The staff is caring and very good. We went to places that appeared maybe a little more 'elegant'. But these people are good with animals and also good with people. We have found that is a rare combination. read more

My husband and I toured this place today in hopes to board our dog for our upcoming vacation and we couldn't have cancelled our reservation faster. The facility was incredibly dirty and it did not represent what was promised on the website AT ALL. We were looking at the deluxe suite package specifically for the in kennel camera... the cameras are "down" and waiting to be reinstalled. We also asked about what solo play looks like - it's 4 half hours daily. That's two hours a day your dog is out of a crate... horrible. They also said they don't take dogs outside during the winter, they just let them relieve themselves indoors.... Absolutely horrible. The last straw for us was when we asked what time the last employee of the day leaves the facility and we're astounded to hear 6am!!! That leaves dogs alone with no watch for nearly half the day!! Save your money and book elsewhere. read more

Zero stars if that was a choice. I made a reservation over the phone and was given a confirmation number and told what to bring for my sweet puppy to stay there for 1 week. When I arrived with my dog (before going to airport), I was told by receptionist there was no room for my puppy after all and she had left me a message. When I checked my messages I was shocked to hear this (which came in hours after I reserved over the phone, when we were already on our way to drop off our dog). ""Hi [dog's name, not my name]. I'm so sorry I was calling from best friends [ pet] hotel calling in regards to [puppy name] unfortunately we are at full capacity and we cannot take any more reservation so I can put you on the waiting list there are 16 dogs on the waiting list so I'm gonna have to cancel the appointment and add to the waiting list if you can just give me a call back at the number that we're calling from if you have any questions all right thank you bye." Nice to find out they cannot honor our reservation after receiving a confirmation no. and talking with yet a second woman there later in the day about what to bring for our dog. According to the receptionist, when you call, you are reaching their "Call Center" person, who doesn't have a clue about the schedule, so your booking and confirmation are not real. Terrible experience!!! read more

Super nice and caring staff, my 2 dogs love staying there for boarding and play time.

This is probably the best place for pet care. I would not trust anyone with my fur babies but if I had to go on vacation I definitely recommend Best Friends to care for my pets! They are clean, have an indoor gym what more can you ask for! The staff is GREAT!!!! read more

What a joke of a business. Went to look what the rooms look like since nobody returned voicemails or messages on Facebook. Very rude female at front desk told me check pictures on website since covid is going on, which we get. We drove from the Southside just to look at the place and to treat a potential customer the way they did we just walked out and said why give this place any of our money. To many other places out there to even consider this business. A MUST NO. read more

Love you guys, but please extend your pickup hours. Hard to always get in by 5:45pm, 6:45pm would be fantastic!

I hate having to write a bad review, but I am hoping this may help this facility improve in the future. The organization and customer service at this establishment is awful and left me feeling degraded as well as put me in a bind as I had a flight to catch. We typically use Wicker Pet, which has always been amazing, but we wanted to find a larger boarding facility for our puppy because we were going to be out of town a whole week. We checked out reviews and chose Best Friends. The initial phone correspondence was great! They told us to send over our vaccination paper work before the visit. Before we even were able to send it over I received a voicemail message asking for our vet's phone number because they said they can easily just call the vet for the records. My husband sent over vaccination paperwork with the vet number to Best Friends. He also said in the email to let us know if they need anything else from us. Later that same day he received a phone call from Best Friends saying that we were good to go and all set. They did not reach out to us again after that call. I arrived the morning of our scheduled boarding to drop off our puppy. The staff did not greet us or even acknowledge my dog. Then when I was trying to check in the receptionist says they never received anything from us or from our vet. I told her there must be a mistake because Best Friends called US and told us we were good to go. I asked her to look again and to check her email because that is where my husband sent our dog's info. She magically finds the print out of our dog's vaccines on the desk... right in front of her. Then she looks over the paperwork. Why this was not done earlier, I have no idea. She says that there is a vaccine that was not completed (it was, just not updated on this sheet). I explained to her that I had a flight to catch and that no one ever contacted us to tell us that something was missing nor did they apparently think that calling our vet would be helpful when they are the ones who said they could call. A phone call could have easily been done earlier for an updated record had we known we sent the wrong paperwork. Unfortunately at this time early in the morning our vet was not open yet so we could not get the records on the spot. The receptionist went to get her manager and he then proceeded to tell us that there was no way anyone called us to tell us we were good to go and that they cannot take our dog, because we should have been responsible for sending the correct records. There were no apologies or condolences or trying to make the situation right on their part unfortunately. Luckily we were able to get in touch with our normal place, Wicker Pet, and they were able to accommodate our little guy. We will definitely not be using this facility in the future, but hopefully they improve management soon. read more

Fabulous staff- I have been taking my dog to Best Friends for over year. I knew the facility due to taking outstanding agility classes with the team there when my dog was young. The care is outstanding. The staff all know my dog and treat him like their own which I observe they do for all the animals(they have cats too). When I drop him off he doesn't look back and I know he is happy and well cared for. read more

STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. I left my dog in their care while out of town. I provided a fresh bag of food, his bed from home, feeding dish and toys. He was a happy, healthy dog when I dropped him off. When I picked him up he was noticeably underweight, despite the claim of the staff that he was eating regularly two times per day. I knew that was untrue by the amount of food returned to me when I picked him up. Additionally, his bed was wet, smelled of mold and was covered in urine. Upon pointing this out to the staff I was told they had just finished cleaning it; a blatant lie evidenced by the urine stains and strong moldy odor. After he came home he began suffering from an antibiotic resistant skin infection that he undoubtedly picked up in the unsanitary conditions of this establishment. This is an untrustworthy and negligent service provider. Do not entrust them with the well-being of your pet. read more

Whenever my wife's and my boxer, Jones, stays here he always leaves in a great mood. Any other boarding place he's been to he's always left under the weather, sick, lethargic, or just downright miserable. Everyone here seems to really care about their job and genuinely wants the best for our 'family'. Jones has stayed here now for 4 of our family vacations. At separate times we were gone for 2 weeks, 1 week, 5 days, and 3 days. No matter the duration, he has always come back to us the same way - in great spirits & in perfect health. To assure you he is doing well, they also send a picture to your email of the activity he did that day. Oh yea, they offer free activities that you can pick and choose for them to do at no additional charge. Icing on top... They feed your pet dry food for no charge as well. To finish they hand you a 'report card' at the end of his stay that summarizes his whole trip. Awesome! There are a lot of details that they put into making sure your pet is safe, secure, and taken care of. Worth every cent! read more

Best Friends Pet Hotel - They send you pictures during your pet's stay! Such a great little perk. - Pet Training Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I only toured this location/the cat boarding area. I was horrified. All the crates were dirty, with minimal bedding/toys. The water fountain was low and struggling to put out any water. The room looked more like a closet than a boarding room. One cat seemed to be sick and sneezing. Please do not board your cat here. All the cats looked miserable. read more

FILTHY!!! From the entry way to the front lobby this place is an absolute dirty mess. THEN when I went back to the area to board my cats the space is the size of a closet and hot as heck! I truly considered cancelling my vacation that's how bad this place is. Thank god they were only there for 3 nights! Do NOT board any animal that you love at this disgusting place. read more

I went in there not so long ago to find out about boarding since I travel a lot and have 2 dogs. They were nice enough to give a tour of the facility, however what I saw was utterly disgusting. It smelled inside especially where they keep dogs. For once they are in cages and urinate inside of them, these cages are stacked one on top of the other. Poor animals are shaking in there. When it comes to day care area they said they have up to 70 dogs at the same time in one room and all of them go in the bathroom right on the floor. Disgusting!!! I would never take my dogs there even if you pay me. read more

This is the only day care I would ever send my pup too. All the staff is friendly, loving, and dedicated to the animals health/ well being. They always have cute holiday fun for the dogs and today was no different as my dog Nevaeh spent the morning hunting for eggs and winning me discounts lol you get to watch your dog all day on the webcam and they even rotate going outside. read more

We love Best Friends!! We've been taking our dog, Mug's, there for almost 16 years...and we always know he's going to get top-notch treatment. The staff is incredible!! Michelle, Stephanie, Frank and all others couldn't take care of him better, especially now as a Senior dog! They also recently went out of their way to accommodate Mugs' drop-off/pick up that helped with our travel plans. From day one, Mugs has loved going to Best Friends and is excited every time we walk through the doors! That says a lot about this place! Thanks to all of you for making him happy...which makes us happy, too! read more

I took my four cats in for boarding at Best Friends Chicago for the weekend. They called when there was a problem with one nervous cat and they handled it efficiently. Two of the people I remember are Michelle and Jenny, however everyone I was in contact with her friendly and courteous. I could see that the staff love animals and they seem to enjoy working with pets. I will happily choose Best Friends again for my boarding needs. read more

The people that work here are very caring and thoughtful. My little "best friend" Sienna needed a place to stay while I was away. She had never been left with anyone for over an hour so after much research, Best Friends Chicago seemed to be the right fit. I couldn't have been more correct. I called in to check on her daily and always was made to feel much better afterwards. They would put me on hold and go physically check on her. Read me back the notes and assure me that she was having fun, eating and playing, sleeping well and was in good hands! Thank You everyone that works here for making Sienna's stay a great one. Highly recommend! read more

Best Friends Pet Hotel - Heading home from Best Friends Chicago - Pet Training Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Took my dog Bryzzo here this past weekend. It was our first time here. They gave us the first night free for being a new customer. That was pretty cool. The employees there seem really friendly. They took a last minute booking for my dog so I was grateful for that. Bryzzo was scheduled for a nail trim but he did not receive it because he was too "squirmy." That was disappointing. Especially because I figured that's what they are trained to do. When I came to pick up Bryzzo, it took a while to get him. When they came out with him, they explained that they were putting disinfectant on a scratch that they noticed he got when they were getting ready to discharge him to us. I understand things happen but for them to find out that there was a scratch when we arrive is disappointing. I did appreciate that they gave us some disinfectant to take home with us and it turned out to be nothing. I just wish that they didn't just find it on him when we were picking him up. I feel like they need to be more on top of things. read more

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We have been using Best Friends since our dog was a pup for camp and boarding. He absolutely loves going and greets the staff very enthusiastically on arrival. The staff are all dog lovers and very personable. I know he is taken care of when he is with them. read more

WARNING - If you own a dog from a shelter PLEASE STAY AWAY FROM BEST FRIEND'S DAYCARE. My boyfriend and I got a new 8 month old puppy, Hazel, about 6 weeks ago from a local shelter in the area. After a week or so we noticed she had some separation/crating anxiety so we decided to try daycare. I called up Best Friend's as it is within walking distance of our apartment. They told me they don't accept shelter dogs until their new owners have had them for 30 days, so we were able to learn more about Hazel and her behavior during that time. We started socializing her with our friends dogs and she got along great with dogs of all sizes and ages. So 30 days came and went and last week I called Best Friend's to get Hazel started in class. We brought her in for her first free day on Thursday and were so impressed at the "report card" they gave her, as well as the webcam feature where you can check in on your pup. I was convinced by Friday that this was the best decision we could have made for Hazel. On Monday, things took a turn. I was watching Hazel play with the big-dog group with a dog probably twice her size. Then I saw the worker there separate the two, and proceed to drag Hazel across the entire playroom floor after she refused to follow her on her own (she is a 9 month old puppy who just got separated from her playmate - of course she doesn't want to stop playing!) and put her in a solo room with no other dogs to play with. So we came to pick her up that night and the girl told us explained to us that she had seen "aggressive" behavior. I asked to speak to a manager however nobody was there. They told me she would be there the following morning if I wanted to talk. On Tuesday I brought her back and surprise! The manager was not there to meet me. So I talked to two workers there about trying to see if they could at least put her back in group, that she had been fine the week before so maybe it was just the dynamic of the dogs yesterday that "set her off". I was told they would try. Then the manager called me a few hours later and basically told me she wouldn't be allowed back in group unless we started working with their trainers. When I asked if this would be something they did with her during her daycare to keep her occupied and stimulated they said no - that we would have to pay additional dollars to come in the evening to do this - basically they were just trying to sell this to us and make us pay more money. I guess they earned their 1 star since they did offer me a full refund of the 7 days we did not use, as well as the one day she was there all day alone. Then we received the icing on the cake that one of the workers told us she escaped the outside penned area and was "lassoed" in order to get her back in. Needless to say we were very alarmed that a daycare facility would allow a dog to ESCAPE THEIR PENS! Please seriously research a daycare facility before you go. Make sure to check it out and ask to see the areas, I went here based on convenience and was sorely disappointed. read more

LOVE this place. We've boarded our dogs here a couple of times and they're always treated well. We usually get an upgraded package with a little extra playtime and an ice cream treat. When we pick up the pups, they give us a report card and photos -- nice extra touch. Another plus for us is that the dogs aren't forced to socialize in big groups. Nor did we need to bring the dogs in beforehand for a temperament test (which is what a lot of places near us in the western burbs had requested). One of our dogs could handle large groups, the other, no way. So the private kennel that they share along with personal attention from the staff is a perfect fit. read more

As any dog parent, who ADORES their dog, would be; I am nervous about boarding Cosmo. I would simply rather take him on all my vacations, but that is simply not possible. I did A LOT of research before deciding to leave him at Best Friends. The thing that tipped me in their direction were all the people I talked to at the dog park. Anyone who knew of them loved them. I went down to their facility to get a tour about a week before my planned vacation to tour the East Coast. Sure, the dogs are in big cage like things (MUCH bigger than his crate at home), but what I loved was the play time Cosmo would get every day. They are also a day care facility, so Cosmo got to run around with other puppies his size (they divide big and small dogs up, which I love) for around 7 hours a day. Also, they have rooms if you don't want to have your dog in a crate (keep in mind this is for after hours...they play and have fun when the facility is open. They also put them in their crate if they are too exhausted or have a tiff with another dog. They do what they think is best for your dog). Keep in mind these crates are pretty big. Also, they appreciated that I bagged all Cosmo's food with labels as to which day and what time (breakfast and dinner). I also packed his down blanket, 2 balls, and a baggie of treats. On my last vacation I scheduled the wrong day to pick Cosmo up and it was not a problem. They simply gave him some of their own food for that extra dinner. The staff is SUPER friendly and understands that these little furry critters are our babies. They understood that Cosmo is my precious boy and I would do anything for him. I still hated dropping him off, and I still worried about him during vacation, but that is what dog parents do. He came back bathed (I always schedule a bath on the day I pick him up) and happy-go-lucky. No behavioral issues. No anxiety. He also went into the building just fine the next time. Anyways, I highly recommend this place. Good prices and great service. read more

I've been coming here for over a year now for day camp and my dog LOVES it. She gets so excited as soon as she walks in the door. She can't get away from me fast enough...so that's both good and kind of a slap in the face. The staff always greet her and she seems to like every single one of them. One of the bonuses is that they have webcam so you can watch your dog play (or awkwardly stand in the center of the room as my dog likes to do sometimes). The staff is always friendly whenever we come in. I'd definitely recommend this place! read more

We have brought our dog, Murphy to Best Friends Pet Care for almost a year now. When we start walking in the front doors he immediately starts wagging his tail. All of the employees call him by name when we walk in and we feel so comfortable leaving him for daycare and also boarding him when we go on trips. We know he is in good hands. We are moving soon and we are SO sad to leave Best Friends. I wish there was a location where we are moving in Indiana. Murphy always comes home worn out and when he gets baths he smells so good :) We will truly miss this place and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great daycare facility! Thank you for taking care of our boy!! Cid, Anthony & Murphy read more

This review is only in regards to training classes at this facility. The instructors have been really great for both puppy classes and other advanced classes (i.e. Agility). Definitely some of the best trainers around. And the area for training is nice and large. The only thing I don't like is, I wish they sweeped the floor everyday as it does seem to be full of dog hair. (Unless they do and it just gets that messy by the end of the day already.) read more

Our dog has been going to Best Friends/Windy City for several years. The best compliment we can give is that he wags his tail like mad whenever we bring him to Best Friend's front door in the morning. He is extremely excited to go in and play. He knows the staff well and is visibly delighted to see them. Our dog is not an overly friendly dog to strangers and he takes awhile to warm up to people. Therefore, his exuberance at arrival to Best Friends is quite a compliment to how happy he is there. Best Friends has demonstrated they have high standards on all levels: * Dogs are closely monitored at all times. Our dog is quite protective of his ball when he plays. Best Friends was sensitive to this and recommended solo play sessions for him. The best part is that our dog has never come home with an injury of any kind from Best Friends. * Best Friends is aware that clients are concerned about their pet's health. Best Friends has always alerted us in the event of an out-of-character situation with our dog, such as getting sick, unusual elimination schedules, etc. They try to know our dog and his habits as well as we do. * Best Friends is diligent about their clients' shot records. They have always alerted us immediately when they require updated documentation for our dog. * Everything is exceptionally clean. Our dog has been to other day care locations before attending Best Friends where he would come home smelly. This has never occurred at Best Friends. Our dog is very happy at Best Friends, and so are we. They work very hard to make both dogs and their owners happy and excited to come back. read more

Our staffie mix has spent plenty of weekends here over the past 5 years. We have taken her to a few other places. Windy City takes the cake for friendliness, efficiency, safety and trust. The prices for add-ons can definitely add up. I did ask husband to stop adding on they doggy ice cream. The best part is when the dog passes out for 24 hours straight after we get home. read more

These people are wonderful!!! I take my 8 month old pug mix, Joon, there and she loves it! She comes home exhausted from playing with her friends and I get to watch her play on the cameras online. They are also willing to accommodate my last minute requests for boarding and day care. The staff is kind and always friendly when I drop Joon off. Definitely the best boarding and day care I've ever been to! read more

I love this place! They take care of my pupper so well; Maggie (pupper) is always wagging her tail when she knows it's doggy daycare time. Plus, the live camera feeds are an amazing tool to check in during the day. read more

This place is very disorganized. I don't know if I am just unlucky, or if they always mess up. First, I used to go to the best friends on kilbourne and grand. The staff was very nice there and I had no complaints. I made an appointment at that location and when I went there they were closed...forever. they failed to call and tell me they closed and that everything had been transferred to the one on elston! Well, I just figured everyone makes mistakes sometimes and I went to the one on elston that day for my dog's grooming. Then the other day, I made an appointment for my other dog's grooming on a Wednesday. Tuesday comes along and they give me a call and say that the groomer isn't in on wednesdays. Ok whatever, so I reschedule for Sunday. I go in, and the groomer doesn't show up. 3 strikes, and I'm done. read more

One thousand stars! Oh, not possible? Okay, 100 stars. What a great place. They have a little doggy cam for us to view our little guy online. Trust me, I can't believe I'm saying it. I thought the idea was a little big brothery too. The staff is super gentle with the dogs. Whenever our boy was out for playtime, you could see he was having so much fun. Here's the best part. When we came to pick up our Jack Russell, the girl knew exaclty who were were talking about and told us that she was playing with him just a short while ago. He's a maniac, but she went on about how great he was. I don't even care if she was lying, it was so nice to hear. Then she told us that he just got done with playtime, so he'll be tired for the rest of the day. HAH! It's a Jack Russell, they never get tired you ignoramous! She was right though! The little bugger slept all damn day and night. I thought he was going to be wired for sound, but he just slept like a little angel. Thanks Best Friends! read more

Boarding our dog makes us super anxious because in a past experience (at another boarding facility), our pup came back pooping blood "DUE TO STRESS." Maybe she was sad being away, but if she's being taking care of properly I don't see any reason why that should happen. I'm so happy to report that Best Friends Pet Care was a great experience for our dog. She came back happy as a clam and seamlessly acclimated back to her normal routine. We didn't have to deal with any vet bills afterwards, and BFPC's grooming services are SPOT ON. Normally for grooming I have to give very detailed instructions on what I need done. Here, all I said was please groom her - and they got it right. Didn't cut too much hair off, combed her out, expressed her anal glands, and trimmed her nails - she smelled great also. I definitely feel comfortable bringing her back here for another boarding visit. Didn't go online to see our dog playing, but they have a live video feed. Definite bonus. read more

I took my terrier here for 2 days of boarding (it was a couple of years ago - before I discovered yelp) and they were super. They took me back to the boarding area to see where he would be staying and were just incredibly helpful and kind. Because he was a "problem" dog with aggression issues, he required special handling and they were able to accomodate his needs. Only women handled him, he wasn't put in any sort of dog play group and they were just very good about keeping him and the other dogs safe. The kennels are semi-private (if I remember right) - they face each other across the aisle, but a solid barrier separates each kennel on the side and back. He seemed very comfortable and content when I came to pick him up and they didn't have any problems and thought he was great! read more

The staff at this facility are very accomodating. My dog is "dog aggressive" and it's difficult to find a nice place for her to stay. I have never had any problems taking her here. The people who work here really love dogs. My dog has never acted aggressive during any of her stays here and I have been asked by the staff if she really was dog aggressive. They have also always had room, even at with last minute notice. A few years ago, I took my dog for agility training here and both of us loved it. The only problem I ever experienced was that after one of her stays, my dog came back sick and we had to take her to the vet for antibiotics (I realize this can happen anywhere though). read more

This place is fantastic for doggy daycare. The staff is really helpful and friendly and they knew exactly how to handle our very energetic (and very large) dog. They have webcams in every room so you can check on your pup during play time. They also give you a report card after your visit - it's really great. Our dog can be shy and they did a great job socializing him with a small group of dogs before taking him into the big room. I'm grateful that they take things like that into consideration - I've been to places that just put all dogs together without considering their personalities and my dog ends up overwhelmed and tail down. Overall, this is was a great experience and we will definitely be back. read more

Everyone has a preference and this place is not for me (or my dog.) It's a little sterile which some people like. I don't want my dog to stay at a vet clinic. The daycare is a bit of a joke since it's 10 dogs running around a small area with linoleum flooring....and that's in the back. What you see when you walk in is the agility training area which is awesome but also misleading. Was also surprised at how minimal their boarding services are unless you "add on" options. I calculated what I'd like my dog to experience while I'm away (2 walks and some play time) and it was almost $55/night. Um play time was also only 20 minutes at a time. Anyway there is a new place that opened east of here in Lincoln Park I'm much happier with but again people have different preferences. read more

We had taken our dog to another boarding place in the city and were pleased with them, until we came back from our honeymoon and our dog was 10 lbs lighter and sick. They also put him in the rough and tumble group, which we did not think matched his personality. So we went on the hunt for some place new. That's when we found Best Friends Pet Care. We have nothing but great things to say about this place. The cameras are great if you want to just check-in and see how your pup is doing. They send the personalized picture to you after the first day and everyone remembers Sheffield when we drop him off. I also like how you can pay for a bath on the last day instead of paying the the afternoon charge. I actually want to kiss and hug my dog after boarding. To top it off, the room he is in has dogs of all sizes and he is not automatically placed with the bully breeds because of his size or breed (Boxer/American Bulldog). I like watching the little dogs run right past Sheff and he doesn't have a care in the world. Needless to say, we have never had any concerns when we leave him here and we haven't heard any complaints out of Sheffield. read more

I can't really rate this place because even tho the girl on the phone was very nice , I told them up front that my dog is a pitbull and I was told he wouldn't be able to play in the play groups , because of his breed which amazes me of the ignorance he has all his shots has been socialize since he was 12 weeks old loves people cats kids and other dogs.... I'm sorry that this place still has that pitbull stereotype all dogs can fight all dogs can bite but facts are pitbulls actually do above average on temperament tests. I have gone to other doggy daycares and they do temperament testing with the dog to determine if they can play or not and I will tell you my Bubba has always past.. and always wins everyone's heart.... read more

My Pomeranian and I love Best Friends! She gets pampered and cuddles every time she goes to daycare, and she comes back exhausted after a long day of playing! I love how friendly the staff is -- and they've always answered any questions I have with patience and they know all the dogs by name. The daycare package is a really good deal and the place smells a lot better than most doggie daycares we've been to. Probably the best part of it is that when my dog boards with them, they'll send me pictures of her. Sometimes when she's being particularly cute at daycare, they'll put her on their instagram! We've had over a year of nothing but great experiences with them. read more