My dog loves going to Waggerz as do I. The staff is friendly and knowledgable, and my dog comes…read morehome happy and tired from daycare every time. I have also boarded my dog there.
The main reason I chose Waggerz Lounge a couple years ago was based on the fact that they don't kennel the dogs, I received several positive reviews from co-workers/others who send their dogs there, and they don't require a reservation for daycare. My dog is fine at home, but I like to bring him in to get his energy out, or on a day where I won't be home at night, etc, so it's not always the same time. He can't contain his excitement on the ride or on arrival. When he comes out at the end of the day, he's happy and fairly quickly will be fast asleep from all the play.
As a comparison to Waggerz, I moved out of state for a few months, and needed to use a new daycare near there. I chose one with positive reviews and they even had webcams to check in on your dog. I found there that many of the staff did not seem excited about working there and when I turned on the webcam, I could watch dogs being ignored or pushed away from the employees. Most of the time I couldn't find my dog. Eventually they said he was 'too energetic' and 'didn't get tired enough' and they would kennel him to try and chill him out.
When I returned to MA recently, I was no longer as close to Waggerz so I went to visit a daycare that is literally less than half a mile to my house. Upon arrival, I could see some dogs outside, maybe 15 or so. When the woman toured me through, she showed me the empty playroom. We then went to the kennel room. There were easily 40 dogs in kennels barking. She said they'd rotate the dogs throughout the day, but clearly the majority of them were just in a kennel all day. My dog is fine at home, I bring him to day care to play, socialize, and tire himself out. A kennel would not do that. Now I drive an extra 10 minutes past work to bring him to Waggerz.
To folks that complain they are expensive, their prices are in-line with or cheaper than the options closest to me. If you pre-pay for a certain number of sessions, it only gets cheaper. And for the fact that your dog has caring attendants and gets to play indoor and out the entire time they are there, it's worth it!
To folks that complain their dogs smell afterwards.. they are dogs! Actually, surprisingly, my dog usually smells pretty good on return. But I certainly wouldn't expect a dog running around all day, rolling around with other dogs, to not smell like dog. No big deal. If it's bad, he gets a bath or gets one the next time he's at Waggerz.
Do they have kennels in there, yup. Cause sometimes you need them. My dog got kenneled immediately once when he showed signs of kennel cough. It was necessary for the safety of the other dogs and I was called to pick him up. Luckily it turned out it wasn't, but they made the right call for the best of all the dogs (my vet agreed completely!).
For drop of times, I'd say this is the one area Waggerz could approve, and this relates pretty exclusively to boarding. Drop-off/pickup times do not allow you to attend work that day because they are mid-day. You can drop-off early or pickup later if you pay for the extra time in day care. It would be nice if it included the morning of day-care, at least on the day you drop-off, but it's not required.
My new puppy will be making his first visit there tomorrow. Can't wait!
TL;DR Waggerz is great. Staff knows what they are doing and your dog gets to play all day. If they are boarded, they don't get stuck in a kennel and someone actually is there overnight. Visit yourself and take a tour before you believe the negative reviews.
