I definitely wish I had read Rob S's review before I took my dogs here for a single Saturday night stay and was charged for two nights!!!! See, the way it works, they let you drop off on Saturday only between 9:00 and 1:00 but Sunday pick up is only between 3:00 and 5:00. Then, since you didn't pick your pets up by 1:00 on Sunday, you are charged for another night's stay (REMEMBER they don't have any pick-up hours before 1:00 on Sunday!!). Oh yes, and they don't mention this fact to you in advance and their "rates" page on their website makes no mention of it either. Then, when you become alarmed, they say they are sorry that you didn't understand what had been explained to you. FRUSTRATING!!!!! read more

I am not only disappointed in the quality of service provided for our two dogs after their four days of boarding with Cottage Kennel; I am downright FURIOUS! Not only did our poor pups come up to me shedding like crazy, stressed out, and thinner, but they both smelled of a disgusting stench. It was as if they were neglected for four days! They had no excuse as to why, except that they were "a little short handed". Their record keeping was even inaccurate, and outdated. How many other animals are not being screened before their stay? When I raised my questions and concerns with the person working there, all I got was an attitude.We do not recommend Cottage Kennel to anyone, and won't be using them ever again. read more

(I know this is a long review but you will regret not reading every last word.) My dog normally hates kennels, but this was the absolute WORST experience I've unfortunately had to put my buddy through. We had heard good things about this place, so we decided to give it a shot when we left on a weeklong vacation. We dropped our yellow lab off with no idea what would happen. We came a week later to pick him up. I could tell he lost weight, and he could barely bark as his voice was hoarse. Our dog's voice came back, but he was extremely depressed for another 2 weeks. I found out that the 20x20 cages, are what the dogs are kept in ALL DAY! The dogs have no interaction with other dogs, or appropriate exercise needs all day. Dogs are social animals who need interaction, just like us, so the idea of fencing them up all day to sit and rot like they are on Range 13 at ADX Florence, is absolutely LUDICROUS! Especially if you have a big dog, don't shrug off this review, think about the welfare of your animal, and how you are already leaving it for a little bit, so they should be at least happy. If you do choose to board, I suggest Waiterock Kennels in Moraga. Keep your dog happy, and DONT CHOOSE COTTAGE! read more

These guys were great! They boarded a rescue dog for us for four months while we searched for a foster home. They both went out of their way to help with him and truly cared. They did so many extra things for him from sewing his coat to spending extra time with him to making sure he had the right kennel and toys. They were never too busy to take a minute to talk to me and were very accomodating when it came to pick up and drop off. I picked him up to exercise three to four days a week from August to January and they were always ready to help. I can't say enough about how wonderful Donna and Theresa are. The back part where the kennels are is really pretty with plants and decorations. There is a pool for exercise and music playing. But the best part is the staff. Check out Cottage Kennel, you wont' be sorry! read more

Donna, the owner is very nice, she is always friendly and good with the dogs. Theresa, her daughter, now that is a different story. She is moody and rude, acts as if you are imposing on her when you want your dog. Cottage Kennel is convenient and seems fairly clean, but customer service is important. The kennel is not so great that I can overlook the attitude. I've used Cottage Kennel before but will probably not go back, unless the customer service is exceptional. Too bad it is very close to my home by I would rather drive a distance to dodge the crappy attitude. read more

Do NOT take your animals to this place!! I left my dog there for 5 days. When I picked him up I was told they had to dry him off because he was playing in his water. Ridiculous..my dog HATES getting wet. He was covered with urine. My white dog was literally yellow. I brought his bed and it was soaked with urine. Obviously he had not been let out of his kennel to pee or exercise. Dogs do not pee on their beds. I was also told he ate like a pig, but the food I brought had not been touched. My poor dog has been depressed for three days now. Also, they never checked his vaccination record and all the dogs' collars were removed. Why?? read more

This was the first time I used Cottage Kennels. I had a bad incident at another kennel. I left my Maltipoo off early to catch a plane. We were coming home on Labor Day. Bonnie said I could pick my dog up that day. I thought that was very nice. The other kennel would have charged me for another day and be closed on Monday. I had noticed that my dog had gotten into something just before we were to drop him off at the kennel. I called to ask about pick up and Donna said she had given him a bath and cleaned his bedding. My dog was happy when I picked him up and smelled wonderful. He seemed happy to see me but not anxious to leave. This is a great place. Some people talk about the dogs barking. That is what dogs do when they hear things. I would definitely recommend this place! read more

Cottage Kennel is the best! Our pets are well cared for here. The staff is amazing and try really hard to make sure the time away from home is safe for our kids. The reviews here claiming dogs were infected with kennel cough during their say are hard to take seriously considering how clean the facilities are. Immunize your dog if you want to prevent them from getting sick. I've been coming here for years for boarding and grooming and have never seen a sick dog at Cottage Kennel. That's pretty amazing considering all of the work they do with rescue dogs. read more

I am not sure who these folks are who find Cottage so deplorable. My dog(s) have always been happy to go there, and not especially anxious to leave. Our dogs are very pampered so it's not as though they don't know the difference. Most dogs bark when there is much of any unfamiliar stimuli...Hello??!!....The owner and staff work very hard and my dogs seem perfectly content and well adjusted coming home. My husband wants to adopt two more rescue dogs when the second of the last two passes away. One would be enough for me but knowing we have a place to take our animals makes the situation much less of an issue. read more

I recently went out of town for a week and and needed to board my two kitties. I was able to take a tour of the cattery part of the operation before I decided to board them at Cottage Kennel. The space alloted for each cat is reasonably sized and each cat gets solo play time in the room. I adopted my cats from the county animal shelter so they are accustomed to restricted space. They were well cared for and I would board them again. The only down side is a restricted operation hours on Sunday (3-5 pm). read more

I won't go back! I took my rescue poodle there and the first grooming was amazing, and she was an absolute mess! The 2nd time, we'll not good at all. Her face wasn't clipped, long hair sticking out all over, her ears weren't clipped. I left them a message about the grooming and they NEVER called back! I won't be going back. Biarders: go look at the facility before leaving your pet! read more

I have a Doberman Rescue and have nothing but praise for this boarding facility. We often have to park a dog somewhere for a few days waiting to finish the transport to the rescue. The owners are always willing to make a special trip to the kennel to meet the transporter bringing in the dog. They can assess the temperaments and health of these dogs which is a definite benefit for a rescue. All dogs arrive here from the kennel, clean, improved weight, and with a complete report on any behavior issues noticed. I highly recommend this kennel to any of our adopters in the Bay Area. read more

no stars.I boarded my dog he and he was traumatized.After one week he was dirty,had sores and excrement on him.He used to love to be brushed,but when I pulled out the brush he ran away from me (did they hit him with a brush?) He was hoarse (did he bark for a solid week?) They advertised play time-but when i asked the owner she seemed surprised and said maybe they would throw a ball in his cage.I had my friends try to check on him daily-only one was allowed to actually see him.My poor dog kept his tail between his legs for a week after he was released from that awful prison. read more