they closed this location for a month for renovations with 3 days notice to all customers. Told me I could take my dog to S Jersey or NYC for care. Unreal. They had no concern for customers. Very disappointing. read more

They did not feed our dog while we were away. We came home with over half the food servings we provided. Additionally, they confused him with another dog and did not provide us with the add-ons we paid for. read more

My dog loves going to Pups @ Play!! He is a VERY active 2 year old lab who loves to play. I love that the staff is attentive and gives dogs breaks throughout the day to rest. Our lab, Rory, loves coming here and gets so excited when we pull in the parking lot. I wish they had live cameras so we could check in on our guy when he's boarding. They do post pictures on Facebook/instagram but your dog won't always be included unless you pay for it. Other than that, we have loved our experience here. read more

Pups @ Play Montclair - Pet Groomers Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

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Maddie manages this location and is as good as they get. I was in a near fatal car crash last June and had to learn to walk again. Maddie, Tony, Emily and others showed up for me and my dog. They picked Butterfinger up and dropped him off. My dog was given the exercise and playtime he needed while his momma did her physical therapy and finally 1 1/2 years later is able to walk him again. I cannot recommend this facility enough. It's the people who make a facility great and Maddie is absolutely dedicated and amazing as a manager. I feel great knowing Butter is there :) There are not enough thank you's but know my gratitude runs deep. Therese Plummer Butterfingers mom read more

Pups @ Play Montclair - Butters waiting for his pickup:) - Pet Groomers Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

This place is a god sent, if you believe in gods I dropped of my puppy several days in the morning before work and picked him late in the afternoon. They were so accommodating to my crazy hours and they took the best care if my best friend. He got back home exhausted everyday and slept like a baby he is. I dropped off his food with him and they made sure he gets fed in time, how do I know it? Because they called me to double check and make sure he eats on time. One important note is the fact that they have adopted to COVID requirements. You call the ahead and they will come to your car. I totally recommend this place so does my . read more

Pups @ Play Montclair - Pet Groomers Near Me - Montclair, New Jersey

ZERO STARS. We had an absolutely traumatic experience with Pups at Play. At 11:30 at night I received a call from animal control to let me know my dog had escaped from Pups at Play six hours prior and they (and I) were only JUST notified. Obviously for so many reasons this was tremendously upsetting. Firstly, for the fact that my dog had escaped from a place where I entrusted his safety, and secondly that he was only reported missing SIX HOURS after it happened. As we got more detail, it was even more upsetting. Apparently he had pushed open three sets of doors to escape, and he actually wasn't even discovered missing for TWO HOURS after he escaped. Apparently staff didn't even know he was missing!! So they checked their videotapes to see he pushed open not one, not two, but three sets of doors. The fact that their lobby was totally unmanned seats, and they left the doors unlocked is beyond negligent. The levels of negligence here are beyond words. Obviously, my husband and I were besides ourselves because finding a dog six hours after they escape in the middle of the night is like finding a needle in a haystack. I drove around town for hours and finally thankfully he was found by a couple of what I'm presuming are college students in their backyard at 2:30 in the morning about a mile away. The scenarios here is horrifying. This is a boarding location that is no further than 50 feet from a train track, in a highly trafficked area with tons of car traffic. I am obviously so beyond believe that he was found safe, but the negligence on the part of Pups at Play is beyond measure. From his "escape", to waiting hours before alerting the owners or animal control is unforgivable. I would employer all of you to not send your animals there - this is not the first story of problems there. These dogs are like our children and should be treated with care! read more

What can I say other than they are wonderful! My Daisy (14) and Sandy (8) love going there. The staff is amazing and so nice. I hate leaving my dogs for an extended period of time but I know they are in great hands! Thank you for easing this dog moms anxiety when traveling read more

My lab LOVES going to Pups at Play. I feel at peace knowing she is happy and taken care of there. When she developed a bacterial infection on her chin they noticed right away and informed me so she could properly heal in isolation. They also took the time to follow up to see how her recovery was going. It is evident that everyone that works there truly cares for all of their clients. read more

Whatever you do, do not use this place to board your pups. My aunts dog was boarded for 7 day/8nights. She's on a strict medicine regiment where she must get a pill daily for her Addison's. The boarder forgot to give her any medicine and now we're dealing with loss of weight and a significant flair up. While she was being boarded we even called several times to remind them and received no call back! They offered no explanation for what happened. Avoid this place! read more

Levi our lab loves pups@play Montclair. He can't get to pups@play faster when we drive him in the morning. We love the option to stack on a bath at the end. Nice to have a one place stop for all our doggie needs. Highly recommend to all dogs mom and dads in the Montclair area. read more

Hmm why are all reviews so old? Another question to add to the many others that have led me to exit pups@play for good. Why can't I see into or come near the playroom and why no cameras? Why has my dog gotten sick twice within a couple of days? Once followed by an e-mail about kennel cough that made it sound as though it was a PSA rather than sparked by an actual, live outbreak. Why does my dog emerge each time with a soaking wet face? (drinking water just before. every time. they said.) My dog pulls away hard every time we get near the place and I have no reason to think it's an overreaction. Sure, they've been professional and polite communicators for the most part (completely thrown by the stank attitude of the person up front my last time, May 2022) but to my way of thinking 'so what?' That's a place to start. Transparency might do wonders or completely sink the business. I just have no idea. read more

My dog was bitten twice at this day care. The first time, Maddie, the so called general manager lied to me about what happened. She basically said that my dog randomly attacked another dog, yet she didn't kick my dog out of daycare which seemed odd. My golden grew up in day care so I was shocked and really upset by everything she told me - it seemed so out of character. The next day, I noticed that my dog had little marks all over his neck and seemed melancholy so I decided to do some investigating- Maddie's story just didn't make sense to me. I met with the dog handlers who were in the room during the altercation as well as the lead trainer who had video footage. They all had a completely different story and said my dog defended himself. At that point, I decided Maddie could not be trusted so I tried to get in touch with her manager. I had to jump through hoops to get a hold of the pups at play corporate office, Destination Pet, because Maddie would not give me her management's contact info. I finally was able to get a hold the regional manager who watched video footage of the incident and agreed that Maddie was wrong and had done a poor job of managing the situation. We had several conversations and they were wonderful. They assured me they would work on training Maddie because she was new to management and work on training the handlers. I was happy that the regional manager acknowledged the problem and said they would work on training. A few months later, my dog was bitten again. This time the wound was deep and there was a lot of blood. No one at Pups at Play had a clue who bit him. When I picked him up - I didn't recognize anyone so I assume they have a lot of turnover. The staff did seem really concerned about my dog, but it was really strange that 7 people who worked there were in the lobby to hug my dog and see him off - yet none of them had any clue who bit my dog. Furthermore, if they were in the lobby who the heck was watching the other dogs- when a dog that bites was at large! I asked the receptionist what their practice was if a dog bit another dog and she giggled and said "practice? What do you mean...umm I am probably not the best person to ask." That's when I knew I was a damned fool for continuing to bring my dog to this place. They need to fire their so-called general manager and get a solid leader who has a background in dog training and is capable of hiring the right people and training them. At local parks - I have met others who have had similar, sketchy experiences at pups at play so I am wondering why I don't see more negative reviews. People - you need to warn others!! Animal welfare is not a priority at pups at play in Montclair. The place is run by a group of teenagers and the general manager appears to have a habit of lying. read more

First and foremost I'd like to start this review by saying is definitely a complaint against this establishment and their lack of professionalism. The first time I took my pet to Pupsatplay located in Montclair it was for an assessment since it was our first time. The minute you walk into the place you're greeted with young, inexperienced and unprofessional workers. I own a 7 month old pit bull who is high energy and loving. In the website it states that dogs UP TO 10months old can participate in daycare and boarding even if not neutered yet. Benji was taken to the room with all the dogs prior to properly being assessed one by one by other dogs to slowly ease into the daycare room. A lady storms out the room and yells to the man working the front desk " This isn't going to work, he's already humping another dog and was about to start a fight" the man laughs and tells us to not worry and tells us " let me go in there because it seems they don't know what they're doing and need help" " of course he's humping, he's a 7 month old puppy and is happy and excited he just needs to be properly introduced to the dogs one by one" so they removed all the dogs from the room and reassessed the situation how it should've been done from the beginning. I needed a place for him to board so I decided to schedule him for boarding February 25th to the 28th using the Yourgi app. I requested an exit bath which is free on the last date and nothing else. I called early afternoon on February 27th to request an update on Benji with a picture or video but expressed my concerned in regards to not having Facebook which the lady on the phone stated they have instagram as well. I kept checking my phone the entire day to see if I saw a picture or video posted and nothing was uploaded. The 28th at 5pm I noticed they uploaded a video of Benji which showed him being taken out for a walk but noticed he wasn't in the daycare with the other dogs. When I arrived at 7 to pick up Benji a lady walks out and asks who I'm picking up, I replied Benji. She runs inside the room and yells to her coworker Benji is being picked up and I overhear them yelling back and fourth different names confused as to what dog is named Benji. The lady runs out says he's upstairs comes back down with Benji and says " he's been isolated since he got here due to humping other dogs" I'm disappointed because I dropped him off for daycare not to be in a 4x4 alone for 4 days straight. Later on a different lady tells me to total is $301 dollars and explains they uploaded 5 videos to Facebook which I quickly learned was a lie because I had my mom check for me and instead of an exit bath they trimmed his nails ( which I didn't ask for ) so all in all they robbed me of an additional $25 dollars and had the audacity to tell me I can receive a store credit. I advice anyone who owns a pet and considers them as family who loves them to not even consider Pupsatplay in Montclair OR in Livingston. The communication here between staff with each other and customers is atrocious and more so the way they handle and care for dogs shows they have no knowledge of dogs. They act as if they are working in American Eagle. ZERO STARS only gave it one because that's the minimum. In addition their website is HIGHLY misleading. Boarding states it includes " FULL DAY DAYCARE " which operates from 7am-7pm yet we were charged $35.52 for a LATE PICK UP FEE AFTER 12pm. So I wasn't robbed of $25 I was in fact robbed of $60.52. Included with the lies on the page it states there is a " in person supervision " but an employee told us an individual is only there until 11pm and no one else shows up until 6am that's not a human companion staying all night with the dogs to ensure the safety of the animals. read more

I couldn't rave more about Pups @ Play! My Golden Retriever, Chewy, came for his first visit in July and had weekly training with Heather. She was so patient with him and in the short 5 weeks that he had weekly sessions with her, he has changed so much and has learned how to play appropriately with other dogs. read more

Let me begin by saying this is my first non-food related review, but there is no better place to start. Anyone who knows me is well aware that aside from my two amazing sons, my 11-year-old Havanese, Desi is the love of my life, the apple of my eye, the sunshine on a cloudy day...you get my drift. So as a new and extremely elated resident of Montclair, it was with some trepidation that I decided to take Desi to Pups at Play for a grooming. From the moment our 6 feet stepped inside I knew we had made a wise decision. Melody, the groomer extraordinaire, could not have been kinder. She spent a good 15 minutes getting acquainted with Desi, and went over everything that needed to be done. Melody took the time to give Desi a beautiful haircut, and when she called to let me know that Desi was ready to be picked up, she raved about her behavior. Upon picking Desi up I was ecstatic about the way she looked, and could tell by her demeanor that she had been given the royal treatment at this spa. It is beyond obvious that Melody cares about dogs, and is also a people person. Yesterday was the first of many visits Desi and I will be embarking on to Pups at Play, as Melody struck a harmonious chord with both of us. read more

I brought my very clingy, judgmental Chihuahua for boarding for 4 days.  See, she's a true Jersey girl.  She trusts no one until you give her a reason to trust.  She hates everyone until she loves you.  Then, she will never leave your side and she's loyal AF.  It's an understatement to say that Mom was nervous to throw her into a situation that she would have to interact with dogs and people that didn't "get her".  I bit the bullet and decided on Pups @ Play with the help of her equally concerned father.  This was all kept a secret until the day of the switch off.  We were greeted by reception where a secret sanctuary for small, clingy dogs existed behind the desk.  My mind was put at ease.  "I can see Roxanne being ok and somewhat happy being in this area for my four day escape.  At least she wouldn't completely hate it".   Roxanne approached the sanctuary with an unweary confidence.  A playful glance was shared between mother and father.  THIS was our moment.  We quickly left her belongings and decided to leave it up to the Gods.  Shortly after reaching our destination, I checked the very active Facebook page with an unsure enthusiasm.  Cringing while viewing all the happy, well adjusted canines, I longed to see Roxanne's cynical yet endearing snaggle tooth.  Alas, Pups @ Play made a miracle happen.  Roxanne, the former tyrant of her immediate neighborhood was mingling with common folk.  She even playfully walked under a cute little bridge (picture attached below) and looked somewhat content while doing so.  The day had come to meet her again.  I knew I was facing a loving, yet bitter beast as I entered Montclair.  When I arrived at an expected grand reintroduction (I called before they were open and they kindly accommodated me), Mom was unexpectedly greeted with a lackluster interaction.  When we arrived home, she seemed to miss the new life that she started 4 days prior, but the memory will never die.  Pups @ Play changed her, for the better and it will never be forgotten.  I can now book future trips with ease, despite the present pandemic.  Sidenote:  I truly believe that Roxy has become more mannerly since returning for her awakening.  Thank you, Pups @ Play.  You are all awesome people that truly love what you do.  I am already planning on dropping Rox off again for play time because I think she misses it and needs it.  Thanks for making this nervous nelly feel more at ease and apparently teaching her manners.  She no longer begs (picture attached below)! I love that the wonderful animal lovers that worked there gave me a break down of her behavior and I could see that they really cared for my dog, despite her rock hard exterior. I can't thank you guys enough and clearly I would recommend this place to anyone that has a dog that's chill, well adjusted and generally happy go lucky, or people like me that has a loving beast that's an acquired taste. You guys rock! read more

I've been taking my lab to pups@play for almost a year now. If a dog could talk here's what he would say.... OMG, I love pups@play. I get to okay with all of my friends and run around and just relax. I feel like I'm at a doggie resort. My mom lets me come here so much because I just beg her and run out the door as soon as she makes her coffee...she usually brings me when she makes her coffee in the morning. So I just eat my tail and cry and then she lets me jump in the car and go. And wow, everyone at pups at play just loves me so much! read more