My husband and I cannot say Thank you enough to Bill and his staff for taking care of our 2 babies,…read moreSydney and Ripley! We were going on vacation and we sent them there for 10 days and I was so worried Because they have never been to daycare/boarding or even a dog park. A lot of people don't like the breed of our amazing dogs so we were always hesitant to bring them anywhere. Bill took them in with open arms! And they were always together which we liked.. they hate to be separated. Haha. Although they were happy to be home, I think they were a little depressed Because they missed all their new "doggie friends" lol. Big Daddy doggie Daycare will now be in our weekly routine! Absolutely 100% recommend this amazing place!

I have been with Big Daddy for at least 8 years. My first puppy was asked to leave 3 daycares. I…read moremet Bill at a dog park and he agreed to take my dog. Bill set my dog up to succeed not to fail as the others had. Sadly I had to put him down suddenly. The first person I called was Bill. He met ne at the Vet and was in the room when he passed. I am so grateful for the care he gave my boy. I now have 2 babies at Big Daddy's. I can't say enough about the staff. I have a piece of mind when I am at work.

River dog is amazing. My dog looooooves it here. He literally knows when we're in the car that…read morewe're going to day care and he runs towards the door - he hears his friends barking and is eager to join them to play! The staff are all amazing and do so well with the dogs - you can tell they are passionate about taking care of the pups. They're also extremely nice and accommodating. I can tell they really love my pup. My dog is a little guy and he loves playing with the big dogs, and I trust he is safe in river dogs hands. He plays the entire time he is there, he comes home exhausted which I appreciate added a long busy day I love that they're open 6 am- 7pm - it's handy for my long days at work. There's always street parking available too. Definitely recommend River dogs if you are looking for a day care for your pup! The price is also pretty good compared to other day cares in the area/cambridge!

Finding a daycare for your furbaby that FEELS right is tough: some are too expensive, some are too…read moremuch like a kennel, some have facilities that you don't like, some do a lot of crating, some are poorly staffed, the list is endless... Dogs for Days is none of these things. It checks all the boxes you need: clean, affordable, safe, staff that loves your baby like they're one of their own pups, 24/7 staffing, and CAGE FREE -this one is really important because there are a lot of places that advertise hotel suites for your dogs but honestly those are just fancy-looking kennels... great if your pup is into that and is comfortable sleeping alone, not so great if your pup is used to snuggling with you in bed - ANYWAY, I digress. We started at Dogs for Days when our puppy was about 9 months old, and when it was still Paws Up - our doggie loved it, we liked it but we weren't thrilled. We were thinking about switching to another daycare when Nick and Michelle took over. Katie, one of the staff, told us that these new owners (whom we hadn't met yet) were amazing and truly dog lovers. Okay we thought, let's stick around and see how this turns out. THANK GOD THAT WE DID. In the last 4-5 months, Nick and Michelle have created a place that we honest to God would be lost without. They, and their staff, go above and beyond to make sure that you feel 200% comfortable leaving your dog with them for a few hours to a few days (or more!). They will text you pictures, give you updates, email you, facetime you, whatever you need when you're away from your baby. Unfortunately this year our puppy Mila turned 1 the same weekend we had to be out of town. What did Dogs for Days do? Well I'll let you look at the pictures and see for yourself - birthday bandana, a handmade birthday sign, and constant updates to let us know that she was having a wonderful time. These are the types of little things they'll do that are truly wonderful. They didn't need to do this but they did it because they knew how much it meant to us - probably more than it meant to Mila haha I've personally seen Michelle work with a family who had a dog with a disability to help them socialize the pup and make sure he (or maybe she) has a happy and well-socialized doggie life. Could they have just turned the family away as so many other daycares would do? Probably, but they didn't and that's what matters. When a dog in the area that they knew went missing, Nick was out there every day helping to find him (don't worry they found him so it's a happy ending!). My point is that it's very hard to find people who understand your connection to your dog(s). Dogs, cats, other pets...they're family. And when you have to leave them for work or a weekend or for whatever reason, you want to feel like they'll be treated like family. We leave Mila during the week week knowing that she is going to have a great time, that if something happens she'll be in good hands, and that she's happy - which makes us happy. We leave her for longer periods - weekends - knowing that she can sprawl out on a couch or bed surrounded by other dogs and most importantly, A PERSON. We know that she won't be scared in a kennel all by herself, and that if something goes wrong there is always someone there for her. Although full disclosure I still cry every time we have to leave her. If you're anything like us (and I suspect you are if you've read this very long review about a doggy daycare), then your dog is like your baby and Dogs for Days is the best for your baby.

We love Melissa and her staff. We have been bringing our dog Nash here since he has been 3 months…read more He goes here 2-3 times a week and jumps out of the car to go meet at the gate. I would strongly recommend The Dogmother to any and everyone. Rates are great and your dog could not be in better hands.

We are so grateful for Melissa and the care she gives to our rescue pup! Our pup was not a good fit…read moreat other daycares, and the care Melissa provides has allowed us to keep her. We highly recommend her service.

I have total confidence in leaving my golden doodle at the Doggyport in West Roxbury. I enjoy…read moregetting a report card letting me know how she is doing. Highly recommend boarding your pet there.

I hate writing a negative review and would normally just let it go, but I can't in good conscience…read morerecommend this business for daycare as my life and my pups life has been completely altered after sending him here. I moved to Boston in November and decided to send my dog to daycare and boarding here as it's close by to my home. Previously my dog was in daycare for years in our other city we lived in and he absolutely loved it. Immediately upon arriving to this location it is incredibly small. I believe they take the pups on pack walks so they're not inside the whole day. It's so small inside I don't see how they even have enough room to play. I started sending my dog here on Saturdays and I noticed he would start crying when we would turn onto the block. I'd drop him off and he would have a complete meltdown and I didn't understand why, as the staff here is incredibly kind. I also had to start traveling for work, so when my pet sitter couldn't stay with him I'd send him to boarding, which they'd transport him to their Roxbury location. It was like pulling teeth to get any updates on how he was doing. They don't answer their texts sometimes for a full day. I had to beg them to finally start uploading a report card just to know how he was doing or if he was ok. The lack of communication alone should have been a big enough red flag to stop sending him here, along with the stress he seemed to be under upon drop off and pick up. In January I sent him for boarding for a work trip and a couple days after I picked him up he got incredibly sick. He ended up having to be hospitalized for a couple of days and I paid almost $10k in vet bills. They said he likely caught something from another dog. Several months later, again after a work trip he now won't let any of my dog walkers approach him with his prong collar. I don't know if maybe someone at the Roxbury location handled him aggressively with his collar, but he's 5 years old and has been wearing this collar since he was a year and a half old. We have never had issues with it until I started sending him here. I have no idea if something happened to him at that location since their communication is abysmal. A couple of days after this, I saw a Facebook thread of a woman who sent their dog here for a simple nail trim and they gave her pup back with a popped blood vessel in its eye and said they had no video footage to provide when she asked. Everyone in the comments said that a popped blood vessel in the eye is a sign of strangulation, and people started sharing their terrible experiences about this place. This would make sense why my pup doesn't want anything near his neck anymore. I'm not sure why there aren't many google reviews, but there were hundreds of comments of people sharing their unsettling stories here. On top of the financial stress this has put me under, I've also had to completely change my work schedule to walk my dog since he doesn't trust any walkers anymore. I now have him in a harness and have been doing more training with him, but I've had to cancel all of my travel for work because of this. I've never had any behavioral issues with my dog until sending him here.

Chewie the Shorkie goes here for haircut/grooming/wash/nail trim - the works! We specifically visit…read moreFatima and leave Chewie under the care of Sandy Paws for about an hour or so. The facilities are clean and well-lit, so I immediately felt safe about leaving him. Sandy Paws also offers a BYOD wash, I think that's super awesome, although I haven't taken advantage of this service yet. Please be specific of what kind of cut you want for your loved dog! I read other reviews where people complained, if you don't specify, it does not help anyone's case. We usually get a puppy cut/trim for Chewie, I find that he looks his best like this. Anything shorter, he looks like a chihuahua LOL. Show the groomer a photo! Call ahead as they're usually booked in advanced. You'll quickly see why. They also sell a variety of treats, dog harnesses, poop bags, the works! After looking around the shop, and possibly grabbing a bite to eat next door, they'll give you a call and let you know that your little fur baby is good to go! We always get Chewie back smelling fantastic, tail wagging, and a cute little seasonal bandana. Our pup is happy, and we are happy. If you want a nice, clean, safe place for your pup to be groomed - this is the place to be.

Great service love the groomers they always do a nice job on my dog never have a problem making an…read moreappointment I definitely recommend them!

I've boarded my cat with Cat's Pajamas Inn on two occasions, and Patty is outstanding! Both times…read morePatty took great care of my cat and sent me regular updates. Each cat gets their own condo in a large room attached to Patty's home, and Patty takes each cat out (one at a time) to play with them. I'll definitely be brining my cat back here in the future.

I went to visit this place to meet the owner and see what it was like with the intent of…read morepotentially having my 6 mo. old stay there for a couple of days. It was clean. Patty, the owner seemed lovely. I wasn't thrilled about the size of the crates 6x4, but figured we could do a trial run for 1 night before his actual stay. We agreed on a day and time for me to bring my cat and the day before she asked if I could come at 9:00am instead of 9:30am because she was heading out for 2 hours at 9:15!! WHAT?? She thought nothing of having me bring my cat who had never been there before, shove him in a crate and the leave right after he gets there for 2 hours? The whole point of me bringing him was for her to meet him, see how he does. When I asked if it might be better to bring him later that day when she would be around, she said no I'm having company!! Again WHAT?? How much attention and time was she planning on spending with my cat who would probably have been frightened as can be. I would NEVER bring my cat there and I'm so happy that I learned what she's truly all about beforehand. Looks can be deceiving!!

Hey Ya'll, it's me again and this time I have the prrrrrrrrrfect place for your furry babies. Let's…read moreget into it. This place and its worker is absolutely wonderful. He is kind and took his time with my Ginger Squirrel. My Ginger had a few knots and he shaved her down, clipped her nails, cleaned her ears and gave her a bath. she looked awesome and felt even better. I could not be happier with his work. My family and GinG thanks you for all your hard work.

Such a nice place! Very clean. The groomer is very good with my dog and does a very thorough job!read more

My husband and I LOVE Dogwood Cottage - but most importantly, our dog Reggie LOVE LOVE LOVES it…read more :) In fact, we love it so much that we take him for occasional daycare and whenever we need boarding all the way up to Melrose from our home in Roxbury. We have a beyond-wonderful dogwalker who takes him with other dogs for daily jaunts in the woods, but we needed a day care that could take him on days when the cleaning folks come and for boarding, since he's a big, high-energy dog who needs a lot of stimulation and is really too much work to foist upon friends. We were a little gunshy coming to Dogwood because we had a less-than-great experience with a local doggie day care, but Dogwood quickly eased our fears. The staff is wonderful - Reggie runs right to them without so much as a look over his little doggie shoulder when I drop him off. He always comes home tuckered out, and even after somewhat lengthy boarding stays, he never displays any "bad habits." If anything, he actually seems a little bit better behaved after his stays at Dogwood! The staff is great with humans, too - they're always flexible and responsive, and have consistently accommodated every request they can. I'm a mildly obsessive dog mom, and I'll be forever grateful that we have a place where we feel comfortable leaving Reggie when we have to go out of town. In addition to the outdoor play area, they also offer half-hour and hourlong walks, which make me feel so much better about leaving him. He's so comfortable there, I really get the sense that it's more of a second home for him and less of a boarding situation. Some commenters have said it's pricey, but I have to disagree; the value I get from the excellent care and peace of mind far exceeds the price tag. Thanks, Dogwood!

We really want to like this place - but unfortunately cannot. We used to bring our dog here…read moreregularly (when under former ownership). But ever since the transition a few years ago to Riverdog, we've seen it steadily decline. While the staff are friendly (hence two stars) the place is absolutely filthy. You just need to walk in to know what I'm talking about. The place smells terrible and there is dog hair literally everywhere - piles and clumps of it. I'm not sure when the last time was that someone vacuumed the main area (maybe never??) We've tried bringing this issue up with management several times, and while they have nodded politely, nothing has been done. While I'm not a fan of publicly posting, I'm hoping that maybe this kicks things into gear? If you want a much better option for a comparable price, we now send our dog to CommonDog in Everett. The facility is immaculate (lobby is gorgeous, cameras allow you to log in and watch your pup play all day, and the staff are amazing). It's a bit further, but luckily on the way to work (for anyone working in Boston). Until Riverdog improves, we would recommend Common Dog as a far superior alternative! And if Riverdog gets better, I'll be the first to update this post - as we would really love to have a good dog daycare in the Melrose area!

Leslie and her family are great people! They took such good care of my pup when I was away. I got…read morelots of updates and she was always reachable by phone. I will definitely book with her again.

Leslie has been walking my (currently) three year-old chocolate lab, Abby for over a year now. Abby…read moreand I moved here from North Carolina, where I took her for two runs a day and still did not drain all of her energy. A hike with Leslie consistently results in a happily exhausted Abby. Just today I she was sleeping and I asked her if she wanted a treat. Normally, she'd bound over and beg without my asking. This time she only wagged her tail in response. :-) Leslie is wonderful, very knowledgeable about dogs and their temperaments, and very attuned to the safety of her doggie-friends. As an added bonus, she sends me pictures and videos from the hike via text to share with my daughter. I highly recommend!

Brought a puppy home....contact canine university is a given. Bringing my second dog to puppy…read morekindergarten where the guidance is essential. Gerilyn and the other trainers are patient and reassuring. I recommend doggy play school also. The dogs learn so much from being in a pack. My big husky loved going! I'm hoping my new puppy will too!

On April 18th, I purchased a 12 week training course with Canine University for $575. Canine…read moreUniversity's voicemail states: " to observe a class you have to have registered". On their website it states: "Pre-registration and payment is required to reserve a spot at orientation. Orientation is without your dog and does not count as one of your training weeks." So my partner and I signed up to learn more about their training, while looking at other options to determine what was best for our dog. We went to orientation on April 27th at 7pm where we received a booklet explaining their method and had a chance to ask questions. As our dog's aggressiveness was getting worse, we decided to start implementing some of their exercises in their book. We also agreed to confirm our attendance originally for May 11th and after emailing Canine University that we were struggling, we were moved to the May 4th class and confirmed our attendance. As our dog's behavior was escalating, we decided to contact another trainer that provided in-home service. We then emailed Canine University on May 4th that we would not be attending their classes and requested a partial refund. We received an email that they do not give out refunds and then they tried to convince us to go to the first class and then to private training. The cancellation policy on their website states: "Full refund if you notify us 48 hours prior to class start date. No refunds after the first class." We attended orientation and not a class. We asked where on their website the policy of no refunds after orientation was stated and have not received a response. If this business was confident in their training methods, they would operate differently and not be afraid to give customers refunds when no services have been rendered.