Pooch Pad Country Kennel

I am writing a very late review that I think everyone should know. I took my dogs here many years ago& maybe procedures have changed. (I don’t know) My first concern was the staff was always changing compared to when I first started bringing my dogs here. The second thing is its a lot of teenagers working here. Third they tried to make me sighn a document stating if the place got fire, my dogs ran away, or it got hurt «THEY» were not responsible. I refused to sighn it. I said,“You mean to tell me I’m paying you to watch my dogs and your trying to say if something happens your not responsible?” «Are you insane?» «I’m not sighing this.» They had to call owner to let them know I refused to sighn it & it was fine. I had no choice but to leave my dogs there. I had a plane to catch. It used to be a great place to board your dogs a long time ago. I even had the cell number of one of the twins that ran it. Then he left. I’ve never brought them back since. I liked the idea of them having there own doggy door & fenced yard. I use to also be able to set up there run myself. Then new management came and I couldn’t do that anymore. It’s too bad. I use to really like bringing my babies here, not anymore.

I told my husband to drop the dog off here for the weekend. He did, then an hour later he went back & picked up the dog and took him to stay with family instead. He said he felt too guilty leaving the dog there because it looked like a dog prison. I didn’t see it for myself, but my husband is not the «caring» type so it must have looked pretty scary for him to drive 30 minutes back up there to get the dog. I understand it’s probably hard to make a dog kennel look welcoming. But maybe the owners could invest a little more to upgrade their long row of kennels to look more like home & less like the pound? I am not giving a review of how they care for the dogs bc they might be awesome with that. I’m just reviewing the initial appearance of the place. Maybe this review will help the owners know where to next invest on their property.

I’m incredibly picky about who I let care for my dogs, and being an anxious person in general, I’m especially anxious about leaving my pups anywhere. Pooch Pad has definitely earned my trust and my seal of approval.
I have a miniature schnauzer who loves any activity that gets her fur all knotted up, but hates to be brushed. I have been told by other groomers that it is difficult to give her a nice-​looking cut, because she gets too squirmy. Pooch Pad has done an outstanding job with her. She looks great every time I pick her up (even when we have to shave everything off but the beard), and not once have they complained about her being uncooperative. The groomer is a miracle worker.
We have also boarded our Chocolate Lab with them on several occasions, and I’m more comfortable leaving her at Pooch Pad than I would be leaving her with family. They always remember her and seem excited to see her. The staff and owners are genuine animal lovers and it shows. When I leave her at Pooch Pad, I’m always secure knowing that she’s getting plenty of food, plenty of water, and plenty of play time. I’ve had dogs my whole life, and I have never felt more at ease with any kennel or groomer than I have with Pooch Pad.

I’m a crazy dog person, and I feel comfortable leaving my dogs here when I go on vacation. The owners live on site, and the staff has always been very friendly and happy to give you a tour and take your phone calls when you’re away and want to check up on your pets. The last time I came to pick up my pups, I found them outside in the play yard, playing with the owner’s personal pets. The dogs slept for two days straight after getting home, so I know they got tons of play time!
They are very strict about proof of vaccinations, which I really appreciate. They are also good at administering any needed medications.
The only drawback I’ve found is that sometimes their hours are a bit tough to work around, but it is a family owned and run business, so I get that they need to have some off time.

I have mixed feelings about our Pooch Pad experience (which I’ll get to in a minute), but first a bit of background. We have a 5-​year-​old Welsh Terrier (no kids, just the dog). We like to think we’re not ‘those dog people’ who treat their canine like a stand-​in child, but I fear we’re quickly approaching that description. Anyway, back to the review. We previously kenneled our dog at You Lucky Dog, conveniently located in the SW corner of the 610 loop, but fairly inconveniently priced. Berkley was really happy there and they took great care of him, but it tends to be on the pricey side so we decided to give another kennel a try over the Christmas holiday. So there’s the rationale for driving out to the suburbs and trying out a new kennel over a long holiday break.
Forewarning, I tend to be a bit verbose, if you want the cliff notes version: I made an appointment, visited the kennel, deemed it acceptable, and dropped off my dog (next paragraph for description of how that went). Longer version: I called to make a reservation about a month early, and luckily they still had room. The staff was friendly and adequately answered my questions. She told me that they require a $ 50 deposit for all stays over 5 days, which is applied toward the total bill. She also told me I needed to stop by to make the deposit in person and sign their contract/​agreement. I wouldn’t want to kennel my dog at a place I hadn’t checked out anyway so that was fine. During my visit, I asked if I could tour the kennel and they hesitantly agreed. The woman told me they don’t like to bring people back there because it gets the dogs excited. I guess I understand that point of view, but at our previous kennel they all but insisted I tour the entire facility (even entering a few kennels) to see where my dog would be staying. Okay… so we’ll chalk that up to personality /​business plan differences since I DID get to see the kennel and it looked alright. Its definitely not the Ritz, but the kennels appeared clean and the dogs well-​kept. So, moving onto the actual kenneling experience.
When I dropped Berkley off there were about 10 people dropping off and picking up dogs so it was pretty hectic. It was a few days before Christmas so I chalked that up to a seasonal rush; although the guy in front of me was initially brought out the wrong dog which I found a little concerning (don’t worry, they did find and return his dog). They took my dog to the back while I waited in the front and dropped off his food (which you need to bag in individual serving sizes) and his toy (which they discourage you from bringing). In case you dozed off in the middle of my review, *****HERE’S THE IMPORTANT PART ***** when I picked him up (a week later) he was coughing. Initially I didn’t think much about it, but he continued to cough all the way home and throughout the day (think: the kind of dry, hacking cough a kid with pneumonia has). He was coughing so much he would start gagging so I ended up taking him to the vet who told me he had KENNEL COUGH (after 2 weeks of hydrocodone-​containing cough medicine and rest he will be fine). In fairness, the vet also said that the vaccination is only against the most common strain (sort of like the flu vaccine) so dogs do occasionally get it – typically when kenneled with a lot of other dogs. After leaving the vet I was in a relatively forgiving ‘things happen’ sort of mood, so I called the kennel to let them know my dog was sick so they could alert the other owners. Overall, I was less than impressed by the lack of concern they expressed that Berkley got sick in their care. The woman who answered the phone said «thanks for letting us know.» and started to hang up the phone, at which point I had to quickly get in my next question (do you know when he started coughing) before she disconnected. She said she didn’t know but would check with the manager and call me back. To her credit, she DID return my call in about 10 minutes (good), but all she said is that the manager didn’t really notice him coughing but he sounded like he was choking that morning so she checked on him (apparently he wasn’t choking). That was it. No apology or inquiry whether my dog was okay or how long he’d be sick (less good).
So, for all you ‘give-​me-​the-​bottom-​line-​ers’ here it is.. . Pooch Pad was significantly less expensive than our previous kennel (even after the vet bill), but it was less comprehensive care too. They did an adequate job keeping our dog (they presumably fed and watered him and let him out 3 times a day).
Positives: they provide bedding so you don’t have to bring a dog bed/​blanket, their kennels are indoor/​outdoor runs so your dog can go out (to a concrete run) whenever he wants, and they get out to play in the fenced yard each day.
Negatives: My dog came home with kennel cough, they discourage toys and other personal items, and you have to individually bag food proportions (if you don’t want their food

Executive Summary: Brenda transforms my barking machines from card-​players on black velvet to How Do I Look «after» candidates.
I’d been searching for a groomer for my Border Collie and Australian Shepherd for some time; they’re quite hairy and I’m tired of holding a blow dryer on them for hours especially when it interferes with my beer-​holding. Pooch Pad had great reviews so I called and spoke with Brenda. When we got there the dogs immediately were at ease with her and she knew intuitively what I wanted.
Roxie, my Aussie, had many cowlicks and wings and needed a lot of work. In three hours she was transformed from a slot-​machine pulling Vegas girl to runway-​quality purebred status. They both smelled and looked great, and they seemed totally happy and not stressed. Brenda called the next day to make sure i was happy with their looks.
Once I get the dogs to stop scouring the Internet for doggie agents and auditions, I will be taking them back to Pooch Pad for more pampering!

It appears that our dachshund received great care while boarding at Pooch Pad. The staff was already familiar with his mannerisms by the time we picked him up. They were both attentive and friendly toward us.
The owner/​operators live on site and maintain a grooming business as well as a kennel.
We received a punch card… 20^th day is free.

Great people who love animals! I think our dog lives it here too because when we get out of the car and he realizes he is at pooch pad he goes right up to the door and can’t wait to get inside. It’s a great feeling when you go out of town and KNOW your pet is safe and happy. They are very affordable too.

Having boarded several foster dogs as well as my own dog at Pooch Pad, I have nothing but rave reviews to give them! The place is always clean smelling and the staff really keeps up with the sanitation, which is probably the most important aspect of boarding. The kennel has many outdoor turn out yards where the dogs are allowed long stretches of time to run about, bark their heads off, check out the dogs in the nearby runs and just be… dogs! There are two separate kennel buildings with indoor/​outdoor runs so your dog isn’t kept in a tiny box all night, waiting to use the bathroom. The staff genuinely cares about the well being of the dogs and has almost no turn over, which is *rare* for a kennel. The runs are secure and the staff knows how to safely move the dogs so there have never been any issues in the almost two years I’ve continually boarded dogs there, from very small pups to adult dogs with rascally personalities. They even helped place a dog that I had rescued off the street and did a homecheck for me, how many kennels go that far for the sake of a dog?
Clean, secure runs, owner on premises 24/​7, what more do you need? Prices are very fair as well, about $ 15 per night in most cases. No breeds are excluded, either. They have two adorable luxury suites with their own a/​c units, indoor/​outdoor access to a safe fenced yard and TV sets. Check them out and tell them Wendy sent you! :)