We were planning a road trip to the Pacific Northwest with our Princess along for the ride. We wanted to have dinner at a restaurant that doesn't have a patio that allows dogs. We either had to find a kennel for an overnighter or miss out on eating at a restaurant that we've waited more than ten years to eat at.
I found Paws VIP on yelp.com. The reviews were very positive, pricing was reasonable and seemed to meet all of our needs. Princess would be pampered while we went out for a delicious dinner and we could pick her up the next day.
I signed up on their website and was contacted for additional information almost immediately. I was informed of everything I needed to do to make this a smooth adventure.
After submitting the necessary paperwork, I waited for several weeks for approval for the stay, but no one contacted me. I don't like leaving things to the last minute only to have them fall apart, so eventually I called up to confirm. They had received all of the necessary paperwork, and everything was set to go. Until I realized that they had the wrong date. Melinda was able to change that for me and also asked where we were having dinner. She suggested that we go to the Westwood area kennel instead of the one by the airport. Okay, she would know the area better than I would.
On the appointed day, with the address plugged into my gps, we headed over to the kennel. While we found the address immediately, there was a lack of signage to direct us to where to go. I ended up driving around the block three times before deciding to park the van and just walk. As soon as I did that, I could hear a whole lot of dogs barking. I was close!
There is signage on the front door, but you can't see it when you're driving around the block looking for it, especially if there are cars parked in the small lot. I highly suggest that management invest in a couple of sandwich boards to place on the sidewalk or have someone paint their name or logo on the front of the building.
We were promptly greeted upon entering and one of the employees asked if we were bringing in Princess. We were! How did you know. They had pictures of their expected guests for the day and recognized her. They asked us some questions about Princess and asked if we had any questions. I asked for and got a tour of the facility. It's not huge but the kennels were spacious and there was separation for dogs who preferred to be on their own and play space for those who wanted to play in a group. We brought food, food topper, treats, dog bed, and a toy.
When we arrived the next day to pick Princess up, she was brought out looking relaxed and chill. We were told that she was calm and just hung out while watching the other dogs.
I did receive some photos via email of her on the first day. On the second day, I received pictures of another Shiba Inu that I knew was not our dog because no dog can lose 10lbs overnight! When I paid close attention, I saw the note that the AI driven application was not yet ready for primetime and not to worry if the dog pictured was not our dog.
Overall, the experience was very positive. The employees that we interacted with appeared to know what they were doing, were aware of their charges and truly cared for the animals. We were very impressed. read more