived, our trial wasn't in the system, and we were asked if and quot;we were sure we called the right one, because no one told [her].and quot; Our dogs were stressed, as expected--showing up to a new place--but the place didn't seem clean, and all the dogs seemed stressed out. There were lots of stains and the smell was overwhelming. We understand this is a dog daycare, so it's going to smell like dogs, but this seemed too dirty to be sanitary. We ended up not boarding the dogs there. They seemed all too willing to get out. We never received a tour, and when we picked up the dogs, we were given no information on their visit, other than and quot;they did fine.and quot; The boarding seemed a little too tight for our 2: kennels lined up along the walls. Our dogs don't kennel up, so they would have been a little freaked. The price is good, especially for multiple dogs, but I'd rather pay a little more for cleanliness and state of mind. We'll look elsewhere for bigger daycare spaces and bigger kennels for boarding.

Short version? There are many options in the day care/boarding world these days and a lot of variety. Some of this is good because not every dog or every owner is the same. Some of it...not so much. Before enrolling your dog in day care or leaving him/her at a boarding facility do your homework, compare many options, review the safety plans and staff training, ask ALOT of questions not just of the owners and staff but current and past clients, trainers, rescue groups and also other dog owners you meet randomly and then make your decision about what's best for your furry family member. Listen to lots of people - not just me. Long version: There was a time when I was Happy Dog Day Camps biggest fan - referring many colleagues and friends. However, over the past six months or so staff turnover has been extreme. The problems this creates are exacerbated by the fact that the owners - who both hold full time jobs elsewhere - are often not on site. I think things got far worse after they opened up their second facility. Too much expansion too fast. After several staff no showed/no called/ flat out quit during the 2012 holidays and the owners still decided to go on vacation (leaving remaining staff to deal with the mess and concerned customers like me) I started looking elsewhere. Unfortunately, this only opened my eyes to many, many more shortcomings than just the staff turnover and lack of owner involvement in the care of the dogs. When these were raised with the remaining staff (who I will say are very dedicated) I was told they aren't given the freedom to make improvements because - and this is a quote - and quot;the owners don't want to pay for itand quot;. I was also told that and quot;we're so glad you're saying something to the owners because they never listen to usand quot;. And some of the suggestions are so simple - like installing an alarm system so that if there is a fire when staff isn't there somebody is alerted and can send the fire department. Happy Dog used to be among the best but I can honestly say there are now much better options out there now that have stable, highly trained staff, much better/safer facilities, and more engaged owners. You may pay more but have better peace of mind. It's very sad to have seen such a decline at Happy Dog and they could be great again with a lot of changes but my pup and I will not there to witness it. I've moved her to another day care/boarding facility.

The owner and workers are all dog lovers and it showed. Our dog was happy whenever we visited, even during some surprise visits. They have supervised play time and the dogs appeared to love it. They made sure he had plenty of exercise too. Wonderful place, very clean and well designed with nice amounts of indoor and outdoor areas. They fed him and bathed him perfectly -- bathing prices were reasonable. Would definitely recommend this place as a top tier dog day care and boarding business.