Happytail Boarding Kennel

Pretty good kennel. It’s a little old school, not a wide open commune-​like space that some other places have going, but that’s exactly what I was looking for with my two dogs, who sometimes need a referee.
Mary’s prices are fair, you can tell the dogs are well taken care of, and she even worked with me and got me into her vet during an emergency when I first needed to board them and one didn’t have the Bordatella shot!
Great service, good prices, and surprisingly, my one husky lost his mind with excitement his second time back… More so than even at the dog park or nature preserve, I’ve never had to use both hands to restrain him.
I suppose that’s his version of a five star rating, too!
Only complaints (minor) are that Mary keeps limited hours, and anything over 24 hours is another day. Not worth dropping a star though, when your pets come back happy, healthy, and apparently even enjoy going back!
I’ve used Mary twice when a dog sitter isn’t an option, & will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

I was in transition to move into new apartment that allows dogs, so I boarded with Happytail. Mary is the sweetest lady! She used to work at Happytail when she was younger and eventually bought the place after the previous owners left.
I have a weak stomach and cannot handle the smell of bleach well. They usually clean out the kennels on Mondays and Thursdays. They also have two cats in the lobby area, in case you are allergic to cats. They have a separate room for bunnies too.
The receptionist asks a lot of questions, making sure they will tend to your dog’s needs. She checked all of my dog’s vaccinations. It was only $ 17/​night! Great deal. I came by every day to walk my dog. Make sure to call in ahead of time so they will expect you. Mary lives on the property, so if she isn’t in her office you can walk a couple feet over to her house and ring the bell. Their hours are:
Monday-​Friday: 9am-​11am, 3pm-​5pm (Closed 11am-​3pm)
Closed Saturday
Sunday: 9am-​11am

We took our 2 shepherds to be kenneled here in early May 2014. We chose not to leave our dogs with this kennel because as the owner was walking our male shepherd back to the kennel runs, he lifted his leg to «mark» on the cinder block wall. (Which is a normal behavior for a male dog in a new environment). The owner raised her arm to shoulder height and hit our dog on his back, hard enough that he lowered his haunches. The owner put her finger in his face all the while yelling at him that he was a «bad dog» and he «should be ashamed of himself». The owner did not even address her inappropriate behavior with us even though we were 5 ft behind her and witnessed it. According to Animal Services of Kalamazoo County, the owner did not break any laws. We don’t hit our animals to correct unwanted behaviors and we are not going to allow any one else to do it either. I gave this kennel a single star rating only because I couldn’t post my review leaving the stars blank.