The best store in Elgin--hands down! Their customer service is truly unmatched. Our visit feels…read morelike stopping by a place where people genuinely care. The staff is always friendly, helpful, and welcoming, and the gentlemen there never fail to check in and make sure we have everything we need before we leave. Their kindness and attentiveness really set them apart. They also go above and beyond when it comes to customer care. Even when we arrived close to closing time--later than the hours listed on their website--they still welcomed us warmly and never rushed us. That level of patience and respect is rare and truly appreciated. One of the things I appreciate most is the wide variety of items they carry. Whether we need keys made, jeans, boots, pet food, or accessories, they always have it in stock. They also offer a great selection of tools and supplies for both the garden and the farm, making it a reliable one-stop shop for almost anything we're looking for. It's rare to find a store that consistently has exactly what we need--and even things we didn't realize we needed! And to top it all off, they add thoughtful touches that make customers feel valued. This year, we even got to choose a free calendar for the new year from several beautiful designs. It's small gestures like that which show how much they appreciate their customers. Good-hearted, knowledgeable, down-to-earth people who treat you like family--this store has truly become one of our trusted places. Thank you for always being there whenever we need you! I would recommend this place to everyone.

Great selection and good prices. Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Good selection of pet supplies,…read morelawn & garden as well as Farm and Ranch.

We have a 100+ lb, 8-year-old German Shepherd named Tore with serious anxiety and aggressive…read morebehavior. He is a very intelligent dog and generally very obedient unless there is a stranger or another dog nearby, in which case he would become completely uncontrollable. We had paid many positive reinforcement oriented trainers to help us out when he was younger and less aggressive, which helped establish the obedience but did little to curb the impulse control and aggression. He was manageable for the first 5 years or so, but as we had kids and they got older we prioritized working with him less and less and he regressed into a very bad state. Up until about 6 months ago the aggressive behavior had never been targeted towards our family, however we had an incident where he gave my son a warning bit on the hand. My son had reached out to grab his collar to try to bring him inside and he didn't want to go. The bite was definitely a warning and not intended to do damage, but still left a rather deep puncture wound and an even deeper relationship damage between the kids, my wife, and the dog. Our vet recommended euthanasia. We contacted numerous trainers who were either unwilling or incapable of working with him due to his age and the bite incident. We finally happened upon Daniel who was provided to us as a reference from one of the trainers who said no. Daniel was the breath of fresh air that we needed. After a brief consultation, he very calmly and clearly explained the root cause driving Tore's behavior, much of which was frankly on us, which we expected. He felt confident Tore could be rehabilitated and that he could teach us how to manage him long term. Daniel accepted Tore into his 6-week board & train program where he takes the dog M-F, gives him back for the weekend, then starts again on Monday. Throughout the program Daniel provided updates on progress and was always available for questions. While this was not an overnight magic wand, we noticed an immediate and significant difference from that very first weekend that Tore was back in the house. We are now wrapping up week 7, the first week after conclusion of the program, and Tore's presence in this house is a night and day difference. There are still hiccups (he is 8 after all), we've had the growling incidents when he doesn't want to comply, and he still gets worked up at strangers and expresses anxiety in certain situations, but the key is that it is now manageable, and we can get it to stop without having to throw him in a different room. Further, it gets more quickly managed with each passing day and incident where Tore is put to the test. Do not get me wrong, Daniel will not help you if you are not willing to put in the work, and it is a lot of work. Full Stop. But I firmly believe that this man can rehabilitate any dog if the owner holds themselves accountable to the structure of the program. I appreciated Daniel's communication style, once I opened the door for it our conversations took on a more casual tone that I enjoyed. I felt and continue to feel that Daniel truly cares about Tore and has a passion for what he does. He provided quite a few add-on services that most would have charged for and he didn't. For example, he helped us manage Tore for a vet visit to take a look at a potential leg injury (in-office vet visits were something I frankly didn't think would ever be possible for this dog). He also offers boarding services at a very reasonable rate for his clients which is a huge win for us (he's boarding Tore for us this weekend so we can go see family for Thanksgiving). Highly recommend Daniel's services...and bonus - you're supporting a veteran owned business if you hire him.

Daniel is amazing!! I have a doberman Nova who is reactive and I needed a lot of help with her…read more Daniel has helped me so much! I have been to another trainer before and what Daniel has taught me is so different. The way he is able to see the dog's body language, explain it to me, and react to it properly is crazy! He is very thorough and makes sure you understand what's going on before moving on. I have seen such a difference in Nova and her behavior even just after the first week, it's like two completely different dogs. Daniel is someone I would recommend to anyone struggling with their dog and I will never use anyone else for my future dogs.

The only place my dogs will ever go we love AKM Kennels! The owner is so nice anytime we need…read moreanything! He gets to you so fast to!

I am really sad that this was our experience with AKM Kennels. This is NOT how you are supposed to…read morepick up your dogs from boarding. I picked up my senior pug with this severe wound two days ago. I paid for the upgraded boarding that had the camera monitoring option and asked that our dog only be with his companion and no other dogs. I had no missed calls, voice mails or emails that my dog was injured under their care. I picked him up like this a day early which is when i found out, right before pick up. They put a stop bleed powder on him to stop the bleeding while I was there. They said they don't know what happened and the incident was not recorded on camera. I took him to the vet here in town and they confirmed it is a puncture wound with significant bruising all around. I chose them because they had amazing reviews online, everywhere. But, this has just been really horrific for us. I'm sure this type of injury hurt my dog. I now have vet bills and meds for my senior pug because of this. I only got an automated email the day after thanking me for choosing them. They have yet to even reach out to ask how he was when we left. I wish I never took my pug here. What a terrible experience.

After years of caring for animals and navigating veterinary care in and around Austin, I had become…read moredeeply discouraged trying to find a clinic that still felt... personal. Not corporate. Not conveyor-belt medicine. Not a place where you feel rushed through one of the most vulnerable moments you can experience with a beloved pet. And then I found Dime Box Animal Clinic and Dr. Darden Hervey. Let me put this into perspective: I live in Far East Austin and gladly make the hour drive without hesitation. Yes. They are that worth it. After what we had been through with Lily--my soul dog, my best friend, my constant companion--I was emotionally exhausted and incredibly cautious about who I trusted next. Her orbital exenteration was not a small procedure, and by the time we arrived at Dime Box, I wasn't just looking for medical skill. I was looking for steadiness. Transparency. Compassion that didn't feel rehearsed. That is exactly what we found. From the moment we walked in, there was a quiet sincerity to the clinic that immediately lowered my shoulders a little. The staff was warm without being performative, attentive without creating chaos, and genuinely kind in a way that cannot be taught in corporate training videos. And Dr. Hervey? Some people are good at veterinary medicine. Some people are gifted at caring for both the animal and the human attached to them. He belongs firmly in that second category. Never once did I feel dismissed, rushed, or spoken over. After Lily's surgery, I had questions--many of them. Every single one was answered with patience and clarity. Not irritation. Not condescension. Not the subtle "we already explained this" tone pet owners unfortunately know all too well. I also want to specifically mention something that deeply stood out to me about Dr. Hervey and the way he practices medicine. He genuinely gives each patient and their family his time and attention. Not rushed, not transactional, not "let's move this along to the next appointment." When we arrived to pick Lily up after her surgery, Dr. Hervey was still speaking with another client. The vet tech came out a couple of times to apologize for the wait and let me know he was still with them. My response was immediate: absolutely no problem whatsoever. Because to me, that spoke volumes. It told me that when it's your turn with Dr. Hervey, you matter. Your questions matter. Your fears matter. Your animal matters. You are not being hurried through so someone can move on to the next dollar. I ended up making the drive home before I had the opportunity to speak with him directly. Not long after arriving home, I received a personal text from Dr. Hervey letting me know he'd heard I had questions and asking how he could help. And he answered every single one of them. That kind of follow-through, compassion, and accessibility is increasingly rare--not just in veterinary medicine, but honestly anywhere. The peace that gave me after Lily's surgery is difficult to properly put into words, but it meant everything to me. He understood that when you love an animal deeply, reassurance matters just as much as the medicine. There is a groundedness to Dr. Hervey that inspires trust. He communicates with calm confidence, explains things thoroughly, and creates the rare feeling that your pet is not simply another appointment slot in the day. And that matters more than I can properly put into words. The drive out to Dime Box feels almost restorative compared to the stress of navigating big-box veterinary systems in the city. It reminds me that there are still places where medicine is practiced with heart, where relationships still matter, and where people genuinely care about the outcomes for both pets and their owners. In a world increasingly dominated by corporate veterinary care, Dime Box Animal Clinic feels like finding something endangered and precious. Competence. Integrity. Humanity. I'm profoundly grateful we found them, and I look forward to trusting them with Lily's care for many years to come.

Dr. Hervey and his staff are extremely kind and compassionate…read more He explains your options and helps you make an informed decision about the care your animal needs. His staff is professional. I cannot recommend this clinic enough.