We entrusted Taurus Academy of Lake Travis with our two dogs while we were on vacation, just as we had done multiple times before over the years. Because of our history with the facility, we had no reason to believe there would be any problems. What happened instead has been one of the most upsetting experiences we have ever had as pet owners. Four days into our trip, we received a phone call informing us that one of our dogs was in serious condition. She could not stand or walk. She would not eat. Staff could not get her to take her medication - don't worry, the treats used to give her the medication were unopened so I'm not sure how they attempted to even give her the medication. She was vomiting bile and suffering from bloody diarrhea. Faced with the possibility that our dog was critically ill, I cut my vacation short and booked an immediate flight home. All along, Taurus repeatedly stated that she must have picked up a bug while here; however, according to our vet, the most likely explanation was not some minor stomach issue but a massive anxiety response. Taurus has repeatedly characterized what happened as simple "GI discomfort," but that explanation does not align with what we witnessed, what our veterinarian treated or the lasting changes we continue to see in our dog weeks later. The physical symptoms eventually improved, but the emotional and behavioral damage has not. More than two weeks after bringing her home, our dog is still not the same dog we left in Taurus's care. Before this stay, she was remarkably independent, confident and friendly. This is a dog who routinely stayed home alone for 8-10 hours without issue. She was fully house-trained, comfortable meeting new people and rarely showed signs of significant stress. Today, she can barely go ten minutes without someone nearby before having an accident in the house. She has become fearful of unfamiliar people. She is noticeably more anxious and clingy. Situations that never bothered her before now seem to overwhelm her. Rather than the confident and secure dog we knew, she behaves like an animal that has experienced a traumatic event and no longer feels safe. Perhaps the most heartbreaking change is that she has begun displaying behaviors we have never seen in her before. In all the years we've had her, she has never growled at me and never bitten me. Since returning home, she has done both. For a loving, gentle dog who has always trusted her family, that change is deeply disturbing and speaks to just how profoundly something has affected her. Anyone who has cared for a traumatized dog recognizes these signs. Trauma doesn't always leave visible scars. It can manifest as separation anxiety, loss of confidence, regression in house training, heightened fear responses, hypervigilance, emotional dependence and even defensive aggression from a dog that previously showed none. Watching those changes unfold in a 5 year old dog who never displayed those behaviors before has been heartbreaking. What makes this situation even more frustrating is the complete lack of meaningful answers. Something clearly happened during her stay. Healthy, well-adjusted dogs do not suddenly become unable to stand, refuse food and medication, vomit bile, develop bloody diarrhea, and return home exhibiting signs of severe anxiety and behavioral regression without a cause. Yet despite the severity of the situation, Taurus's explanation amounts to little more than "GI discomfort." That explanation is simply not credible based on what we experienced. The financial costs of veterinary care are one thing. The ruined 25th anniversary vacation is another. What hurts most is seeing the lasting impact on our dog. We left a happy, confident, independent companion in Taurus's care. We brought home a dog that was physically ill, emotionally distressed and behaviorally changed. We trusted Taurus Academy of Lake Travis because of our prior experiences there. After what happened to our dog and the lack of accountability that followed, we will never board our pets there again. Pet owners deserve transparency, honesty and confidence that their animals will be safe and cared for while they are away. Based on our experience, Taurus Academy failed on all three counts. read more

We went to Taurus because the day we were leaving for a family vacation, that the dogs couldn't go with us ,the place we have already booked told us they couldn't. We couldn't be happier with how things went. At Taurus they received us with the best service and love for our dogs. Totally recommend anyone to bring their furbabies here. If I could give them more than 5 stars I would. read more

I have many dogsitting options closer to me, but Taurus is worth the 30 minute drive. I started using them for my rescue pit because they were recommended by Austin Pets Alive! My dog is really sweet, but had some behavioral challenges when we were starting out. Taurus does a free initial visit where they give you a detailed report on how your dog does with a variety of other dogs. I HIGHLY recommend you do this just for the intel, even if you aren't looking for a dog boarding service. A Taurus employee walked me through everything that my dog did well, and also where he needed some help. They're also really flexible, which I really appreciate. When my work day starts getting crazy, I can run my dog up there with no notice, which is a huge help. He gets a lot of social time in and dropoff/pickup is a breeze, even with the COVID restrictions. read more

Taurus Academy Lake Travis - Thanksgiving dinner for Hank - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

I only have good things to say about Taurus Academy- lake travis. We have use 3 services from them - training, play day and overnight stay. I trust them with my dog since they are always looking out for his behavior and pair him up with the right dogs to play with. All of them do a great job! read more

Taurus Academy Lake Travis - This was a while back but they do offer packages! - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

First time dog owner, so my guy is definitely spoiled at home. I haven't ever been without him so I was incredibly nervous to board him for the first time. Taurus not only made me feel super comfortable during my tour but they're daily report cards are amazing. I boarded my dog for 3 days and looked forward to those report cards each evening and afternoon. Seeing his happy face and reading the notes from the amazing staff put my mind at ease so much. I'll never leave him with anyone else. Thank you so much Taurus! read more

our dog has attended day care and boarding at Taurus for almost 4 years. always a good experience. we feel so fortunate they are in our neighborhood since they take such good care of our pup. read more

Great staff! Very caring with our dog, daily updates and pictures while our dog was being trained/boarded. Will board her again.

Taurus Academy has been such a find for us with our Flatcoated Retriever KiKi! We got her last July as a six month old pup. What a bundle of energy! In addition to that she was scared of everyone & everything! She wouldn't get into the car, so first I had Kelsey, one of their trainers come out & help with that. Then once we cleared that hurdle we started taking her for play dates. The difference in KiKi after a year of going there is phenomenal! She is much less timid, and actually listens to commands. She used to literally leap out of the car when we would go anywhere, & now because of the fantastic folks at Taurus she actually waits for me to grab her leash & get her out! She is much better on walks than she used to be too. I credit them for that, because we do walks there every couple of weeks to keep her on track. She also gets her bath there as well. She is a 75 pound dog, so having them do her bath has been great! We also have boarded her there, & that is such a great feeling to know that the staff loves her & we always have a place for her if we need it! Every single one of the staff has been amazing to KiKi! She goes twice a week now. My husband & I say that KiKi goes to "school" now and has playdates with her favorite dogs! You won't go wrong with Taurus Academy Lake Travis! read more

Taurus Academy Lake Travis - This is KiKi having a blast with some bubbles at Taurus! - Pet Training Near Me - Austin, Texas

Hello, I am new to this Taurus Academy and have been taking my coonhound pup here since early November of 2017. I was hesitant at first since I was not used to taking my dog to a daycare but with a new job I decided to take the plunge and take my pup June to try this place out. I do have to say that it took me some time to get used to leaving her under random people's care but I am definitely glad to have made the choice. I am now a member and take June here twice a week and she seems to love going! I'm writing this review to commend the staff for being so wonderful with her all the time. I would like to give a gold star to everyone but especially Jeannine who June seems to absolutely adore. They send frequent pictures of June while she is playing and even cared for her when she wasn't feeling well. There were times when June would come home still energized so I discussed with them about how June may not be getting enough play and they were accommodating enough to give her more play time which I noticed the next time she went. -This is what I absolutely love about this place. They give you room to provide feedback and they make adjustments, if necessary. I am so glad to take June here and I know she is to as it shows when I see her tail wagging as soon as we pull up. Thank you Taurus Lake Travis staff for being so informative all the time and for always making June and I feel like you really care. I hope everyone else gets the same experience as we do! Note to all the pack members: DONT EVER leave this place because you guys are all so great. Thanks. Bye. read more

Honestly I would give negative stars if I could. I just moved here and was googling boarding places as I have a last minute trip I have to take next weekend. I found this place and reviews were great. The girl Amber I talked to over the phone was very pleasant. I brought my dog in for an evaluation play day. I got 2 updates about her which was good. The problem was when I went to pick her up the guy brought out ANOTHER dog in my dogs harness and leash. My dog is a black schnauzer he brought me a white poodle looking dog. My heart sank for a bit how careless can u be to mix up the dogs???? Like what if he tried to give my dog away and just say the person took her??? Then what? And now I don't even trust that u were giving me updates on the right dog!!!!! Thank god I didn't pay for that evaluation read more

I have been bringing my lovely lab into this academy for about two years now. Let me just say, this academy is hands down the best dog academy I have ever taken my dog to. I have been to numerous doggy day cares before and the staff was just OK-but Taurus Academy treats clients with such kindness and always welcomes you with a smile when you walk in! Renee is my personal favorite-she takes such good care of my little one! Always so sweet and attentive! I recommend this place for all of you dog mom and dads!!! read more

We have been working with Taurus for the last 15 years. Our latest experience has been at Taurus Lake Travis during the last two years. (We have also used Metric, South Lamar and McNeil.) We adopted a very "spirited" puppy almost three years ago and were at our wits end with his behavior. After having an amazing training experience at Taurus on South Lamar with our previous pup (when it was their only location), we ended up going to the Lake Travis location for our new dog, Puddy. Stacey and her staff took our dog Puddy for for a two week "boot camp". They worked tirelessly with him to teach him basic commands and good boy behavior and spent hours training his human family (us) to work with him as well. In addition to working on our dog and his owners, they graciously worked with us on the price of this training (which is a pretty sizeable sum) and allowed us to make monthly payments. Puddy boards at Lake Travis whenever we have to go out of town. Every time we drop Puddy off, the staff seems genuinely happy and excited to see Puddy. When we pick him up, they always have information to share about how he did, who he played with, what they worked on, etc., etc. We have absolutely no reservations about taking Puddy to Taurus at any location, but especially the Lake Travis location. We know he gets the best of care and attention. We know every staff member there loves and cares about all of the dogs entrusted to them. We know Puddy has a great time when he's there. And we LOVE how tired he is when he gets home! ;) Dogs sleep in climate controlled cabanas, either separately, or with another dog if they get along. (Taurus takes exceptional care to match dogs with appropriate personailities.) They have play time, and if you ask for it, they have training time, and you can add grooming, extra snacks, extra play time, etc. This Thanksgiving, all dogs that had permission got to enjoy a turkey dinner with peas and carrots! Too cute... We love Taurus, we love Taurus Lake Travis, and we would strongly recommend anyone to take their dog there for training, play days, boarding or all three! (In reference to the previous review, accidents happen. When they happen to a member of your family, it's heart wrenching. It's not acceptable if you think specific instructions were disregarded but with all of our experience at Taurus, I have no doubt that it was truly an accident and I would be shocked if they haven't done everything in their power to make things right with this dog and it's owner.) read more

Update - Nov 29, 2010 My dog is finally better, almost back to normal. His little body went through hell but he is now happy again. It looks like he had a post surgery infection that went unnoticed for a while. The infection affected his heart to the point where his lungs were filling up with fluid and he was coughing up fluids. His infection was not diagnosed by any of the caring vets - NOLA Emergency Vet Hospital, Lake Travis Animal Hospital. Thankfully during an emergency visit to his orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kerpsack recognized the infection and gave him the correct antibiotics. Soon after the infection went away and my dog began to feel and behave normally. --------------------------- Update - Sep 27, 2010 Now after all the doctors visits, promises for him to get better, etc., it looks like he has an infection under his plate and will have to undergo more surgeries. So the professionals, surgery and care that were supposed to help him, have now introduced and infection that we may or may not be able to get rid off. This is HORRIBLE. --------------------------- Original entry July 2, 2010 I would strongly recommend against boarding your smaller dogs with Taurus -rr620 location. I had a horrible experience boarding my min pin with them. He is my baby and is very small. I had a death in the family that required me to leave on a very short notice and travel overseas so I decided to let him board with Taurus.... While in their care my little dog broke his leg, it snapped in two. I was told that his leg caught in one of the linoleum metal strips on the stairs that hold it down and broke. The dog was supposed to be carried down the stairs, but instead they let him run down the stairs and hurt himself. The little bone on the leg is broken in 3 place, the bigger one snapped in half. I am crying as I am writing this, I still cant believe that they did that to him. The dog is not the same. He is always afraid, his leg is now crooked, and who knows if/how he will heal. I am heartbroken looking at my little boy suffer every day because of the pure negligence of the people at Taurus. PLEASE, FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR PETS, CONSIDER BOARDING THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE. read more

I have been using Taurus since I got my first dog 3&1/2 years ago and now have three little white fluffs, better known as the three Mutsketeers, and they love going there. The Lake Travis pack does a great job. I had all three trained there and that was very good. I also take advantage of both the day care and dog boarding. My dogs love going there and can't wait to get out of the car when we arrive. ( big difference from the groomers or vet) the staff is great and I have had no issues. It is not cheap and I wish they would give a discount for multiple dogs (hint hint), but the pups are worth it! Thank you Lauren and staff! read more

I'm so glad that I found this place! They're super friendly, and always know my dog when we come. I can tell that my dog is treated extremely well there, and he always has a good time because he's always excited to get there. For many years I had been taking my old dog to Just Four Paws down the road, and I was always afraid to leave him there, but I have 100% confidence in Taurus with my new dog. read more

I just want to say thank-you to all the wonderful, caring, animal loving staff here!! Kelli Smith- you are the sweetest and smartest dog trainer I have ever met! My 10 month old puppy, Olive came to Taurus for a two week training boot camp. For the first few days, I really missed Olive and I worried about her. However, after a couple of visits to see how extremely happy Olive was and after receiving phone videos, pics and calls I really stopped worrying and felt that Olive was in the most loving hands. All of the staff here are just awesome! My puppy is still absolutely bananas, but she is house-broken and much more obedient!! I highly recommend this facility!! read more

I've only been taking my dog here for a week to the day care and already know it's a great decision. I have a very reactive dog and wanted to get her socialized and also was pregnant and knew I wouldn't be able to give my dog the attention she needs or walks once baby came so I reached out to Taurus Academy. They sent a trainer to my house, Caitlyn, and she was wonderful and understood what it was like being pregnant with my type of dog. I explained to Caitlyn I may be getting induced soon and need help with getting my dog situated, they got her set up with day care right away and even were on standby to possibly board her the day I went to my OB to see if I would get induced. Well I ended up induced and giving birth 3 weeks early and everyone at Taurus was great with keeping my dog last minute. They sent me email updates and my dog really opened up while there. I felt so much better knowing she was being taken care and we didn't have to worry about her. Caitlyn brought my dog home the day after we came home to help us introduce the new family member to our dog. They truly made this transition much easier and a little less stressful for us with our dog. I 100% trust this place and already see great results with my dog from her one week there and I'm continuing day care 3 times a week. I already notice a big difference in my dog and she loves going to the day care. I Highly recommend them. read more

We have 3 hounds, and our 2 males have resource guarding issues and have gotten into fights over everything from tennis balls to squirrels. When we moved to the area, I thought we wouldn't be able to find anyone who would board our dogs because of this. Not only were the team at Taurus willing to take our dogs, they have all proven to be extremely skilled and able to help us work through the problems and get our males to live happily together. Everyone on the team is also very kind and caring, which we really appreciate. read more

I LOVE TAURUS!! I go to the Lake Travis location since it is closest to my home, but it's not only the location I love...it's the people involved in making this place as wonderful as it is. The owners, the puppy staff, the administrative staff, all of them. Everyone is knowledgeable, friendly, compassionate, and personable. You can tell they love what they do, and they are very good at it. I never have a doubt in my mind that my dog is taken care of when he is in their hands. Also, my dog was boarded at LT and had a few play days there recently. The staff took and sent me the cutest framed picture of him in the mail. I think it says a lot about a company that goes the extra mile to not only get their brand name out there, but to send adorable personal touches such as that. I would recommend Taurus to anyone! :-) read more

Just got off the phone with Alex, who gave me a very thorough overview and impressed me with her description of the facility and how they manage the play time. I also like the way she described the little sleeping houses and the big yard. I have two energetic, big dogs and I'm hopeful they'll thrive if we decide to board there. They require a Play Day ($25 per dog) prior to boarding but I'm okay with that to make sure dogs are happy and we are too...upset to read about little baby dog story though. So sad...will keep open mind and keep you posted. read more

I've taken my dog Jaxie to several places around Austin, Bee Cave and Dripping Springs. Not all places were bad, some of them were fine, until I found Taurus. OMG! What a difference a place and staff can make. They love Jaxie like I do. They are excited to see her every time we come to their place. I trust them completely to take care of my pet as I would. You really shouldn't go to any other place than Taurus. read more

We have had a great experience at Taurus. Everyone here is so friendly and our dogs run in when they go for boarding, never looking back, so they obviously love it! We also left them here for 2 weeks of training. Kelli was our main contact. She is wonderful, and she has made a huge difference in how well behaved they are. They no longer pull on the leash, they know how to lie down and stay, they can lie in their beds and not rush to the door when company comes. Our 1 dog with leash reactivity is also improving on that--showing less hyperactivity when she sees other dogs, getting better all the time! Included in the training fee is several visits with Kelli at our home. Twice she brought dogs with her to help us work on the leash reactivity, and she also met us twice at a hiking trail so we could work with other dogs around. She is patient, easy going, nice to be around, and her training methods work! I can't say enough good things about our experience! read more

Taurus Academy was a complete waste of money for us and our dog. Our dog is worse off now than before we sent her to Taurus for training. While our dog was there, they taught her to sit and to lay down. Well, she already would sit for us, and I don't care if she will lay down or not. I want her to stop eating food off of the table and counters. I want her to stop pawing at us and putting her front legs on guests shoulders when they enter our home (She is a BIG dog). She did not learn one thing from the training. The trainer told us that our dog is stubborn. Well that is awesome, but why did she not tell us that on Day 2 of training when she figured this out. We would have paid Taurus for the two days of training, she did not receive, and we would have asked for our money back. We paid $1,200 for our dog to learn how to sit and lay down, and she already sat for us. COMPLETE WASTE OF MONEY. Also, ever since our dog has returned from Taurus, she pees and poops in our house several times a week, which she never did before. read more