I have nothing but nice things to say of this place. Their website is useful and their customer service before you even meet them is top notch: I signed the pups up for an evaluation/meet and greet, so that I would have a place to take them for socialization and boarding as needed. After making the online appointment, I was immediately contacted via email, and asked to fill out some forms, etc. I did that online as well, and gave them the vet info. Before our scheduled meeting, they'd already contacted the vets, received the immunization records, and were ready to meet the pups! I already felt special and welcome.
Their location is towards the back of the Nimbus Winery buildings, and the signs are large and colorful (orange, my favorite color!). We walked in to a full wall covered with happy doggy client pictures, tastefully done in a wallpaper (rather than a bunch of photos stuck on the wall), and a really nice coffee and drinks bar for the human customers. The entry area is clean and as you get to the desk, you see a bank of TVs showing the different locations within the place, and the dogs and employees interacting. After a quick greeting, Mike (the owner) walked us through the place, while Katie, an employee, took each dog separately for an evaluation (she was looking for any injuries, to see how they interacted with her, other employees, the other dogs in the facility, whether they were crate trained, etc.) She returned quickly, saying that the dogs were great and were welcome to stay and play!
We continued to walk through the facility, and I grilled Mike on the place, how he handled incidents between dogs, whether they'd had any injuries on the premises, etc. He answered my questions gracefully, no defensiveness noted, and I was impressed. They have several rooms for the dogs, based on size and temperament, and an outdoor run that is completely walled in so they are not visible to random passersby. Boarders can stay in crates in the open play areas, or in suites (large enclosed areas where they cannot see each other, and there is a little more peace and quiet.) Any quirks your dogs may have can be accommodated, such as special foods, eating in separate areas away from the others, etc. All notes pop up on the TV screens in the various rooms so the employees are able to very easily keep track of the needs of your dogs. The staff also communicate via radios/headsets, so they can easily call for assistance if needed. The floors throughout the dog areas are made of rubberized sports flooring, as it is easy to clean and keep sanitary. They wash down the floors a couple times a day, and each room has an area dedicated to doggy doodoos, marked by an astroturf lawn with a bright red fire hydrant! Couple things my daughter and I both noticed: the place did not stink of dog, and I did not get my usual allergic reaction to being in a place that is 100% dog, 24/7! They definitely do a great job keeping this place clean!
I was able to watch my dogs interact with the other dogs in the room, and felt comfortable leaving them there for the day (they stayed until almost closing time!) We downloaded the app on our phones and as I went through my errands for the rest of the afternoon, I kept my eye on the pups via the webcam. The staff member in the room with them was always moving around, cleaning up, gently separating the more rambunctious dogs, petting the dogs as she walked by, and the dogs generally followed her around; I got the sense that they liked her. At one point, she took hold of a particularly hyper dog and gave him a calming massage for several minutes, gently stroking his body from head to back, and it worked...when he did get up again, he bounced away, but his energy seemed much calmer!
What a great feeling, to be able to see my pups interacting well with others...it gave me a great sense of comfort. When we picked them up, they seemed happy and not out of sorts. We lucked out as well...since it was May 4th (Star Wars day), they dressed the dogs up in Star Wars costumes for a photo shoot. We got an adorable pic of them dressed up as Chewbacca and Han Solo!
I bought a 20 day pass (with a discount for getting them on the day of the meet and greet), and plan on dropping the dogs off a couple times a week for socialization and fun. read more