Paula’s Canine Academy

Paula is the best. Takes really good care of dogs. Dogs are free to roam in a big yard behind her house. I have tried so many dog boardings but ended up at Paula’s and am never going anywhere else. I have to drive 40 miles from my house to drop off Max (my dog) but the ride is worth it. You can see how much Paula loves pets as her house is full of dogs, cats, birds fishes. You can just see it in her eyes that she doesn’t do this to only make money. she does it because she is passionate about animals. You rock !!!

I talked to Paula today about boarding my two lovely very sweet dogs, and was told that my dogs could not stay because they are not part of «the breeds» they accept. Not one question about actual personality. I cannot stand it when people put labels on dogs before they even know anything about them. Ridiculous! This place deserves no business.

Doggie Heaven
I have been using Paula and her kennel for over 10 years. I saw one negative review of Paula’s services but noticed the reviewer never actually used her services. Kinda odd. I’ve got three dogs and I won’t say that things are perfect. Paula lets all of the dogs run around together in a very large fenced in yard. She has three fenced off sections. Once is for the larger dogs. One is for smaller dogs and a third area for the occasional problem child.
Can your dog get bitten in this situation, yup. But those things happen when dogs play. My dogs seem to love it.
Be sure to tell Paula about any problems your dog has. She tries to keep the older dogs segregated for their protection. My oldest dog, Jazz, slept in the house when boarded there in her final years.
Also, make sure your dog’s shots are up to date. Of course, you should be doing that anyways.

I went to view the facility today. This business raised my suspicions for multiple reasons. I met with Paula herself and asked to have a tour I was allowed to view the outdoor dog area from the gravel road but not allowed to enter to see the entire area. I was not allowed to enter the inside area where the dogs sleep, which is the biggest reason for the UNTRUSTWORTHY feeling I got from her. Paula said that I could not enter it for liability reasons. While having cheap insurance or inadequate/​unsafe conditions for humans might be good enough for her, it is not for me. I thought it was appropriate for me to view the entire facility that my dog would be using as to determine the safety, comfort, and security for my dog, however, Paula does not allow this.
Additionally, she boards about 15 Shelties of her own in the same area. She also stated that she usually boards 20 – 30 client’s dogs at one time. The sleeping facility does not appear to be large enough to accomodate all these dogs comfortably. Approximating the dimensions of the building with the amount of dogs she claims to board daily would only give each dog about 2×2 feet of space, or possibly less. I was concerned that they would all be boarded in one room together because the limited space available could lead to fights for territory and an uncomfortable situation all around.
She stated that it is airconditioned and is «10−20 degrees cooler than outside.» This is a wide range of temperature considering that it is presently 105 degrees outside and she was not even sure what the temp inside actually is! How is this safe? Of course, she didn’t allow me to enter and determine anything for myself for whatever her reasons are.
She stated that if dogs misbehave, they are put in an unairconditioned dog run.
I read the previous reviews about dogs having fleas/​worms etc after boarding and this could possibly be caused by the tight quarters that the dogs are subjected to. Or it could be due to the well water they are given. I think it is also unsanitary that the dogs are allowed to sit in the wading pools but are also required to drink out of them. This situation might not be so bad at home if it is only your dog jumping in the kiddie pool and drinking it, but with about 20 – 30 dogs doing so can’t be good!
I don’t understand how people can entrust their dogs to a facility that is only partially open to viewing. I have been to many various dog boarding facilities and have always been able to view 100% of the facility without hesitation. I am not boarding my dog here and hope that Paula takes measures to improve safety, sanitation, and trustworthiness.

Before moving to Dallas, we were never comfortable with leaving our dog Darby with anyone other than friends and family. He’s highly prone to anxiety problems and typically would return from daycare or boarding more stressed out and unhappy.
Paula has been such a wonderful and positive relief for us, and we trust her to look after Darby and his specific needs as if he was one of her own dogs. He truly seems to enjoy his visits with her and always comes home tired but happy. And at $ 15/​night, there is no one that beats her prices (that includes a bath folks!). She also looked after special medications, and was always willing to respond to an email when we checked in.
The entire outdoor facility is fantastic and I love the idea of not leaving our pet locked up in a cellblock of kennels and concrete like typical boarding centers. Well worth the drive (for us it was almost an hour)
She is experienced, and there’s no doubt that she just loves dogs. When we caught her in between drop off times, she was always in the back playing with all the pups or just hanging out by their dog pool.
We can’t thank you enough Paula for always being available (usually at the last minute) and taking such great care of our boy.

My first review was filtered, unfortunately I made this place sound too great – too great in that they think I own it. However, you can still read my filtered review under «filtered» if you look closely.
I give Paula’s 5 stars for her boarding set-​up, friendliness, helpfulness, and above all the satisfaction I feel my pup gets from it!
One slight negative thing I can think of is that your pup will more than likely get VERY dirty on their visit here. However, you can request that they be bathed before your pick-​up, and one time my pup was even bathed without me requesting!