Jovi has been going there for over a year. He loves going, comes home tired. The staff are friendly and Jovi loves them all. Would recommend this place. read more

TLDR: Strongly advise anyone against boarding their animals with SDK. Very understaffed and lacking in communication caused a likely avoidable bite. Longer story: I had planned to board my pup who is dog-selective with SDK's dynamic dog boarding program for a 10-trip in late April. He went and did his trail day on March 25th. I did not receive his first day report card until I reached out to them and asked them about it on April 13th. Per their report he was high energy and friendly and loved getting pets and attention. Which was very accurate to the behavior that I was used to seeing. I dropped him off for his long boarding on April 19th and was told to check IG for photos. I reached out to them on April 25th because I had not seen my dog in any of the postings and had received no updates on his care. They responded and let me know that he was doing well and had been on walks and that they do their best to get photos of every dog posted and sent me a couple photos of my pup. At pick up after the boarding my boy was clearly over stimulated, so I spoke with his vet about increasing medication for his kennel anxiety and was given a second medication and instructions on how to increase the dosing if needed. Over the Memorial Day long weekend, my dog was again boarded with the dynamic dog boarding. At drop off I gave the check in folks his 2 medications and let them know that there were instructions on how to increase his dosing if needed. On Tuesday afternoon I received a call from Jen the owner who informed me that there had been an incident and my dog had bit a member of staff and that staff had needed medical attention. She also informed me that there had been three incidents of his biting at staff prior that I had not been made aware of. I was given the excuse of them being understaffed and just focusing on the dogs' care. The following day I reached out via email to ask if all of the incidents had occurred over the Memorial Day weekend or over his longer boarding as well. And asked for more details around what happened prior to the bites occurring. By Friday I had gotten no response, so I sent a follow up email. Jen the owner responded and said that she had gotten some information from James the operations manager but still had some questions and asked to call over the weekend. I let her know I would not be available for a phone call over the weekend and asked for her to email me the information. Over the weekend I spoke with the PD who informed me that after speaking with the staff member involved it was listed as a provoked bite. Incredibly frustrating that it was easier and faster to get more details out of the police than the facility that was charged with caring for my animal. This behavior is so far from his norm, I have deep concerns with what occurred with his stay that led him to be in the place where he felt the need to defend himself in that way. read more

It is to bad that you cannot leave zero stars. i dropped my puppy off at 8:00am, and received a call at roughly 12:30 saying she was limping. she actually was holding her back leg up. They said that they do not know what happened that she was only in the kennel and never made it out to the other dogs. I took her to BEVS and she had a Right tibial tuberosity avulsion fracture. this required two surgeries, and six weeks of strict crate rest. I contacted the kennel, hoping that they would help out a little finically and at first thought with talking to the owner I thought maybe they would. Seemed like she truly cared. But nope, nothing. What ever happened to helping and taking responsibility. Sure I signed a waiver, but let's look at the facts. my puppy went in fine without a limp. 8:30 ish she started limping. According to email I have received, I was sopposed to be contacted at 10:30 but there was miscommunication between the staff (there should not have been). Then 12:30 I receive a call that she is limping. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PETS HERE! read more

The team at Sleepydog Kennel are fantastic. My aussie Chloe has a blast when she boards and attends daycare. She does not like to leave when it is time to go home. I have to pick her up and put her in the car to get her to go. The staff are so kind and love the doggos that are under their care. I have been very happy with the service. The owner Jen has helped me out with boarding Chloe at the last minute or keeping her when I was traveling dealing with some family matters. Knowing Chloe was in good hands alleviated a lot of stress and worry. read more

Experience: 5 night stay with two senior dogs; daycare with same dogs. Dog happiness: Both dogs were very happy. Pictures posted to Facebook feed. Good interaction with other dogs in stimulating environment. Other dogs leaving looked just as happy. They both were exhausted from playing all day. Staff: Very friendly. Easy access to owner. Able to handle difficult scenarios with ease. Visually demonstrated experience handling dogs. Facility: Other places feels like a prison. This place feels more relaxed and focused on dog happiness. Offered grooming services which we used and satisfied with. A little far away from Burlington. Price: Affordable, a little lower than other Chittenden County kennels. Recommend again: Daycare, yes. Boarding, yes. read more

I had high hopes for this brand new facility. The owner was personable and a tour of the kennel showed that it was clean and organized. I gave this review two stars b/c my dogs contacted serious viral infections from this place, after the owner failed to notify clients that dogs were calling in sick. There are no experienced dog handlers on site (it is run by the owners teenage kids and elderly father). They also take in shelter dogs/foster animals and allow them to be intermingled with all the other dogs. (Huge no!- was not aware of this at time of pet-sitting and is how infections probably started) When issue was brought to owners attention nothing was done to resolve the situation except pushing blame on everyone else. I would not recommend this facility to anyone and from what most dog-owners in the area are saying the feeling has spread throughout the community. read more

My dog Riker loves going here. We only board but during the day he gets to play and socialize with the daycare group. He always comes home well adjusted and exercised. Maybe a little dirty too, but to me that just says he has enjoyed himself! My cat has boarded here as well, and is well cared for. When he comes home there is no obnoxious meowing because he gets the attention that he thinks he deserves while he is there! read more

I typically do not write reviews about places, but felt that it was warranted here. I brought my dog here for the first time based upon a couple of reviews from acquaintances, and wish that I hadn't. My dog was there for a Saturday - Tuesday stay, then a brief overnight at home (out of the kennel for 14 hours), and then back for another stay from Wednesday to Thursday. He was fully vaccinated at the time that he went there. When I picked him up on Tuesday he was supposed to have been hosed off so that he wasn't muddy, they forgot, no big deal, but he was pretty dirty (yay, he played hard!). When I got home I found a day or two old puncture wound about 1" below his left eye. It was a bit puffy, but didn't appear to be infected, however the same eye did have some drainage coming out of it. I asked the staff about the puncture the next day, and I was told that she would "ask the nurse" about it. She brought my dog out back, and didn't come back. Dogs do play rough, and injuries do occur, but I expect that a dog would be given a "once over" at least once a day, especially since I was told that my dog had been hanging out with the staff a lot, and got plenty of human loving. I picked him up again on Thursday night, and despite me telling the person at the front several times on Wednesday that I wanted him to be given a full bath by the time that I picked him up, he wasn't given one, nor was his now filthy bedding laundered, which was to be done along with a bath, as per their website. Why would their staff member ask me what time I would be picking him up "so that he stays clean after his bath" if they weren't going to give him one? Again, a minor annoyance. The big problem arose on the ride home, when the dry coughing began, and I noticed the green goop coming out of his eye. I got him into my vet the next day, and found out that he had caught kennel cough, and had a blocked tear duct as a result of the puncture wound on his face. I immediately called the kennel to let them know about the kennel cough, which is highly contagious, and the woman who answered the phone wasn't concerned at all, and told me "ok, thanks", and hung up the phone. My dog hadn't been around other dogs in several months prior to going here, and the only form of transmission is dog to dog. Now I have a dog that is on mega antibiotics and doesn't feel well, and a $150 vet bill to fix something that my dog must have picked up at their facility.. and they do not care. Had they appeared to show any concern at all when I called I would have accepted their appologies, presumed that they would have sterilized things at the kennel, notified other owners who had dogs at the facility, and dropped it. Unfortunately if they didn't care about kennel cough in their facility, then would they notify owners whose dogs had been around mine (who would most likely also come down with kennel cough), and would they care enough to perform any additional sterilization methods to stop it from spreading further? My dog will not be going back to that facility. read more

I love this place so much! When I adopted my dog, I was worried about him getting the level of exercise he needed, because I have a full time job. Fortunately, Sleepydog is very close to my work and their pick-up/drop-off times are perfect, even nights I have to work late. I love that once I friend-ed them on Facebook, I can see pictures and sometimes videos of what my little guy is up to. That definitely helped out in the beginning, when I was nervous about him interacting with other dogs. Sleepydog is also so great about letting owners know if something is making it's way around the kennel. This winter when kennel cough was making its way around daycares, they had an announcement on the desk as soon as you walked in that let you know a bit about kennel cough, and then at that point I felt the decision to leave your dog there/take him out for a bit is up to the owner. They also post announcements about adoptable dogs, shelters in need of donations, or group events benefiting various shelters, which I believe is a great thing. Most of all, I love how true to the name this place is! Without fail, every time I pick up Perry from Sleepydog and he hops in the backseat of my car, he is asleep before I have pulled out of the parking lot. We get home, and he will eat/drink a bit, and sleep the rest of the night away. Sleepydog has made my dog parenting life so much easier! I would absolutely recommend this daycare to anyone! read more

I thought this place was good at first but now that my dog is out of Sleepydog I can see signs in my dog that something more is happening. First my dog came home with a big mark on her head with was still bleeding when we picked her up and they couldnt give me an answer as to what happen. I thought no big deal things happen but then I was there picking my dog up early one day and someone as yelling shut up to the dogs Then we got this letter. We have identified your sleepydog as an 'excessive barker'. By that, we mean that he or she goes beyond the barking that comes with excitement of play or a new person or dog entering the room at least some of the time that they are here. This email is to alert you of the problem and to obtain your permission to take steps to control the barking. Please note that these methods are not used continuously on the dogs. We employ them when the problem arises and discontinue using them when the dog has calmed down and does not seem inclined to bark. To comply with town ordinances, appease our neighbors, and avoid a daily $150 fine, we do our best to minimize barking. This is usually a progressive process where we use the least intrusive means that is effective. As you can imagine, different methods work on different dogs- or even on the same dog in different circumstances. The list below includes the methods that we use in the typical progression that we use them: verbal commands- not usually effective, but sometimes.... water-this is via the hose- not high pressure!- or a squirt gun Sonic devices-not ideal as it impacts all of the dogs, not just the barker, but sometimes effective when we have a group of barkers Time-outs- dogs are removed from the group and put into a kennel if they are barking due to over-excitement WE WILL ASK YOUR PERMISSION (AS WE ARE DOING NOW) BEFORE USING THE FOLLOWING) Gentle Leaders or Comfort Muzzles-these are fabric restraints that do not impair your dog's ability to drink or pant but do seem to have a calming effect that results in less barking. Citrus collars- these collars spray a burst of citrus scented liquid under the dog's nose. they are triggered by vibrations in the dog's throat rather than the sound of the bark. We have a couple of these on hand and can use them to test the effectiveness, but will ask you to provide your own if needed on an ongoing basis. 'shock' collars- we do not have these but have some dogs that come in with them as the owner's are all too aware that their pups are excessive barkers. These collars are really vibrations rather than shocks. We have tested them against our own skin and they administer more of a buzz- no pain involved but it does redirect the dog's focus from barking. We would not put these on your dog but in cases where all other methods have failed, we may ask that you provide one during visits. Please let us know your thoughts on the information above, what methods you are comfortable with, or if you have any other ideas! If we do not hear from you, we will assume that you are granting permission to use all of the methods, only to the degree needed. The owner is never around and when she is around not very friendly and this place is run by a bunch of teenage kids in the afternoon the only time you see someone older then a teenage is at drop off when the manager is there and who is the only friendly one. Our dog also seems to be scard of things now like if someone will raise their voice or even our walk through gate at home. So think before you bring your dog. read more

I took my two puppies to the vet the day before leaving them in this companies care and both of my puppies were according to my vets records were at a good weight and had no parasites. My puppies after six weeks in their custody were returned starved, severely malnourished, neglected and HEAVILY infected with parasites. If I could leave zero stars I would because they are disgraceful and despicable. read more

My dog spent six nights here and was supposed to have is bath and his nails trimmed, both of which they neglected to do. My dog was filthy when I picked him up. The receptionist said I could come back later and they would actually bath him and trim his nails which is not practical being a 20min drive each way from my house! He'll never stay here again. ***** UPDATE 4/6/2016 ***** Sleepydog Kennel has since contacted me to make this right and offered a credit for my dog's bath and nails. Thank you Sleepydog. Other than the previously mentioned lack of bath/nail trimming Sleepydog Kennel was very good about posting pictures of my dog playing with others and provided a detailed report card of how my dog did while there. read more

We have used this place for years. These guys are super nice and caring. Our dog always comes home happy and relaxed. Online reservation and payment is convenient. The photo updates to their facebook page is fun as well. Allows us to check in on her and she what she's up to. read more

I was excited when I found this Daycare close to my place of employment. But the first day there, upon picking up my dog, he was brought out to me mangled in his halter collar. I'm extremely upset and there is no need to elaborate here except to say that I will no longer be taking my dog to this facility. I'm fortunate that I saw this on our first visit. UPDATE 11/8/12: found out that he has a severe sprain due to the tournaquet-like way his Harness was wrapped around his left leg. PLEASE READ AND HEED THESE NEGATIVE REVIEWS - I wish I had. UPDATE 11/9/12: Here is a picture (that I found on their facebook page) of how the harness was put on. You would think a professional dog facility would know how to put on a harness. My dog should not have had the harness on in the first place, the leash/harness are only used for transport. He had a collar on with all of his tags. http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=440065289385969&set=a.440063816052783.102182.100001475049137&type=1&theater read more

I have 3 dogs with very specific needs, a great dane-yellow lab with knee issues, an old appenzell, and a chow mix. They have board here several times since it opened and attend daycare once a week. They love it! The kennel manager is amazing with dogs and unlike most places that "store" animals for their owners. Sleepydog offers a play-based environment that really puts the excersize and happiness of the dog first. They even make concessions for the the great-labs knee, allowing her quiet time when she needs it. They even let me bring my own food, but I don't have to. Unlike other care facilities in the area which refuse human contact to the dogs for some reason. The employees at Sleepydog Kennel actually treat your dog like it was raised and loved from birth by them. That being said, they do let the dogs play with each other and fights do happen. My appenzell has come home with a scratch or too occasionally but he is a rambunctious old boy. They have have come home with a cold once. But so does my 2 yo when she goes to daycare and plays with a bunch of other kids. I knew this could happen when I picked this style of care. The staff always call me immediately if there is any issue. I couldn't ask for a better way to let my dogs play. read more

Would not recommend this daycare to anyone. Brought my 8 month old German Shepherd puppy and immediately upon walking into the building almost slipped and fell in a giant puddle on the tile floor. No carpet when you walk in and no wet floor sign. Then was overwhelmed by a strong, disgusting odor of urine. You can tell there is zero air movement in the place. No one introduced themselves, they just take your dog behind an "employees only" door, don't offer to show you around or anything. It's like it's a big secret what's going on behind the door. Thought maybe it was a fluke so brought him back one more time and boy do I regret it. My mom picked him up for me, the guy working didn't say a word to her. Just went back and got my dog and turned and walked away. She opened up the bag I sent him with and his food hadn't even been touched. Two days later my dog started coughing. I called the owner who nonchalantly said "oh yeah actually we did have someone report that who had their dog here about 2 weeks ago, but we don't report it to anyone until we have 3 reported cases". She made it sound like no big deal "you know about kennel cough right? You don't have to take him to the vet". As an owner of a dog daycare I would have expected she would be aware of incubation times, etc., and understand that this can become a dangerous illness for dogs, especially puppies. My mother's two dogs are now coughing as well, having been exposed before I knew my own dog had been. Protect the health of your dog and DO NOT send him/her to Sleepy Dog. read more

We've taken our dog here 3 times because it is closer to our house than the kennel we previously used. I now realize that convenience isnt always worth it. The time before last I was frustrated because I would ask questions like "was _________ a good boy?" and was replied with a "yup." No details, no telling me what he did, which makes me wonder how well he was taken care of. The last visit he came out when I picked him up with a large spot right above his nose. When I asked if it was just dirt (which is fine because I know dogs get dirty) she didn't know. I wasn't offered a paper towel so I took one myself and started scrubbing off what I thought was dirt. It wouldn't come off so I asked if it was maybe sap. She said "yeah it probably is." But after scrubbing it, it was clear that it was a large sore. I asked if it was a hot spot and got the same answer as before - "yeah it probably is." It came off to me as if she was just agreeing with whatever I said. I wonder if it was treated. I wonder when it was noticed. I don't know. When I was checking out it felt very impersonal with very little words exchanged, which is a concern for me when I have just left a family member with them. Needless to say, we won't be coming back. read more