My dog went here for a few months. First, the staff is always very nice to the humans. They are less nice to pups. They demand the dogs sit and wait at hand off. It feels silly to demand that from dogs. When they get to daycare, they are so excited to say high to their friends they do NOT want to sit still. But that is not a negative thing. It is just an odd quark. Common criticisms and my experience: As for the dogs, it feels like they prefer subdued dogs. The spend all the time teaching the dogs to sit and stay and just lay around. I was fine with teaching dogs to sit, but they do it too much. In fact, the most common thing I hear at dog parks from other dog parents is that they started their dog at Pooch at Play for a few months, but they were kicked out because their dog likes to play too much. Of all the 10-15 dog parents that told me this, only 1 has a dog that can be a bit "too rough" when it plays. The rest of the dogs are all sweet. I still took their stories with a grain of salt because the exact thing happened to us. We were kicked out because my dog wanted to play all the time. Our story followed the story of so many of the dog parents I have met in the area. She is at a different doggy daycare now and absolutely thriving. Boarding: Many people I chatted with also had issues with boarding their pups there. I cannot say anything negative or positive about their boarding because we never needed that service. Grooming: With grooming, I saw dogs come out from grooming that looked nice, but we never used their grooming services either. I've never heard anyone personally say anything negative about their grooming. I just give my dog baths at home. I don't know much about grooming, but the groomed dogs that came out always seems clean and happy. Bottom Line: If you want your dog to get to play and run around and enjoy time with friends, don't send them here. They will be bored. If you want your dog to learn to sit and stay in a group setting, this place is okay. read more

The groomer, Sam, was amazing with my sweet Milo. Milo is a mini goldendoodle and he broke his leg in February. Sam helped to shave him down to match what the hospital shaved off for his surgery. She did amazing and took her time with Milo. I will absolutely be returning! read more

Pooch at Play - Before groom and after leg break - Pet Groomers Near Me - West Lafayette, Indiana

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I have brought my dog for daycare twice weekly for almost a year now. My dog loves it. She is always excited to go and it's the only time she ever leaves my side willingly. I boarded her there for a weekend and she was still excited to go back again. Sometimes she comes home a little dirty because she has had so much fun all day! I recommend this place to everyone. They have monthly themed activities and post pics online which is fun. The staff has accommodated a couple of odd requests for me with no problems and all of them seem like they really love working there and love the dogs they care for. read more

We love Pooch at Play! We took our dog here multiple times and he is always super excited to come back. He loves doggy day care here and is always happy to see the staff. We have boarded him a couple times and he always comes back tired and happy read more

I took my Bichon to be groomed and bathed. He had 3+ inches of hair. I asked that they take an inch off all over. They even called my son's phone and asked if his face should be left longer or cut like the rest of him. He said cut like the rest of him. Never once did anyone say they would shave him. Without any notice or someone calling they completely shaved my Bichon. I called to let them know how upset I was. I explained what I had asked for and what the groomer did. The person said she'd make a note to call if they couldn't fulfill my request. Really? I need to tell them to call me? I will never go back to this place. read more

Pooch at Play - Before - Pet Groomers Near Me - West Lafayette, Indiana

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I can't say enough great things about Pooch at Play! This is where we board my golden retriever. I was hesitant at first but only because i have separation anxiety with my puppy. The workers allowed me to take a tour of their facility. It's very clean and they are always making improvements. I know they take good care of my puppy because of how excited he is every time we pack his bag up! I love being able to make a reservation through their online system. You can tell the owners and workers really care for your dogs. There was one time my pup had to have eye drops and they made sure to indicate to give him the proper dosage and everything. They definitely put my anxiety at ease and I highly recommend this place! read more

I bring my aussie Bodee here for daycare almost weekly, if not 2x a week. He absolutely loves coming here and is always excited when we arrive. The staff is great and it makes me feel better about leaving him there for the day! I've worked at a daycare/boarding facility before, so I was hesitant to be on the other end of things, but I have absolutely no complaints what so ever. I love that they post photos of the pets having fun and take notes for the owners incase there is anything they need to know at pickup. I'll be sad to have to leave Pooch at Play when we move in a few months! read more

Great place for your puppster! Wookiee loves to come and play. He comes home quite tired but he clearly knows when its play day Wednesday. Staff are always helpful. You can tell they are buddies with the Wook, so that's pretty awesome. Super reasonable prices. read more

I went here with an open mind... Everything was going well for a while, and then one day my dog came home with a bloody face and scratches all over his face that are going to be there for the rest of his life. They said that it wasn't from a dogfight it was from rough play... This still should not happen... they only have 1 person in the big room per 15 dogs! That seemed low to me and is way lower than any other place I've heard of. Standard practice is 1 person per 3 dogs at the least... In time, I got over this and realized that accidents do happen and then about a week after that when they went to get my dog they brought him back and he had a gouge on his ear all the way through and they had to put quick stop on it to stop it from bleeding. It honestly probably could've used a stitch!! Even after this, once again... I gave them another chance... then I picked him up last night and noticed that he has welt that appears to be ringworm on his belly! He is never around any other dogs, does not lay down outside, and is in no environment that he could get that in any other way than day care. He only went to day care on Friday, and that's the night that I noticed it. This place is not somewhere I would recommend taking your dog unless you have to! read more

Pooch at Play - Pet Groomers Near Me - West Lafayette, Indiana

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Went in to have my dog's nails clipped. They did a great job...much better than Pet Smart or my vet have ever done and for only $5. Very friendly people working there. read more

They did a fantastic job grooming my dog, but the customer service was lacking and I have a feeling that my dog was not well looked after. After being assured that he would have water and get outdoor access to do his business, I left my dog in their care and returned after work hours later. My dog immediately pooped when we got outside and guzzled his water down like he hadn't drank all day. Since he had not gone #2 on our morning walk 7 hours earlier, I'm positive that he would have already gone had they actually taken him outdoors. Very disappointed in their care of my animal. read more

I am extremely disappointed in Pooch at Play. Our dog has some separation anxiety, especially at unfamiliar places, that she can get over typically within a brief period. We dropped her off at noon for a temperament test which we were told was an hour long and then they would give us a call stating how she did and if she passed for daycare. This dog is one of the calmest, most gentle dogs I have ever had, and she has done boarding and grooming before and has never had a problem. Her anxiety typically goes away once she gets comfortable. Ten minutes into her test, they called us stating that she had anxiety and was barking at the door. We stated that this was normal, especially at a new place, and she will become comfortable with a little more time and if someone is back there introducing her to the daycare. Well, they said that because she has anxiety and was barking that they believed daycare is not the best place for her and to come pick her up. When we got there, there were tons of dogs barking so I am not sure what the problem was with my dog barking. And our dog seemed fine and happy and was sniffing other dogs, wagging her tail, and even let a big German Shepard sniff her and lick her on the way out. She does well with other dogs and just needs a little time to warm up to a new place. I was also disappointed because if any dog were to be put in a room with other dogs in a new place and then the employee just shut the door and left, any dog would bark at the door. Someone needs to be back with the dogs, especially during a temperament test, and if someone was back there why did they just let her bark at the door? If someone were to just come over and pet her, she would become more comfortable and be running around within a few minutes. This is the third place she has been to due to moving over the last few years and this is the first where they have had a problem. I just wish they gave her more than ten minutes to adjust and relax and I wish they had people watching the dogs in the daycare to make sure they are okay and not just leave them, shut the door, and complain that they have anxiety. read more

I went in to check out the daycare facility. It was very strange. There was one person there and the dogs all seemed very subdued. The other doggy daycare where I take my dogs, the dogs seem really happy, running around and barking. The space seemed very small for so many dogs and the one person working there did not seem to have a passion for dogs. I would not leave my dog there. read more

We are from out of town so I was looking for a place to board our pups while we were visiting friends in Lafayette. I was so happy that we chose Pooch at Play! We have one dog that has a lot of anxiety with new places and I really appreciated that the staff went the extra mile to make her feel as comfortable as possible. I also love that they take the dogs out often for walks. It's great that I was able to get our pups nails trimmed while they were there and everything from making the reservation to picking them up went very smoothly. read more

This is such a great place to take your dog if you can't be at home to let it out or to play. Our dog always comes home tired from a full day of playing. It is also a great way to socialize your dogs. The staff are always very nice and are aware of your dog's needs. This place is great because it works with our school schedule. Their hours are wonderful and they offer student discounts! My husband and I have class, labs and work until late on Wednesday and our dog would be in her cage for way too long- and she cannot yet be trusted in the house alone. This is the perfect solution! read more

My dog stayed here for a few days and returned home with a huge cut over his eye after being bitten by another dog. They did call and inform me of the "accident," but they didn't come forward and give me the details. The downplayed the entire situation. This is unacceptable and my dog will never stay there again. Very disappointed. read more

I called and got a grooming appointment the next day. The staff was very friendly. My dog was very happy when he left Pooch at Play. We will go back! read more

The dogs love it here! They always come home happy and tired.

I agree with another reviewer that there's a strange atmosphere at this place. We booked our gentle, friendly dog for boarding over spring break. We took him there for a few daycare days prior to see how he'd do. He seemed ok but the staff was extremely unfriendly and didn't seem passionate about dogs in the least. I became nervous but we boarded him there for the week anyway. When we picked him up, he was understandably excited, and he smelled and looked great! We were happy he appeared to have had a bath. But the next time we were at the dog park around other dogs, he was more aggressive than I've ever seen him in my life. Not in a dangerous way, but still very alarming. I worried that he possibly got bullied at daycare by the large dogs (he's large but prefers to play with small dogs as he's really a gentle giant as we noted prior to boarding). I'm not sure what these daycare rooms look like or how/if there's ever supervision but I will never bring my dog back there again. Luckily we were able to quickly stop this negative behavior but I can only imagine what happened during that week....and of course there's zero feedback from the staff whatsoever so it will remain a mystery. read more

My puppy LOVES coming here. He actually (physically) leaps out of my arms in the mornings into Lorinnes arms or the owners when I drop him off. They are the best. Incredibly professional, loving, compassionate dog lovers, and will take such great care of your baby while you're gone. I had just moved to Lafayette and didn't know where to go and I'm SO glad we ended up at Pooch at Play. There was even one day when Augustus went outside to go potty when it was raining, and he got super dirty - they ended up giving him a bath just out of courtesy and professionalism! They are a dream team and a second family for a Augustus, and I'm so, so thankful he gets to go here. Beyond taking care of your dog while you're gone they have helped me answer a lot of questions involving crate training, bathing, and general care for my new dog. Wouldn't bring my dog anywhere else! read more

My dog loves coming to Pooch at Play! The staff are extremely friendly and caring.

My dog loves coming here and shows no signs of stress when kenneled for several nights. All dogs are checked for behavior compatibility before being placed in one of the play rooms. The day care staff keep fresh water in the rooms and keep an eye on the dogs' behavior. They love the dogs as much as the owners do. With all that being said, keep in mind that these are DOGS and they like to play rougher than toddlers would. Some dogs will not drink from bowls that are shared with other dogs. Some dogs may pee in the vicinity of your dog - dogs don't have the same respect for hygiene as we do. Your dog will have a blast. read more

My dog Douglas loves nothing more than a day at Pooch at Play with the other pooches and people. He stops just this side of ecstasy when being groomed and looks very, very handsome. We depend on Pooch at Play for day care and longer term boarding. read more

Honey has been a client since they opened. She was even on the tv interview. The staff know her personality and take care to place her with others of same. Her behavior is good around other dogs because of Pooch at Play. Nail clipping now is not as fearful to her since the staff take special care. Their customer service is fine with me. read more

Called them on Wednesday, girl that answered acted like I was putting her out by asking questions. Set up an appointment for Thursday to have my Labradoodle trimmed and to check out the daycare. When I went in, I was greeted by Holly, the same one I spoke to on the phone..no personality at all. I once again began asking questions as far as crates go, and grooming. I was informed there were crates used for feeding and naps??? REALLY?? Then she gets the groomer, who then proceeded to take my pup and literally drag him across the floor to the grooming room. Sammy has been to 3 different daycares in Florida and Chicago, and has never had a problem being left, but he was scared to death. Holly tried to tell me that it was the echo in the room that was probably causing this fright.. No dogs have a very keen sense, and mine was right on. Needless to say my pup did not stay....Please if you love your pet, this is not the place. read more

My 65 pound, sweet as can be, shepherd mix spent her first day in doggie daycare at Pooch at Play. When I picked her up after my work today, she wreaked of urine. When I got her home, she immediately drank 2 full bowls of her water. Not sure she had any water all day. Then went straight outside to potty. Not sure she did that all day either. Put her in the bath tub immediately, and noticed a gash on her left hind leg. She has been crated while I have been at work in the past, and I thought doggie daycare would be a wonderful experience for her to play and socialize. She has never had an 'accident' inside my home, so I'm pretty confident she wasn't the source of her 'cologne'. I was truly hurt and upset at the outcome of the day, for her sake. I wanted to share in hopes that others will not put their dogs through what happened to mine today. Needless to say, we will not be back. read more