Archie went to camp with Gina for three weeks and came home a different dog. I'm still a little…read moreamazed. He's a five-pound chihuahua who shakes when someone new walks in the room and basically lived on my lap or behind my knees. I'd worried a trainer would either give up on him or scare him worse, but from the very first day Gina put so much thought into making him feel safe. She texted that afternoon to say he'd already jumped into her daughter's arms. When he barely ate the first couple days and I got worried, she talked me through it and told me he'd come around, which he did. She took him on long walks around the park and the neighborhood to burn off his nerves before she ever asked anything of him. His crate became his safe spot at her house, a familiar place that was all his in the middle of a busy home with other dogs and parrots and training going on. And she started him on tiny, predictable rules, sitting before a door, coming when called, so he always had something he understood to hold onto in a new situation. She explained that for an anxious dog, knowing what to expect is half the battle. She also refused to pick him up every time he got scared, and warned me that part would be harder for me than for him. She was right. Somewhere around the second week he started smiling in the photos. He was hanging out with her little dogs and her family, going on field trips to the park and coffee shops, staying on his place while she walked away, heeling next to her. He knows sit, place, heel and here now, and he does them for me too. The turnover at my apartment took a couple hours and it was real work. She sat me down and explained everything before we ever touched the dog, then had me practice with Archie while she corrected what I was doing wrong. She's kept sending reminders and answering my questions since, including a few dumb ones about shampoo and brushes. Here's the part I still can't get over. We went to a party a couple weeks after he got home, which is a huge deal for Archie. He sat on other people's laps. He licked hands. He barely cowered. Six weeks ago he would have spent the whole night shaking under my chair. Everyone at the party noticed and commented on the change in his demeanor. I was a proud mama that day! If your dog is the anxious type, the one who hides, trembles, won't eat around strangers, or has to be carried everywhere, I really want you to hear this. A lot of trainers are set up for big confident dogs and don't know what to do with a scared little one. Gina does. She never rushed him, never forced him, and never made me feel silly for babying him all these years. She reads a nervous dog and meets them where they are, then slowly builds them up until they can handle the world on their own. That's exactly what Archie needed. I honestly feel like Gina is just getting started with him, and I'm already thinking of when I can work with her again. If you have a tiny, anxious dog and you're on the fence, go with Gina. Archie is a different dog and so am I. Thank you again for everything you did for him, and for me. Archie sends smooches. Sheri

I can't say enough good things about Brandi and Perry Bailey of RSK9. Their work has given my pup…read moreand I so much freedom and balance. Pebbles (blue heeler, 1.5 years old) would never listen to me, would not sit or lay still, and had a lot of other obedience issues that caused her to be stressed or confused. She was a TOUGH dog to train and I was concerned I couldn't find the solution for her to get basic concepts. This view has completely changed since working with RSK9's 3 week program. I would HIGHLY recommend them and their methods - you can tell they genuinely love working with dogs and it's made a huge difference in giving my dog the chance to find real rest at home. They send DAILY updates with photos and videos which was so nice. This isn't a regular class or something you just pay for; it's truly an investment that you and your dog will be using for the time you get to share together. Side note: it's worth doing 3 weeks versus 2 weeks. At the 2 week mark is when Pebbles really started to understand her marks and cues. From here there is so much more that can be refined and Brandi/Perry really capitalize on that threshold being crossed!

Olde Towne Pet Resort is a great place for dog daycare. The staff is very helpful and always takes…read moregood care of my dog. He's been going there for daycare for some time now, and he's also been groomed and gone swimming there, all great experiences. To date, I'd definitely recommend them.

Three years ago I raved about Olde Towne Pet Resort to every dog owner I knew. Now I wouldn't board…read morea houseplant here. Great to horrible, entirely self-inflicted. Every booking, every pet, every time: more signatures and "agreements" than a mortgage closing. Somewhere there's a lawyer who's never met a dog and decided the real threat to this business is the guy who's paid them loyally for three years. You carefully fill out the entire grooming form online, pick every option -- then show up and they shove a paper copy across the counter to sign the exact same thing again. And after all that paperwork, they still claim they don't have the phone number they've had on file for three years and called me on before. Let's put this in perspective. I can order dinner to my door in two taps -- Reorder, Apple Pay, done. A stranger drives hot food across town on the strength of my thumbprint. But dropping off dogs these people have known for three years apparently requires a signing ceremony and a fresh liability waiver every single visit. In 2026, that's not caution. That's a business that's forgotten how to trust its own customers. And then there's the membership -- the crown jewel of contempt. They took a system that worked and actively torched it. Gone are the daycare credit packs: fair, flexible, buy-what-you-need, the way a business treats people it respects. In their place, a pricier monthly "membership" that auto-drafts your card whether your dog walks through the door or not, with no rollover for the days you paid for and never used. Read that again: you pay, they keep it, your dog gets nothing, and they call it a perk. It's not a membership -- it's a standing withdrawal from your bank account with a bow on it. It punishes the exact people who kept this place in business: the regulars whose lives don't run on a fixed weekly schedule. Some months my dogs come once, some months five times, because that's how actual life works -- and this program is built to make sure I lose either way. It doesn't serve pets. It doesn't serve owners. It serves a spreadsheet, and it treats every loyal customer as a recurring charge to be maximized rather than a person to be valued. It is, top to bottom, the most openly hostile "loyalty" scheme I've ever been asked to fund. When customers spend more time signing forms and fighting your billing than petting their dogs, you're not a pet resort -- you're a law firm with a kennel attached. Take your pets somewhere that still remembers what the word "customer" means.

A shout out to Sabrina of Woofie's Leesburg. She did an awesome job on our Goldendoodle.. She…read morearrived on time and loaded the pup into the grooming van. After some time, she let me know the pup was ready and lo and behold .. the dog looked better than me! Great job!

Used to love this place but had a RED FLAG experience today…read more My parents have had issues with them because they continuously ask for Cali to have a bow. The last two times there hasn't been one - whatever. Annoying for the amount of money they pay. Especially, because Cali didn't have a bow for Christmas pictures when she was groomed at that time ... :( We've also wanted a consistent person come to the house because our dogs are extremely picky/anxious! However, that has also not been held up as we've continuously had different groomers. Today - after my parents paid and tipped the company they told my mom that my greyhound fell off the table and they put hydrogen peroxide on it. Eli has an open wound that is bleeding, bruising, and he's limping. Not to mention they had an additional groomer today because they were training someone. There should have been at least one hand on Eli??? He's a greyhound rescue - they have been grooming him for a while they know his actions and behaviors. If there's two of you why was Eli able to fall of the table - was nobody watching? In a small van.... please. After Cindy called my mother - we were expecting an apology and would reconsider our frustration. BUT she tried to justify that he's hurt and said "Christina, put this where it should be" as if it should ever sit well. She said he's a nervous dog and has done this before. Why haven't I heard this before?! Because he's nervous it's his fault he's hurt?! Take your business elsewhere.

The good news is at least my dog is not dead! When you hire a mature women to come and dog sit and…read moreshe sends her 18 year old son it can't be good. I have used Kim for many years. She said that she would come into my home and take care of my beloved dog. 2 days into the stay, she installed her 18 year old son. My dog was not walked, he slept into the late morning, showered, used what ever product he need and use my home as a crash pad. The service cost $83.00 per day. All I can say is you have been warned.

We found Cupid Pets on Care.com. They saved the day by watching our two boys for the weekend while…read morewe took a family camping trip. The home visit and agreement was set literally one day before we left (dog sitting hero's!). We have bully breeds and didn't anticipate the 90 degree weekend that VA had out of no where a few weeks ago. I just love their kind, personable, and detail oriented attitudes. They are so thorough, I swear they spend the same out of hired time writing out their adorable summary briefs that are left with each visit. My pet needed meds, all of which was also taken care of. I have decided to hire their services for bi-weekly mid-day walks to help my boys get some extra exercise. This company is unbelievable easy to deal with. Highly recommended. A+++ The Pensabene Family

Club-K9 in Sterling has been fantastic! This is the first doggy daycare/boarding place I've ever…read morefelt fully comfortable leaving my dog with (and the first doggy daycare I've ever walked into that actually smelled GOOD, lol)! All the staff have been consistently friendly, helpful, and take such good care of my baby- Absolutely recommend :)

I reviewed the dog places for so long and this one is amazing! They allowed us to tour the area and…read moreallowed for our dogs to come in for a half day. My dogs love playing with other dogs and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. This location only had about 20 dogs which is perfect! They also have an indoor track in case it rains. Super grateful and I know my dogs will have many more play dates here.

My notoriously vocally complaining husky has been to her for grooming twice, and this second time…read morehe tried to go back in and stay with her when I picked him up instead of coming home with me??? I've never had that happen with any of his previous groomers. He's a very woolly husky and sometimes his coat can get impacted (especially in the summer!) because he runs away from the brush, but when he comes home from Em's it's like a full reset. She's so good with him and he always looks fantastic. I would recommend her to anyone!

Emma is wonderful and so kind to my fur baby. She takes her time and you can tell that she loves…read morewhat she does.

Couldn't ask for better dog sitters for our girls. Loved seeing photos of them. Our dogs were well…read morecared for in the place they love

From the owner: With over 20 years of experience working with all ages and types of animals, we offer a range of…read moreservices to meet your pet's needs. Our services include socialization to help your pet interact well with others, nail trims to keep them comfortable, bathing to keep them clean and fresh, and administering medication to ensure their health and well-being.

So I haven't used this establishment for boarding but I did use it for grooming services a while…read moreback. My cat seemed very happy with the visit and came home refreshed and clean. They gave us a report card and sent pictures so that made it reassuring. All the staff are very friendly. Drop off and pick up was a breeze. I would definitely return in the future for another bath or boarding.

I recently left my 11 year old cat for a few days while I was traveling out of state. He doesn't…read morelike boarding but I hoped having his own room, not being around dogs at the vet, etc. would make him less stressed. He came home and for the past two days has been vomiting and had diarrhea. It seems either because the people stressed him out or because he caught something there that he has gotten sick with, and now I have to see if my vet can fit him in today. Furthermore I know the report cards are misleading because his second day supposedly he had stool, urine, and was eating but when I picked him up his chart said he had only eaten once in four days. The Webcam was also turned off several times, so now I'm worried that he was already sick there and they were hiding that from me. Especially considering the price, I 100% *do not recommend* this place at all. These people are dishonest and not worthy of your money.

Decided not to board with this facility after receiving this email from the owner. I had inquired…read morewith questions about the routine for dogs during long term boarding and what I could expect out of my dog's stay but received a lot of attitude in response. I would not recommend based on this alone.

In April of 2006, my wife and I adopted a mischievous rascal, an American Pointer, we named Chloe…read more She was fun, loving, full of life, but hard to manage. When My wife told me she found highly recommended trainers, Braveheart, I looked them up and panicked....but I looked up a Pit Bull breading place in southern Virginia, not this Kennel and heir trainers in Maryland (both where named Braveheart). This morning we had to put our wonderful friend to sleep. She was 14 years of wonderful, fun, kind, and gentle memories. While she had most of these traits built in, Braveheart was a strong factor in her starting out right (well almost starting out, we was found roaming in Fairfax Virginia before we recused her, she was put into training at about 1 year old). She adored the Braveheart team. She was happier and better behaved after training. And, didn't even mind when we had to kennel her twice after that training. The team built very kind kennels (heated and cooled) with each stall having access to outside. They walked her several times a day. And, whenever you went there, you would see them working with one or more dogs. All the dogs looked very well treated and happy. While today is a sad day for Me and my Wife, I am truly thankful for Braveheart Kennels and the impact on our best friend, Chloe Thank you Braveheart, Bruce

This place is amazing and I'm really surprised to see some of the pathetic reviews so far. Let me…read morestart with my story and my 120lb Siberian Husky/Alaskan Malamute...Allie. We came here a year ago because of a hurricane evacuation. We're stationed down near Miami now, but have always called DC home, so when it was time to evacuate, there was no question on where we would head. I brought our dog Allie with us (wife took a flight out of Dulles to go see family), so I was looking for a place to put her for a day or two and get all her sillies out with some other dogs. This place was super accommodating to our situation, got her evaluated within a few minutes of the first day, and then took her for the day and absolutely wore her out! She had so much fun that when we came back the next day, she immediately started getting excited in the car when we drove into the location. Phenomenal staff who actually love dogs (not just the typical business owners that see a dollar sign over your pup) and will have fun with them all day long! For the reviews about scratches and sniffling...give me a break. This is a doggy day care...not the ER. It isn't meant to be perfectly sanitized, as I'm quite sure none of our dogs Purell their hands upon entry. If they have a scratch or two, it's because they were chasing dog butts all day and had a blast. If there are ever any issues, the staff will call right away and will section your dog off so they don't get hurt. If your dog got a scratch, they were probably having the time of their life. Calm down. If you want a solid dog boarding/daycare spot outside of DC filled with knowledgeable staff who care and will wear the pooch out for a day, this is definitely the spot to go to! The prices are more than reasonable and since it's indoors, it doesn't matter what weather will hit the area. Rain or shine, your pup will have a dog-gone good time with some of DC's finest 4-legged friends. I highly recommend them and we will most certainly be coming back over the holidays!!

I have been bringing my dog to ADDO for months and she really enjoys the time there. This morning,…read moreafter traveling a half hour to them to drop my dog off before work, I was told they couldn't take her back because her Bordatella was due two days ago. So I had to turn around and take her back home, which screwed up my work schedule. If they have the vaccine information, it would have been very helpful if they could have sent me a reminder so that I could have addressed it before bringing her in. But seriously, a vaccine expiration of two days should not prevent access. I'll start looking for a new day care that has better customer service.