My wife and I have been customers of Happy Tails for over 15 years. My only complaint is there isn't another location close to us in Kirkwood. As a result of the distance, we're currently only able to utilize Happy Tails for boarding when we travel. However, the level of care, the service offerings, and the overall business is so incredibly wonderful in those times that it makes us wish it was the only dog daycare we gave our business to because Happy Tails is just that vastly superior to all of the other daycares and boarding facilities in St. Louis. Admittedly, what sparked me finally writing this review after 15 years of being a customer was the stark contrast I/our dogs recently experienced with another locally owned, multi-location business near our home in Kirkwood. It wasn't an overly bad experience we had with a competitor daycare, but it did serve as a great reminder to recognize companies when they do an exceptional job. Therefore, I'm writing this review simply because I believe the team at Happy Tails deserves to be complimented for their many years of excellence, and their ownership, managers, and team members should know just how much they are appreciated by their 2-legged & 4-legged customers. Thank you, Happy Tails! read more

For anyone that like dogs don't go work there they not professional with your personal problems.

We've taken our dog to happy tales for years and have never had a bad experience. They always make sure to communicate if the dog is knotted or matted and make sure whatever their plan is for grooming matches what you're wanting. I think for the price you really can't beat going to a local spot. read more

I had been needing a daycare for my pup since I go out of town too much. I made an appointment for orientation for my dog and he passed muster. He's been a regular for a couple weeks and, so far, we've both been very happy. He is excited to be picked up and comes home tired. I was told that the dogs are only crated when they are eating or napping, otherwise they are free to play inside or out (unless the weather is too bad). I am so happy that they are open 24/7 since our family schedule is not 9-to-5. It makes scheduling so much easier. So far, we've had no issues! read more

We left our dog with them perfectly healthy, he came back with a terrible limp on his back legs. Found out today he developed intervertebral disc disease and will be paralyzed the rest of his life. This develops from being dropped, or falling. We called Happy tails and their response is we're not responsible for any injuries that happen during our care. BEWARE ABOUT LEAVING YOUR ANIMALS HERE!!! read more

Happy Tails - Pet Sitting Near Me - Saint Ann, Missouri

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We left our labrador Bodi for 9 days, with 5 days of training as well. We needed a place to keep him while on vacation in Chicago. We would call in almost daily checking in, with them telling us he was doing great and eating all his food. Then we receive a call on the 9th day of boarding that Bodi was lethargic and taken to the AVS veterinary clinic. We call the vet who tells us that when they received Bodi, he could barely stand. His temperature was 105F, and they checked his white blood cell count (a marker of infection) and said it was high. We cut our vacation short and drove 4.5 hours from Chicago to St Louis, arriving at 1am to see him. After seeing him, we let the clinic take care of him and then drove back to our home in Southern Illinois (another 1.5hours away). The clinic's internal medicine specialist called us the next day, and he believed Bodi picked up a virus but should recover. All-in-all our dog required 48 hours of hospital care, costing $1400.00 dollars. When we got the call that Bodi appeared stable enough to go home, we drove back to St Louis (another 3 hours round trip), to pick him up. (The people at AVS Clinic were great. They showed genuine concern for our pup, and always called us with updates.) We hugged Bodi who licked us incessantly, and then we returned to Happy Tails to pick up our dog's belongings and pay what we owed them.... The Manager at Happy Tails tells us that they left a $550 deposit with AVS Clinic when Bodi was initially dropped off, BUT that this was a mistake and wanted it back! He said Bodi did get sick while staying at their facility on the 9th day, but it was not their fault and they would take no responsibility. They then made us pay the entire veterinary bill... First of all, our dog was dropped off at their facility NINE DAYS EARLIER in perfect health; he was fully vaccinated against everything including canine influenza. There is no doubt that he picked up something while there, or ate something he shouldn't have while there. Second, for all the boarding days and training days we bought, and for all the inconvenience to us to cut our vacation short and drive back and forth, they should've at least offered some compensation as a courtesy. They didn't offer a single penny, or boarding day, or extra training, or an apology, or empathy. Even though all this happened to our dog at their facility on their watch. Third, they should've shown some concern. Not once did the manager ask how our puppy was doing. His biggest concern was to make sure Happy Tails did not lose any money to Bodi's veterinary care. I work as a physician. I've built my career on helping others, and when I see companies do things like this it makes me upset. I was going to write the more awful details on how Happy Tails mishandled the situation, however as its Christmas I decided to just write the few particulars above. If you've been using Happy Tails and are "Happy" then fine, but just be warry that if your dog picks up a bug there requiring expensive veterinary bills, they will deny any responsibility and show no concern other than money. I'd like to help anyone with questions about this, so please feel free to contact me. read more

Happy Tails - Our dog after picking up a bug at Happy Tails, and requiring emergent veterinary care that Happy Tails would not cover. - Pet Sitting Near Me - Saint Ann, Missouri

We are so happy with our first day at Happy Tails. When we pulled up for our evaluation day, Megan took the girls inside and promised to show us pictures and videos because they were not doing tours due to COVID. She came back out ~20 minutes later with to report things were going well and showed us the dogs playing together outside. She was so kind and answered all our questions and even shared insights on the best dog parks in the area (we moved here recently). I am not sure how you rate this, but the gut feeling I got was "Wow, they really care about dogs here!" Here's where the 5 stars really come in... then she said they passed the evaluation and that if we wanted to give them more play time, they would be glad to have them stay for the day, free of charge. !! We took the opportunity to vacuum our house sans dogs and picked up our two very happy pups later that afternoon. We've got two overnight stays booked in the coming months and I'm relieved to know we found a good place. I've also appreciated how they don't nickel and dime for things like giving the dogs a fish oil with their meal like we do at home. My last doggie daycare charged a medication fee! All this to say, happy pups and happy parents all around. read more

Happy Tails is where dogs can be dogs..The only problem is my dog thinks he's human‍ The parking lot was a little hard to get to because of the center median on the road..I had to travel a bit to turn around in order to reach the location. Once you walk in the door it looks like doggy day care..they have different areas to divide the big dogs from the smaller ones. My Carmelo was there for a haircut which took the time they estimated. The customer service was good and I have no complaints read more

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I can not express enough, my gratitude to all the staff at Happy Tails, My dog Samara had been going there for almost 12 years and it was obvious that they loved her as much as I did. They love all the dogs, call them by name, give them hugs when thy are handed back to their owners to leave. My Samara had been very sick for the last month, they were willing to give her a little extra attention and care during that time, I work during the day and did not want her to be alone. I cant imagine anywhere else I would have wanted her to be if not with me. When she crossed the rainbow bridge, their affection and sadness were genuine and I can't tell you how much that means to me. When it's time, I will go there again. I encourage everyone with a pet needing boarding, daycare or grooming, check them out. With mush love and gratitude Samara's mama! read more

Best place ever! Extremely convenient and the people that work there are definitely dog people!

I've used Happy Tails for boarding and daycare for about 3 years now. I've been incredibly happy every time I use it, and my dog has likely been there 50 times (I travel a lot) and he absolutely loves it. The staff is there 24/7 - yes, I literally confirmed on Christmas Day at 3am, people are in the daycare watching dogs. The play areas are inside and outside, and spacious and clean. The staff is incredibly friendly and the owner, a guy, is a great person who's there all the time, so he clearly loves what he does. If you ever go out of town, I highly recommend this place. Boarding is basically $45/night, which is exactly what the norm is in STL, and maybe a few bucks cheaper. This is the best dog boarding place in STL, period. read more

Happy Tails is making social distancing work! I made an appointment the day before. They made the process very easy, convenient, & safe. Both my chihuahuas got their nails trimmed/grind in less than 10 minutes. Love this place & their staff! read more

Happy Tails - Outside - Pet Sitting Near Me - Saint Ann, Missouri

They treated my dog really bad on his orientation today literally dragged him in front of me and kept telling me, you sit in the room while i drag him. The staff was not even apologetic and this place had a very bad smell and they dont care about your dog and will throw him in side a bug pen with bunch of other loud barking dogs and let them do what they want. they dont over see the dogs. Specially on the first day who does that ?? they can't even represent properly their place properly. Never going again read more

My furbabbies Chip, Missy, and Dale absolutely love this place! I cannot say enough about this place. They get to go outdoors if they want. They get to roam free. They get their own beds. They get food and water. They have staff watching over them and playing with them at all times. Before any dog can go there they test to see if they would be a fit first. Happy Tails really knows their stuff! read more

Our dogs love going for daycare. We've boarded our dogs for weekends and a trip to England and Scotland, and we've used grooming services. Check out the photo galleries on Facebook to get a sense of the place. Love that the dogs are free to run and play. Would recommend Happy Tails to anyone. read more

I take my dog here to play sometimes when I know he's been cooped up in the house. He always comes home tired and happy. The staff over the phone and at the facility are always nice and friendly. Sometimes they post pictures of the dogs that are in daycare for the day...that is always a nice thing. The intake and check out process is pretty seamless and nice when you're in a rush. When you walk in, it's always clean and cool (temperature). Sometimes when you arrive, you get to see the trainers working with numerous dogs off to the side. The dogs are always well behaved, their program must work. The groomers seem to do a good job. The price is very reasonable too. I am usually able to get a grooming appt. when I prefer, then again my dog has short hair. read more

I worked at "not"Happy Tails a few years ago, and I can tell you that they have grown too big. The "kids" that they hire to watch the daycare know nothing about dogs, and they have a vet tech on-site to take care of the frequent fights that break out. The smaller dogs have a separate area, which is much better managed than the larger area. They don't want 'guests" to see where the dogs are actually kenneled downstairs. If your dog is there overnight, the overnight staff does NOT check on the dogs regularly as they say, and if one is sick in its crate (yes, they are crated at night and when they're not in the play yard, in TONS of crates downstairs), then it sits in the vomit or feces until morning. Happy Tails takes dogs WAY over capacity, on Holidays, and even stacks the crates on top of each other, to get more money for boarding. There are so many things that people don't see here, I'd never take my dogs to 'Happy" Tails. read more

Sounds like a great place. Other customers rave about how open and available they are, but when I called to schedule a grooming appointment for my Yorkie I was told they are not taking new clients... read more

I absolutely LOVE Happy Tails. I seriously can't recommend them enough! I have never had a bad experience there. In fact, I've had nothing but awesome experiences there. The first time you call they get the basic information: breed, age, weight, and vet contact info. They call your vet to get your pet's records. This may seem like a simple thing, but a lot of places in St. Louis want you to provide copies yourself (and sometimes that's just a hassle). If everything checks out, you schedule an orientation appointment. When you visit Happy Tails for orientation, they take you into an office to get to know you and your pet. After taking down all their information and snapping a head shot (so they can recognize your dog) your dog will head down to the fenced in run (or separate small dog area). Initially, they allow your dog to meet everyone else by sniffing them through the fence. After that, he'll be let into the main area. For the large dogs, they have two outdoor runs that are connected by an indoor area. Dogs are allowed to play in this area 24/7. They are only kenneled during feeding time and sleeping (small dogs are not kenneled at night). Also, a staff member is there 24/7. Someone is always watching, playing, and comforting your dog while you're away. You'll notice right away that the facility is clean and the staff is very well organized. They know which dogs are being dropped off and they recognize them by name immediately. Most of the time they even have a funny antidote to share about your pup's stay. One of the staff members even asked if she could add some yogurt to Ellis's food (free of charge) because he wasn't eating that much. Our dogs have so much fun at Happy Tails that they pass out as soon as we get home and don't move for a day or two. They love the people there and don't even look back when we drop them off. p.s. - it's a little pricey - $40 for the first dog, $20 for the second, but that's a 24 hour stay and it's worth it IMHO read more

My dog loved his stay at happy tails!!!!! He typically comes home not himself for a few days after we leave him at the other pet hotel place. Orientation was awesome my husband said. They walk you around and introduce you to their team etc. Yes, it's pricy BUT they have groupons AND your dog isn't caged up all day. Only to sleep and eat. Pretty fantastic form my dog because he is in the kennel at home while we are at work. So this was a true vacation for him. Even better is that they are 24 hours. We literally dropped him off after midnight and picked him up around midnight another day. Pretty amazing. Staff is very friendly and site is very clean. I would recommend this place to anyone!!! read more

Took my pup to get groomed here and it was a great experience! The staff is very friendly and even went out of their way to tell me how my dog did during the grooming afterwards since it was his first grooming. He loved it! The only reason I'm bumping down to 4 stars is because I had an appointment at 130 and wasn't able to pick up the dog until 3 hours later which I thought was a little long but not a huge deal. Either way, it was a great experience! read more

Today I placed my third call to Happy Trails to find out about agility training programs. After my first call in late August, the gal told me somebody would get back to me because she had no information about the Fall class, did not know when the classes were going to start, nor how long they were. She took my phone number and told me somebody would call me back. I called a second time in September after not having received a phone call and again they had no information to give me. Today I made my third phone call and I received information... Agility classes began three weeks ago they're all full and I cannot register my dogs. Oh but wait, I can register my dogs for the class beginning in March! I don't want my dog's to go in March. I wanted them to go in the fall. So I do not recommend Happy Tails because their management and their communication with customers is poor. read more

Hard to top Abby H's review as our experiences with Happy Tails as been much the same. We take our BorderAussie here on short out of town trips and he has been several times now; always has a blast. The staff is always welcoming and informative, the environment is fun and open. The dogs have access to a huge outdoor play yard and are brought inside when the weather is unfavorable. The smaller dogs play upstairs and the larger down and out back. They are crated at night but there is 24/7 presence. We have picked our guy up as late as midnight, in a snow storm, and found plenty of staff on hand keeping watch on the dogs. Be sure to fully understand their pricing as it can be somewhat expensive. For 48 hours our bill was $100. The boarding fee is $40 for any overnight. If you drop your buddy off at 1:01PM or 11:59PM, it is still $40 overnight. You must pick him up by 1PM the next day to avoid another overnight charge. It used to be 5PM which made more sense. Also, extra services can be expensive. We always get him a bath before he returns home (to reduce any risk of him bringing home other dogs' problems) and they charge $40. I know our guy loves water so it cannot be that hard or costly to wash him. Nevertheless, just be sure you know what you are paying for. read more

My dog, juby, and I love this place. When you walk in with your dog, you are immediately greeted by one of the staffs to go over your dogs' stay. At this point, you can tell them how much food they can get, customize your bath if you are planning one, medication lists and whether your dog will be playing with big dogs or small dogs. The reason I like this place is that the dogs are not caged ever except when they are eating. They have full access to the backyard 24/7. And the place is 24hours staffs. When I am away, I have to check up on my dog about 1 to 2 times a day to see how she is doing. The staffs are always friendly and happy to check up on my dog. The baths are wonderful; however i have to always make sure that they do all the work, such as nail trim, cleaning ears, etc. I had couple times where they forgot to do those things. They can use special shampoos for pets who have skin problems. Things to consider going to this place: enough food for the dog's stay. that includes snacks. Price: it is $45 a day. Not cheap, but you have to consider all the pros of this place. 24hr staffed, affiliated with a vet hospital, not caged, and the turf they use is specially designed to keep bacterias and molds away. also, the location: it is only 5 mins away from the air port. I hope your dogs and yourself find this place just as wonderful/useful as I have. I do not feel guilty leaving my dog at Happytails b/c she always have good time. I say this b/c the staffs let me watch her from the office window, playing in the backyard with other dogs when I came in to pick her up. read more

My dog loves going to happy tails! She gives the staff big smiles and butt wiggles when she sees them. It's an open environment ( they only kennel at dinner and bedtime) which is great for my active aussie. She comes home tired and happy. The staff really knows her and loves her. I love that its close to the airport and open 24 hours so it's never an issue picking her off or dropping her off. They also post pictures of her on facebook periodically so I can see her having fun when I'm out of town. read more

Had a terrible first experience! Took our 4 months pup for orientation and he was mistreated by the staff. The staff who met us at the entrance was in some kind of hurry. She didn't take the time to get my pup oriented to herself or the new place. When my pup was hesitant to go she kept pulling and dragging him by his leash. Which is completely UNACCEPTABLE!!. My husband saw this and he spoke up but she was rude and asked us to wait inside the room. She had no idea how to calmly and sweetly lure a puppy. She kept asking us to go away but that was agitating my puppy more. She was unapologetic about her behavior. When finally the supervisor came the staff went and complained to her about us!! The supervisor was neither empathetic towards us nor did she try to resolve the issue. Will not recommend this at all. read more

I have worked in customer service for many years: retail, governmental and private sector, so I feel I have good grasp on customer service. I have always practiced and taught that customer service boils down to three main things: empathize, analyze and deliver. I felt these three things where lacking during my last visit to Happy Tails. 1) There was no empathy displayed when I picked up my dog stuff from Happy Tails as I had to pick up my dog from AVS (Associate Veterinary Specialist) since he needed to be hospitalized during his stay as Happy Tails due to illness. Not once did I hear an apology or did the staff ask how he was doing. Instead the staff came out upset because there had been a mix up about the bill at the vet. I am not responsible for your interactions with other businesses and therefore should be treated independently of previous situations. 2) I do not know if the staff understood or cared to analyze me or my place in the situation. When I dropped off my puppy, he was healthy and full of energy, however when I picked him up a week later, he was listless and just wanted to lay down. Obviously, I am upset that my pet is suffering, however when discussing the situation, I was blamed for my dog's illness and the business refused to take any responsibility. While I can understand not wanting to be liable, I could use the same argument used on me; that my puppy was in constant close proximity to his brother and other dogs at my local doggie daycare prior to Happy Tails, and yet his brother and none of the other dogs at that daycare has gotten sick. The only difference between my dog and those other dogs, is that they did not stay at Happy Tails for over a week. For the staff to completely shutdown any possibility that another asymptomatic dog could have potentially caused my dog's infection makes me think that "unless your dog gets a physical wound, they feel they are immune to any other problems." 3) The issue that started this whole ordeal was that Happy Tails would not cover any of the vet bill. I did not expect Happy Tails to cover the full bill or even cover any of it, however as a business you can deliver in multiple ways. You can give a sincere and heartfelt apology that shows you understand that the situation is difficult but in an empathetic and tactful way explain it is company policy (I know they do pay for physical injury I would assume there is something in the contract about illness reimbursement). Or you can offer a service such as a half day of daycare or nail trim for free. It does not cost the company a great sum of money and it shows that you value your customer's business. I feel like my dog and I are nothing more than a bank roll for Happy Tails. I will no longer be using their services. I hope they can learn from my example and use it to improve upon their customer service for future clients. read more

Do not trust these people with dogs. We brought our 8 month old puppy in for 2 day boarding. Thinking he needs this socialization time, it will be his very own vacation. We picked him up and was told everything went great. Got him home and noticed quickly he had holes/gouges around his neck! His nails were trimmed, no dry blood evidence. I brought him back showed the manager and she denied the dog getting a bath or nail trimming, and that the sores on his neck were not holes, they were maybe heat spots. His skin is sagging with inflammation on the bottom of his neck. We were not notified of our dog having any injury whatsoever. The damages on him are not hard to see they are all over his neck and bright red. To be called a liar and to have my baby come out of this place hurt and to not even be told...save yourself the heartache and frustration, please do not come to this place. They have way to many dogs in here to care for yours properly. read more

This is the only place I will leave my girls. They have a great set up for dogs that get along with others. They seem to enjoy staying. It is a bit pricey, but they do get great care. read more

We have lived in 4 different states and taken our dogs to daycare and boarding at numerous places and nowhere compares to here. The owners we have known for years as our first dog went to them when they did it out of their house. The fact that they make sure every dog gets an orientation session so that they know it's going to be a happy place for your pet is amazing. The staff knows your dogs name as well as your name when you walk in the door whether you come in daily or just once a year which to me says a lot about the level of service provided. We got a new puppy in November and I was a little apprehensive about using them for training as our old trainer had moved on, however Sadie recommended the trainer, Ted who by far could be one of the greatest trainers. We have one chocolate lab and a Belgian malinois that we take here and I couldn't imagine taking them anywhere else unless life moves us out it STL again. read more

Our Dog Tucker spends s few hours a day at Happy Tails and he gets amazing exercise and I get peace of mind. Its a great place place for your pet! You don"t Have to worry when you leave your small pet or your large pet at Happy Tails they have a place for little ones and big ones. My guy likes to play with the big guys and he does just fine even though he is just 45 lbs! Give them a try ! read more

We've been taking our dogs here for years. We really like this place because they are dependable, trustworthy, and well staffed day and night ensuring your animals have good quality of care. The one thing I don't like is... the price. Ouch. I mean, you are essentially paying for low quality human motel at this price. But for a dog... who will sleep in a kennel. Though they do get to run around all day with other doggies and like I said, the quality of care is great. So you fork it over because, let's face it you little fur baby is worth the price. read more

I trust them with my pets every time we have to leave them for the day. I love that my pets get to run and play while I'm at work all day. It makes them mild mannered when we get home! read more

I used to take my dogs to a different kennel until I had a bad experience the last time. Happy Tails was like a night and day difference! I love that the dogs are free to roam the majority of the day, and my pups are actually excited to go. Not to mention it's just a welcoming atmosphere as soon as you enter. They are very detailed, clean and professional. I won't take my dogs anywhere else! read more

Miles and I remain fans of Happy Tails. I've learned to minimize costs by buying the big daycare package and Miles continues to suck up to any employee who will look at him. My dog is the biggest klutz and is continually doing something dumb to injure himself. They're great about taking care of him, point out to me when he has even the slightest of cuts and even going out of their way to clean his ears when they notice him shaking his head! (Trust me, if you knew my dog you'd appreciate how helpful this is.. the dog hates having his ears touched!) read more

We just lost our 11 year old poodle. I had to call and let Happy Tails know, because we boarded her there many times during her life, and we knew how much the staff there loved her. Our dog was born with Addison's disease and irritable bowel problems, and she was also shy. She had to be on medications all her life. She also had to be on a special diet, which had to be refrigerated. The staff always did everything right. I never worried when we left her there. She seemed to know she would be well-loved there too. She would wag her tail whenever we walked in the door. I can't recommend this business any more highly than this, or I would. read more

Best Dog camp/boarding place I've seen. Dogs are always playing only in kennels for meals and bedtime. Being open 24 hours is a huge perk when you have something to do after work they can stay and play a little longer! Everyone wins! My dog used to refuse to get out of the car at other places. I say Happy Tails and she runs to the door now. Definitely buy the packages to save money. Worth every penny dogs are exhausted when I pick them up! read more

It's only fair that I preface this review by telling you that my dog is my child. There is nothing that is too good for him, and he always gets the best no matter the cost. I'm picky, hard to please and overprotective. And yet, Happy Tails makes me happy every time. I never feel like my dog is a burden, and I feel as though they live him as much as I do. What more could you ask for in doggie-daycare? read more

I took my dog here for a consultation. Everyone that worked there was more than willing to answer my questions. I felt it was too crowded for my timid dog. He goes 3 days a week to another place that isn't too crowded. I'd have to say this was a really well run establishment! read more

This is the best pet boarding and training facility in town! It's super clean, the dogs get to play freely and are only crated to sleep and eat. The staff is wonderful. Our puppy just finished a private training 3 week course and she is so well trained as a result. Sabrina did a fantastic job with her. I do have one issue which is that despite spending a great deal of money at Happy Tails over the years and referring several other good customers to them, they do not offer customer loyalty incentives. read more