We had a last minute invitation to go kayaking on Bowen Island with our friends. So we asked the B.I. Kayak company if they could recommend a place to take our dog on the island and they said hands down "The Dog Ranch". I called and the ranch was closed on Friday night but Cam returned my call and happily said he would take our dog the next day. From that moment forward I was greeted with friendly, professional service. When we arrived our 10 month old puppy happily followed Cam behind the gate which showed us she felt safe there and trusted Cam. The facility looked amazing from what we could see and we felt very confident that this was a dog haven! At the end of the day we were rushed to get back to the ranch and noticed there was a Dog Ranch van that said shuttle services on it and I thought perhaps I could request a shuttle to the ferry for our puppy and Cam was amazing again and said "No problem I'm on my way there already" Our puppy was so relaxed and content when he dropped her off. This was her first "kennel" experience and if we lived closer I wouldn't hesitate to bring her back. Great Work, Great Place , Great people!!! Thank you so much Dog Ranch :) read more

Bowen Island Dog Ranch - A happy puppy after a day at "The Bowen Island Dog Ranch" - Pet Sitting Near Me - Bowen Island, British Columbia

Our Terrier loves it here. Every time he comes back he looks happy and exhausted. A side effect of a life lived in the wilderness of the ranch. He even cried once as when the shuttle driver said good-bye. That's a good sign, so Bowen Island is naturally our go-to dog sitting solution for whenever we head out of town. The shuttle service is super convenient (now Monday to Friday), especially when you factor in the cost of taking the ferry to Bowen Island to drop your pup off. We picked out dog up once and it ended up costing more than the shuttle. Here's the kicker... it's comparably priced to boarding your dog in the city. Only here they get to run around in the country all day. Check out their Facebook page too. They'll often post picts of your dog their their time at the ranch, which is nice if you want to see what kind of trouble they're getting into while you're on vacation. https://www.facebook.com/BowenIslandDogRanch?sk=info read more

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Our two guys have been going to both the Daycamp and the boarding frequently over the past 5 years, and they both absolutely love it. The owners and staff patently love being with the dogs and give them masses of attention. The facilities are excellent; clean, warm, sleeping conditions and of course the amazing property where they can run. Best recommendation that I can give is that although both our dogs are completely 'home loving' dogs who like nothing better than lying on our bed, they get so stoked about arriving at the Ranch ... happily trotting in without so much as a look back. read more

Amazing place for dogs to escape for a holiday! Lots of trails and nature for them to run wild. The Ranch is amazing and the staff are wonderful! My dog loves the big red bus that they use for pickups in Vancouver and take them over to Bowen Island! Im excited for him to go on his next stay! :) read more

Avoid this place, there are other and better places. They basically lie on their web page, they don't take out the dogs 3 times a day, they hire unprofessional inexperienced workers, they lie about things. When a company has no integrity and willing to lie to get business, it's time to look somewhere else. The dogs are also not monitored 24x7 like they claim. We used to be a past customer but no more, there are also sanitary concerns and the dogs are not always cleaned up and left with dog organic matter. Use them at your own risk, but I recommend to find another place. read more

Our wonderful golden retriever has been going to the Bowen Island Dog Ranch since he was a puppy. He is now a senior and requires a bit more attention...and lots of love. This the only place I would ever board my dog! We just picked up our boy after a 4 week stay at the Ranch and he came home in better shape than when we left him. He had a few medical issues while we were away and the staff made sure he was taken care of, comfortable and took him to the vet when needed. They sent regular updates and followed up when we were home. This is the only place that we were ever able to leave Brynn, our very timid, shy, german shepherd. She was a beautiful adopted dog who came with all sorts of issues and was extremely fearful of all people - (never aggressive) . A family emergency left us in a panic about finding a place where Brynn would be safe. We were worried about leaving her at the Ranch because we had no idea how they would ever get her to come to them if she was off leash. By the time we returned she was bonded with the staff and owner. After a few stays at the Dog Ranch all we had to do was put the dog food in the van and say "Ranch" and her tail would begin to wag. I have no hesitation about recommending the Bowen Island Dog Ranch! The facility is fantastic and the staff are kind, caring and wonderful. read more

We've been sending our beloved goldendoodle Leo to the dog ranch for years and I keep telling myself that I'm going to write a review so today's the day. Leo usually get a bit anxious when he sees us packing. By the time we get to the ranch his tail is wagging and he's off like a shot without looking back. The ranch is essentially acres of fenced in forest for Leo and his buds to run around in. At all times he's supervised so I know he's being looked after but not in that "stick them in a kennel and fenced in gravel pit all day" kind of way. The staff are amazing - attentive, friendly and professional and the owners Karen and Scott are so great. You can tell that everybody who works there is truly passionate about dogs and really takes care to get to know each one. I honestly don't know who has a better time when we go on vacation - us or Leo at the ranch. By the time we pick him up he's exhausted in a good way, healthy and always happy with a wagging tail to boot. I love the ranch and have recommended it over and over to my other furry friends and so far nobody has been disappointed. If I could give it more than 5 stars I would! read more

I know... I look like I'm pretty loose with the reviews, giving 5 stars everywhere! However, It's just because I'm new to yelp and catching up by reviewing those places that come to mind- most of which are places I associate with wonderful experiences. That being said, the Bowen Island Dog Ranch is the ONLY place to board your dog if you live in the lower mainland. It's an off leash boarding facility, so when you get there, your furry friend is released into a wilderness wonderland, to roam and play as they wish... It's safe of course, as the property is secured by fences, and a number of gates that keep the dogs in certain play areas until they are ready to move on to the next. The dogs usually get about 6 hours of outdoor activity per day, rain or shine. The dogs sleep in an warm, indoor location, each in their own little stall, kind of like a horse stall. It's not a barn though... It smells nice, and the dogs are provided with comfortable beds and toys, unless you want to provide your own... They have a shuttle service that picks up dogs in North Van, West Van, and the West End, so its very convenient. It's a bit more expensive than your average boarding facility, but, it's a small price to pay for the exceptional treatment your beloved family member receives. read more

Steve and his team do incredible things for people who need assistance with their dogs. Thank you, Steve. From Tucker. read more

My dog Jack just spent 12 days there -- great place to send your dog, off leash and outdoors for the whole time. Staff are excellent, professional to the core, and very friendly. They just "get" dogs. It's a peace of mind to have a place like this for going on vacation guilt free. Love also the extra training service -- my Aussie did the agility training and they give you detailed log after with videos. Thanks to everyone at the ranch! read more

Well.... We just got back from our holiday in Oregon. Went to take Maximum Max the Golden Retriever to my favorite dog place THE BOWEN ISLAND DOG RANCH. Discovered that his Bordetella (Kennel Cough) shot got missed when we did all the others and could not send him. Day 2 of our trip, our buddy was not enjoying the Marriott Suites as much as we thought. Really hot so we could not take him everywhere. Then, disaster strikes. He eats a shell, gets infected and just about dies! Emergency surgery and a big $$$$ vet bill later my new mantra is: That's why we take Max to the Bowen Island Dog Ranch. He comes home happy, groomed, totally played out. Sleeps for a couple days with a big contented look on his mug. And its several thousand dollars cheaper than the alternative. Great people are dog people and at the Ranch, you will find lots of those. Scott- Bowen/West Vancouver Resident read more

Short summary: Our dog was attacked without provocation by another dog at Bowen Island Dog Ranch. The Dog Ranch staff had been warned by the dog's owner that it didn't get along with many other dogs, but they decided to board the dog anyway. The result is that our dog received two severe bites and required two operations and $3600 in vet bills. Bowen Island Dog Ranch denies any responsibility and did not offer to cover any of the vet expenses, in spite of the fact that they chose to board a dog that they had been warned about. Only after we threatened to sue were we offered any compensation. This is not a safe place to board your dog, and if something happens to your dog don't expect them to accept any responsibility. Long version: I should have been tipped off that there was something fishy about this place by the waiver they ask you to sign. Its very first provision says that if anything happens to your dog they're not responsible, even if it was caused by negligence on their part. Never mind if this is legally binding (and I've had a lawyer tell me it's not). They're essentially asking you to forgive in advance their own negligence. I didn't think anything of it at the time, but it should have been a big red flag about how this business conducts itself. Bowen Island Dog Ranch is a very big property, with many more dogs than staff present. So obviously they can't watch them all. It's not like a dog park, where each dog is accompanied by its owner, and where if you're like me you watch your dog constantly to make sure it's not getting in trouble. This makes it extremely important that the dog ranch checks the backgrounds of the animals they board. Unfortunately that process failed miserably in this case. The dog that attacked ours seems to have a history of aggression towards other dogs, and Bowen Island Dog Ranch admits that the dog's owner in fact gave them a long list of breeds that her dog didn't get along with. That should have been enough right there to make them decline to board that dog, in my opinion. Instead, showing incredibly bad judgement on their part, Bowen Island Dog Ranch chose to board the dog anyway. Had they even taken 5 minutes to call the animal control office in the dog's home municipality, as we did, they would have been told that "this dog is known to us". (Kind of like those news reports that state "the suspect is known to the police"!) You'd think that having been warned by even the dog's owner that the dog was prone to problems they'd have at least bothered to make such a phone call. Apparently not. I understand that Bowen Island can't guarantee that some dog won't take a bite out of yours, but the fact that they boarded an aggressive dog even after having been warned about its disposition puts them at fault in my opinion. Our dog certainly suffered the consequences: two deep wounds on her back quarter, each a few inches long, that the attending vet described as "severe". One came very close to penetrating the abdominal cavity. Bowen Island Dog Ranch didn't tell us how severe the injuries were, and we didn't really understand how bad it was until the vet took and sent us extremely graphic pictures of the wounds. I'd post them here, but you'd lose your lunch just from looking at them. You'd think that after what happened to our dog that Bowen Island Dog Ranch would be falling over themselves to apologize, take responsibility for what happened (particularly since it was their decision to board a dog they had been actually warned about!), and offer to pay the vet bill. Well, they did no such thing. They continue to deny any liability, and they had their lawyer send us a letter stating that even if they were negligent the waiver we signed means that they owe us nothing. Even if they believe that, it's pretty foolish business sense---the amount of business they are going to lose from us, from everyone we know, and from my vet's office (who used to recommend this establishment to their patients) is a lot more than the vet bill they should have volunteered to pay. It was only when we made clear that we intended to sue them for damages that they apparently decided that the waiver might not hold up in court, and offered us a settlement that still left us with a big out-of-pocket bill. Even in the terms of the settlement they still deny any wrongdoing. I'm really disillusioned about the whole establishment. Our dog has suffered terribly due to a series of mistakes on their part. Had Bowen Island Dog Ranch done the honourable thing of admitting their mistakes, accepting responsibility, and offering to cover the bills I would have given them another chance. Instead I've concluded that we cannot trust them and that this is not a safe place for our dog. I can only hope this account saves some other dog owner the heartbreak we've endured. read more

I was going to board my dog here, until I took a tour - it looks like a dog's paradise at first - its an amazing property with acres and acres of forest trails. Then I was taken in to "The Barn" which is absolutely filthy and inhospitable even for dogs. The dogs were stockpiled like farm animals into their filthy runs, some even with poop in them, with no outdoor access, and most of the dogs I saw were stressed out and had gross eye infections. I asked what the maximum capacity was, which by the looks of the boarding area should be about 20 or 30 max and the girl ADMITTED that they did not have a limit. Its pretty obvious that they will accept an infinite number of dogs and just warehouse them to make the extra money. On top of that, there are not NEARLY enough staff to monitor the off leash outdoor time so fights/injuries/unnoticed illness, etc is inevitable. There are no cameras and all the staff go home at 5 or 6pm so who is there to make sure these dogs who don't know each other aren't going to kill each other in their over crowded runs!? AND worst of all there are ski poles hanging all over the property and I am pretty sure I saw a man hit a german shepherd over his back with one!! Granted I think it was his own dog but who's to say that doesn't happen to customer's dogs behind closed doors? Ugh. Unbelievable. I would NEVER board my dog here. They should be ashamed. read more

This place claims to be a dog paradise, and while the settling is beautiful, the car they receive is not up to par. I have sent my dog there since he was a puppy for day camp, and he seemed to really enjoy going there and loved the socialization. Then a domestic dispute happened with the owners, which I wasn't interested in getting details as it didn't involve me, and a few staff members left, and the service went down hill. My dog became re-actively aggressive, and I worked long and hard with him as a responsible owner, warned the employees there and constantly was reassured that he did fine there and wasn't an issue. When my dog did go after another dog( but didn't hurt him) I was told by the owner that this had happened lots and that they had to segregate him. I was astounded that this had happened as I was always inquiring about his day there and if any issues had occurred. I was always open and up front with them. They always have way to many dogs, not enough staff and don't understand dog behaviors well enough to have packs that large. i have been told in the busy periods that they sometimes have up to and over 70 dogs. Don't send your dog to this place if you love them! I am so upset with myself for continuing with them as long as I did!!! Learn by my mistake! read more