George did an amazing job welcoming our new rescue to the Black Birch family! We first went to have an obedience assessment and George took his time with us and explained in detail his findings and answered all of our questions. We then booked a grooming appointment for our new puppy and were met with the same amazing customer service. George took his time with our nervous dog and stopped a few times to give him breaks. The before and after are better than we expected and he smells so good! Black Birch is a great resource for Milford and surrounding communities! read more

Black Birch Farm - Before and after grooming! - Pet Sitting Near Me - Milford, Connecticut

Do not send your dog here. We had one dog require surgery and an almond 10,000 vet bill (that the vet was so dumbfounded by their actions they actually wrote a letter stating the facilities actions worsened his injuries signed angle) and the other leave with bites and swelling (we were told this one has no injury). The owner provided a different story all three times he was asked to explain what occurred. He had no sympathy for any of his actions/inactions. The emergency vet actually expressed concern to us regarding HIS behaviors when finally bringing our severely injured dog in for care. They can rattle off whichever of the stories they want or create a new one. They never charged us for the stay and they/their insurance ended up paying that costly bill. They knew they were negligent and worsened the situation. Please never send your dogs here. Do better than we did. Look at the horrible things that have happened to families in the 1 star reviews. We mistakingly followed some recommendations rather than looking into that better. Do better than we did for the sake of your pups. read more

George and staff are the best. Good to the dogs (two, 6 year old Scottish Terriers) as well as good grooming. It is hard for me (maybe a lot of us) to leave a pet anywhere let's face it, My personal experience is: Black Birch is a good place to go. John Baird read more

Black Birch Farm - Roy and Cate with a little down time - Pet Sitting Near Me - Milford, Connecticut

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They do a damn fine job in looking after our boy. He comes home and sleeps for a while, which is normal, but doesn't reek of a kennel, has never come out with running eyes or other types of maladies sometimes common to kennel stays. read more

THINK TWICE * After using Black Birch Farm's services for a couple of years, I will no longer be sending my dogs to this facility due to health and safety concerns for the animals and employees who work there. I recently spent about 8 hours in this kennel because I was interested in buying the business and wanted to learn how the kennel was run. What I found shocked me. These are some of the red flags I found: There was a dish of rat poison stored on the same racks where bowls of food were kept. There was nothing preventing cross contamination if a rodent walked on or around the filled dog dishes. There was mouse feces in the containers where the food for boarded dogs was kept. There was no soap to wash the shared dog dishes. There was no hot water. Dogs were being groomed in ice cold water and I was told that they had been doing so all winter long.  The grooming room was unsanitary. Equipment was dirty and rusty. There were medication dispensing issues that arose. I would not be confident that my dog would get their medication if boarded there.  Kennels were rotting and in need of repair. There's debris all throughout the interior and exterior of the building, all things that could be incredibly dangerous if a dog got loose on the premise. In addition, they were not cleaned very well. They were sprayed with bleach and then hosed down with cold water (because there was no hot water). CT regulations state that the application of hot water needs to not be less than 180 degrees Fahrenheit to properly clean and disinfect.  There were other issues, these were simply the most glaring health and safety concerns. If this business stays open without making serious changes, it's just a matter of time before Black Birch Farm becomes the next Beacon Falls. read more

Our dog spent a weekend at Black Birch Farm every 2-3 months for about two years. Initially, we had a great experience. The staff seemed enthusiastic, we loved the option of an outdoor attached run and our dog was healthy and happy when we picked him up. Christmas of 2018, we planned a longer than usual trip and boarded our dog for 10 days. When we picked him up, the groomer happened to be there and mentioned that he'd noticed some mats on our dog's stomach when he gave him a bath that day. We headed home and quickly noticed that our dog was obsessively licking his stomach and legs. When we took a closer look, we were devastated to see that he had extreme "hot spots" with raw skin, pus-filled blisters and massive mats caused by his licking. We rushed him to the vet and they shaved off the hair, cleaned his wounds and treated the infection with broad spectrum antibiotics. He spent two weeks with an e-collar on. We went back to Black Birch and spoke to the staff, leaving a message for the owner. The owner was very gracious and stopped by our house to check on our dog, offering to split the vet bill with us. However, he suggested that our dog's condition was our fault, as we dropped him off already matted. While I disagree with him on that point, it's really beside the point. Regardless of how he was dropped off, his staff either didn't pay enough attention to our dog to notice his injuries, or did notice them and just didn't think they warranted action. In either case, we no longer felt confident in the care he would receive there and stopped boarding him after that incident. read more

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We first used Black Birch Farm to board our puppy just over a year ago. She did very well and received excellent care. In March when I started to work from home, l often needed to be on video conferences, etc... Needless to say, I could not have a barking dog in the background. They've been wonderful and Winnie loves going to see her friends. There have been days when I literally had to pick her up and put her in the car because she did not want to leave! read more

Black Birch Farm - Excited to get back to Black Birch Farm! - Pet Sitting Near Me - Milford, Connecticut

Can't say enough about George & his staff, so accommodating & hearts of gold!!! Our Khloe (pit) gets welcomed with open arms & loves the out doors which is perfect for her to run around with her fur friends... thank you for not discriminating, she can't wait to get there in the morning & waits for her treat when we leave!!! Very very pleased top notch read more

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Avoid the 'grooming' service here - it should be called 'shearing'. They basically just shaved both of our dogs bald, and left numerous cuts and nicks all over both of them. If you have a sheep, great. Dogs, not so great. read more

I called and spoke to Bailey and she was super helpful and informative with information and pricing and all of that. I like that they do facility tours so I will be doing that before I bring my pup, but she gave me such a great calm feeling about the facility! read more

No problems. We came from an area where our dog stayed at a doggie resort, in a miniature house, by himself at night, and played with other dogs in the daytime. It was a dream. Well, we moved here and they don't have places like that. I was nervous about taking him to a regular kennel. He's never been crated, and he's never been to a normal kennel before. Well, it was clean here and everything looked as it should. The people were friendly, and his first stay was for NINE DAYS. When I picked him up, he was fine. Clean and happy. No problems. I would definitely recommend Black Birch Farms to anyone for their kenneling needs. read more

Owner is super rude, inflexible, and intolerant of customer's questions and inquiries. I had not yet dropped my dog off after making a reservation, and I had a question about potentially picking my dog up on a Sunday night - for which I would have been willing to pay triple a one nights stay, but he didn't want to even discuss it, he suggested I put my enormous dog in a smaller kennel to save 5$ a night - which is ridiculous and inhumane. The price was not a problem, I explained, I have an old dog and want him home with me as much as possible. My concern is my dog's well being. The owner's sweet, and obviously fake, tone changed to an nasty growl and he angrily said "I'm just going to cancel the reservation then" , and I was quite offended. This is how a child responds, with a tantrum and a pout and a stomp of the foot. This is no way to treat people and communicate. It makes me wonder what kind of temper this guy has if no one is looking and he's not getting his way or being challenged in any way. Otherwise, my dog has kenneled there over two nights and was fine, but quite stressed, in the past. He has enjoyed the doggie daycare for a short time, but the area is too small for the number of dogs cared for. It's no wonder there have been problems and injuries. (see other's reviews) I will not be taking my dog to any place that does not have cameras to monitor what's going on. They say they have them, but they never work...so basically they don't have them. It's a cheap fix, what are they hiding? I will be looking for better places now to take my boy. I miss the plethora of great options in Boston, having just moved here. I would suggest you keep looking too. read more

We've been going there for nearly 10 years now. Dog training, grooming and boarding. We've done it all on a regular basis. Excellent place. Excellent and friendly service. I feel very comfortable knowing that our dog is very well taken care of while we are on vacation. read more

Had a very positive experience boarding my dog here. When I picked him up he was clean and happy! Very friendly owner and staff. This will be my go to place for boarding and daycare from now on! read more

We have been using Black Birch Farms for 10 years. George, the owner, is caring, compassionate, and very knowledgeable when it comes to dogs!! We were recently going on vacation and the night before we left, we had to bring our dog to the ER. When we brought Vader in in the morning, George immediately knew I was distressed. He wrote all the information down regarding medication and instructions. We kept in contact while we were away and George was honest and reassuring while we were away. I am so happy that we found George and Black Birch Farms!! read more

It was our first time here and I really wanted to love this place (we'd heard good things about it from co-workers). We boarded our dog for about a week. We called to check in part way through the stay and were told that everything was fine. However, when we went to pick him up he had a really bad case of kennel cough and sores on his legs. The kennel cough lasted about two weeks, but a month later and the sores still haven't gone away. We are going to keep looking in the hopes of finding a better spot to board our dog. read more

I recently used this kennel, and while my dog had a good experience at doggy daycare for one day(owner gave some good pointers and workers that day were professional) when I left him the next week I was very disappointed. The female manager is very rude and abrupt, she didn't want to be bothered(if I wasn't leaving early the next am I would have found somewhere else). I didn't find out until I was away that their email is no longer used, they never returned calls and daily reports were never done(only given a one day computer BS printout). I brought a new bag of food, it disappeared to who knows where. He never got any of his treats, toys or more importantly his medication. When I picked him up he was bathed but not in special shampoo I left(so between that and no meds all his skin allergies were back). He also has for lack of better term puppy pink eye that he had no sign of going in. I was especially concerned because I could only reach the one manager and her people skills are less than professional, I only found out about the meds this week when I looked in the bottle and they were all still there. I had called to tell them specifically when I'd be in but he wasn't ready and guy had no idea where the bag was(it was thrown in a corner in the front room, with all but food still in there). Unless it's a dire emergency my dog will not be going back, and I rarely write these reviews but the lack of care for his health or following owner directions when I paid a good amount of money for the week really irks me. People please beware. read more

George and staff are wonderful, very caring and accommodating; will definitely use them again !

Very very friendly staff. Place is clean and prices are very good. Probably the best place to board your pet in the area. Will always be going to black birch to board my pet! read more

I have boarded my labs here for years. Recently picked up my chocolate lab after a 3 night stay and a bath. His coat was shiny and he was happy. Black Birch is a clean, well-maintained facility. My experience has always been positive. read more

Black Birch Farm is "home away from home" for our 13 year old lab. Duke is always happy to bound in when we have to be away. George and crew have been a pleasure to work with over the years and we highly recommend the professional service we have always received there. read more

Highly Recommend. Our dog LOVES it here. He is happy and clean when we pick him up. We have been going here for over 5 years. There isn't a better kennel around. I never feel guilty leaving my pup because I know Black Birch is a treat for him too! read more

I board my dog there, get his grooming there, daycare and did their training classes. Cant say enough good things. He loves it there. It's clean and he is well cared for. Lots of playing. :) read more

Its been quite some time since I used this kennel BUT still never forget the terrible experiences I had there. George could care less about his customers or the dogs, he has a horrible attitude. I dropped my dog off there in clean condition. When I picked him up he smelled like urine, they said they had to give him a bath. How did that happen George? I never got an answer. I asked for his bedding that I brought in, they said I never left it there. A couple days later he phoned me and it was found. When I picked it up it was in such bad condition, smelled like urine! I threw everything out. I decided after some time to give them another chance. I contacted them months before I needed them to reserve a spot. I kept checking with them every month or so to be sure we were still all set. A WEEK before I was to bring him it, I called again to confirm and was told that my dog needed to be treated again for kennel cough........the problem with this was HE NEEDED TO GET THIS TREATMENT WEEKS BEFORE SO IT WOULD BE EFFECTIVE!!!! So I had to scramble to try to make other arrangements for his care while I was gone. What an awful place, I will NEVER use them again. NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER read more