TOP DOG RESORT is truly an unabashed 5 stars!! For the past 8 years, my beloved little Cavalier, Shahla, has ADORED her stays there. Linda not only took the best care physical care of her, but actually concerned herself with Shahla's emotional wellbeing. And (I tear up thinking of this) when my 14 year old little doggie was failing these last months, Linda tenderly adjusted her diet, hand fed her, carried her outside, overlooked accidents, and lavished her with even more loving attention. The personal and professional expert she expends on each client doggie, is of the highest caliber. I couldn't help but wish the daycare available to my children had been as fine! read more

We have had a fantastic experience with Top Dog Resort. To give context to what some negative reviewers have said, the fence around the yard is at least 4 feet high, so if your "under 25 lb" dog can scale or jump higher than that, this resort may not be the right place for your dog. For my dog, it's been a wonderful retreat in the country with other lovable dogs and lots of pampering from Linda and Don. read more

We went through a very harrowing experience with Top Dog Resort. Just two days after LOSING our dog, the owners CHARGED us for her stay - and even added a $100 surcharge! Somehow our beloved Rosie, a small Yorkie-Shi-Tzu mix, escaped from Top Dog Resort on August 6, 2013 while we were away on a family vacation. When the owners called to tell us they had lost Rosie, we stopped our vacation immediately, packed up and drove nine hours from Michigan to Virginia to search for her. Arriving that night, we listened to the owners' explanations that Rosie must have "climbed over a fence." But when pressed for details, they admitted they never actually saw how or where she escaped -- they weren't watching. And they didn't bother listening to their own telephone voicemails from earlier in the day, messages that the dog was seen running a few miles down the road - we were searching on their property but the dog was already gone! Unfortunately, Top Dog had removed Rosie's collar and tags, as they do with the packs of small dogs in their care at any given time. My wife and I spent two excruciating months searching for Rosie. We live 40 miles from Catlett and traveled there dozens of times, putting up posters, talking to residents, often staying into the evening. We were blessed to have support from Fauquier County Animal Control and the SPCA. Back at home we constantly made calls, posted messages on social media and put ads in the newspaper. Searching for Rosie became a full time job on top of my day job. Top Dog's owners Don and Linda only made efforts during the first 36 - 48 hours to put up some posters, look around the area and make some calls. Incredibly, Linda expressed annoyance to me, saying it was our little dog's "fault" for escaping, and that this was turning into an "inconvenience" for them and "disrupting their routine." It was awful as Linda "took control," insisting on doing things her way: she thought she would catch Rosie by banging on pots and pans, making loud noises and calling out for her. With an Animal Control officer's help, we realized that she knew NOTHING about how to deal with dogs when they escape and go into panic and "flight mode." We received expert guidance from Animal Control and SPCA about how to recover a dog in flight. The officer told us NOT to call out to Rosie, not to approach or chase after her, but to be quiet, still and neutral. Linda also got into a shouting argument and botched things up with our microchip company and I had to call them to correct the situation. I was stunned when I looked at Top Dog's $370 invoice for Rosie's five-day stay including an $100 extra fee tacked on (for their time putting up posters, making calls and looking around the immediate area for a day or two). Unfortunately we had given them a blank check when we first dropped Rosie off, and they cashed it only days after she was lost. Everyone we have told about this incident is appalled that a boarding kennel would charge a grieving family after losing their dog. It's not the money that hurts, but the gesture itself. Our story has a happy ending, but it does not involve Top Dog. Throughout August and September, there were sightings of Rosie reported every few weeks around five miles apart. Catlett is a rural area of farms, barns and woods -- we were looking for a needle in a haystack. Wherever a sighting was reported, we would set our humane traps there -- catching only cats or possums. I was losing hope with October approaching and the weather turning colder. Still we never stopped searching and putting up Rosie Lost Dog posters on poles and stop signs all over the area. On October 6th, I caught Rosie in a humane trap I borrowed from the SPCA and set in a place where a nice family had spotted her in a farmer's field on Shenandoah Path. We were blessed to bring our dog home two months to the day after she was lost. She went through a huge ordeal surviving in the wild and her PTSD took months to subside, but she is remarkably healthy and transformed by the experience. We are amazed to have her back with us, and she is happy to be home. I hated having to write a negative review, but many people urged us to share and help other dog owners avoid a similar calamity. Hopefully readers will recognize our efforts to be factual, but there is no way to hide all of the pain and distress. We were told by several people this is not the first time Top Dog has lost a pet in their care. They are an elderly couple with no staff or back-up plan -- after two days, WE ended up carrying ALL of the responsibility for finding our lost pet, and were invoiced by them for our troubles. P.S. There are "filtered" Yelp reviews by others for this establishment that you should check out as well. Scroll to bottom of all the reviews and look for the "Filtered" link. read more

We took our Shih Tzu to Top Dog Resort, and he just loved it. He was happy when we dropped him off, relaxed when we picked him up, and obviously had a great time with all the other small dogs. We went through the introduction meeting a few weeks earlier. I was impressed with the cleaniliness, friendliness, and professionalism of the proprieters. There were rules, but all were common-sense and aimed at protecting the dogs. Rules included things like calling 5 minutes before you arrive, providing a checklist of items you bring with you, provide written information on how you can be reached (multiple contact methods), provide proof of vaccinations, and bring your dog clean and with flea control already applied. Also, they evaluated my dog for possible disruptive/aggresive behavior, and will refuse to accept an aggressive dog. I APPRECIATE the care they exhibited. I knew my dog would be around friendly, healthy, mannered dogs and not be subjected to illnesses or bad behavior or being hurt by an unruly dog. As for the environment, it is very loving. The dogs are kept in the house, not in cages. There are multiple rooms they can go between and every kind of bed and toy imaginable. Your dog will find a comfortable, familar place to sleep. The feedings are arranged so it mirrors how he eats at home. It is very stress-free for the pups. I wanted my dog to stay in a place as "close to home" as we could get. Top Dog Resort is that place. The outside area is fenced in and the dogs cannot get out. Don and Linda go out with the dogs. So I am not sure I believe that "dogs got out" and were down the road. There is their own dog, Ned, that is allowed to roam ouside the fence. I am guessing it was Ned that was out and not any guests. FInally, the cost is fantastic. No extra charges for "a walk" or "play time" with other dogs. No extra charges for medicine or special feeding instructions. No extra cost for a bath on the day they come home (who doesn't want a clean dog returned to them?). No extra cost for a bed by a window. This is the ONLY place I would leave my precious family member overnight. I wanted the home-like atmosphere and plenty of little friends to occupy my puppy while I couldn't be there. It did not aggravate me at all to spend the time viewing the property and the processes that every dog goes through. It RELIEVED me. read more

DO NOT TAKE YOUR PETS HERE. First of all, the woman that runs this place is a COMPLETE CONTROL FREAK! You have to spend something like 3 hours touring the place and getting the packet of RULES. She thinks she has it all under control, but there are some major problems. The dogs run around everywhere including on top of beds and furniture outside and there is no way she can keep a watch on what is going on. She has to give them a bath before they go home, which sounds fine, but it is MANDATORY not optional. When our 3 hours was nearing a close, a man drove up the long gravel driveway and told her that some of the dogs had gotten loose and were down by the highway. That did it for me! Besides her endless rules are just too complex and ridiculous. Find someplace else to take your cherished pet. (Hide) read more

My dog, Ari, has been "vacationing" at Top Dog Resort for over seven years. I had looked into many of the highly rated overnight facilities for dogs in Alexandria and could not find what I wanted for my toy poodle: no cages, no large dogs, no inexperienced teenagers handling the dogs and restrictions on what type of dog could be boarded. It takes me an hour to deliver my pup to Top Dog Resort. I do it because Don and Linda provide all I need and hoped for for my friend. There was an in depth interview and presentation that insured the dogs boarded at Top Dog Resort were of good character and the owners had taken responsibility for their training. Their home is lovely, clean and expansive and the grounds are lovely farm country and well maintained and fenced. I can't imagine how a dog could escape from the facility. The atmosphere is one of warmth and order. I sometimes believe Ari would rather have an extended stay when I come to pick him up. He has many friends at Top Dog Resort and is always well cared for and enjoys his choice of sleeping spaces including two king sized beds. This is not only a safe and professional boarding facility but a home away from home. The first concern of the owners is your pet's well-being. read more

All I can say is that you really need to be careful before you decide to deal with these two people. After spending a substantial amount of time filing out paperwork, it was still not good enough for them. They may know how to treat a Dog. But, they certainly do not know how to treat Humans!!! They are a ripoff. We only kept our dog there two hours and we were charged $100!!! We decided not to leave our Dog there as we had a funny feeling. We were treated very bad. I would never recommend anyone dealing with them. Just be very careful. Make sure you clearly discuss all financial issues. read more

The absolute worst place to take a beloved pet. They lost my dog and had countless others "escape" and get out. Then they charged me because my dog needed a bath. He only needed a bath because they don't supervise the dogs. They need to watch something that they can control- like worms. And while I'm on the subject of control... That lady needs to stop trying to control everything. I'm paying you to work for me, not the other way around. read more

Their advertisement in the Washingtonian is disceptive and misleading. The property showed in the pictures is no longer owned by Top Dog Resort owners Don and Linder. They vacated the property a number of years ago and left it in disrepair and it is currently bank owned in a distressed sale. They left the HOA community in less then desirable circumstances. read more

We have been taking our Maltese to Top Dog Resort for years. We just love Linda and Don. Our pup gets excited when we pull into the driveway - he knows he will be hanging out with friends in the pool, running in the lush fenced in yard and will get lots of love and attention while we are gone. When we pick him up he is freshly bathed and even though he is excited to come home, he will miss the great times he had at the "resort". It is definitely worth the money! read more

The pictures on the web site and advertisement are not the actual location of the resort. The owner moved to a new location a number of years ago and has not updated the web site or advertising. The pictures are misleading! read more

Don't use them. My dog sustained injuries requiring surgery in both eyes while in their care. They said they'd left him untended outside, weren't watching him and didn't know how it happened. (Despite their advertising that the dogs are never outside without one of them being present.) They surmised he may have gotten entangled in barbed wire or been attacked by another dog. They first noticed the injuries while I was flying home a transcontinental flight. When I arrived it was to my dog was dazed and stumbling from anesthesia. Then I was handed not only their bill for boarding, but also the cost of the $510 vet bill they incurred due to their negligence. And they said they were doing me a favor waiving an additional $50 fee they normally charge for their time transporting a dog to the vet! My beloved dog suffered trauma to both eyes and nearly lost his eyesight. I returned to a seriously injured dog and handed a $780 bill for their carelessness. Although this happened a few years ago, it still distresses me. I see from other reviews that my experience with them was, unfortunately, not unique. read more

My dog stays here all the time and loves it. She's been going there since she was a puppy (she's 8 this year). She gets very excited when she knows we're going there and she is NOT a very outgoing dog at all. As a rule she doesn't like anyone but our family and doesn't like other dogs (I know she doesn't sound very nice but she's so shy) but when she goes to TDR she is like a different dog. We live part of the year in Delaware which is about 4 hours from Catlett and when we go away I drive all the way here to drop off my dog. That says a lot. As far as the review that was critical of the 3 hour visit etc, the visit is how the owners determine whether your dog will be happy there and will fit in. It's for the good of your dog as well as the other guests. The mandatory bath, which is not uncommon in my experience, is for a number of reasons including the fact that it signals to the dog that they are going home that day. read more

Top Dog is the best boarding facility that I have ever had in my entire life. I could not be happier and cannot at all understand any negative reviews of others (I was appalled). The owners were wonderful and caring with my "Annie" and on the first night even let Annie spend the night with them on their bed because she was scared. The first night they even provided a "report card" to tell us how the experience was. Annie even came back more mannerly and willing to be exposed to other dogs than ever. I refuse to leave my dog at any other boarding facility locked up in cages that would scare her to death. These owners interviewed me for two hours and exposed Annie to two "staff dogs" to ensure that she would be amiable with other dogs. I couldn't be happier with the care they put into ensuring Annie would fit in. Every day time that Annie stays there during our vacation time, I couldn't be more pleased! One time, it even appeared that she wanted to stay there (which was surprising as she is one of the most "spoiled dogs" in the world. Other than my two sons, long gone in Virginia Beach, Annie is now my remaining child. Love Top Dog! I have told all my friends about it.! Prices are very reasonable compared to all other facilities I have inquired into. read more