The bad reviews about the owner of this place are correct. I can deal with just about anyone, so I was undeterred and brought my puppy for a temperament test today. This was quite possibly the worst interaction I've had with anyone offering any service anywhere. I had not understood that pet owners are not allowed in the day care area and while I was signing some (very onerous) release forms, someone took my puppy and disappeared through a door with an employees only sign. When I said that I didn't know I wasn't allowed in the area and I wanted to observe, at first everyone ignored me, and then both the owner and her assistant started yelling at me, saying that they can't let anyone in the day care area because the dogs will go crazy and I should have known that I couldn't observe because the information is on the website. I said not everyone has the time to read your entire website and I didn't see that disclosure. The owner barked at me "We've been here for thirteen years!" It may be correct that dogs act differently when their owners are around, but I think a lot of pet owners generally like to see how people interact with dogs before handing them over to complete strangers. Some of the people who work here seemed pretty nice, but the folks in charge seem to really dislike people. Being exceptionally rude almost seems like a point of pride for them. I took my dog back and walked out after about six extremely uncomfortable minutes. read more

We've been taking our 8 month old Lab there for a few weeks now. She LOVES the place and plays with all the big dogs upstairs. She loves Happy Paws so much that she would prefer to stay there than come home to her family. I may have to pull her out of there because she likes it too much. The staff that work there are actually very nice - no idea what these other yahoos are talking about. They keep the place very clean - much cleaner than any other facility I have seen and they offer a web video to see your dog in action as well as what all the staff are up to all day. Very professional place. Probably best boarding in DC and it is nowhere near our house, but it is the best we could find. read more

I just started taking my dog there and he seems to be doing fine. I can also watch him on the camera and see that the staff is in the room AND watching him. I also love to see them pick him up for a min or two serveral times during the day. I would recommend this place to a friend. read more

My dog loves it here and is always exhausted when he comes home. I love that I can watch him on the cam at any time so I don't have to worry about him not having fun! It's a little further than my last place but he has such a good experience here that it is worth the trip! read more

I have very mixed feelings about Happy Paws. I've taken my dog there for day care, grooming and boarding. I think the grooming is good. I'm less happy with day care and boarding. As others have mentioned, the owner can be moody and rude. I also do not think they walk the dogs outside enough during daycare/boarding. Finally, I don't understand their billing system -- I bought a package of daycare hours the last time I boarded -- they told me it would be cheaper that way instead of paying overtime for late pickup. Now I have a bunch of daycare hours I can't really use anytime soon. The most positive things going for them is the groomer and the convenient location. read more

Would never recommend this establishment. The owner is AWFUL and has absolutely no customer service skills.

I was having a lovely lunch across the street and saw their sign. I ran across the street between courses to pick up a toy for our new puppy. About 20 minutes later I returned the toy as I was informed by my wife that we already had the same. The owner rudely informed me that she has a no return policy and will only issue a store credit. This lady, to say the least, has a lack of business knowledge and is just flat out arrogant. Stay away from this place of bad attitude! read more

I have been taking my dog there since the day it opened and she LOVES it. While the owner (whose name is Stephanie) may not always be friendly to people....she loves the dogs. And let's face it - we are not the customers - the dogs are! She has fabulous staff who truly love the animals - it is way more than just a job for them. I wouldn't consider taking my dog anyplace else. read more

I agree with Karen's earlier review. The services are reliable and convenient (albeit expensive), but the owner can be oddly unfriendly and petty, even to loyal customers who spend a lot of money there. The other staff are very nice and seem to like the dogs, which is reassuring. read more

My dog has been going to day care at Happy Paws DC for a year and she and I are both very happy with it. The day care is very clean and they have a nice retail area downstairs. At other day cares my dog would come home smelling of urine or cleaning solution and I have never had that problem with Happy Paws. The price is on the high end but in return you get access to the live feed of the dogs, the option to have your dog eat lunch and early morning drop off hours. It's reassuring to be able to watch my dog playing on the live feed while I'm at work. The owner is so nice and she wrote my dog a wonderful letter of recommendation for a rental property I was moving into. read more

We have been taking our dog to Happy Paws for almost 2 years for day care. While our dog loves playing with other dogs, she really loves the staff. The staff at Happy Paws are very professional and truly care about the dogs. Our dog pulls us in to Happy Paws in the morning and we have to drag her out at night. read more

I understand that daycare is expensive and they did give me a deal. However, I still had to pay for 30 days upfront every time even though this wasn't prefaced to me when I first established this deal. The deal wasn't that amazing because I still shelled out $660 dollars each time. I didn't mind because I love my dog and she seemed to enjoy herself there. The staff itself are great and my pup, who is an excellent judge of character, was drawn to them. However, the owner (as most of the reviews touched on) has close to zero people skills. She gives off negative vibes and is always ready to be defensive. She is absolutely clueless that she is in the service industry and that people pay a lot of money for her service and that without them she would have no business. I went there for almost a year, shelling out thousands of dollars, but after the third time they allowed my dog to chew through her own harness, was lectured about it and basically called a liar about the harness from the owner herself, I decided that this wasn't the place for me. (For the record I was chastised about this harness that was made for dummies - I know I am one - more than once and tried to be as flexible with them as I could. However, honestly, if you can't handle a simple harness you're in the wrong business) I don't deny that the people who work there and actually take direct care of my dog did a great job, they were wonderful, but the owner is the true representative of the business and she has no idea what customer service means. Her rudeness was unprompted and unwarranted and I have seen her handle dozens of customers like that but was in a position where I needed the daycare for my dog, Luckily, I managed to make other arrangements. Furthermore, she told me she was opening a store in NoMa (North of Mass Ave) downtown - DO NOT GO THERE!! I doubt the calibar of staff that she has now are going to be in that store and a start up with her sounds awful, she will have zero patience or gratefulness. read more

Really great location close to my home. Webcam works great to check on my yorkie and golden. Staff was friendly despite some of the negative reviews I had read. read more

My normal boarding place was booked this past weekend so I decided to check out Happy Paws. When I went to pick up my dog, I was watching the monitor in the lobby and noticed one of the employees handling a dog very roughly. They grabbed it by the neck and tossed it into another room just because it was barking. My dog was returned to me extremely dirty and exhausted. I was also grossed out by the fact they don't walk the dogs to go to the bathroom. The dogs are just supposed to go on the floor and they mop it up. I am never returning to this place and would not recommend boarding your dog here. read more

We have been taking our two dogs to Happy Paws for over five years for grooming, day care, and boarding and are extremely happy with all aspects of the environment. If you're like us, you really want to know you can leave your beloved pet companions with people who really care about what they do and Happy Paws is that terrific "home away from home" for our dogs and for some of our neighbors' dogs, too. read more

I adore this place. The staff and front desk are special people. They once offered to help me in a pinch when my father was in the hospital. My two pups are very happy there. Good people and top notch care. read more

My four month old puppy loves Happy Paws, and I love being able to check in on her via webcam when I am at work. Every person there is sweet and loving to my dog. I learned about it from my veterinarian, who also holds free puppy training classes there once per month. The owner seems committed to making Happy Paws the right place for nice and well-behaved dogs, using best practices and teaching them to anyone who wants to learn. Happy Paws has made my life easier and my dog's life happier and I am so glad we have it. read more

I have to agree with many of the previous reviews. To say the owner is rude is an understatement. We had our dog groomed and left him for daycare for a couple of months. The owner never really greeted us in anyway when dropping off our dog or even was remotely pleasant. After weeks of dropping of our dog on Saturdays, the only acknowledgement we received from the owner was "WE CLOSE AT 3!" On top of the owners personality was the fact that our grooming instructions weren't followed. Obviously we take our dog to another daycare/groomer. read more

Happy Paws truly is a very happy place for dogs and their families alike! Happy Paws owner Stefanie, her manager Devin, and the entire staff are just absolutely fantastic. And as far as doggie day care, boarding, and coming soon training ...this place is just the best. The premises is adorable, super clean, with a dedication to detail in providing the absolute best experience for all. My dogs Yoda and Kobe just love going to Happy Paws for their half days (up to 6 hours!), and I love the fact that I can go on-line and watch them play. With so many options like early drop-off and late pick-ups, Happy Paws lets busy dog owners know that their furry babies are in the very best of care. And with my busy schedule, I don't know what I and my boys would do without them! Also Happy Paws owner Stefanie is dedicated to helping rescues- it doesn't get much better than this place. Thank you Happy Paws! We love you. Sincerely, Yoda (Frenchie), Kobe (Beagle), Turo (Rescue Bully mix) and me Valerie read more

I have been using Happy Paws for five years and am always so grateful for the staff, service and incredibly friendly and helpful owner. I was very taken aback by two reviews on this site where negative things were said about dealing with the owner. Everyone has their own experience - but I consider the owner to be one of the friendliest, most flexible and concerned about her quality of services of any local small biz owner in the greater Washington region. I am a stressed out, budget minded single working mom with three boys, a rescue dog and long work hours. Stephanie and her staff feel almost like family for all the times they have helped me out with last minute dog help. It's the only boarding place my dog is visibly happy to enter. Same for me!!! Five PLUS stars. (PS - the only time I have seen the owner and staff be firm about the rules is when it's in the interests of the dogs. If you aren't happy with the dogs' health, happiness and well-being as THE #1 priority, you might be happier at places with less emphasis on what's best for the dogs.) read more

I used to like Happy Paws and had been taking my dog there for the last year or so. But I experienced first-hand the rudeness of the owner today and won't be taking my dog there again. I asked for a walk for my dog, who was dropped off at 7:15 and told the girl at the front desk that I'd be picking her up at 2:30-3 pm. When I walk in at 10 to 3, they're taking my dog out for a walk?!?! They give walks at 11 am and 3 p.m., so someone help me understand the logic of walking a dog at 3 when the owner is about to arrive. That would have been fine to chalk up to a mistake, but the owner told me it was my fault since I didnt specify 11 am and absolutely refused to concede that it's common sense that a dog going home before or at 3 pm would not need a walk at 3 pm. And we've been regular customers and have even gotten our dog groomed there. Really no customer service skills whatsoever and no sense of the responsibility she accepts when she runs a business that cares for someone else's pets. Very very disappointed in her insolence and complete lack of understanding that as a businessperson, you work for ME. read more

We have been boarding our two dogs at Happy Paws for 7 years now and words cannot convey how much the dogs love it there. Indeed, I have mixed feelings about how excited our dogs get when they see the overnight bag they associate with Happy Paws - on the one hand I am jealous of the dogs' love of HP, while on the other I am of course thrilled that our dogs are not depressed while we are gone and are well cared for with constant companionship. One of my favorite features is the live feed, where I can check in at any time and see our dogs clearly enjoying themselves and acting exactly as they do at home. Even though we now spend most of our time in NY, we still use DC as our vacation departure and return city for the sole purpose of bringing the dogs to Happy Paws. Our dogs love their Happy Paws family, and as a result, so do we. I am writing this from New York as a special holiday thank you to Stefanie (very hands-on owner) and the entire Happy Paws staff - Z and C will be down again next week! read more

I had my dog in day care here for several months, and the staff members who greet the dogs and tend to them are caring with the animals and they keep the small area where the dogs spend their time clean. Unfortunately, I agree with the other reviewers who have described the owner as rude, arrogant and dismissive. Recently my 12-year old dog, who has had long hair typical of her breed her whole life, went in for a trim, and she came out with a buzz cut. When I expressed my confusion about what happened, and that the result was not what we had discussed prior to the grooming, the owner was very defensive. She told me, that my dog had the "wrong" cut and that they gave her the "right" cut. (Really?!?!?!?) She said, "it's hair, it will grow back," "I can't do anything about it," and I agreed with her on both those counts--of course, because they are facts-- but I could not understand why she was unwilling to take any responsibility for the situation and would be so cavalier and rude. All I was interested in was for her to say something like: sorry that you are dissatisfied, sorry that there was a miscommunication, or I understand that you are surprised about the result--BUT she actually told me she was not sorry!! I thought to myself, how can I give this woman my money when she thinks it's fine to be totally disrespectful towards me?? And so I took my dog out of day care that day and never looked back. I found another place that takes great care of my dog, has longer hours, and doesn't charge you for every little thing they do -the new place has actually done things to help me save money, while looking out for the best interest of my dog. It is so much cheaper and equally as good services, and they treat the owners with respect, so it all worked out great for me and my dog in the end. But it was just shocking that a small business owner would be so poor at customer service--it was a really bad experience, and based on other interactions I had with her, and seeing some of these other reviews, not unusual for the owner to behave that way. read more

Picking a groomer feels like flipping a coin. Case in point: Happy Paws. My vet takes her golden doodle there and is very happy. I had an awful experience - and worse, I think my dog had an even tougher time. My 9.5 month old golden doodle was more than ready for a first haircut. He had matting around the neck and head that I brushed out almost every day. When I made the appointment I asked about groomer's experience with doodles and was assured she had it. I then spoke with her when I dropped off my dog and explicitly asked her to keep the hair as long as possible and avoid the poodle cut. I dropped my dog at 9:30 and was supposed to pick him up at 3:30, at noon I got a call saying he was done and afraid to be in the playroom, could I come get him. He's shaved - his ears, his face, his feet, his body - to the point you can see skin on his back. He has a nick on his eyelid - I can only imagine how traumatic that was for him. Last night after getting him home he was clingy and whined until we let him sleep on our bed that night. I called Happy Paws today to indicate my concerns and basically got the brush off. The owner/manager did not give me her name. She told me that the groomer had OK'd the shave with me and I indicated that it was just the opposite. The owner/manager apologized and asked what I wanted her to do about this. What I want is for my dog to have a good experience with the groomer and a haircut that is appropriate for a golden doodle. I want to ask those questions and get honest answers. I don't like feeling that I've been taken advantage of and it kills me that I put my dog into such a stressful situation. An offer of a refund would have been nice, giving me her name and asking for a second chance might have been nice. Instead the manager told me that I did in fact have a new groomer - despite the assurance of her expertise when I set up the appointment - and the owner would talk with her. My dog is traumatized and missing ALL his hair. Going back over doodle sites tonight there are plenty of instructions on doodle grooming and Happy Paws did the opposite of every one of them. I hope no one else has the same experience. read more