I've used Hickory Hills several times over the past two years. They've always been very friendly, responsive and flexible. Their cost is reasonable, as well. I love the staff, too, and so does my dog. :) read more

Have taken Duke to doggy daycare for a few months now, couple days a week. I believe this has contributed to a noticeable improvement in his mental and physical well being. As he's a shepherd mix having hours to run is in his DNA, satisfies the craving. He's a happier, more contented dog 24/7. The caregivers ( calling them attendants diminishes their work) are excellent. They are obviously kind, it shows with Duke's affection for them. When I look at the pictures it is clear the dogs are having FUN! read more

Fiona is always happy when we pull into the driveway. The staff r friendly & helpful & love miss fiona.

I cannot give enough praise to the owners and staff at Hickory Hills. To say they treat your dogs as family is an understatement. When I was out of the country, my lab had a medical emergency that was quickly and contentiously identified by the kennel and he was taken to get the appropriate care he needed. They truly saved my dog's life with their dedication and attention. The owner stayed with him until he was out of surgery and has followed up since coming home. The kennel itself is a perfect location with lots of space for the dogs to play and a nicely maintained facility. I cannot recommend them highly enough to express my gratitude and appreciation for the owners and staff at Hickory Hills! read more

These folks are the best! Our dog LOVES going there and always comes back happy and worn out from fun. Their prices and service are great and friendly and they even do baths. I cant say enough good things about this place! read more

I haven't found a more consistent kennels. My dogs are always excited when they see that's where we are going.

ZERO STARS. New ownership is terrible- our dog came back to us terrified. Was filthy and smelled of urine. Our dog is normally very energetic and happy. Last time he had his tail between his legs, was urinating and not excited at all. We've since switched to Prairie Pawz and our pup is once again happy to get to the kennel AND happy at pick up. They remember everything about him and they are so happy to see him. I highly suggest running from Hickory Hills as fast as you can- as I've heard worse stories from others since the new ownership. read more

After taking my dog Selah to a daycare for a year they told me she couldn't attend because she barks too much. Even the trainer tried to work with her there and they gave up. So I went to Hickory Hills and they were patient, kind, and have loved on Selah so much! This daycare is top notch and run by a fantastic compassionate and responsible team. Highly recommend! read more

Please do not bring your fur babies to Hickory Hills Kennels. Previous employment at this kennel showed me truly how unclean, unorganized, and neglectful towards animals. At the time I worked there, this is how it looked. (roughly 6 months ago). They take out their garbages (with poop & all) ONE time a week. Imagine the smell and mold coming from those bins. And to make the case even worse, those garbage bins sit at the end of your dogs kennel run outside! If you have ever brought your dog here and they came home coughing, chances are Margaret told you it was K9 cough. But in reality, it is most likely due to the mold. Your pet will sleep on the hard concrete floors because giving every dog a blanket is "too much laundry" and "the dogs prefer the cold ground over a blanket". If you special request your dog to have a blanket, they will be more than happy to TELL you they'll give your dog a blanket for it's stay. But that won't actually happen behind closed doors! Your dog will eat out of the same food dish it's entire stay, more times than not, not being washed a single time. The water bowls were literally sprayed with a BLEACH solution during morning cleaning (the only time the kennels get cleaned a day). And I saw multiple occasions when filling waters of the bleach solution not being rinsed out of the water bowl, meaning the pet was literally drinking a bleach solution. Diluted, but still bleach! The kennels are NOT cleaned in between a dogs stay. You can drop your dog off and they will go put it in a dirty, empty kennel. Your dog will then stay in that kennel that a previous pet was in, until the next morning when they will shut your dogs outside (rain or shine might I add) to clean the kennel. In terms of medications, the odds your dog will get his/her medication EVERY DAY they are boarding are very low. Meds are missed constantly, as they have zero good way of depicting when a dog has a medication aside from writing "MED" in a highlighter. There was a point when I worked at HHK, a senior dog missed his cancer medication 3 nights in a row! They were given in the AM; because that is when I worked and made SURE all dogs got their medications. But the PM staff neglected one of the most important tasks on so many occasions. On another note, if your dog ends up not feeling well and has an upset tummy. Margaret probably will try to ask you if she can give your dogs medication she has. PLEASE DECLINE. she is NOT a vet and the medication is literally expired. If you are being told your dog is a "group dog" this section is for you. I'm sure you have heard your dog is being let out to potty and play every hour. That is NOT factual at all. The group dogs are let outside TOPS 4 times a day for about 10 minutes. When letting dogs out this is what it looks like; there is 2 kennels, one right in front of the other with a gate in between. there is about 24 of these. 12 in one room. All of those dogs are released very quickly and disorderly out of there kennels and yelled at to "GO OUTSIDE". During this process fights happen constantly, almost everytime, because there is DROPPED FOOD in the drains that the dogs will fight over. So if you've ever picked your dog up with a wound and you were told he was a group dog. Chances are that's what happened!! Daycare clients this section is for you! That big outdoor amazing looking play yard, although extremely spacious, it is disgusting! I worked here for roughly 4 months, and not ONCE did I see the outdoor daycare get any type of sanitization or cleaning in this daycare. The ground is sand, so their excuse was "you cant clean sand". Extremely false, as there are MANY chemicals used in the dog world that can be sprayed on sand to kill parasites, germs, and sicknesses. Have you had to bring in a negative fecal for your dog? No! Meaning they have no idea if a dog has a parasite, and they will happily let them into the daycare to defecate around 30-40 other pets. I would bring my dog to hangout in the daycare when I first started, and he had Giardia TWICE in 1.5 months. And as for the indoor daycare. It's cleaned when the daycare people feel like cleaning it! It isn't cleaned at the end of every day it's used. There is mold in the building, and poop stains galore. I also want to add that when I worked there I tried so hard to push for new policies. Beds/blankets, taking garbage out daily, cleaning the daycares, different ideas to depict medication pets. And the owner and leads never made a change to any policy. So I left. PLEASE SAVE YOUR PETS WELL BEING & HEALTH AND TAKE THEM TO ANY OTHER KENNEL. AS SWEET AS THE OWNER IS, YOUR DOGS ARE NOT RECEIVING THE 110% CARE YOU ARE BEING PROMISED. (this is not intended to be hate. people deserve to see what happens behind closed doors, because NO animal deserves that care.) read more

Giving this place two stars is a stretch, but the front service people have always been friendly, so there you go. Now about my experience with Hickory Hills: I was a loyal customer for three years for one of my dogs. Although I never felt like the service was great there, the prices were good and they seemed to care about the dogs, so I kept coming back. I don't know if something changed, but over time my dog started coming back sore and covered in blood. He started acting terrified whenever I would pull up front, and it was clear he was having bad experiences there. I asked the owner about this, and she said that nothing was going on and that he played well with other dogs. Well two months ago, my healthy four year old dog came back barely able to walk. It took weeks before he recovered, and he still hasn't seemed himself. I can't help but wonder what goes on there, but it seems like something fishy is going on. To make matters worse, I boarded him at a different kennel last weekend. The owner immediately called me after I dropped him off and explained that he was acting traumatized and terrified of the kennel. He said it was very obvious he was not suited for kennels. Unfortunately, he also told me that some kennels are known for taking dogs that don't do well and lying to the owners to keep the business. When I mentioned Hickory Hills, he laughed and said they were the worst kennel in Madison. He also told me a story about how the owner or manager killed several dogs by leaving insect poison out in the play area. I feel so lucky my dog wasn't more hurt at this horrible kennel, and I hope nobody else has to lose a beloved pet to this sub-par facility. This is a harsh review but these things matter. read more

DO NOT allow your dogs to go to daycare here. Today I came to pick up my dog after going here for over a month twice a week. I was told that my dog attacked a small dog who "did nothing", which doesn't sound like him at all (we go to dog parks and he's never done anything like that). I was told that they had repeatedly had problems with him (but no phone calls to me or notes when I picked him up) and that I should take him to a place with a limit on the number of dogs. They clearly had over 30 dogs in a single group outside and only one staff member attending them. Sometimes when I arrived, I have had to wait 5 or more minutes and the dogs were entirely alone. Quite frankly it sounds like they are not supervising the dogs well enough. Nothing quite adds up with this business, and while I would have sang their praises just a month ago for giving me a calm dog twice a week, they are clearly poorly managing their daycare. EDIT: My dog just has a confirmed case of Kennel Cough and the vet says that there have been 3 other dogs they have seen (in one practice!!) that have it and who go to Hickory Hills!! STAY FAR FAR AWAY!! read more

Wonderful space! Very reasonable rates for 2 dogs for overnight stays. The staff was incredibly friendly and the play area is one of the best I've ever seen! Our pups did come back with some bumps and scrapes; I'm sure they got into a couple of fun-loving scuffles. Although it's about a 15 minute drive for us, we will be utilizing the day care soon! read more

Amazing daycare and boarding! The daycare park is huge and the Badgers theme is adorable. All of the employees are definitely true dog people as evident by their care and patience with the dogs. My dog doesn't trust easily but she LOVES Hickory Hills and I can't imagine what she'd do without it. read more

It's hard to review what actually goes on in a kennel when you're not there. I picked this place for an overnight since I was canoeing nearby on the Wisconsin River. Sunday hours are golden in the boarding world because otherwise you're stuck without your dog an extra day - so that was mainly how I chose this place. It's a little out of the way, but not far off Highway 12. Staff was nice enough and I showed up an hour early on Sunday to get my dog - I was planning to just sit in the car and nap, but they opened up and let me get her early, which was a nice bonus. From the pictures they posted on Facebook, I do think they put too many dogs in a small area for playgroup - it looked like the dogs were practically wall to wall and if something were to happen, it would be difficult for 1 or 2 people to gain control. All in all, a good place to leave your dog for a day or two, especially if you need to pick them up on a Sunday. read more

Horribly disappointed! Left my dogs at kennel dropped off Friday with an unfriendly girl. Tried to pick up my dogs Sunday,Not one person at the kennel. Painters came out and said not one staff person there. So my dogs sat in paint fumes all weekend with no care. NEVER WILL GO AGAIN read more

I am absolutely disgusted at the condition in which I collected my dog. He has two huge mats behind his ears, one of which was pulling the hair so tight that it caused bald patches on his ear. This is neglect. If you can't look after a long haired dog you shouldn't accept them. I will never be leaving my dog here again. read more

Our dogs love this place, and the service is second to none. We use them for daycare on a regular basis and for boarding (we travel a lot, so our dogs are there close to monthly for boarding). We have tried the other big names in town for boarding, and none beat this place for service and attention to detail. One of our dogs has occasional health issues, and the staff here have always taken excellent care of our dog. They follow special instructions perfectly, walk our dog when she is on restricted activity, and have a highly organized system for handling medications and other dietary needs. Regarding daycare, at first glance, the outdoor play area is bare dirt in most places, and you might think the dogs will come home dirty. However, this has never been an issue. When you drop off your dog, you can indicate on a sign-in sheet if you want the dog to get a rinse at the end of the day. This has reduced the need for us to bath the dogs! read more

Racist. I will file complaints with BBB. I had my dog back in September for 2 weeks. They asked to get his shots at animal hospital they recommended. The dog was aggressive the next day. They wanted me to take him as if it was the dog or my fault. Today i called to ask to board for 21 days, they said they were booked. Had my friend call and they told her they were not. Talk about treatment for a return customer. They had me give my dog 4 shots the same day. They should have known dog will be agitated. Racists. Shame on them read more

Very nice staff. But the kennel is directly next to a landfill. The smell is nauseating to me. Not sure if it bothers anyone else, but I won't be back. read more

Wonderful wonderful! I dropped my dog off for 5 days in the care Hickory Hills Kennel and my dog came back so happy and healthy. This is my first dog and he was actually still a puppy. I didn't know the ins and outs of everything dog yet but I left comfortable as the staff were so kind and you can tell they love dogs. When I went to pick him up his tail was wagging. He was energetic. I know he had a good time! There is a large yard where they can play and the facility was very clean. Admin stuff was easy. I am sure to use them again if I ever need to! read more

I can't say enough about Hickory Hills! We've been boarding our dog every fews months there for over a year and have always had the most pleasant experiences! We have a Shiba Inu who can be difficult in new situations and all the employees welcome him with open arms! Pabst, our dog, comes home in a good mood, clean and I truly think he gets sad to leave Hickory Hills! I'd recommend to anyone in the Madison and surrounding area! And "Thanks" to all the employees who take such good care of the dogs! read more

Clean and spacious kennel, friendly and helpful staff, reasonable prices. My dogs seemed pretty happy after their stay. Pay attention to the hours though, short hours on Sunday and Wednesday, I accidentally left my dogs and extra day because I missed closing time by 15 minutes. UPDATE: I'm upgrading my review from 4 to 5 stars after my dog's recent stay at Suter's. Same great service as always, same reasonable prices. I opted for the last-day dog wash, and man did they do a great job! A lot of places just scrub him too much and he looks clean, but then has horrible dander & shedding the next day that lasts for weeks. I asked them to really focus on brushing to help get rid of his shedding undercoat, and that seems to be exactly what they did. (and it's a big job. Look at my other reviews; it's an ongoing problem for me, finding a groomer who will make the effort required to properly care for my dog's double coat) The day I picked him up he was clean and shiny, as he always is right after a bath, but better - 2 weeks later he still looks & smells great - no shedding, no dandruff. That's the kind of proof of good treatment I like to see, I can tell they actually made an effort with him, and it makes me feel even more confident about the care he he's receiving at the kennel. read more

Will NEVER take our dog here again. Our dog spent two nights here and I can't believe the damage that was done in that time. Upon pick up we asked how she had done, and were told, "She's on Facebook!" (which she wasn't...) but weren't given any legitimate information. What actually had happened was that ALL of her gums were bruised and her teeth were covered with metal from chewing on a cage for 2 days straight. The next week at home she cried in pain when she played with any chew toys. She had lost a noticeable amount of weight (in 2 DAYS) so who knows if she was fed. He nose was swollen and there was a quarter sized wound on the top of her nose. When we asked the staff who walked her out to us what happened he had no idea. Having our fun-loving happy dog be visibly terrified walking out to us and not even looking up to see who we were until she could smell us upset me us so much. If you love or care about your dog spend the extra 5 dollars for a place that cares about animals. read more

My dog goes to this kennel at least twice a month for 4-5 days at a time. He always comes back to me happy and healthy. The staff is kind and really personable, they are good with the dogs and understand that every dog has different needs. My dog has been at several other kennels in Madison before I found hickory hills and he use to come home completely out of it, but here he actually seems happy. My dog is an escape artist and does use his teeth to get out of the kennel, the staff figured out a creative way to keep him in and now his teeth aren't silver. read more

Hickory Hills treat my dogs so well. The staff is genuinely happy to see my dogs, and my dogs are always excited to go there. The play area is great for the dogs and I love that you can look at pictures of your pooch having fun while you are away. The staff does not hesitate to call with questions and are always friendly and professional. I used to go to a much more expensive place that I now feel was overrated and overpriced for what we received. This kennel gets two paws up from Winston and Ham! read more

Ratings & Reviews Disappointed1 Disappointed that I take a healthy dog in for boarding and bring home a dog with 3 open sores and a $125.00 urgent vet bill. When the kennel owner called, She said they were not at fault with multiple excuses from too much time in a pool - it is not monitored for legnth if they are boarding- to it had to do with her thick under coat. Within a minute of picking her up we could smell the wounds. Lack of basic care is not we look for in boarding. Will not go back and I encourage others to look elsewhere. by Dawn, Sun Prairie WIJuly 26, 2010 read more

DON'T BRING YOUR DOG HERE I was encouraged by the other reviews on here but I wouldn't listen to them. I saw it was fairly cheap, looked ok so I was going to bring my dog here initially for two nights. Worst decision ever. I know there are a bunch of dogs around but this place was filthy. The dog pens seemed cleaner than the front office. The staff was alright, but weren't very dog-friendly, treated my pup as if he weren't even there. I was having second thoughts as I walked back to my car, then I saw one of the smaller dogs squeeze between the fence and bolt down the road. They were oblivious to it. If it weren't for me seeing it and telling them, they wouldn't have even noticed, probably not until the owner came to pick up the dog. I don't know if they ever got the dog back but ALL of the staff left and were gone at least 15 minutes while I was waiting to tell them that I didn't want to leave my dog there and was just going to find some other place. I ended up leaving him there one night and a friend picked him up the next morning. He seemed terrified when they picked him up, more than any other place I've taken him. This may be the cheapest place around but don't fall for it. read more

Gonna be honest, I was nervous to take my puppy to Hickory Hills after reading the reviews. But, because of my ever-changing schedule, I wanted to give it a try since they allow walk-ins (our usual daycare place that is closer to home is full a lot of the time). I came to pick him up at around 430, he was happy, healthy, and incredibly tired. Can't really ask more of a dog daycare place. They give you your first day of daycare free which was really nice! And I asked them to cut my pup's nails (he HATES it) and they did a great job! Overall, I think some people are probably right, they allow a lot of dogs to not that many people. This is the only way they can allow for walk-ins, which is invaluable I think. My dog is wonderful with other dogs so I don't foresee it being a problem for him anyways. Definitely will return :). read more

I will not board my dog here again. When I picked her up, the people at the facility did not know that she was a female. It only takes a minute to look at a dog and know... Also, she was so dirty, that I had to immediately towel her off when we got home. I tried to call the kennel several times during her stay, and was unable to reach anyone to ask about how she was doing. She seemed frightened when I came to pick her up. Lastly, after leaving, she had an anxiety attack. This leads me to believe that she was either mistreated, or her anxiety medication was not administered appropriately. read more

Feel unsatisfied with this place and will never go back. We were unable to get our preferred kennel for the weekend of Labor Day. We decided to try Hickory Hills once again after having a bad experience several years ago with a previous dog. When I walked in to drop our dog off, a young gentleman walked over with a choker rope and put it on our puppy and led her back into the kennel area and did not say one word. My daughters were with and we were hoping to say goodbye to the dog but he just walked right out. Not very warm feeling at that point. The dog was there for three days and we wanted to pick her up on Labor Day but they had no office hours on Labor Day. Basically my dog was hijacked an extra day because they couldn't find anybody to check out the dogs? Seems kind of silly. Not how I would run my business. The icing on the cake was that our dog came back and has had diarrhea since returning a week ago. Never again! read more

I took both my dogs here a few years ago and they both got kennel cough. I called and I was credited for a day stay for each dog. I did not board there again until 2 weekends ago. It was a last minute weekend trip and they had availability for my dog. My dog has kennel cough AGAIN! I will not be returning. My dogs have always been up to date on all vaccinations and have boarded other places and have NEVER had this any other time except following a weekend stay here. The staff were friendly and efficient. read more

We called and toured the facility and were told multiple times that if our dog had any trouble (first time boarding her) they would let us know via email or a phone call and we would be given the option to purchase private play time. We were also told that if she did get too excited or too rough she would be taken out of group play but that they would try again the next day. When we came to pick her up we were told that she wasn't allowed any group time with no explanation as to why and no word from the kennel at all during her stay. She asked if our dog ever nipped at other dogs while playing and if she did that was probably why. I was then shuffled outside to go pick her up. My dog seemed scared to see me and not her usual self at all. The "leashes" they used were choke leashes and after hearing our dog bark once she was home we knew that her throat was hurt by it. We are extremely disappointed with this kennel as we spoke to them multiple times about what our dog needs before we made arrangements to board her there. We know we have a high energy dog who needs someplace that can handle her energy level. We regularly frequent dog parks and have her enrolled in obedience classes, so we know her behaviors around other dogs very well. This place has absolutely broken our trust and we deeply regret ever entrusting them with the care of our dog. read more

I was anxious about leaving my dog there this summer when we went away for a week since he has allergies and needs special food and daily eye drops. But- it was a great experience. So much so that we will be leaving him there again while traveling for the holidays! When I picked him up he was happy and his eyes were clear- all good signs. I especially liked that his kennel had a private exit into a fenced in yard and the weekend play pictures Hickory Hills posts on their Facebook page. read more