Oct. 4, 2021 (first post to my social media regarding this terrible kennel): Warning to my friends and connections around the Calgary area, please do not send or let people in your life send their doggos to Paradise kennels outside of Strathmore, Alberta. H. has been going there for a couple years despite the disagreeable owner and terrible costumer service, he was always happy upon return, it never felt right to take him out of it due to my concerns with management when he seemed so so happy from being on the farm. This last spring he was returned home with a gaping wound (I was not notified prior) and he was left in my apartment (they have key access for long time costumers) to bleed all over my furniture and apartment. I addressed this at the time and they claimed accident and assured me transparent communication moving forward. Flash forward to yesterday October 4th, I just returned home from my recent two week work hitch and when they dropped him off he had another seriously infected wound. The taxi driver/worker refused to say anything apart from they called the vet but it was a week out to see him by their local doctor, so they didn't take him. They never called me to notify me of his injury or allow me the chance to make emergency arrangements. H. had emergency surgery same day Oct. 4, 2021 where they removed infected/dead tissues and said that he was on his way to blood poisoning from the injury being so infected, their estimate was it was a 5-7 day old wound. 5-7 days of him suffering and me completely unaware. He had to be sedated and the doctor warned that this could be taxing with potential death as a result. I pay so much money to have him be cared for, they have emergency numbers, and yet I was not contacted. They refuse to call or return my emails now and H.'s surgery was not cheap by any standards. So this may be lengthy, but please don't send your or let any one you know send their pets to Paradise kennels outside of Calgary. H. has two layers of stitches, is high as a kite on pain meds, and all my days off plans are now on hold to hope that my adventure side kick can recover in full force. I am beyond upset and hope no one and their furry companion ever has to experience this. I apologize for the graphic photos, but they needed to be shown. The kennel never called and that is just flat out unacceptable. In closing, H. may be doped up, but remains my happy duder despite it all but should never had to have experience this. Oct. 11 - Then kennel refuses to return my house keys (which legally they have no right to withhold.) The kennel refused to tell me what happened and insisted I get legal representation should I insist on knowing more. I did contact a law firm and the unfortunate reality is that, yes I have a case that would be won based on the waivers, email admissions of guilt by the kennel (not contacting me or consulting a vet), and clear neglect. However, the financial outcome would be to my detriment. So although I feel a kennel like this should be held to task, it doesn't help my and H.'s long term goals to push with a lawyer. Please continue the good vibes as he gets his stitches out in four days and he will just have to bare a life scar, as I sure we all have one or two of, rightfully or not. #please do not support paradise kennels in Calgary Finally, the kennel is using scare tactics that would not necessarily hold up legally, they say if you felt there is neglect that you will have to pay for their legal team. This kennel owner is the definition of a bully and has never respected me or my dog. She hopes clients will shy away as I have over money. They pled on facebook that with COVID they would go under in 2020, I donated to them to show my support at the time. Not even this impacted the owner to be a kind human being. If you want your dog to return with injury read this review and see others on this page as it seems to be a trend. They did return my keys, no call in advance just showed up, handed the keys over and said nothing further. My dog is mending but I caution anyone to go here. read more

See all

Looking at this site there aren't any recent reviews - so I thought I should update that! We took our Australian Cattle dog Levi to Paradise Kennels every time we went on holidays from when he was quite young until he passed away this past fall at the ripe old age of 14.5 years old! In fact Jenifer was his "personal trainer" 15 years ago when he was a challenging puppy. She was a terrific trainer and helped him turn into a terrific dog, and us into better dog owners. When she decided to open a kennel we knew it would be great and it really is. Levi always had lots of fun while he was there, he was cared for very well, we felt very safe laving him there and he came back tired, washed and blow dried, nails clipped and totally healthy. The taxi rides were really handy and her staff are excellent. Now that we have added a new Australian cattle dog to our family again (Cooper) we plan to visit "paradise" again this summer! read more

This kennel is the only place I will send Cleo. They are fantastic! Cleo is a high energy dog that often gets bored or too stimulated at kennels but Paradise knows how to keep her happy and that puts my mind at ease. Cleo gets excited every time she sees the pickup van and that is a great indicator that she loves it there. read more

My wife & I have brought our two dogs to Paradise for many years for extended stays. However, due to our most recent experience involving an injury to one of our dogs, we will not take our dogs there anymore. To be as fair as possible to a small local business that we have supported for many years, we have outlined our concern in some detail below, but we want to be clear from the outset that our concern does not arise from the fact that our dog had an injury, but rather the way in which Paradise handled the situation. We have simply lost our confidence in Paradise to pay sufficient attention and to have the knowledge and wherewithal to notice serious medical issues with an animal in its care and subsequently to handle inquiries with professionalism and empathy. Our dogs were at Paradise for a few days over New Years and upon being returned, one of them had a bleeding toe from his nails being trimmed (which is not a huge deal), but more importantly and more seriously the other dog's rear molar was "all smashed up" (in the words of our vet), with a swollen face, bloody gum/mouth and very stinky. We emailed Paradise immediately and asked if they noticed anything and what may have happened, to which they responded that they did not notice anything since she was eating and drinking normally. Once we took our dog to the vet (who had to perform emergency surgery to get the tooth out asap due to risk of infection, etc), we called Paradise to express our concern that they did not notice this very serious issue. Unfortunately, immediately on the phone, all Paradise wanted to do was to argue about how the injury could not have occurred during the stay - which obviously is impossible to prove one way or the other. This is not the point - the point is that we expected Paradise to pay enough attention to an animal in their care to notice something this serious - whether that's when the animal arrives into their care, or during the stay when they interact with the animal, or when the animal is bathed and nail trimmed before they come home. We asked about not noticing her swollen face or stinky mouth when they bathed her, and the response was that they would not notice because they bath them very fast and the spraying water and blow dryer would not allow them to notice these issues. Again, we do not want to assess blame for the injury itself, but we wanted to gain some comfort and confidence that Paradise would pay sufficient attention and have the knowledge and wherewithal to notice serious medical issues with an animal in its care. Obviously, they did not provide such comfort and confidence from our discussion (which was followed up by an unprofessional email still trying to deflect blame and accusing us of harassing a small family business). In light of the response we received from our inquiries, unfortunately, we can no longer support this business and we want to share our experience in case you are considering boarding your pet at Paradise. Lack of professionalism and empathy, as well as a tendency to assess and deflect blame and failing to notice medical issues, appear to be consistent complaints against Paradise based on some of the other reviews. read more

We recently had to board our dog for the first time. We researched a couple kennels in the Calgary area and this one was the winner. The Kennel is located about an hour east of the city but this shouldn't be a deterrent for using their services - they offer pick-up and drop off at no extra charge! (except that you have to pay for the extra days, I suppose) Since we had never boarded a dog before, we wanted to go visit the location. It is located out in the country with large fields and a pond for swimming - there is no traffic for dogs to run into. She assured us that the dog would only be in the kennel during meal times, nap time and at night for sleeping. The rest of the time, the dogs are either outside in size appropriate pens (separated based on dog size/temperament) or if it's too cold or wet to be outside, Jennifer has a fully heated very large hanger with rubber flooring where they dogs can play inside. The dogs are also provided with off-leash walks in the field and pond during the day. Jennifer loves her job and it shows in how she cares for your dog. read more

Paradise Kennels is hands down the most amazing kennel that we have experienced! They are amazing with our pooch & we LOVE all the videos posted on their FB page & taxi service! Pooch always comes back clean & happy & in good spirits ! Their communication is outstanding and they are amazingly patient with my OCD and questions! Cant thank them enough for everything!! xo Jess & Brad read more

We've used Paradise Kennels several times. Each time has been outstanding. From the pickup to the drop-off, to the daily videos, it is all fantastic. We visited Paradise Kennels before we used them the first time, and we were very happy with the quality and care they put into their facility. We've used other kennels for short-term stays, but nothing comes close to the quality of Paradise Kennels. We came home from our holiday late last night, and our two dogs were delivered back to us today, clean and very tired. They have a great time, and we have great peace-of-mind. read more

If it is true that there are no bad dogs just bad dog owners: I am shocked at my dogs behavior, reported to me by my son, when he was off loaded from the Dog taxi. I am writing a review for the consideration of you who want deeper perspective than only praise before you board your Dog with Paradise Kennels near Calgary. There was little to no appropriate communication, a dog fight and no reporting of the fight or his injury. Apparently his condition went unnoticed. My dog is an intact 20 month old GSD, typical in most every way. He had never been in a fight or shown aggression to another dog or people with the exception of his displeasure of my clipping his nails (inner growl -no teeth. He was comfortable in a crate and slept in a crate from 3 months to when he graduated to sleeping beside our bed. Stable and sound able to be off leash and social, working in a off leash and unfenced city of Calgary dog park. This is with an e-collar. He appears to interact well in his pack for five days at Paradise. What happened to my dog while in the care of award winning professional Dog experts? He came home like a crazed trapped wolf growling and handlers afraid to take him out of the taxi crate. Open (but healing) wound on his neck (approx -half inch tag of skin hanging down on his neck), a tooth mark on his head and in his ear. Look at the Aug 6 2018 pack in action on their web site. He has just been removed. I was not contacted during his 10 day stay. On a number of occasions I attempted to contact the kennel, and got no response to my phone message. They are very busy taking care of the dogs. Dogs can get into an altercation on occasion. More often than not due to people's over site. However I expected staff at Paradise Kennels to have the expertise and judgment to managed my dog to prevent injury. In my opinion the most crucial responsibility I entrusted them with was the judgment to assemble compatible packs, to supervise those groups with the ability to intervene in a timely fashion to prevent injury to all those involved. I was told he was the aggressor. He is a up and coming dominant male, he should have been separated and managed professionally to prevent injury. Any concerns and injury should have been reported. What happened to my Dog at Paradise Kennel; he had his first fight with resulting injury. The tag could have been stitched if he had been checked following the altercation. My only report, when he was dropped off, was that he growled at the ladies when he was in the crate but fine when released. This is a new behaviour. How, why and what happened? Who knows. I know it takes sound judgment and management to protect and care for a dog that can't talk. In my mind; there are no bad dogs that people haven't created or promoted. Credit where credit is due, most dogs who visit Paradise apparently have an incredible experience. Their resume is beyond question. They look fantastic and more than able to handle my dog with his history and demeanor. What happened to my dog: an accident, a mistake? Communication is the real concern here, not the dog fight for me. My confidence was misplaced for my GSD. I hope my experience helps you determine if your dog is a good fit for Paradise Kennels. The award winning trainer is most likely not working with the dogs. My mistake and my dogs misfortune. He is home now and seems just fine. read more

Unfortunately I am fully disappointed in this organization. The taxi driver decided to leave my dog in my front yard on a plus 26 day with out any confirmation that i would be there to retrieve him. When I called to have the situation rectified I was told this as my fault and hung up on. That is not a professional way to deal with customers. Also my dog could have been stolen. I do not recommend them to anyone now. read more

I have had a great experience using this kennel for the first time recently. They were very prompt and professional in all correspondence, setting up my dog's stay was easy and fast, and they have been very accommodating. No hidden charges or unknowns and the daily videos posted online were great! My dog came home happy and healthy and the taxi home was right on time. Super satisfied with my experience and my dog Wyatt will be visiting again. read more

We've been taking our two dogs to Paradise Kennels for years. It is truly their home away from home. They've become so accustomed to their taxi ride, once we have their food ready to go......they sit by the window and wait for their ride. Jennifer and her team have taken our dogs when they're healthy, and when they've been recovering from quills, major & minor surgeries, and we've never hesitated. The team is experienced and professional. The care, attention and comfort our boys receive with every visit is evident from their excitement to go, the videos we enjoy while we're away and their exhaustion when they come home. I have recommended Paradise Kennels a number of times and will continue to do so. Because of their visits to Paradise, Pete and Archie have come to look forward to our vacations as much as we do! read more

I have left my two dogs at Paradise Kennels, six times and am very impressed with this facility. The people who work there, are professional and courteous. They care a great deal about the welfare of the dogs in their kennel. The dogs only stay inside at night, and during the daytime, the dogs are either outside with a group of buddies or on a long walk around the property. The best part of their service is the complimentary pick-up and drop-off provided for the dogs. They fetch the dog directly from my house and drop them off as well. Jennifer and her team are exceptional and I would not hesitate to take my Cocker-spaniels back to Paradise Kennels. read more

They have troubles keeping track of their bookings and have rude customer service. Poorly run organization. *** Edit - 8 months later and the owner still cannot get over this review. As previously stated, my comment has nothing to do with the facilities, but with their customer service. As evidenced below, she has no problem blaming the customer when it was actually an error on their end. As I'm sure most dog owners would do, we thoroughly researched their website. However, we had booked so far in advance last year, that their holiday information package was not up yet. We immediately received an e-mail confirming that, unless we get a call, our puppies were booked in. When we communicated closer to the date, Jennifer was nothing but rude and was quick to assume the fault was on our end. She offered no apology after we explained what had happened and even tried to resurrect the issue in March and now again in August. As a business owner, you have to put the customer (dogs and owners) first and take the bad reviews with the good. read more

PLEASE DO NOT SEND YOUR DOG HERE. Our very loved Rosa was dead within less than 48 hours (or less because we aren't really sure what happened), at this kennel. Rosa was picked up at our home on a Tuesday around noon. We got a call from Jennifer at 5:15 Wednesday saying that Rosa escaped. She later said that at 11:30 Rosa somehow got through a gap in their fence after being scared when Jennifer yelled at other dogs . She said she did not call us right away because she thought we were out of town. She waited 5 and 3/4 hours to call us. When asked about this she stated, "Am I supposed to be a mind-reader." She claims we should have written on the form that we were home and she would have called us. Wow. We went and looked for 3 hours in the dark and cold. We went back in the morning and combed the area only to find her dead on the road with broken leg and a puncture wound to the neck (according to our vet, to whom we took Rosa to to be cremated) 20km from the kennel. Rosa's stay was to be a trial one before a stay at Christmas, this was a suggestion by Jennifer, who later claimed she didn't know it was trial. They had one job to do. All they needed to do was give us Rosa back alive. They failed. In my opinion this could have all been handled with more compassion as we were and still are devastated. read more

You are updating a review that occured a year ago. Clearly this remains an unresolved issue for you and your business.

I've been sending my dog Sparky to Paradise for 5 years and I *love* them. They're very professional and Sparky runs out to the van when they pick him up. Many of the dog owners in my neighborhood also use them and their opinions are also very positive. read more

We have used Jenn three times now for our two dogs. She was originally recommended to us by our vet. She gave me some references to call up and all her previous clients love her too. She is amazing. They pick up and drop off at no extra charge. Both our dogs need medication and this is not a problem for her at all. You can tell that she has extensive experience with training dogs. I love that the dogs are only in their kennels for meals & naps. They get plenty of exercise. My dogs were healthy and happy when they returned. She bathed them and clipped them for me too! Paradise Kennels is the only kennel we trust to take care of our dogs. read more

I have used Paradise kennels on a couple of occasions now. I had an elderly dog and a puppy. My elderly dog has since passed away :( but when we had sent the 2 dogs there they had a wonderful time. They love nothing more than playing non-stop with other dogs. This is the perfect place for them. I hate the thought of the dogs being kennelled up in cages for the large part of the day. My elderly dog did come home each time with significant weight loss. I understand that old dogs adjust to change less easily and may have not fed as well, although the staff at the kennel assured me this wasn't true. They even upped his caloric intake with puppy food to try to help him keep his regular weight. Which impressed me. Turns out he had a tumour in his stomach which was not the kennels issue and did cause his death in the end. They had attributed the weight loss to the amount of playing he had been doing while in their care. I was skeptical about that as it was so significant. That would be my only issue with the kennel. I think as dog people they should have realized it was something more significant than just an increase in exercise. Although, at his age, I wouldn't have expected them to do anything about it except recommend that I get him checked once we were home. I will continue to use paradise for my puppy. They are a good organization. I like that they don't have a huge number of dogs so they can give each one a bit more time/attention. read more

My two dogs have been to Paradise Kennels a number of times and love it!!! They get so excited when the van drives up to pick them up. When we are away, we love looking at the Facebook videos they post of their walks and adventures. The boys come home happy, clean and tired. I highly recommend this kennel! :) read more

I've always been very happy with Paradise Kennels for my large breed dog. I love the daily videos you post on your Facebook, the taxi is always on time and such an awesome convenience, my dog is always thrilled to get in the taxi and go - only down side is how depressed she looks when she gets home! read more

We've used Paradise about six times in the past year for stays between 4 and 10 days for our small dog. The proof is in his response to going with Les or Jennifer at pick-up: he loves it! We know our dog is playing with other dogs most of the day, not cooped up in a kennel and ignored. That's really important. And the service... they drop off and pick up at the times promised. We have visited the kennel out in the country and are very impressed with the facilities and how it's operated. Our dog is in good hands. read more

My three dogs have been going to Paradise Kennels for some time now. We are thrilled to have such a kennel on which to rely. The dogs run to Jennifer and Jamie when they arrive at the house to take them for their stay. We have never had any problems leaving the dogs at Paradise. They come home healthy, clean, and well-exercised. On average the dogs spend a minimum of four days each month at Paradise. The day prior to leaving for their most recent stay at Paradise, one of the dogs lost a nail. The dog's paw was bandaged because it was bleeding. Upon pick-up I mentioned to Jamie that I was concerned about the paw becoming infected. She put all of my worries to rest. We were gone for 12 days this time, and when we returned the dog's paw had completely healed. Jennifer operates a professional, as well as loving kennel. I never hesitate to leave the dogs in her care or to recommend her kennel to my friends. read more

We picked our boys up yesterday and I can honestly say they will never be going back. It was a real last minute thing and they were the only place with room. Alarm bells started ringing for me when they were picked up, he brought slip leads to lead them into the van with. I'm sorry, but no-one is choking my dogs. He then proceeded to squeeze my 11year old hound into a kennel he couldn't move in for an hour+ journey. I had no choice but to let them go with him, but I was worried about them throughout the whole trip, so we sent 2 emails to see how they were doing. We received one sentence answers. We arrived to very little acknowledgement that we were even there and we were told they hadn't had their complimentary bath because they were too stressed. The old boy loves baths, granted the baby of the family doesn't, but tolerates them when required. The site was a mess and certainly didn't exude luxury to me. The customer service for us was the biggest let down. We spent $600 for both dogs to be there for 5.5 days yet they couldn't take 10 minutes out of their day to give us detail of how they were doing. As you can appreciate, putting a senior into a boarding kennels is scary enough without not knowing how he got on. Also, we had asked repeatedly for him to have extra rest during the day which he had not had. They both came back with scrapes, marks and they were filthy. I work for (in my opinion) the best daycare and training facility in the city and wouldn't dream of sending our clients away with uneasy feelings, lack of information even though they asked lots of questions and one sentence emails. Crazy!!! Also to add....we never received an apology or even an acknowledgment of our concerns. Thankfully I was able to steer many people away from using them. read more

Our mini schnauzers, Zoe and Daisy love spending their vacation at Paradise Kennel. When the van comes to pick them up, they can hardly wait to get in. When they get home, they want to turn around and go back with the driver! The other day, out on our walk, we spotted the paradise van on the street. Both dogs were pulling me toward the van. They recognized it, and were all ready to jump in. If they could talk, they'd be asking me when they can go again! read more

If I could give this kennel 0 stars I would. THEY KILLED MY DOG. That should be the only detail I should have to give you in order for you not to trust this business with your dog but to make it even clearer about halfway through our vacation we got a call saying that our little Yorkie had escaped from the fenced in area and had run into the place where they keep their bigger dogs. Apparently one of the workers said she saw it happen and there was nothing they could do to prevent it. We told them they should have made sure their fence was secure and the women decided to tell us that it was our dog's fault because he "buried underneath the fence." Our dogs has never once buried up,on, underneath or around anything. This was their fault entirely. Our little t-bone was killed by another dog because of their lack of responsibility, care and attention to the type of dogs they allow in. This kennel should have never accepted a dog that was untrained enough and violent enough to snap at another's neck, and they should have made sure their fences were secure. read more

My dog was supposed to be picked up at my parents on friday morning. I was told the time had to be 10am and I left my parents address and information that the company was supposed to go into the mailbox to get the key. Therefore if the person showed up at the right house (which they did but only rang the doorbell) then they would have known where the key was. My mother was told that the kennel tried to call to figure out what happened which was an out and out lie. Neither I nor my mother had a call or message from them. My concern is that if I had left our dog at my house and she wasn't picked up and they did not call my dog could easily be dead left alone in her hot kennel for four days. No one seemed to care or even apologized to my parents who then had to care for her over the weekend. And no one tried to contact us again either. I know they "sort of" offered to come get her (they were rude and unhelpful asking if my parents could drive way down south) but why would I trust them with my dog after that? Avoid at all costs it is not worth the free shuttle! read more