When I got my puppy, I knew that I needed to socialize her with other dogs so that she wouldn't grow up to be a little jerk (don't laugh, that's a real concern!). I checked out three doggie daycares i... Read More
When I got my puppy, I knew that I needed to socialize her with other dogs so that she wouldn't grow up to be a little jerk (don't laugh, that's a real concern!). I checked out three doggie daycares in the area and had basically come to the conclusion that I'd have to pick the lesser of several evils, when I wandered into The Animal House. Here's why I ended up choosing them:- When I visited, the staff members actually interacted with my dog and were excited to meet her. They genuinely love animals! Contrast this with the staff at other businesses who barely acknowledged her. Seriously, I was carrying around the most adorable 10-week-old pug puppy! How can you ignore all of that cuteness? Apparently at the place that rhymes with BoldHusk, they employ cyborgs.- The facility is spotless. This is a building that contains, on a given day, more than 50 dogs for daycare and boarding, plus the grooming facility generating what must be snowdrifts of shed hair, and yet it doesn't have that dog smell. They are meticulous about cleaning and I believe the entire place is cleaned top to bottom daily, including pressure washing the heavily trafficked areas. - Their reception area is for dogs and people, not a gift shop. I didn't have to weave my way through racks of dog clothes and jingly fairy collars. They do have a well-curated selection of products but it seems to be only things the staff endorses. And I'm there almost every weekday and I've never once been upsold.- Their kennel areas are HUGE and nice. No boarding in a small crate, the dogs actually get runs. No stupid themed crates! Your dog doesn't care about sports teams! It just wants a clean warm dry place to sleep. Also, they play a radio in the kennel areas, at no extra cost (other places actually charged for that, can you believe it?)- They require every dog to have temperament testing before they accept them into day care. They make sure that all dogs play well with other dogs and emphasize safety and fun for our little friends.So, since then, I have about a million other reasons to love The Animal House. The staff is consistent and many of them have educational backgrounds and certifications in animal sciences. I have taken the obedience classes offered and they are phenomenal! Oh, and the best part? They are literally 50 feet away from a vet's office, so if your dog needs a shot updated or isn't feeling well, you can have them take care of it while your dog is at day care. No time off of work needed to do the yearly shots! Also, they watch the dogs very closely and inspect them as part of their day. I've had times where they've called me to alert me to the fact that my dog wasn't feeling well or was acting sluggish. This is serious individual attention!We switched our vet and now take both our cat and our dog to see Dr. Pat at the adjacent vet center, too. And of course, our dog absolutely adores day care and comes home well-exercised and happy. On Sundays, it's obvious how much energy she must be exerting at day care because she starts getting squirrelly and as we all know from watching The Dog Whisperer, the key to a well-behaved dog is to give them exercise. Point taken and demonstrated again and again. Essentially, the careful and caring staff at The Animal House Groom & Board has earned our trust when it comes to our animals. We've been going there daily for over 18 months and they have never let us down and more importantly, they have never let our dog down. That's a pretty solid record. Read Less