Canine Academy has been a dog training staple on the central coast for 30 years that I can…read moreremember. I worked with Eileen with my two German Shepherd dogs way back in the early 90's. We fast forward to 2023 and I reach out to her for help with my beloved German Shepherd Puppy. Eileen instantly found a place for us and when I traveled out to her buisiness in Atascadero I was blown away by the fenced in yards that center on different canine tasks. Not only are there obstacle courses, tracking equipment, dog obedience practice areas, but they also have a pool for the dogs! I started my 11 month old GSD in a beginner puppy class because I wanted to make sure I was teaching him the same language used at Canine Academy. I was somewhat worried that he wouldn't fit in, but I was welcomed and shown the time attention right along as if we were learning for the first time. What I love about the two trainers is their easy going nature and ability to see that there are several different ways to train a dog. They give each dog owner the confidence in knowing that we work at our pace and at a pace we're comfortable. There are no strong opinions on how you choose to train your dog, they let you decide what equipment your dog should wear. If you're completely new to dog training, they have this wonderful email system where they send out homework for the week's lessons. You get detailed instructions on what you can practice at home with your dog. Having a group of strange dogs is stressful for any animal, the easy going atmosphere puts everyone's nerves at ease. The instructors give detailed information and let the owners break away with their dog to reinforce the behaviors being taught. The instructors come and check on you and your dog to help answer questions or help you reach your full potential. I often think dog training is for the humans more than the canines. It's great seeing like minded people trying to improve in the dog's basic obedience. I would totally recommend Canine Academy to anyone looking to train a new addition or brushing up on techniques while spending quality time with your dog. The beginning class is 6 weeks and costs $175 which is great price. My only snark and it's minor, are the flies! I know we're out in the country and it's nature, but a couple fly traps would be awesome! Overall Impression A+

The staff, here, are very knowledgeable, kind and respectful. We have learned so much in the last 5…read moreweeks! Completing the basic obedience class, tonight, and are already signed up for the intermediate!

Doc Aarons is honest, transparent, and not afraid to tell you the facts. He is a down-home vet that…read morewon't drag you along. There are times you won't want to hear what he has to say, but that is because he will not drag you down an unrealistic rabbit hole that drains your piggy bank. He is humble and has no problem referring you somewhere else if what your pet needs is beyond his expertise. We use him for most minor surgeries, spay, neuter, exams, vaccinations, etc. For our OFA X-Rays, we use Dr Minor in Templeton as he has the most up to date machines. For weekend or after hours emergency service, we go to Atascadero Pet Hospital. Otherwise, during normal business hours, Dr Aarons can handle most situations.

Our Pug Missy had a bad ear infection. When I called two different offices to schedule an…read moreappointment, both stated they were booked for three weeks. I could do a drop off which meant leaving her for hours at double the regular office visit fee of $60! While I've used both clinics and they were good ones, it was unacceptable to wait that long not to mention the cost$ Finally, I searched for the Veterinarian who spayed a barn cat I adopted through a rescue organization last year, Dr. Aarons at Oak Country Veterinary Services in Paso Robles. I was relieved to get an appointment the next afternoon. Missy and I were welcomed by Receptionist, Becca and Dr. Aaron's rescue dog, Ollie. Missy's ear infection was treated right away and she had a spa type "Peticure," surprisingly at no extra charge. I've been charged $35 for a nail trim at another office. BIGGEST SURPRISE - The Bill! Missy and I are new Fans of Dr. Aarons. His rates for dental care for my 10 year old MinPin is going to be very reasonable compared to the quote from the two other Veterinarian offices. Hang onto your cash and make an appointment. By the way.......Dr. Aarons is also an author and I'm enjoying his Podcasts immensely.

We were visiting the area for a few weeks and we brought our dog. About a month before coming, our…read moredog had been in an emergency clinic for a calcified stone that was stuck in her ureter and it had been removed. Our dog had finished her medications and seemed ok before we left, but once we arrived at our rental she started having issues again. She seemed to be in discomfort and was unable to urinate. We contacted the emergency vet we had taken her to originally and they said they would get back to us but by morning, no vet had called so we called again and then started looking for a vet in the area we were staying for an urgent appointment. We called the three closest vets in this area and this clinic was the only one who had any availability. They said they could see us the following day so we scheduled the appointment. Afterwards, the original vet got back to us and ordered some prescriptions for our dog which we were able to pick up locally and get started. Unfortunately, late that afternoon, our dog started bleeding from her urethra. We then contacted the closest emergency vet and they said they were currently overwhelmed and due to their distance, actually suggested we wait for our morning appointment. It was agonizing! We left early for the appointment at this clinic but still barely made it on time as it was not easy to find. It is in a residential neighborhood and it was not in the exact location our navigation system was giving us but we did eventually locate it. The facility was nice and clean and staff was very friendly. We were brought back into a room after only a few minutes of waiting and there seemed to be only one or two other patients there. We explained the situation to what I believe was a vet tech and about 5 minutes later the vet came in and we explained it to her again. She immediately stated our dog needed emergency surgery and that they could schedule it fortwo days later. We knew it was urgent and we would have to take care of it immediately. I just had a bit of a concern because no one ever looked at our dog or examined her in any way. I just did not feel particularly comfortable with the situation so I asked for an estimate to do the surgery and they provided us with an estimate of $3,428.77. Our dog is 12 and has had battled cancer and had multiple surgeries, dental work, etc, so I am familiar with estimates and it was odd to me that both the low and high total showed that same figure. That's not usually how it works. Based on the fact that no one actually looked at our dog, that estimate seemed high (even for an emergency) and the fact that they pushed for a surgery and had immediate availability, it all just felt a little odd and we went with our gut. We decided that even though we had paid thousands for a beautiful rental with a pool for the next few weeks that we should head home immediately to have our own vet do the surgery. We drove all night and brought her to our vet the following morning. They made space for us in their full day of appointments and examined our dog thoroughly. They then did an ultrasound with us present. They showed us the issue and said they would try and squeeze her into the surgery schedule the following morning. They completed the surgery for $1278.32. To be fair, they gave us a discount of $294 so in all honesty someone else having it done there would have spent closer to $1572 but that is still less than half the price and more importantly we felt seen and comfortable with the way they handled things. It's possible that this facility just has a lot of availability and they felt they didn't need to examine the dog. Its also possible that they rushed the estimate and just put the same total for the high and low amounts. As I said, the staff was nice enough but I am glad we chose lose out on the rental and have it done where we felt more comfortable. If you include the money we lost by leaving, it actually cost us more to go home and get it done but you have to trust your intuition and I am so glad we did.

Located in Paso Robles, this is by far the best vet I have ever taken my fur babies to!…read more I take my dogs and cats here for all of their annual check ups and everyone is so nice and welcoming! I also am never waiting for long extended periods of time with is always a win! Dr. Harp is so friendly and makes you feel comfortable asking any and all questions. Most recently, my pup had an ear infection in both ears and Dr. Harp and the vet techs took such good care of him! Highly, highly recommend this vet to anyone and everyone!

Just moved to CA from KS with our 2 Labrador retrievers a few months ago. Very impressed with this…read morevet office! Dr. Wilkins is very thorough and explains things very well. I have walked out of his office with more knowledge each time. You can tell he really enjoys animals, and also makes great conversation with us humans too. The clinic staff is also top tier! Very nice altogether. Highly recommend.

My visit here was not at all what was experienced by others and needs to be shared. The pros of…read morethis place were that they were able to see my dog in such a short amount of time and had a free new patient visit, which is nothing compared to the cons. I came in and right off the bat- there were cats just hanging out and the receptionist didn't seem to mind them being overly curious of any other pet in there and claimed they were just "overly curious house cats" and made no effort to keep them away from patients and there was no friendliness towards my pet. That right there. NOT okay. Especially when the vet is stressful enough for pets- they had their own cats wandering around! The visit with Dr Wilkins was incredibly horrendous, as he came in I thanked him for being able to see us and he immediately started making rude comments to me while at the same time him and his son unprofessionally handled my dog (The family vibes outweighed professional ones as well with a lot of sighing to each other and seemed to not know what the other was doing). I wasn't sure what was going on with my dog and he acted like whatever I said was immediately wrong when I was there to get his advice and help and using my own background knowledge; he was very argumentative for no reason. I was shocked by how he treated me, and how he would not listen to me at all or be understanding. He ended up prescribing my dog a very general antibiotic for a 50% markup of the original price (~$40) and refused to work with chewy or anywhere else for cheaper options (elsewhere, $20) and also made a quote for a whole surgery because he claimed she needed it. He administered a fluorescein test horribly, getting it all over me in the process and made no efforts to clean up me or my dog. And when we both could clearly see that the fluorescein made it into both nostrils, he claimed it could only be seen in one and never waited the 5-15min it should take for a true test. He read the test wrong to me and told me because we could see it in one, that one was clogged. In reality, we could see it in both so there was no need for flushing out her tear ducts. He then retracted the prescription of the antibiotic when I was hesitant to immediately agree for surgery and wouldn't give a valid explanation why besides that he didn't like that I was hesitating to go forward with a $320 surgery to clear tear ducts when the whole visit was going so horribly and I was feeling unsafe. He backpedaled very unprofessionally, imposing that this issue was the same as humans when their tear ducts are clogged and claimed that any bacteria doesn't build up so she now didn't need antibiotics he originally prescribed. He told me "you just don't get it" multiple times instead of conversing in a professional manner that would've addressed the concerns I had. This scam-filled experience was awful and I hope everyone takes heed to such an experience at this facility. I went right back to the vet I have been going to for 13+ years and they took one test and calmly took a look at her, prescribed an antibiotic tear drops to be put in her eyes, and within one day the infection has gone down tremendously and her eyes are better ($20 eye drops mind you, through their office). Please do not go here due to their unprofessional nature and trying to scam you for something that you know is not needed (or if it is, they put their needs before the needs of their clients and their pets and markup the medication and/or pull it altogether if you aren't willing to blindly agree with them).

This is THE best place ever to find the dog of your dreams. Its not only a no-kill shelter - its a…read morerescue/rehab/placement center that works incredibly hard to ensure that the dog you adopt is happy, healthy and well-adjusted before you take it home. The wonderful people here know the dogs quite well - so you are getting a pet that is loved, taken care of and you can bet it is well behaved (and knows how to walk on a leash properly). And to ensure that you, as an owner, don't mess up the fine dog you have adopted (or if you have and need to get back on track) they offer workshops and seminars on dog behavior. Nothing like seeing that dog you thought couldn't walk on a leash properly suddenly walking like a pro - and they will show you how to make this happen on a daily basis. I am so thrilled that I found my dog here - Second Chance not only helped me find my perfect companion (who needs match.com)?? They also showed me how to have an incredible relationship with my dog. Need I say more?? Check them out - even if you don't see the dog you think you want, drop them a line - and do meet the dogs they have - you'll be so happy you did!

Today I took my 6 month old Yorkie, Lucy, to Denise for her very first grooming appointment. From…read morethe moment I booked the appointment I knew I could trust Denise with my baby. Knowing it was Lucy's first time, Denise took her time with her and her patience shows in Lucy's haircut!!! The puppy cut Denise did is adorable and exactly what I had in mind. Being a first-time dog mother, Denise gave me lots of tips and info on keeping Lucy looking good (let's just say Lucy was a bit ragged looking when I brought her in). I will definitely be taking Lucy back to A Cut Above on a regular basis to keep her looking spiffy. P.S. - there was no urine smell.

Zero stars. We took our cat Phoebe in for a nail clip, hair trim and a bath. They mutilated and…read moretraumatized her by SHAVING her! And they couldn't finish because she was so upset. NO WONDER SHE WAS UPSET!! What groomer doesn't know better than to SHAVE a cat?? So now she's half bald. Run far, far away from this "groomer."

Anna is amazing with our dog Abby. She has been with our dog since she was a puppy. She showed us…read morethe tools to help train Abby, but it only works if you put in the time yourself. Anna's expertise has made our dog into a great walker. When we are away on vacation, we know we can always trust that Abby is getting the best care and not stressed out in a kennel because we have Anna to watch over her. Our dog's happiness is worth every penny!

Our mini Australian shepherd loves staying at Critter Happiness! We can tell she had fun each time…read morewe pick her up! The facilities are clean & the dogs get regular exercise--walks and play time. We get regular photos of our fur baby too!

Needed a place to board my goldendoodle and really did not want to go back to the place I've…read moreboarded him in the past , where when I picked him up he looked like he came out of the twilight zone and then was infested with fleas ... I needed to board my dog again and couldn't bring him back to that one place. I Contacted Krissy and she said I could bring him in . When I arrived , I saw that there was a cute doggy play area with a kiddy pool and it was very clean. She sent me pictures every day that I was away. When I picked him up he was sooo happy and sooo tired from getting attention and playing ! Will definitely keep using them as they are easy to get ahold of and the whole process from pick up to drop off was stress free ! Thank you Krissy !