I was looking for a doggy day care for my chihuahua puppy while I was at work. I really wanted her to socialize not only with other people but with other dogs so she wouldn't bark at every dog we came into contact with. I have heard about The Animal Keeper & thought I would give it a shot. After taking a tour of the facility which was very clean & the employees seemed very nice I decided this was the place for her. After the first few days I noticed my chihuahua's behavior had changed. Her usual outgoing, lovable, playful personality had done a 180. She was becoming timid, very jumpy & very clingy. Her behavior towards strangers had become very bitter, with growling instead of the playful little tail wagging. I was very concerned. Since the only thing that had changed in her life was doggy day care I decided to find out if this was the reason. I drove into the parking lot next door and got out of my car & sat where I could clearly see the daycare outside. It wasn't 5 minutes of watching when I heard one of the employees yelling at the dogs & using very foul language towards them. Telling them to shut up, get the F*** down, on and on this went. I watched this for a good 30 minutes & not only was it one employee but different ones. I was furious so I marched into the lobby & asked to see a manager. I spoke to a Vicki who tried her best to reassure me that there must be some kind of mistake. Not only was she clueless but you could see right through the sincerity she was trying to play off. She offered me a refund & apologized and even offered me the next 2 weeks free. Are you kidding me? Vicki along with another manager by the name of Hannah both tried to sugarcoat the situation instead of find out who these employees are & reprimand them for their behavior. My chihuahua is my baby & I know most people feel the same way about their beloved pets. Whatever you do, do not take them to the Encinitas location. read more

My husband and I were able to go away for the fourth of July. We were very concerned about leaving our little "Charlie" with someone for the first time since we moved to the San Diego area. We asked around and kept hearing the name "The Animal Keeper". After taking a tour and seeing how well the employees interact with the animals we felt we had found the right place. When we dropped our little fellow off, he went with the young lady without a second thought. Although we were sad to leave him for a week, it sure helped to see he was so willing to go with her. (He is usually a shy dog.) I called several times during the week to check on Charlie. I was told he was eating well and enjoying playing with the other dogs. I was also told that he and another dog had become fast friends. When we returned to pick Charlie up I had to believe they had told me the truth. Not only had Charlie gained a little weight he was freshly bathed and smelling great. The best part is our Charlie was in no hurry to come home with us. I plan to take him back for day care so that he can visit his friend. The Animal Keeper was a wonderful experience for my husband and me. I cannot recommend it highly enough. My husband and I are older and Charlie is more than just a family dog to us. Thanks again to the staff at the Animal Keeper for making our trip enjoyable because we were not worried about our pet.. read more

After reading the last few reviews I deff want to say these people are so WRONG and it is obviously a upset ex employee that most likely was dismissed from not following policy. I know Maria personally from when I worked with her in Oceanside Animal Keeper and she is not some crazy person on anti depressants! She actually cares about the animals and does alot more then anyone can see from the outside. She has went from Pet Suites to Oceanside then now to Encinitas Animal Keeper and let me tell you one thing, she if anything has made these location much better place. The whole reason she has went from facility to facility is to help them and get them back into shape! Yes I understand there is company policy that they have to go by and not everyone it going to agree. But it is VERY obvious that she follows policy's and that is why some people do not like her because obviously they are not getting their way anymore but having to follow company policies. Maria is not a manager that just sits in the office she is VERY hands on and making sure all of the dogs are being takin care of as well as her employees. The Animal keeper is a great place and the people are very nice and competent and I know from experience that they train there employees to the max! If I still lived in California I would deff try to get a job back with her at the Animal keeper! .. read more

I LOVE this place. The staff is always friendly and they treat my dog "Lola" as if she were their own. I have been taking Lola to tiny-tots, a day care all day playdate for dogs under 25 lbs, for the last year. She always has a good time and when she gets home is worn out! Which is great for me! I usually pick her up towards the end of the day because I work late but one time I was able to pick her up around 4pm. I asked if I could see the dogs when I got there and Amanda took me back to the "Happy Tails" room. This is like a doggie nursery. All the pups were sleeping in a cool airconditioned room- I sware I heard snooring! They had a CD playing with lullabies... it was one of the cutest things I have ever seen. If you are looking for a place to board your dog or for daycare this is the place to come. The dogs are happy the people are happy and the animal owners are happy. Trust me- you will be happy. read more

We have been boarding our dog at The Animal Keeper twice per week. The staff have been very helpful and provided us with the name of a wonderful trainer-Nicole. Our dog is Riley, a 4-yr-old Border Collie. Until recently, she has never been alone. We lost our other dog Rex in May. Since then, Riley has really struggled and is fearful with other dogs. In two weeks she has gotten much better. The socialization has really helped. The staff are really good with her and give us updates each time we pick her up. Today, when I dropped Riley off for boarding, she ran in the front door and couldn't wait to see everyone and her pet friends. :) We are very grateful for their help, and would encourage others to board there. We appreciate their screening process and that they make sure all pets are up to date on all vaccines. Ask them for a tour and see for yourselves... read more

My dogs love going to the Animal Keeper! The staff, including the management is incredible - you can really feel how much they care about all their pet friends. I am very impressed by how clean it always is - shows that the staff enjoys and takes pride in their work. I'm sure the dogs feel it too. The only negative is "running space" - it would be nice to have more of it especially for the bigger dogs. However, the location is perfect, right off the freeway. It's a trade off. By being close by, my dogs can have fun more often. For special occasions, they take pictures of your pet and put them up for a while then give them to you. The first time this happened, I actually got a little jealous that someone else cared as much about my dogs as I do - to dress them up and take their picture. To give them all this personal attention - It's great!! read more

I guess you could say I am biased but call it what you will; this place and this company is by far the best boarding place in town. I bring Lucy my dog here and she goes nuts the second we turn onto Saxony Rd. I have boarded her and had her groomed here and she loves tiny tots! I trust the people here and they have become our second home. Kayla and her team do an amazing job and really love the animals. They also have brought in raw food recently and it has been a life saver for my Lucy. She has had food allergies, scratching a lot and after transitioning her to raw food I have seen a huge difference in her complexion and there are no more allergies. I am grateful for the staffs knowledge and expertise and if you haven't given them a try then stop in and take a tour and meet the wonderful staff for yourself. read more

Animal Keepers is awesome!!! My family and I have been customers of Animal Keepers for 20+ years and have never had a bad experience. The staff is consistently very friendly and more than happy to help and make any accommodations for us and our dogs. The manager Kayla is always extremely friendly and more than happy to help with anything my family and our pets might need. . . . We've had over 6 different dogs of varying breeds, sizes, and personalities attend their daycare as well as some long time overnight visits and honestly couldn't be more happy with the services of this organization. My Sincere thanks and Gratitude to everyone at animal keepers, you guys are awesome, keep up the hard work and outstanding customer service!!! read more

I have been taking my very active Helen Woodward rescue dog to the Animal Keeper for five years (virtually all of his life). He goes to camp two days a week, every week. He loves the activity (he is a ball nut) and comes home ready for a quiet night! I board him whenever I go out of town and he always comes home happy and healthy! All of the staff is terrific...they are enthusiastic, caring and competent. My dog is in love with all of them! He joyously greets them in the morning and never leaves without saying a personal goodby to whoever is behind the desk. I would highly recommend the Encinitas Animal Keeper to anyone looking for a fun place for their dog for the day, overnight boarding or any other service they provide. read more

Our Golden Retriever Ralph has been attending day camp at least 3 days a week over the past 2 years at the Animal Keeper in Encinitas. The facility, dog handlers and staff are really wonderful. Ralph is always very excited upon arrival and barks his approval when we enter each morning. When picking him up; he goes to all the staff up front to show his affection as well thanks before we leave . Even though he has a great homelife; the experience of interfacing with other dogs and people has enhanced his well-being and personality. People always comment what a happy dog he is. Much of his happiness is due to the good fortune having such a great place to go when we are away at work, and the fine people who care for him while there. read more

We have taken our male dog to their boarding facility when our female went into heat, twice. We do not have our dogs spayed/neutered unit they are over 2 years of age. Animal Keeper took really good care of our male who was there twice for approximately 5-7 days each time. It was stressful enough having our male dog away from us for 5-7 days, but knowing they took good care of him helped. We were able to call them every day to check on him, & they were so nice giving us updates. We did not visit him as we did not want to upset him by visiting & then leave him again. Animal Keeper is a safe & good alternative if you need to leave your fur babies somewhere for a few days. KEEP UP THE GOOD JOB ANIMAL KEEPER! read more

We have been taking Rio to Animal Keeper for about a year now and she gets so excited when we tell her she is going "to go play with the puppies" that she can't even eat her breakfast!! All the staff is so friendly and excellent with Rio that we never worry about her well being or safety. We sometimes wonder if she would rather stay there or come home! We have left Rio for an extended vacation and we think her vacation was better than ours! I would and have recommended Animal Keeper to all my friends and family because I certainly feel secure leaving Rio in wonderful and capable hands. read more

If you're looking for the best place to take your precious fur babies, look no further than The Animal Keeper. My two dogs have been coming here for several years now, and I couldn't be more satisfied with their care. The staff is friendly, professional, and kind, ensuring that my dogs always feel safe and secure during their visits. Not only do they receive top-notch service, but they are also spoiled with plenty of treats and cuddles! I highly recommend The Animal Keeper if you want to give your beloved pets the best experience possible. read more

We've been VERY happy with the Animal Keeper! We have a 7 month old female lab named Tulip who we just began taking to the Animal Keeper two months ago for doggie camp daycare and we have also left her there over long weekends. We can tell that Tulip LOVES being there! She is excited when we drive up to drop her off and tired and happy when we pick her up. Over one of her stays we asked that they bath her and she was beautiful and smelled good when we picked her up. The staff also is very friendly and loving towards the dogs. read more

I recently boarded my dog Satch at the Animal Keeper in Encinitas. I especially would like to mention how friendly and pleasant the front desk person was both when I dropped Satch off and again when I picked him up. Satch almost didn't want to go home. The $10 I spent on his going home bath was a real bargain. I'm used to spending much more at other places to have him bathed. It's worth it to board Satch occasionally just for the bath! I'm really happy with my experience at AK and would highly recommend it to everyone. read more

I was given a brochure for this Dog Training facility during the Cardiff Dog Dayz of Summer. I went to use their services and boy was I disappointed. The training was sub par as well as the trainers and the doggie DayCare was horrible. There was not enough supervision and my dog was attacked while attending this facility. I was referred to another Dog Trainer and things have been Pawsome. Rule of Paw, just because a business has fancy brochures and facility does not make them great. Research your trainers, shop around. read more

Our "Super Graysea" has been going to Animal Keeper for about 5 years now. She LOVES her people friends there so much! She is quite a regular at 5 days a week. She jumps out of the car and runs to front door every morning to greet the staff. It is a wonderful feeling to know that she enjoys her time there and that she is loved and well taken care of during her stay. The little extra touches...report cards and holiday pictures are also a very nice touch. We don't know what we would do without the Animal Keeper! read more

My dog B recently stayed at Animal keeper for a long weekend. It was her first experience at a doggy day care. The staff was incredibly supportive and encouraging. They made me feel comfortable and assured me that B would receive a lot of love and attention. I can honestly say that she did. B was happy, healthy and clean when I picked her up. The facility was clean, the staff was supportive. I would absolutely recommend The Animal Keeper to others looking for a safe, loving environment for their dog. read more

We have been taking our Goldendoodle Maxi to Animal Shelter for playdays for the 3 years she has been with us. She loooooves it! When she figures out where we are going, she starts whining and pawing my shoulder to "hurry up". Upon arrival, I open the back door and she is on her own! UP the stairs and through the door! When we pick her up, she is one tired camper. Home to sleep about 16 hours. Staff is great; very friendly . Knows Maxi and calls her by name as soon as she comes through the door. read more