My dog is very shy. Every stay at Canine Cottage she becomes more social. She loves it there. I used them 4 times and my dog is always clean, happy and never ready to leave. The care they give my fur baby loves it here. I will always use them because their staff really cares. read more

We are traveling nurses and have 2 Pomskis. I can't say enough about this place. We used their daycare as well as their groomers. Our pups LOVED this place, and they are pretty picky. They were even able to accommodate some early morning drop-offs when we had to go in early. One of our pups had knee surgery while we were in town. They were also able to give her the extra attention she needed a couple of times when we needed to drop her off. We would definitely use them again when we are working in this area. read more

My dog has been coming here for daycare since the beginning of the year and absolutely loves it. The staff is great and very attentive, we love how they post daily pictures of the dogs playing outside. My dog also sees Summer for grooming and she is amazing too! Highly recommend read more

Warning! This was once a fantastic facility. We have been loyal customers for over two years, since they opened. Our dog was boarded at least six weeks a year for the last two years and attended doggy daycare 2 to 3 days a week. They have had a change in ownership and staffing. We should've seen the warning sign three weeks ago when we noticed it was smelling very bad every time we picked our dog up. We just had to go pick our dog up during boarding because they accused him of aggression. Our dog will let any young kid come up to him, flip on his belly and roll over. Our dog has been completely traumatized and there's no telling what actually happened. Do not leave your dog here! read more

We've been very happy with Canine Cottage Salem, VA in the past AND with the new ownership of late. Our whippet mix Komit is almost 17 y.o., deaf and blind and quite feeble, but his health is stable and he's a happy pup. He likes to walk - slowly, eats well, enjoys treats and affection, and gives a lot of love. When we're out of town, he requires extra attention, so we do the deluxe boarding. The staff at Canine Cottage Salem has consistently provided great care, and Komit is happy when we pick him up. We've also patronized Canine Cottage in other locations, always pleased. The site is clean and the staff professional and caring. read more

I don't normally post reviews, especially not for small businesses but upon hearing other customers sharing similar experiences, I felt like I wanted to share because I no longer feel confident in leaving my dogs here. We had been taking our dog here for almost a year and had a great experience until recently. New ownership and staffing do not reflect the previous experience my dog and I had. They lack the care and compassion that we were used to. We have a new puppy that went for her first day evaluation that started off with one of the new staff members dragging her by the neck on a leash immediately after I just described she is a little timid and will need patience. The staff member never once stopped to console or encourage my puppy that it was okay to follow her back, she just continued to drag her, choking and scaring her. My puppy was small enough to be picked up to prevent this. I spoke with the new manager who seemed nice and said they would speak with the new staff member and wanted to be given another chance to care for our dogs. Though hesitant, I wanted to give them another chance in hopes it was just a bad day for this staffer and it didn't truly reflect her as an employee. We boarded them a few weeks after the incident, considering what had happened previously and how reassuring the new manager was, we would've assumed they would take this opportunity to make it right and ease our worries. We were told we could call and check on them, we could email/message them, they would send/post pictures but no one ever answered the phone, we never seen any pictures, and only got one message which was very delayed. We picked up our dogs up early and was met with the same staffer we experienced the first incident with and was given what felt like an attitude. Considering the high cost they charge for daycare and boarding and the fact this this is literally their business to care for dogs, I expect professional, caring, educated and patient staff and I should feel good about leaving my dogs in their care. In addition to the high cost, they put out a list of items they need and want their customers to donate to them which is absurd when they charge $27 per dog for daycare and $40 per dog for boarding AND you don't ever see past the front lobby. What do the crates they stay in look like? Whats the play area look like? How long and often is playtime? On weekends when dogs are boarded, what are the staffing hours and are they in crates this whole time? There is too much unknown and my dog's well being is my first priority. This information should be out in the open for current and new customers to read. We won't be coming back. read more

DO NOT TAKE YOUR DOG HERE!!!! I began taking my dog here since she was a puppy, and when the previous owners and staff were still in place. I was hesitant with the transfer of ownership, especially with the complete lack of communication or transparency during the chance of ownership. I kept taking my dog there for a few weeks, but quickly stopped. The new staff DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR DOGS!!! There is a complete lack of oversight or knowledge in handling the dogs that we entrust to them. Due to this, many of my friends that used to bring their pups here have all left. There have been so many incidents and mistakes including attacks. My dog can be very anxious at times, and has trouble eating outside of home. We struggled with this when we first started going here. The prior owners and staff worked with me and my pup to get her comfortable enough to eat. We had gotten into a good rhythm at that time and they were able to get her to eat regular meals, including when I had to board her for over a week. They contacted me when she wasn't eating well, and we worked together to get her to eat regular again. When things got better, they let me know she was eating well, and I got her back happy and healthy. But this all changed with the new owners. I boarded my dog there for a week, a while after the new owners had taken over. I made sure to pack her food for individual meals, lunch and dinner. I labeled every single bag with instructions. I updated her profile to include the solutions we had found with the previous staff to help get her to eat. When we arrived to drop off my dog, one of the new staff was there. I checked in with them to make sure they knew about her eating problems, and had seen my comments on her profile. They very blankly assured me that she would be fine, but it didn't seem like they had any knowledge of this. I was very concerned after dropping her off, but I didn't have much of a choice at that point. During the week of boarding, I didn't hear anything from them like I used to. I tried calling them several times midway through the week, but nobody answered or responded to my voicemails. When I got her back she had lost weight and was clearly distressed, and they gave me back a lot of the food that I had given them. Judging from the amount of bags of food I got back, my dog missed a very significant amount of meals. But I was never notified of this. And when I asked why there was so much food left when picking her up, they just told me it was extra and brushed me off. No acknowledgment of my dogs loss of weight or distressed state, no explanation for anything. It's become evident that the new owners and new staff have a complete lack of understanding or care for our dogs. They are completely incompetent are severely negligent to the responsibility they hold, and the owners do not hold anybody accountable. I know of other dogs that have gotten attacked and in fights that never did before. Dogs that have attacked others are still allowed to board here. I've been coming here for some time, and I'm heartbroken to have to stop taking my dog here. But it's not worth the risk. Because at this point it's not an "if" something will happen to my dog, it's a when. So many of the other long-term costumers have left. The old staff cared so much for our dogs, and it used to be the highlight of our week. They knew my dog so well and treated her like their own. Not to mention how expensive it's gotten.. yes it's always been pricey, but the cost of boarding here has exploded and the quality our pups receive has only gone down. read more