This review is for informational purposes only. I dealt with Julia via email and ultimately decided to go elsewhere. Therefore, I cannot comment on the quality of the services.
Though I will share my experience and impressions, my rating is only on the services, prices and communication, leaving room to assume a adequate to satisfactory boarding experience.
I was extremely pleased to see that the prices are so reasonable! They have several sizes of kennels, but they start at $24 per day for one dog in a small. Additional dogs in the same kennel are $12. This is a distinction as many boarding facilities will charge higher for the first dog and don't discount for the additional dogs.
Every 10th day of boarding is free. They will administer medication starting at $2 per day, insulin is $4. They also board cats starting at $14 per day and $8 for additional. There are grooming services as well including teeth brushing and nail clipping.
For dogs, they let them out 4 times a day. This would be the same amount of time if you went with doggy day care, which is $10 per day.
What is important to me is that they do not mix your animals with others when letting them out for play time. This is always a concern of mine as you don't want to risk your dogs safety with an aggressive stranger dog. Plus, one of my dogs has a lot of anxiety.
They provide bedding and treats, but you must provide the food. They do not allow bags, you must bring it in a container. I was unable to get an answer on the type of required container though, so I would recommend you call first.
They have very specific drop off/pick up windows. Monday through Saturday is 8am to 11am. Monday through Friday there is an additional window of 5-7pm and Sundays are only 5-7pm.
Some places don't let you do anything on Sunday, incurring an additional day of fees, so at least there is an opportunity for drop off or pick up. However, these are super specific and their website states there is a $20 late fee if you don't drop off/pick up 15 minutes before the window ends. This doesn't seem too difficult for a weekend, but could be very challenging for a weekday if you are juggling work, appointments and traffic.
I received this information at the beginning of July 2019. We've used the same boarding facility that we love for years, but our latest trip coincided with their vacation. Feeling stressed and pressed for time (many places book fast in the summer), I did some research and sent out some emails making inquires of six different facilities. My plan was to get more information and narrow down the best two or three options and then tour those facilities to make a decision.
Julie responded right away to my first email, though only answered a few of the questions and was vague about the pricing by stating that the prices were for small dogs. We corresponded back and forth several times within an hour where I would answer her questions and repeat the ones that she had overlooked.
I felt she was being a bit cagey about the prices. I understand reserving the right to charge more if there are really big dogs or maybe dogs needing more attention, but I couldn't even get a feel for what might impact the cost. This made me suspect a single visit could be open to a lot of nickel and diming.
Right after she asked about the breeds of the dogs, the communication stopped. I had responded that they were mutts and described them as thoroughly as I could, including sizes and the breeds the vet suspected were involved.
Three days later I sent a follow up email asking if the lack of response indicated she does not take mutts. Her response was that things were very busy at the kennel and she had other things going on. She instructed me to call and leave a message and someone else would call me after 5pm.
How overwhelmed she seemed to be made me uncomfortable about my dogs being cared for, but I recognize that the facility may be great. This was a holiday week, I'm sure she was indeed busy. However, I can't help but think about my dogs if a place tends to overbook and stretch themselves too thin.
There are several possibilities that could account for the odd email chain. Since several other boarding facilities in the same price range responded promptly, answering all my questions and providing additional information, I decided to go with an owner I felt more comfortable and trusting of.
This location could be a good fit for you. If you are in the area and prefer to board close to home and are looking for a reasonable price, this would qualify as one of the locations you would want to tour while making a final decision. Your own gut reaction is the most important when it comes to the care of your pets. read more
