My boy is always happy and sleepy after a great day of dog camp at Animal Keeper Encinitas! He always comes home happy and is excited to go again! Front lobby ladies are the best, especially Stephanie. Manager Kayla goes above and beyond! Update: we now bring 2 dogs to animal keeper and they both love it for different reasons. Rebel loves the dogs, Echo loves the people. I know they're happy there because when we get in the car and turn in saxony they both get really excited. It's expensive, but worth it! read more

The Animal Keeper - Happy. Sleepy boy after animal keeper day care. - Pet Sitting Near Me - Encinitas, California

Animal keeper has been looking after our dogs for years! My dogs love doggie day care and I feel comforted to know they're in good hands when we leave them for boarding. Highly recommend the team at Animal Keeper! read more

I was taking my boxer puppy here since she had all her shots but wasn't old enough to be spayed. The staff was friendly however my boxer developed a cage anxiety. We would pick her up from day care and she was always wet on her neck and paws. When I made a comment, they said she must be knocking her water bowl. We then noticed when we would put her in her crate at home that she started foaming and shaking. We brought this up to the staff members and automatically said they never seen it. Let me be clear she was going here every day since she was 3 months old. If dogs are at day care why are you bringing them in before pick up? The last day I brought her there, I asked to walk in, they were professional enough to allow me in and it was so loud in the back with the dogs barking up a storm. No wonder my puppy developed a crate anxiety. I never brought her back ever again. For those owners that have a pet with crate anxiety be aware read more

We have been using the services of Animal Keeper for 5 years - and it is fantastic. Our dogs love to go there for socializing with their friends. Best of all they come home tired and ready for a nap (we like that best). We recently got a new puppy who was having anxiety issues and leash aggression. We retained Animal Keeper Trainer (Rurik Dominiquez) - - best $ we have spent. Within 1-month the pup was sitting - healing and we were able to calm the puppy down so she could be controlled on her meet-and-greet with other dogs. My wife and I got trained too. Rurik kept us updated with video and then weekly we would have our chance to work with the puppy while Rurik provided constructive comments and observation. - - Very professional - - very effect and the best staff ever: Kayla, Austin, Destiny, Kat, Angel, Dillon and all the helpers in the yard including Rurik. By: John and Sue Harrison, Encinitas read more

I removed my last review because the issue I had was addressed by Tom so I'll write it off as a bad day. Overall a good place to take your dog for a groom. Staff is friendly and helpful and the location is great. read more

The Animal Keeper - Are you kidding me??!! Does this look like they were taken out on regular bathroom breaks?! - Pet Sitting Near Me - Encinitas, California

My dog loves the animal keeper so much and I love the employees that work there. There's never been a time where drop off has ever been difficult when it comes to daycare and they work with me with my crazy hospital schedule. my dog looks forward to daycare. She knows exactly the way there so her tail is wagging from the time we make that right turn. I recommend doggy daycare to anyone, but I really recommend the animal keeper to everyone. We will come here forever! Thank you for being the best daycare! read more

Kayla, Stephanie, Destiny and the entire Encinitas Team are sweet, caring, compassionate, professional and great to work with. We've Kenneled 3 retrievers and 1 doodle (all passed now) with Animal Keepers 10+ years, never worrying, and always confident they were safe and well cared for while we were away. Our recent "little rescue Rosie" has presented us with many challenges including separation anxiety and leashed aggression. She's been successfully attending "Tiny Tots" day camp on a regular basis, and recently transitioned nicely into overnight kenneling. Her tail's wagging the minute she arrives at The Animal Keeper, very enthusiastic and excited to go play with her dog and human pals. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for your excellent service and care, much appreciated! Cheers to a healthy, happy and safe 2021~ read more

My dog loves The Animal Keeper in Encinitas! She pulls me to the door every time! It's a clean and very well run place. You can tell the staff love what they do. Staff wear masks and take Covid measures seriously. They make drop off and pick up a pleasure, as you don't even have to leave your car. I highly recommend The Animal Keeper of Encinitas!!! read more

My Senior, 3lb Dog was there for 9 nights in the care of Animal Keeper. Was told I would receive photos and updates during her stay. I got one photo taken while I was still there dropping her off. Someone contacted me on Day 5 to let me know she had blood / diarrhea and might need to go to the vet and someone would update me. I called, sent texts, emails for the next several days and got no response until the night before she was to be picked up, telling me "everything was fine". On picking her up, was told to wait while she was "Cleaned up" and she was then handed to me with feces caked all over her backside, her anus and vulva completely swollen, flaming red and raw. I had to cut it off of her, she was wincing and yelping in pain when I gently bathed her to remove the dried feces all over her backside. It took a full week for the swelling to go down and for the redness and raw skin to heal on her delicate privates. This is unacceptable no matter what the cost and in this case was nearly $800 to have her there for 9 nights. SHAME ON ANIMAL KEEPER. DO NOT LEAVE A PET IN THEIR CARE!!! They did not care about my pet one way or the other and let her stay in this condition for days in their facility. read more

The Animal Keeper - Pet Sitting Near Me - Encinitas, California

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Do not subject yourself or your pet to the incompetence and lack of professionalism that we have endured at the Encinitas location of Animal Keeper. Over the course of many visits, our grievances include discourteous office staff, overcharging on our bill, and most frustratingly, our dog being confined in a room because the staff neglected to let her out to play as we had paid for. Additionally, shortly after receiving a bath at Animal Keeper, our dog developed an ear infection. Two hundred dollars later, the vet informed us it was caused by an excess of water in her ears. Animal Keeper's office goes days at a time without a management presence, and the front line staff either refuse or are not empowered to deal with customer service issues. For the sake of your pet and your own peace of mind, do not patronize Animal Keeper in Encinitas. read more

Not sure I've ever left a Yelp review but I feel the need to say something about Animal Keeper in Encinitas. We leave our 17 month old 23 lb puppy there 1-2 days a week for doggie day camp. We love the staff, never had anything but welcoming, responsible people. They seem to really care about the dogs like their own. They recognize us, greet us and "Sammi" by name and ask if any requests. They ask for approximate pick up time and never a delay in getting her to us when we pick her up. Sammi gets so excited when she gets out of the car and sees that she's going to spend a day or half day at The Animal Keeper!! We've also had her for some training which was professional and care spent to teach us how to elicit new behaviors ourselves. read more

We took Katie to the Encinitas location today to play at doggy day care since I had a dental appointment. My appointment was at 1 so we ran Katie over there to drop her off at around 12:15. Stephanie, the assistant manager seemed bothered that we were there at that time and not at 7am. She said that we would be disturbing the other dogs if a new dog showed up. Prior to our move to Cardiff, we have been taking Katie to Zuri Pet Spa in San Juan Capistrano and perhaps we have been spoiled with their kindness, accommodation for their clients whenever we need them and their friendly staff. We could and did drop Katie off at any time and she was always welcome with a smile and never a lecture on our time of arrival. They were just happy to see us and have us as a client. Unfortunately, this location completely missed the mark on all three points. When we picked up Katie we were told that she was not allowed to play with the other dogs and she was kept in a kennel because of what time we arrived. We will be researching other boarding facilities in the Cardiff/Encinitas area since this is not a good fit. I did contact the Poway location to find out if this is standard protocol with the other locations and I get the impression it may be depending on the current dog situation. My main point in calling and leaving this review is for the owner to know that they are losing income based on this treatment of their clientele. read more

I brought my pup there for a bath and they are really friendly and a great value. She was happy and sparkling clean when I picked her up!

Love this place. I was in a real bind and desperately needed someone to watch our dog, and they were completely full, but took him anyway and went out of their way to help out. Will be coming back here forever. read more

Very friendly & welcoming to both humans and animals. Love that they sell treats and some dog food, makes it convenient when I am low on goodies. My only input for a "to do " list would be that the weekend play hours were the same as during the week . Otherwise, they are my fave dog care facility in Encinitas. read more

Have used animal keeper as a solid backup for my dog's care when out of town. I prefer a suite which is a lager comfortable room with Tv and toys. My dog seems less stressed in this environment. The only problem I see is there is an extra charge for everything. Should have an all inclusive fee. Play time, night time tuck in, should be included. read more

Juno loved his stay again with your crew. He came home after his week happy and healthy! I always recommend your location and will continue to. Thank you for everything! read more

When I picked my dog up from boarding he was covered in urine. They refunded some of my money but I'll never go back. read more

I like that the staff is friendly and that daycare seems always available with a day's notice. Our small dog Penny seems to have had a good time because she's pretty tired when she gets home. My only issue is that I would like to see the area where she plays and stays but since Covid that doesn't seem available. For that reason I can't give them 5 stars. read more

Wouldn't take my baby boy anywhere else! The staff goes above and beyond. I can tell they love the pups in their care.

Went to Animal Keeper for a bath and grooming of our golden retevier. when reterned the grooming was not what we really wanted...just a miscommunication with the groomer. called and spoke with assnt manager stephanie. she said bring him right back for a redue. Showed groomer Marlynne a picture of what we wanted. about an hour later they called me to pick him up. the new cut was PERFECT!!! cant say enough about Animal keeper! our new go to. Great customer service, pricing and excellent grooming! Thank you Animal Keeper! Gary M. read more

We've taken our dog to several different groomers but Susan at the Animal Keeper has raised the bar - she did an awesome job paying attention to every single detail - the end result: our Coker Spaniel looked like a show dog! Thanks, Susan! read more

Our puppy loves it there!! He hops out and runs to the gate wagging his tail. I have total peace of mind.

This has been my favorite place to take my dogs!! When I pick them up, my dogs looks healthy and happy!! I would highly recommend them!! Thank you for always taking good care of Duke and pumpkin!! It mean the world to me. Mary Lenihan read more

I just picked up my dog from her first day at day care at The Animal Keeper. I've never seen her so happy (and tired!). She played the entire time and made so many new friends. This is going to be her favorite place in the world and she already can't wait to come back! Staff was great and the facility was really nice and clean. read more

We use The Animal Keeper mostly for dog daycare. They have a very organized system (including putting a paper collar instead of their normal collar) and my dogs come home tired. read more

My dog Lucy doesn't talk much but the impression I get whenever I drop her off is that she loves to go there and play with all the other puppies. Thank you for all the hard work you ladies do read more

I took my dog here for a 20-day "Board and Train" over the holidays. Rurik worked with my 5 yo rescue dog to continue to desensitize her and reduce/stop her dog reactivity when on the leash. He also focused on her obedience on a leash since she is a puller. Her dog reactivity is extremely reduced, as long as I'm diligent in setting her up for success (keeping the right distance and using "watch me" cue), we avoid any reactivity. I used to feel anxious about her reactivity on walks, not knowing what would happen. Now I feel it is managed and I feel calm on walks. Many times she now looks to me when she sees another dog because she's conditioned to be paid (treats and praise). Also, Rurik laid the ground work for her to "heel" and her pulling is reduced as long as I continue to "work her" (get her to heel while we walk). I'm continuing to work with my dog to stop/reduce the pulling and it will take time but I feel there is a path forward and improvement which I'm grateful for. I highly recommend Rurik and the Animal Keeper! read more

Love this place for my standard poodle. She loves the humans, playtime with the dogs and overnight stays. The staff is very friendly and professional. Highly recommend! read more

We have been using the Animal Keeper for several years! Our dog Bubba absolutely LOVES this place. When we pick him up he is so happy to see us which makes me think he's had a great time. The staff go above and beyond for our pets! I high recommend them for both overnight stays as well as day camps 10 out of 10! read more

I've got mixed emotions about this place. The best thing about them - they led me to Jenn's Family Pack (Dog Trainer). My little guy loved going here until one day out of the blue they said he was a vicious dog who bit someone. OK. I say, "what can i do?" I was told, "Oh don't worry about it, we'll put him in a kennel by himself, dogs often times get worked up when other dogs are leaving because there is so much energy in the kennels." We immediately stopped taking our babe to this place and found two other doggy day cares and have had NO such problems. In fact, one of the new day cares said that his temperament is so good that they use him when interviewing new campers at their facility. My dog trainer agrees that he's of good temperament and IF he did bite someone it was most likely due a specific event. In my opinion the staff here do not have adequate training in handling dogs. I'm not sure if my pup was mishandled or not but he has been named a stellar day camper at both Camp Bow Wow (October camper of the month) and Camp Run A Mutt. Go elsewhere, I don't trust these people... read more

The entire staff at Animal Keeper is so nice! I can genuinely tell they care about my dog and want to provide the highest level of care and service they can! They are very flexible to your dogs needs; will give him breaks through out the day, will feed them during a full day of play time, and make sure to call you if there is anything less than perfect going on with your pet. It would be amazing if they started offering a web cam so people could see their pet during doggy day care but other than that I would highly recommend them for daily care and nightly boarding! read more

On August 25th I brought my Senior dog for grooming. Before I did that I talked to several grooming places about my concerns with a senior dog. The Animal Keeper assured me understood the needs of a senior dog and they could groom her. That Saturday I brought her in at 8 AM and met with the groomer and told her my concerns and I also asked if my dog started stressing just to call me and I would pick her up. A little while later close to 10 AM the groomer did call me and said that my dog pooped on herself with the dryer and she had to rewash her and it would take longer. I asked the groomer if she was alright should I come and pick her up and she assured me she was fine and calm. One hour later I got the call to come get her. The groomer was walking my dog out holding up both of her hips. I thought how weird. I had to carry my dog out. She could no longer squat to relief herself. I wrote a letter to Kayla and Sierra the managers of the Grooming and kennel facility. I also called expressing my concerns and they said they would reimburse me my emergency vet fees and grooming fees. I had to put my dog down she was crippled after the groomers. No one from The Animal Keeper contacted me even though they said the were concerned and wanted to speak with me. I would not recommend this facility to anyone who loves their dog. They are untrustworthy and in humane. BEWARE I hade to give one star to post read more

Suki and Pepper love going here. The staff are amazing and so friendly. They help to keep an anxious dog mom calm when we go away for a couple of days. Thanks so much !!!!! read more

I called the Animal Keeper's Encinitas location last week to get some information about their day camp. I was told about the temperament test (which I was expecting) but when I asked if I needed an appointment I was told no. I showed up today and when they asked if I had an appointment I told them what the lady had told me at the time. There was 4 employees standing (manager amongst them), they exchanged "funny" looks and finally the front desk girl tells me sure I'll just need some information. I gave her what she needed and she tells me she's going to get the dog technician. She comes back alone and asks the manager if she could take my dog (Missy). The manager says "yes, I can do it really quickly" (they were having a meeting in the lobby in front of customers). She takes Missy who's a Golden Retriever, very friendly and attends other dog camps on a regular basis. The only reason I was there was because of the convenience of the location (close to my job). She comes back within 3 minutes max, telling me that she was snappy with a little dog and she's not ready for camp. I was shocked not because she's my dog but because I've had her for 4 years and NEVER had an issue and she attends other camps with no problem. In addition, they advertise that big dogs and small dogs are put in different yards so why were you testing her with a small dog. Lastly, one of the employees made a comment about Missy and how happy and excited she is to be at camp when we were waiting in the lobby so what happened in those 3 minutes. I understand safety comes first and that dogs need to get along but when the dog goes to other camps, plays in dog parks, is friendly to adults and kids but yet acts up in their presence, the problem is them not the dog. Unprofessional with the "looks" of disapproval (no appointment), meeting in the lobby where they were discussing how to word things so they don't get in trouble with customers, the way Missy was pulled (manager annoyed and wanted this done quickly), to how they let an unhappy customer simply walk-out. I wouldn't even leave Missy there if they paid me. I'm including a picture of Missy at another dog day camp. She's the golden retriever... so scary lol UPDATE: Tom Sayles the area manager messaged me and we talked on the phone. Tom demonstrated great professionalism and showed that he obviously cares about the business and the customer's satisfaction. read more

The Animal Keeper - Pet Sitting Near Me - Encinitas, California

Such loving dog handlers. The service and care for the animals shows on the happy dog faced! So happy my pup Lola plays there! read more

The Animal Keeper - Pet Sitting Near Me - Encinitas, California

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I highly recommend The Animal Keeper in Encinitas! The staff is friendly, professional and they always do an A+ grooming job. read more

The Animal Keeper - Pet Sitting Near Me - Encinitas, California

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I just had the BEST experience at The Animal Keeper! My dogs look and smell AMAZING! The store manager Kayla was so helpful getting my dogs in and making me feel at ease knowing they will be very well taken care of. Marlenne has done the best job I have ever seen on my babies! Usually my dogs get a little cough after seeing the old groomers I would go to but, they are perfectly healthy and happy after visiting the animal keeper. When I picked them up they didn't seem stressed out or panicked at all. When we got home they fell right to sleep! I'm so glad I found this place and highly recommend taking your babies here! Thank you again! read more

I am so happy to have found Animal Keepers in Encinitas for my crew of three pups. The incredibly caring staff has been so welcoming and warm at every turn. The dogs love day camp and are in the best possible hands during their stay. One pup has been taking advantage of some one on one training, which I could not be more thankful for. Alex, the pup and (human) whisperer is so patient and his guidance in invaluable. Thank you Animal Keepers! read more

We have used this kennel for years for all of our dogs. Excellent care is always given. The staff is outstanding in making sure our dogs are comfortable, exercised, and well cared for. read more