No one is better at anthropomorphizing their pet than I am. No one. I religiously check the ingredients of the food that Gus eats, I wake up at absurd hours in the morning during the summer so his walk isn't too hot, and he has this crazy dog seat/throne in the back seat of my car so he can look out the window. You've all heard of helicopter parenting, yeah? It's a mess and screwing up today's children, but I'm totally guilty of helicopter doggie parenting. All of which is to say that I'm not going to drop Gus off at some random place while I go to work. Step 1 (which I think the other reviewer skipped/missed): call them and make an appointment. Taking a strange dog into a place full of dogs is a little dicey. Typically, new dogs are brought over on Saturday (when there are no other dogs around) so Barbara can get a sense of its temperament. Barbara is great with dogs and has a ton of experience, but I totally had the, "well, if my kid isn't good enough for them, screw them!" thoughts running through my head. Obviously, Barbara instantly saw the inherent awesomeness of Gus. Step 2: learn to let go. I don't have kids, but I imagine this is pretty much the same as dropping them off at daycare. The first few times, they scream and cry when you leave and you're left feeling like a terrible person for the rest of the day. Then one day, magically, they're excited to go to daycare (or Bow WoW) and they don't even look back while they're led away to the playroom. It's a bittersweet moment, but one can't help but feel a little proud. See what I mean about the anthropomorphizing thing? Bow Wow separates the dogs by size and organizes the day into blocks of play, rest, and exercise so the dogs don't get overstimulated, which can cause stress. The staff is excellent about communicating with owners about even minor changes in your dog's behavior and simply giving you updates about how your dog's socialization and adjustment. I think I spent the first 2-3 weeks asking, "Is he playing? Is he making friends?" on a daily basis. The entire staff was very good about humoring me. Gus loves it there (his radar triggers around 21st street and he starts to flip out in the car) and I feel safe about leaving him there. And honestly, when it comes to a doggie day care, that's all that matters. read more

The best daycare around! I worked here for 5 years and have worked at 3 other dog daycares! This place smells the best, is cleaned the best, gives the best attention to your pups, never leaves them unattended, carefully supervises playgroups, WALKS ALL THE DOGS at no additional price and gives the BEST advice. Small and very well trained staff! This place is so unlike other daycares and so much so that you would think it were more expensive than other daycares but it's not! I can't say enough about this place! read more

Our dog loves Bow Wow Doggie Daycare (and so do we). Our dog was a shy puppy and he really blossomed at Bow Wow. Compared to other places we looked at, I'd say we love this place for a few reasons. First, it does not smell like other daycares. Other places smell. Second, the staff are wonderful and go the extra mile. They have given the puppy a bath if he gets dirty. The staff give extensive updates on the dogs day which is sweet. Third, there is no nickel and diming. He gets a lunch and the pay structure is fairly straight forward. They don't add charges for little things. Fourth, it opens very early (6:30) so we can get to work on time. Our puppy can't wait to run inside every morning. read more

I'm going to keep this short and sweet. Err not too sweet. I live in Bloomfield near the Childrens Hospital. Took my moo moo pie on a walk down (about 25 minutes in the RAIN) to Bow Wow or whatever just to see what they were about and to kind of get a feel for what type of doggie day care this was and some general information. Not only when I came in dripping wet from the rain there wasn't anyone up front to greet me. She brushed me and my dog off when I asked her about more information. She had an attitude with me didn't really care to go in depth with me about anything. It was kind of "We do this we do that" I ultimately ended up walking out on her mid-sentence. Complete waste of time. I don't usually write negative reviews but geeze if you treat animals better than you treat people fine but I at least deserve some respect. Her overall attitude was "I don't even know you I don't even care to know you unless you want to pay for our services." If that's the attitude you want to have I'll pass. read more

Like many other fur parents, I spent a lot of time researching all the doggie daycares available. Bow Wow (BW) was unlike any other. We had a one-on-one interview with Liz and she took the time to get to know us and our dog, Sadie. She spent time answering all of our questions (we are first time fur parents) and most importantly "interviewing" Sadie to make sure she would fit in with the other dogs. Unlike other places we visited, BW was much more structured and organized. I've found other daycares less personal, overcrowded and always incredibly noisy. At BW, Sadie has been able to make friends who are consistently there. All members of the staff have been happy to give us tips and insights into our pup. After her first day at Bow Wow, Sadie was hooked. After two weeks, she had memorized the days she would be going to BW and still bothers me on those specific mornings to hurry up and get ready faster. It has been an entire year and I can honestly say we wouldn't trust anyone else with our little girl!! read more

I just love Bow Wow Doggie Daycare. Teri Witherspoon and her employees really care about their clients, which is why they have been in business since 2002. BW provides a safe, fun place for dogs to socialize. My dog Duke gets so excited when we tell him he is going because he knows he is going to have a fun day and I know he will be treated well when I am at work. Liz, the manager, also gave us tips to help us when we first adopted our lab from the Animal Rescue League which have really helped us. If you are looking for doggie daycare, this is a great choice. It is located in the strip which is also convenient for me. read more

Best doggie daycare in the city. We've been taking our dog here for over a year and we couldn't be happier. The staff is so knowledgeable and really cares about each and every dog. It's a good feeling to know that our dog is being watched by trained dog handlers, not teenagers who are too busy texting. If we ever have a question, the staff at Bow Wow are the first ones we ask as they are so knowledgeable about training, dog health, dog tips, etc. They go the extra mile to make sure they reinforce the training that we have spend a lot of time developing with our dog. I definitely recommend Bow Wow! read more

Absolutely Love this place! My dog Mendy (a Velcro dog - Havanese) gets so excited when we pull up to the front door. First he can't wait to get out of the car. He starts barking as soon as we go inside the door sometimes screeching. It's like he is saying , Me Me I'm here and I want to Play Play Play! It's almost embarrassing and the staff knows who has arrived! He has so much fun there and is quite tired when I pick him up! Anywhere else, he doesn't want to leave my side, but there it's like--Bye Mom! I gotta go, my friends are waiting! The staff is quite attentive to the kids and does not spend the day reading their emails. They pay attention to what's going on to be certain no "play" gets too rough. They have quiet time and rest periods, brief walks, food and water as well as bathroom breaks. And for those who can't wait oh well, accidents happen. I can't recommend them enough and as a matter of fact, almost feel guilty when we don't go during the week. This is definitely the way to go for your fur baby! read more

My rat terrier Teddy has been attending Bow Wow Doggie Daycare since he was 4 months old back in 2004. He loves "going to school" and I wouldn't be comfortable trusting him anywhere else. He is in the "small dog" group and has his harem of chihuahua "girls". In recent years the staff has been very cognizant of Teddy's medical conditions including diabetes and will alert me if they note anything out of the ordinary in his behavior. I've never had a problem with his treatment, any of the staff or Teddy bringing home any germs or bugs such as kennel cough, fleas or ticks. Teddy is now 13 and his once-weekly social at Bow Wow is keeping him "young at heart". There isn't a better doggie day care in the city. read more

Our favorite daycare in the Pittsburgh area! Very caring, attentive staff. Our Ridgeback, Leon, absolutely loved Teri & co., as do our Ridgebacks, Captain & Theo. :) read more

The ladies at this day care are the greatest. They take care of our puppy Dexter and help us to be better puppy parents too (training tips, updates on his behavior during the day and interactions with other dogs). I know that going to Bow Wow has been great for our dog and I couldn't imagine taking our little guy anywhere else. read more

This place takes great care of your dog. I felt that my dog was in great hands when I left her there. But, the lady who runs the place did make me feel disrespected. For a "daycare" they are not accommodating to your schedule. I took my dog there once a week and I was told to have her there by 10am. I work 2 minutes from this location and my starting time for work was 11am... I had to sit in my car for 1 hour because I had to drop my dog off at daycare by 10am. I would run 5 minutes late from time to time due to traffic and personal reasons. The last time I was 5 minutes late they locked the doors and when I called them they made me wait outside for a couple minutes and when she came out she told me my tardiness was ridiculous.... And it was a safety violation to leave the dog rooms after 10am. She talked to me like I was a child and then I finally got mad and told her if I am such a problem I will take my dog somewhere else. She said nothing and I walked away. When I went back to pick up my dog I did not receive a thank you for my services... I found that to be very unprofessional. If it is such a safety violation to leave the dog area maybe they should hire someone to work at the front desk. And maybe you should consider that people have different start times at their jobs and personal stuff going on in their lives. I paid you to watch my dog... it is suppose to be convenient for me... not you!!!! read more