If you are not already taking your dog to Linda's Camp K9 you should. They have an excellent facility, a wonderful staff and a day full of fun for your dog. If you're looking for the restful evening from your overly energetic dog they will definitely tire them out. read more

Late review since we just learned they changed management a while back. We thought this was a good daycare for our dog after a few trial days so we bought a package, but upon first day of the package they said our dog wasn't getting along with another dog (so what happened the first 2 days?) --so we took her out. I guess they let all 30 dogs go out to play at the same time with no separation of bigger /smaller dogs. I asked to transfer the package to my 2nd dog who was a puppy and not neutered yet and was waiting until they were 2 years as recommended, - they said it's fine and I can use it whenever...but when new management took over they didn't notify us through email or anything that packages expire. So now we just wasted a few hundred for nothing because they won't honor it. Crappy new management who won't work with their customer- you could have earned more money in the future if you actually tried to meet in the middle with a solution. They wanted me to buy more services- NO THANKS. read more

The staff was very accomodating with our situation of getting rear ended during our drive to the grooming appointment. Their making things seem like nothing was some welcome good that helped offset something not so great that had our little dog shaking. Good customer care often involves some adapting. Their's was greatly appreciated. read more

Came to check out the facilities as I used to bring my dog here for their doggy bakery, and upon entering the lady at the front was very rude, asked what she could help me with in a sarcastic tone so I turned around and left. Do not recommend. read more

I've boarded my dog at wonderful pet lodges in Miami that happily take unaltered dogs. My dog is a pure breed & AKC registered with Champions in her blood-line from Ukraine and Russia. I would never fix my dog. Dogs who are spayed have a greater risk of hemangiosarcoma, mast cell cancer, lymphoma, and bladder cancer; higher incidence of hip dysplasia in dogs spayed or neutered at six months of age, significantly higher prevalence of cranial cruciate ligament injury (CCL), heightened risk of urinary incontinence in females that are spayed early, greater likelihood of hypothyroidism in spayed and neutered dogs, higher incidence of infectious diseases, higher incidence of adverse reactions to vaccines in altered dogs, and increased risk of prostate cancer in neutered males. If a dog is spayed between the first and second heat cycle, the chance of developing mammary cancer increases to 8% risk. When spayed after their 2nd heat, the risk is 26%. To be turned away and treated like I'm a bad dog downer by the receptionist Tammy for not having a spayed dog is ludicrous! More people clearly need to do their research and are completely unaware of the unnecessary ill they bring to their dogs by their unconscious oblivious decisions. I would not recommend this place, they clearly cannot handle dogs unless they're physically altered and don't have their natural hormones and temperaments. read more

Camp K-9 is our absolute favorite place to have our 5 dogs groomed! Elizabeth is an outstanding groomer. The boys all love to go for their fluff and buff! They come home looking like show dogs! Amazing work! Thank you!!! read more

They did take care of my dog's exercise needs when he was younger. That's the plus side. And the general staff I met were cheerful and well intentioned. But I came to understand he was also showing signs of significant stress. I never overnighted him there. And I do NOT expect this environment to be wholesome for boarding. It's too much. A boarding facility should have dogs penned or crated for much of the day, with scheduled release times. Routine gratifies dogs (most of them). All-day "freedom" does not. read more

Went for a haircut and got a shave. Ryan, the groomer at Linda's did this. No return call from owner or she's not available. I have never seen a long haired dog get shaved. Clearly has no idea what he's doing. read more

Linda's Camp K9 - Before Axel's haircut And after - Pet Sitting Near Me - Mishawaka, Indiana

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I'm Lena's mom, the dog who came home from Camp K-9 with open, bleeding sores covering her face, neck, chin, and chest, caused by moist dermatitis. The infected skin was a result of her swimming in pools for a week and being left wet overnight. I wanted to share more information about her injuries sustained at Camp K-9. I am also uploading photos of our veterinary bills, which are dated, so please check those out as well (our personal information like our address has been cropped out). Lena was at Camp K-9 from June 14th to June 20th. Coincidentally, both of our dogs were seen by a vet the day *before* we dropped them off at Camp K-9 (June 13, 2014), and Lena was given a clean bill of health. This is important because it shows that she did NOT have this condition when she arrived at Camp K-9. We picked up Lena from a week of boarding during the early evening of June 20th. The following day, after she was lethargic and unwilling to eat, we discovered the open, bleeding, pus-filled sores on her face, neck, and chest, matting her fur and resulting in a foul smell. We took her to the emergency vet, and the emergency technicians took Lena to the back, sedated her, and shaved down the fur on her chin, face, neck, and chest, revealing the bleeding wounds and infected tissue. She was seen by our regular vet the following Monday, 6/23/14. Our vet confirmed the diagnosis of moist dermatitis, and that it happens in heavy coated dogs that are left wet for too long a period of time. Essentially, the moisture and bacteria are trapped against their skin. This is why double-coated dogs always need to be adequately dried off after swimming. We are originally from Florida, and despite swimming daily in our swimming pool at home, and many trips to the dog beach, Lena had never had this problem before. That's because in the past, she was always dried off. Lena was given antibiotics, a steroid, and painkillers. The photo of the emergency vet bill I have uploaded reflects the date she was seen, Saturday, 6/21/14. Again, we had only picked her up from a week of boarding the previous evening. The photo of our follow-up visit to our normal vet, where she was again shaved and treated with medicine, is also uploaded, and is dated 6/23/14. When we informed Linda's Camp K-9 of what happened, we were treated very unprofessionally. We were hung up on, faxes sent to them by our vets were mysteriously never received, and then we were called liars after sharing our experience on Facebook. I want to be clear that I have never asked anyone to leave a review for us. We only wanted to share our story so that other people can make an informed decision about whether they feel comfortable leaving their pets here, given the practices employed at Linda's Camp K-9 and given the response of the owner when we informed her of the injuries Lena sustained at Camp K-9. The owner called us liars and said this was a "classic case" of owners trying not to pay. Of course, we already had paid, and had been loyal paying customers for a very long time before this occurred. Everyone is entitled to their opinions based on their personal experiences at Linda's Camp K9. Before this happened to us-- and before we discovered the other people who have had similar issues-- we might have felt protective of Camp K-9 too. Just know that, if your pet is ever hurt while at camp, this is the treatment you will be subjected to. You will be hung up on, called a liar by the owner despite vet records, and basically told your years of being a loyal customer mean NOTHING. I sincerely hope they change their practices as a result of us sharing Lena's story, because it is heartbreaking to see your dog in pain, especially when it is an avoidable injury. read more

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We used Linda's as a place to board our lab puppy while we went out of state for the weekend, after doing our research it seemed to be the best place that we were able to find at the time. I really liked the fact that the dogs were about to run and play and not be locked in a kennel all day. My issue is with the sanitation of the area. As I know it is hard to keep everything spotless but when we picked up our puppy we had to take him to the vet due to an eye infection that he picked up while being at the camp. I was very disappointed in the way that they handled everything and that we had to spend even more money fixing an issue that was their fault. We will not be going back and do not recommend this place. read more

Although we love going here for doggy daycare, we recently boarded our dog here and are sadly disappointed. We left him for 5 nights and asked for a bath/nail trim the night before we picked him up. Picked him up early morning (staff said he did fine) and he had wet paws, staff said from going potty outside in rain. He wouldn't jump in the car (thought he was just tired). I noticed he licked his paws the whole way home, when I got home I looked and his paws were licked completely raw and he had bald spots behind his ears. I called Linda's and asked if the groomer had said anything or if they noticed anything and staff said no. 135 dollar vet visit later with infected paws and ears we are sadly disappointed. Hannah Pechin read more

We recently moved from Cincinnati, Ohio to Indiana. We found there were very limited options in South Bend for doggy daycare. We have two labs and decided to take our dogs to Linda's Camp K-9. Our dogs were not new to daycare and never had any issues (health or behavioral) until Linda's. The first issue we encountered was an eye infection. I know this can probably happen at any doggy daycare but the place doesn't seem very sanitary. The second issue we encountered was when we were out of town. We picked up our dogs and one of them (black lab) had a "puncture" as Linda's refers to every wound as. They have "no idea how it happened." They did call us before we arrived but made the injury sound so small and petty that when I saw it I was in shock. There was a quarter sized wound on our black labs hip and you could see down to his tissue/fat. They told us that they didn't think it was vet worthy and he wasn't acting hurt at all. Well good thing we called our vet because 1 day and $500 later our dog had to get sedation and stitches. One week later we never heard from Linda's (our dogs at this time went to daycare twice a week so you'd think they'd call to check in on our injured dog). My husband called Linda's to make them aware of the situation and all they could say is "well we hope you come back but we trust our staff and we didn't think his injury was serious." Our concern with this is that their staff obviously needs more training and awareness because a $500 surgery is a serious injury that they didn't even recognize...yet we are trusting our dogs with them. We get that dogs will be dogs but we are paying GOOD money for them to WATCH our dogs and protect them. The third issue is behavior and perhaps the amount of dogs they house. We have never had any behavior issues with our sweet sweet labs but apparently our chocolate lab "gets worse every day he comes to camp." He apparently "went after/growled" at a few dogs at camp. One dog sustained a "puncture" from our chocolate lab. So you'll hear all about it when your dog causes the "puncture" but when your dog gets a puncture they will have "no idea how it happened" and offer zero insight. I personally think our black dog was bit but they would never admit that because they don't want to lose customers. When the camp counselor told us about the situation of our dog "going after" another dog she said we are going to have to explore other options if they come back. When asked the other options, here was her response: he will have to be muzzled. So basically they kindly told us to not come back and offered us zero options (because who wants to pay $50/day to muzzle their dog). BEWARE OF LINDA'S and best of luck future customers! Save yourself some money and go elsewhere!! read more

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It's great to have a place for our pup to play! Staff is super sweet and loving from my experience! We knew "actual results may vary" based on prior reviews, but have had no issue thus far. The pup is super excited to go every time and has made lots of doggy friends. read more

Before the incident related below, we had been very satisfied customers of Linda's Camp K-9 for almost 2 years. Our dogs are Lena, now 4, a Newfoundland, and Teddy, now almost 3, a Labradoodle. On June 14 we dropped off Lena and Teddy for a week-long stay while we were on vacation out-of-state. During that time, we were told, Lena spent every day in the pools and there were photos posted on the Camp K-9 Facebook page of her luxuriating in the pool. My girlfriend called every day to check on Teddy and Lena. We picked them up on June 20. She was given a bath that day before pickup. We believe that the groomer suspected something was wrong--she told me as I was leaving that she had trouble "washing the drool off" of Lena after giving her a bath. But if they did notice anything amiss, they didn't tell us explicitly. By Friday night, Lena was lethargic and refusing to eat. On Saturday night, we discovered what felt like scars on her face and neck, and her fur around this area was foul-smelling and matted with pus. It was clear that Lena was in serious pain. We immediately took her to the emergency vet and were told she had dermatitis. She had open, bleeding wounds on her face, neck, and chest. We took her to the normal vet on Monday, where more sores were discovered. The vet confirmed the diagnosis of acute moist dermatitis (hot spots) for which we were given antibiotics, a steroid, and painkillers. The vet told us that the combination of heat and moisture under Lena's chin would provide an ideal environment for bacterial growth if she were not adequately dried off. Although Lena spent the first years of her life in Florida swimming in pools regularly and, like all newfies, drools a lot, this was her first case of hot spots. She is up-to-date on her flea medication, has no known allergies, and we groom her regularly. My girlfriend called Linda's Camp K-9 that day to tell them what happened, and we were told by an employee that employees could not totally dry off all of the dogs after they used the pool. We were told to send the vet bills to Linda's Camp K-9 and the owner would consider payment, which we did a few days later. From this point on, we were told to deal exclusively with another employee who apparently does customer service. It took us a while to get in touch with her, but I finally managed to get her on the phone on Friday, July 11 (this was partly my fault, but it was also difficult to reach her since her hours were, exclusively, 11-2). I explained what had happened and told her that it should be standard operating procedure to thoroughly dry off heavy coated dogs in the summer after they have used the pool; she agreed. In other words, she admitted that a practice that should have been in place and that could have prevented the harm was not in place. This makes Camp K-9 liable. I reminded her that we had spent literally thousands of dollars over the years at Camp K-9 and that the last thing we wanted to deal with after having just arrived home from our vacation was the stress and expense of a painful medical problem. After about twenty minutes, during which the employee offered no justification for *not* paying the vet bills beyond saying (1) that the harm was not intentional and (2) that she did not think it amounted to neglect, the employee told me that the owner would not pay the bills. And that, apparently, was that. We never actually spoke to the owner and were never told why she wasn't going to pay. Like Mary K., we have since been told that Linda's Camp K-9 cares for way too many dogs than the few employees can handle, and we have doubts that they are dried off at all after using the pool facility. Overall, we were just flabbergasted by the indifferent and callous treatment we received after having spent so much money there. Not only did the owner not pay our bill or offer to reimburse the cost of boarding; she refused to explain why she didn't. I should also mention that we when we called her on July 11th, the owner hung up on us twice and then did not pick up the phone when we called back. Eventually we had to call from a different number. What is so perplexing about the owner's behavior is that if she just payed the bills, which came to about $400, we would continue to come back and shell out thousands more as long as they promised to dry off Lena adequately. As it is, we will not be coming back. UPDATE: The owner commented on Facebook that our story is a "complete lie" and that this is a classic case of pet owners trying not to pay. Again, I must emphasize that prior to this incident, we had been loyal customers for *years* without making a single complaint. Sometimes dogs just get hurt. This was avoidable. read more

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I visited here to meet one of their fosters. The staff here was absolutely wonderful. They are so knowledgable and compassionate to animals. I spoke on the phone with Linda prior to coming and scheduled an appointment. During the visit, they didn't rush us and answered my 1,000 questions. The grounds are also well kept and full of happy dogs. I really can't say enough good things. I wish more places were like this! read more

Nothing makes my yellow lab, Lucy, happier then spending the day at Camp K9.

We started looking for an addition to our family. It had been 4 years since our last dog was put down due to a failing liver. We contacted a few other rescue agencies (one of which never responded to my emails). Camp k9 (Linda and the staff) responded quickly and we're very professional! We brought home Luna (formerly Kuma) today, and she has been great! read more

We've been taking our two Miniature Schnauzers to Camp K-9 for 4 years for boarding and daycare once in a while. I recently moved to Illinois but still have taken my dogs there 3 times for boarding because its worth the trip. My dogs love being there and have never gotten sick or shown any signs of neglect. They are super excited to go to camp and pull me to the door when we get there. They can't wait to play and be dogs. As an added benefit to me, they are worn out for a day or two after I pick them up from playing. Keep up the great service read more

Have taken my beagle dachshund Banana for 10 day camp sessions and have been so impressed. The staff is so great, cheery and helpful. They genuinely seem to love my dog and know him as soon as he walks in. He never shows any anxiety from being around the other dogs and he is so tired his little eyes are shut before we even get off the street. He slowly walks into the house and collapses so tired from the fun. :) His weight has gone down and I'm just so happy he can get so much exercise to live a longer healthy life. read more

My pitbull, Karma, goes to camp once or twice a week. Honestly, she is obsessed with going. When I say "camp", she runs to the door with her tail wagging. She is 1.5 years old and very energetic. As a Law Student at Notre Dame, sometimes I am in class or in the library studying longer than I would want to leave her. On busy days, I take her to camp to play with friends. The counselors know her and take care of her. They are also very patient with her. While I was in California this summer, Karma went to a few day camps and we did not find any that we liked. The dogs were expected to stay inside and be calm all day. At Camp K9, they separate the dogs by size and activity level and let them play all day. Karma always comes home tired and happy. This is an incredible resource for people that want their dogs to get exercise and be social while they are at school or work. My only caution is: make sure your dog eats and drinks before going to camp. Sometimes they seem like they play so hard that they forget to stop and rehydrate and Karma always comes home and drinks a ton! But otherwise, 5 stars. I love this place read more

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Camp K-9 is our dog's absolute favorite place on earth. The staff is incredibly friendly and it's so clear they all love what they do - and the dogs they care for. Every time I called to set up a day of daycare for our lab, Buckley, anyone who answered the phone always knew him automatically and sounded so excited to have him there. It's so nice to have the peace of mind to know your pets are being taken care of so well. He stayed overnight here as well multiple times, and even though I know he was always too excited to sleep, there just isn't anywhere else in the area that I'd leave him. Also, the pricing is so reasonable and the pre-paid packages are a fantastic deal. We sadly moved out of the area, and haven't found anything quite like it anywhere else! We miss Camp K-9! read more

If you care about your pets at all DO NOT trust Linda's camp K9 We took our dogs for them to meet with Linda's camp K9, at that point we were quoted how much we needed to pay for them to take care of our dogs for 5 days. Linda charged us for that first day, and then when we dropped off the dogs we paid the full amount for the 5 days. At the time of pickup we were told that we needed to pay the oversize fee, none of the workers knew why we hadn't been charged before and Linda had to tell us that she had forgotten to charge and that we needed to pay. We had just returned from our trip and were exhausted so we paid. Not only is this ridiculous that I had to pay because Linda forgot to charge us, but on top of that my dogs came back sick with what appears to be a cold and we ended up having to take one of them to the clinic. So I'll say it again, If you care about your pets at all DO NOT trust Linda's camp K9! read more

I am never the type of person to leave a review. But This was just disappointing... I heard good things about Linda's so I decided to try out the required daycare session before boarding Hank here while we go on vacation. I received a call around 3pm and the counselor stated that he needed to have another daycare visit there before they would decide to let him stay overnight for boarding. The counselor stated that there was a slight altercation with Hank and another dog but nothing became of the altercation. She stated that she believes he was over stimulated today and that maybe he would be more relaxed at the next visit. I told her I completely understand and that him being only 2 years old I can see that happening. Here's where things are starting to not make sense... my husband picked him up from daycare and from the minute when he walked in the house, Hank was just acting strange... he was lethargic, went straight for his water bowl and drank the whole thing (he's never drank that much at a time) and his whole body kept shaking. He laid down for me to rub his belly and I noticed a decent size mark on his belly in between his front legs. To me looks like the "altercation" resulted in Hank getting bit by another dog. (I understand things happen, but communication is key and I think it's important to let pet owners know everything that happened.) He also is missing about 3/4 of his whiskers? (Not sure if they decided to muzzle him for some reason and that's why his whiskers are gone or what?) This is just very bothersome because we have heard good things in the past about this facility. At this point I am still unaware what happened there and unfortunately we will not be returning in the future. read more

Linda's Camp K9 - Pet Sitting Near Me - Mishawaka, Indiana

I've been taking my dog to Camp K9 for almost five years. She loves it and they love her. The interaction with other dogs and people has helped her become much less fearful and more social. She loves to go for the day to play and it wears her out! And when I need to board her to go out of town, I know she is well cared for and happy. I highly recommend Camp K9! read more

I adopted my second dog (beagle/hound mix) from Camp K-9 last year. The application process wasn't painful and they asked questions that made me believe they truly care about the animals they're adopting out. Their facility was very clean and the staff was very kind also. They were up-front about the anxiety my dog had from the shelter they found him at originally and answered all of my questions professionally. He came neutered, micro-chipped, and well cared for. They even gave me a bag of dog food to help transition him to different food. Some time after I adopted him Linda emailed me to see how he was adjusting. I was surprised and touched that she was still wondering about him! He has been such a wonderful addition to my family and I cannot imagine life without him. Great place, great staff. read more

We've taken our dog here for daycare and overnight boarding. The staff is nice, but we stopped going once we heard that they care for hundreds (literally) of dogs each day. No wonder ours, who's a bit sensitive, came home worn out and was nervous when we took her back. read more

Got my rott/bernese mix groomed here by an employee named Ryan. The whole staff was very friendly and the prices here are very affordable compared to the bigger chains. He was so soft after and his nails were perfect! read more

We love Camp K-9 we take our dog there 3 days a week. He's so excited every day as if he hasn't gone in days! They care for him as if they were his own. I see all of these negative reviews and in my opinion are far from the truth. This is a daycare, just like if you took your kids to day care sometimes they get bumps and bruises from playing. We board our dog as well and are very happy with their services. Jackson's had a few health issues and when he returns to camp and they are always very happy to give me an update on him. read more

they do not seem to know much about dogs there. things seem chaotic and hectic and always dirty. A lot of dogs in the small dog room that you see thru the window, and there is always some dogs fighting in the hallway. The staff needs some training. read more

We have taken our large dog to camp k9 4 times over a two year period. We loved the concept of not having to kennel him traditionally when we were out of town for a week or more. Unfortunately, he came home from Linda's sick the first and second time he stayed there. We ended up taking him to the vet both times, and even thought the vet didn't like the health risks associated with so many dogs being in such close quarters, we loved the Camp K9 concept and thought maybe our dog was just building up his immunity, like small children in day care. However, when he came home sick the fourth time we took him to camp K9, we decided to follow the advice of the vet and not take him back. he also was pretty scuffed up after his fourth and final visit to Camp K9. So, he hasn't been back and won't go back again. Hopefully other folks have have better luck! read more

Our dog was nervous the first 2 or 3 times we brought her here, but we think it was because we adopted her from a shelter, and she was worried about being "dumped". Now....she loves the place......as soon as we pull in the lot, she tugs us to the door and runs back to be with the other dogs. Staff is great.....when we brought her to visit the first time, they assessed her to insure she would be a good member of the pack.....staff gave us a full report and photos. If your dog doesn't like other dogs, this may not be the place for you. It is "free range" doggy boarding and day care....the dogs run around and play all day. Staff knows her by name, and our dog requires medication twice a day, and they it to her at no additional charge. We LOVE Camp K9. read more

Camp K9 wasn't the place for my dog. He repeated got sick after returning from camp, sick enough to warrant expensive trips to the vet. He also came home with marks on his face with appeared to be a result of his gentle leader being on his face either too long or too tight (he was there a week and all the fur was rubbed off on exactly the spots that his gentle leader fit). After these experiences I looked online and read many complaints about the use of shock collars on "campers" as well. Although Camp K9 is a great idea, I personally cannot send my dog again. read more

We adopted a dog from Linda. She stated the dog was scared of men. Did not bite, only growled. Linda stated my husband is the one that needs to walk, feed, and give treats to this dog. My husband took the dog out to go potty. She had a collar on and leash. She was fine until she was headed back into our home. She freaked and started doing fast circles. Popped out of her collar and ran off. Immediately we posted on Elkhart County lost pets. Linda criticized us on there. Many people stood up for us, and put Linda in her place. She stated we did not listen to her instructions and it was our fault the dog was gone. Linda also posted my husbands telephone number, on the internet, without our permission. We finally got the dog caught, after two weeks. She bit my husband when he tried to get her out of the cage. We didn't put much into this. We figured she was really scared. The next morning the dog got up and seemed happy. Tail wagging and everything. My husband took her out, this time with a body harness and leash. Again, everything looked fine. He stared headed back towards the door and she freaked again. Same as last time, circles. The dog then bit him again. She did not want to go back into our house. This time the bite was bad enough where we needed to take him to an Urgent Care. My husband called Linda and left a message asking her to call him as soon as possible, that it was urgent. Plus he text her. We decided to take her back. We can't have a dog we can't even take outside to do her business without being bit. Linda has yet to call. I e-mailed her telling of my frustration and her being unprofessional throughout the entire process. She actually wrote back calling us STUPID. She stated that due to our "stupidity" the dog now has a bite on her record. We were not asking for our money back. We just wanted to give her the details behind this dog biting my husband. For the next person who want to adopt this dog. She criticized us on the internet, posted personal information without permission, and criticized us through e-mail. No, she still hasn't called us to get the details. This women is very unprofessional, and I would not recommend anyone doing business with her. read more