We found this kennel based upon a recommendation from our vet. I never looked at yelp and am glad I did not. We've been taking our lab here for several years, and not only is the service/facility great, but my dog is happy when she arrives here. We are seasonal residents and I have brought my dog here in the off season from NJ. I consider it a vacation for her. Ignore the negative reviews. The owner has been nothing but consistently professional and nice. read more

We have 2 very different kinds of needy dogs. Although we liked the last kennel, we didn't feel as safe as I do in Hamlin. Someone is around all of the time and our Cling-ons happily leave us as soon as they walk in . Yes, services are all ala carte, but the choices are great. read more

Hamlin Kennel - Pet Services Near Me - Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania

You couldn't pay me to leave my pups here. We went for the tour. 1st off, the guy behind the desk NEVER introduced himself. He's starting unprofessional there. Not 1 time during the tour did he even smile. He didn't ask anything about my pups, all he tried to do was sell me every other service they offer. He tried to make me feel like a bad parent bc I couldn't afford their dog park, on their property, @$20/per dog/per day on top of what they already charge for their stay. How about you ask me about the 2 dogs I was going to be entrusting you with?!?! Their 'kennels' are ridiculously small. I have 70lb GSD's. They would have been good for an ankle biter size dog. The guy (whose name I still don't know), saw that I wasn't happy, so his answer was the small outside gated area (couldn't even run in, it was so small), by the kennels or "that's why we offer the park". Whoever you were at the tour, if you think I would leave my dogs there, when you didn't even as much as smile the entire time, didn't ask anything about how my dogs are, what they like/don't like, if they've ever been away from home, and were more concerned with selling us things instead of being concerned about my dogs, there would have been no way in hell I'd leave them with you. My dogs free feed & that guy kept saying that they'd close the gate between my dogs at feeding time so they ate alone. MY DOGS FREE FEED!!! MY DOGS EAT TOGETHER!!! I DONT choose when they eat, they do. And, no, they're not overweight in the slightest. He refused to retain that thought in his head. How do I trust that you'll leave my dogs bowl down 24/7? Right, I can't bc I don't even know your name, you refused to retain their free feeders & you didn't care in the slightest to ASK ABOUT MY DOGS!!! I don't care what I fill out on your paperwork (didn't get that far), you should show some interest in the care/likes/dislikes/fears/stressors/etc.. You shouldn't have a business that is only a 'money maker' for you when you're taking care of actual live beings. read more

I had to cancel the service because of an medical issue, so I cannot speak about the animal care. My complaint is that I'm out 85.68 because I cancelled. Come on.....even hotels let you cancel up to the day before your stay. After reading the reviews I see that most of the complaints about this kennel are the surprise charges and the non-fundable deposits. They charged me TWO days. Even a hotel only charges you one day if you cancel past the deadline. You need to treat your customers better. Hamlin Kennel is on my blacklist. read more

Had a reservation and went to drop off my dogs this afternoon, the biz closes at 4:00 - an unexpected event happened today- I was running late, racing to get there. The owner called me at 3:55 reminding me they close at 4. I told him I was 4 minutes out, doing the best that I can. I arrived at 4:02, burst through the door and immediately apologizing. The employee acknowledged my apologies by looking me flat in the eyes replying..."you know we close at 4 PM". My goodness - 2 Minutes Late because something unexpected happened, and you are taking my $$ and giving me an attitude to boot? He took the dogs away and I thought to myself....if this is how he treats me, how are they going to treat my pups ???? The employee returned, but before he could get 10 feet from me I told him to go back and get my dogs, and that he could keep his on-refundable $168 - and I went out the door. The owner texted me back later, offering another chance to drop my dogs off tonight at ..."7:30 sharp" Now, it's a 25 minute drive back over there, 50 minutes round trip. And I'm going to go back there, at "7:30 sharp", to hand over my pups that I love to a business that doesn't know how to treat a customer correctly ? Huh ???? What is scary is that I got the exact same attitude - while all of the time speaking separately to each - the owner and his employee, same attitude from both. Well, I'll give the biz a point on that one - their messages are consistent, for sure. Talk about a "Double Dip" ? When did businesses decide that it is our Privilege to hand them over OUR Hard Earned Money, and as added bonus, be treated poorly ? I'm 64, retired early at 60 because I knew that I was privileged to receive orders from customers....privileged to earn their business. When did this all change ? I must have missed it, busy having a successful career I guess. Life is not perfect. People are not perfect. Things happen in life, things go sideways. Yep, my deposit of $168 was non-refundable - now I know why. Quote "The Raven" read more

I've boarded my previous dog, a pitlab, here numerous times over the past 10 years. I've always got a happy, healthy dog back! My new dog, a bully mix, has anxiety and did not do well at all when I had to use a different kennel last year. This year I was thankfully able to take him to Hamlin Kennels. He did fantastic! I will never go anywhere else again. He's a picky eater but they made sure he ate his meals every day. As in the past, I got a happy, healthy dog back again! read more

I kept my 2 large dogs here for a week, and they did a wonderful job. I will definitely be back!

I am from the area but live out of town and this was my first experience with Hamlin Kennels. I called earlier this past week to board my dog from Saturday to Sunday (Memorial day weekend). I was told that they board by weight and I had to pre-pay as a deposit-If any other additional services were provided I would pay when I picked up my dog. So I paid the $62 thinking since it was a short amount of time I wouldn't need any add-ons (bark park, nail clipping, bath). I dropped her off on Sat. and Sat. evening around 4:54p.m. I got a call saying that tomorrow is Sunday and they are closed on Sunday so I would need to pay a $25 fee and since they are technically closed I would need to pay an extra day. I was really confused so I asked to pick her up that night. The lady told me that they were closed...ok "Since I'm paying for Monday too, can I pick her up Monday?" She said, "Yes, but since its a holiday its an additional $25" So all-in, a one night stay (9am-2pm the next day) would be more than $100 dollars. NONE of this was explained to me when I booked earlier that week. SO... basically everyone pays for a block during holidays (Fri.Sat.Sun). Pick up is at 2pm on Sunday and everyone pays $25 (b/c they're closed, but not really if everyone is picking up their dog after a weekend away, its just a way to get an extra $25). When picking our dog up, the lady and I went back and forth... -She said she couldn't release our dog ("you're withholding our property for a service we've already paid for?") -She said I signed a contract (not so-she couldn't provide a copy), -She said there is a recording of her explaining the information to me (not so-she couldn't provide a recording). We ended up paying the $25 because it was plastered on the wall like 4 times, but not the extra day fee! Most importantly we got our baby back! Huge lack of communication and highway robbery! read more

Great experience!! After bringing my dog here for numerous years I cannot believe these negative reviews which do not reflect my experiences. The staff is wonderful, professional and always willing to accommodate me and my pup and more importantly my dog gets excited to come here and use the facility along with the dog park. There is an information sheet with policies for new customers which you read and it's obvious that the people with these negative things to say did not take the time out to read it pertaining to holidays, drop offs and pick up times. Don't be discouraged from these demanding people, try them out and you will be very happy!!! read more

I set up boarding for my dog and spoke with Tina, who at the time was very friendly. She told me a price of $34/day for a 90 lb dog. When we dropped off, she was also friendly and we added one day of bark park and a bath. I could have sworn she said they would call me when she was done with the bath, but apparently I made a mistake. I called at 11:26 thinking I had missed a call and no one called me back, I got nervous knowing that they close at some point and went to get my dog and got charged extra money, of course, and SCREAMED at by Tina because I said that I couldn't wait all day to get the dog. I get it if I made an error but to be told that "I don't work for a living and that she's not the one going on vacation" is horrible service. She swears that everyone in the area loves their business, but I see nothing but complaints on here. My dog jumped in the trunk of my car she was so happy to get out of there, God knows what went on there. I saw the camera in the office so, yes, anyone could see that I was aggravated, but I'm the customer and if I made a mistake and owned up to it, the least they could do was not scream at me and insult me like a piece of garbage that took 5 minutes out her lunch period! read more

I am shocked at the actions of Don, the owner of this establishment. He was more than courteous and offered to help me through a unique situation that involved me transporting my 2 cats across the country. He wasted no time charging me for boarding them before they even arrived. He then told me he didn't offer refunds when I thought things appeared as if they weren't going to work out. To add insult to injury, he agreed to take my cats after all and then refused them once the transporter showed up at the kennel to drop them off. He never answered my calls and was very rude to her. She was not a good transporter however he only hurt me and my cats by refusing them after he agreed to help. So I lost $130 and learned that maybe this person works with animals because he certainly shouldn't be working with people. I only hope he treats them better. I wish I could leave 1/2 star rating. read more

STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE! The owner is more concerned with taking your money than the well being of your dog or you! He is very rude and disrespectful! Talks to women as if we are animals! Told several of his clients he wants payment upfront due to being "burned by a customer". So we are all at fault now cause of this one person?! If you pick your pet up past 11, he then charges for another full day! Meanwhile your told to be there before 1?? This man is all about money and nothing else! He has no customer service skills what so ever! Do your self a favor and go to the other kennel in the area! They are so much nicer, cleaner and most important take care of your dog as if its their own!! read more

These folks love our pets! Over the years we've boarded our dogs and TLC abounds. We just brought our 120 lb dog for his first full grooming. Excellent! Don and Dan, you're the best. :) ETA: why are all the 5 star reviews hidden but the obvious (Dana from NY) reviews of people who never used the facilities but gossip monger get listed on top? Yelp algorithms have serious problems, methinks. read more

The owner Don is a total assshole. We were told to be there at a specific time to get our dog and then were denied our dog because our bill wasn't ready. We drove over an hour round trip to head home without our dog to turn around and drive back after only being home for under an hour. My wife was on the phone with him trying to get an explanation of why we couldn't take our dog. Regardless if the bill was ready or not our credit card was on file and we gave full permission to charge it just so we didn't have to drive back. Don couldn't manage to have an adult conversation as he was screaming and cursing at her. I could hear him through the phone from about 5 feet away from my wife and the phone was not on speaker. I then proceeded to take the phone and he seemed to calm down when he realized he couldn't bully me as he was her. My dog came back so skittish and we couldn't even pet his back end with out him barking and going to snip at us which he has never done. He clearly wasn't taken care of the way he should have been but I guess when the owner disrespects the people who are paying him why wouldn't he disrespect your animal. I would never recommend Hamlin Kennels to anyone and if you go there best of luck to you and your furry friends. And if I could select 0 stars I would. read more

Been taking our dogs here for years. They are comfortable there and the owner is great with them. They are reasonable to work with in making reservations and are a very reasonable price for 3 dogs. read more

I should have read all of the reviews before I brought my two dogs to this kennel. They care more about the amount of money they are getting from you than the care of the actual dogs they are taken care of. I made my reservation months prior to dropping my dogs off. I told them over the phone how heavy my dogs were and that one of my dogs had a tendency of being aggressive. When my dog is in a strange place he gets very anxious and scared which makes him act aggressively. I was never told that there would be an extra charge if they felt my dog barked at them. Yet they charge me five dollars a day for this, even though they did not have to interact with my dog at all. They have a string they used to lift up the door to allow the dogs to exit the cage there left and they do not have to touch my dogs ever. I was charged almost $500 to keep my dogs there for less than five days. I was told I would get a 10% discount because my dogs were sharing a kennel, he said he took off $26, $26 is not 10% of $450. I spoke with the owner and he refuses to refund any money therefore I now have to dispute this credit card charge. I can only speak from my experience but one thing I promise you if you decide to use this kennel, the price that they tell you over the phone and making the reservation is not the price you will be charged at the end of your visit. I go on vacation to Pennsylvania every year and I was looking forward to finding a kennel that I trust, I felt very uncomfortable the entire time so I pick my dogs up early, this was not the kennel for me.I will never bring my dogs back here. read more

I highly recommend Hamlin Kennels. I just have to say that these are great people, who are friendly pleasant and professional! There is no reason why they should have to have "entitled" customers be rude and disrespectful over their policies which are clearly posted all over. Would these people talk to their vet that way? Their staff is not just a whipping post for disgruntled people that just don't get their way when they want it. These entitled people that leave negative feedback for asking to pick up their dogs on holidays or Sunday mornings when the Kennel specifically says they are closed is ridiculous. Their prices are more than fair and are not inflated for holidays, but their staff is also entitled to time not open to the public and demanding people. They ask for pre-payments for new customers to ensure the kennel they reserve will be there for them when they arrive. It is not first come first serve. We are so appreciative of the effort that Hamlin Kennels takes to care for our dog while we are gone, and want to speak up for them in this world of disrespectful demanding entitled people! read more

If don't judge a book by it's cover needed a literal definition Hamlin Kennel is the one, I recently booked a stay for my dog there and after retrieving him he clearly had picked up anxious and detrimental habits eg.(biting his tail, and displaying aggressive behavior towards other dogs and people), the employees there and undertrained and have no understanding of the simple tasks they are being payed to complete and the manager of the business has no interest in others but himself and was not helpful with addressing my complaints, I even went out of my way to attempt to provide them assistance in the care of my dog with text messages and phone calls but all were ignored. My dog now has a urinary tract infection more than likely due to the negligence all dogs at Hamlin Kennel receive. Working with Hamlin Kennel will not only lead to the mistreatment of your pet but will also result in you getting taken advantage of. I would not recommend look else where!! read more

Don is the best, our dogs come back healthy and happy, There are plans to cover all sizes and shapes. Good to not so good dogs, He constantly improves his home away from home for our furry companions. New options for dog interaction and the best of care. I wish I never had to leave my dogs but there are times we must and I want them to have the best, Thank you Don for providing us with that peace of mind. Always, Pat, Brad, Shawnee and Trooper! read more

No it's true. They are only concerned about money. They openly told me that they neglected my dogs because they didn't know how to handle them. Then they charged me more because of it. Please save your time and money. Steer clear of this place. They treat dogs poorly and then they charge you an outrageous amount. read more

We have boarded our pets (3 dogs and 1 cat) with Hamlin Kennels during the past 12 years +. We have found them to be very kind and very willing to accommodate the special needs of each one of them. We highly recommend Don and his staff. read more

One of the cleanest and most organized facilities I've ever seen. They take the time to get to know their customers and each pet. We moved to this area and have taken our two dogs here for more than a year now - at least 5 times, a few of them for 5 days. The dogs can't wait to get inside. They look beautiful (and exhausted from all the play time) when I come back to get them. I highly recommend these services, which are not the least expensive, but the most professional I've ever encountered. read more

I have used this kennel for my dog for 2 years now and I have to say that while it is always difficult to leave her, I have full confidence in the staff at Hamlin Kennels. She actually enjoys going and is excited to see Don when we check her in. The business is modern and clean and the owner was more then willing to give me a tour before her stay. You are encouraged to bring whatever bedding, food or toys that will make them feel at home and you can tell that the staff takes the time to actually play with them during their stay. She always comes home happy, healthy and clean! I could not ask for anything more! read more

I bring my two dogs and two cats to them and they take great care of my pets. They come back healthy happy and my beagle gets groomed and smells better when he comes back then when we bring him in. Owner is very pleasant and accommodating. He takes careful notes and asks a lot of questions on how much to feed them, if on medications, any quirky habits. I feel very confident they are concerned about our animals and take very good care of them. read more

I left my dog with this kennel. She was there 8 days. When I picked her up her belly was bloated. I had to take her help her into the car. I then called my vet and they told me to immediately take her to the emergency animal hospital in NJ. She died on the operating table a couple hours later. I wouldn't recommend this kennel EVER. read more