K9 Playtime

Love love love them! Kuro loves this place and he comes home so happy and tired. Def recommend for anyone!

Our chihuahua-​Corgi mix LOVES K9 Playtime. Like perhaps more than us.
On the mornings we come in (2 – 3 times per week) Dingo is greeted by some of his favorite people. He runs in to the back or even jumps over the counter to say hello without looking back at us.
This is big for us because Dingo normally has horrible separation anxiety. We had to seek out daycare because he can’t be left at home alone without great stress. The fact that he would willingly walk away from us – let alone with such excitement – speaks volumes to how much he loves K9 Playtime and how comfortable he is with their staff.
We tried another daycare in SF but Dingo didn’t seem to like them and they also weren’t friendly to us. Their space was small and didn’t accommodate someone as energetic as Dingo – the staff seemed annoyed by him. He came home nervous a couple of times. We haven’t seen any of these behaviors at K9.
Ding is a high energy boy. He comes back from K9 tired. Since starting he’s been easier to train and work with. And he seems genuinely excited to go to K9: I think he’s disappointed to go to work with me instead some days.
We would suggest K9 to anyone and everyone that we know with dogs in SF.

Came up to San Fran last minute on a trip. K9 was very accommodating to take my dog in for the weekend last minute. Looks like she was taking very good care.

This place is definitely as good as it gets. Open play space and great prices on food and treats. My dog zorro absolutely loves the days he gets treated to daycare. He jumps out of the car like a kid going to spend the night at grandma’s. He always comes home happy and well exercised. Thanks Mark and everybody K9 Playtime… woof woof !

I had good experiences with k9 Playtime in the past but the latest boarding of my two pooches changed my opinion. We dropped our dogs here for 5 days while my wife delivered our baby, and we thought their stay at k9 playtime would be a non-​event. Unfortunately: 1) one of our dogs returned with a 2-​inch wound on the snout, 2) his collar (with tags) was lost and it took the staff several days to find it, 3) the amount of food left in the container indicates that the dogs were fed less kibble than instructed on the label, and finally 4) our smaller dog has been sick since we came back, so she probably caught something there. #4 can happen, but #1 and #2 are things that should not happen. When I enquired about the snout wound, the k9 playtime staff said that my dog was put in a separate pen because he was ‘overexcited’ (which seems completely out of character for our 12-​year old dog). Even if we assume he was indeed ‘overexcited’ and needed a time out, we should have been informed: we pay a pretty price for a service where ‘dogs are free’, not for our dogs to spend their time in isolation pens. Our dogs, as former rescues, get very anxious when caged /​kenneled. And if there is no other choice than to isolate them, then both of them should have been put in the same kennel in order to reduce anxiety (they are a pack — this is basic dog psychology). Finally, if the k9 playtime staff left our dog long enough in ‘isolation’ for him to make his snout bleed and cause a 2-​inch wound trying to get out without noticing anything, this is a blatant case of negligence.
When I brought the issue to the front desk staff the only thing they did was to say they were sorry. No offer to give some of my money back or to cover for a vet bill to take care of the wound, no clear acknowledgement that this shouldn’t have happened, no assurance that it would not happen again, not even a hint of concern for our dog’s health or any question on how the wound is healing. By the way, it is healing but there will be a scar.
K9 playtime used to be a great place for dogs when the owners ran it as a small operation, but now that it is a big business, I do not trust them anymore. I will not leave my dogs here for boarding or daycare again.

I have been going back and forth all day as to whether I should write this review or not.
I have decided to write it; I’ve decided to speak up for my bud, Winnie, because he can’t speak up for himself. I am worried about the safety of your bud (s). The folks at K9 Playtime put my boy through hell this weekend. I suggest you read this review before you choose K9 playtime.
I have been taking my dog (15lb bichon/​poodle) here occasionally for 2+ years for «playtime» while I’m at work.
This weekend was the first time I boarded him.
Winnie was under the care of K9 Playtime from Friday @ 10AM — Sunday @ 9PM.
What I paid:
$ 182
+ $ 38.50 (from a pack I previously purchased)
========
$ 220.50
What my dog got:
3 days + 2 nights of Torture.
My dog is the happiest little ball of fur & smiles & love that this world has ever seen.
The folks at K9 Playtime know this well, and they have always seemed happy to see him.
Never again.
Winnie’s overall state after 2 nights of boarding at K9 Playtime:
* Physical state:
* belly covered in crusted pee
* Winnie has vomited _​_​FIVE_​_​times since we got up this morning @ 9AM — I kid you not.
* Winnie has had TWO bouts of terrible diarrhea
* Mental state:
* defeated
* depleted
* emotionally destroyed
## The crusted pee on his belly:
Winnie’s belly was covered in dry, cruted pee — as though he had peed in his crate and was then forced to sleep in it for 2 nights.
Winnie does not pee in the house, and he does not pee in the crate, ever. You just have to walk him a tiny bit. But this is true for most dogs… am I wrong!!!
No creature, human or dog, should be forced to sleep in his/​her pee.
## His vomiting today:
I have never seen Winnie vomit so many times in one day. He has so far vomited 5 times today, spread out evenly across the 10 hours we have been awake. The poor guy.
## Neglect is NEVER OK:
Winnie has been lying on the couch all day — he has not moved.
Most days, he follows me around the house, everywhere I go.
Winnie’s ears do not perk up when I say his name.
His ears ALWAYS perk up when I say his name, all days, no matter his mood.
WINNIE IS TURNING DOWN HIS FAVORITE TREATS.
My happy ball of fur is gone. I want my baby back.
I am so furious.
K9 Playtime has emotionally and physically abused my Winnie for the 3 days and 2 nights I left him in their care — yes, neglect is definitely a form of abuse.
Neglect of this degree is not only cruel and awful, it is against California state law.
I say this knowing full-​well what it means.
I’ll say it again.
Animal cruelty in the form of neglect is strictly against California state law.
I will be reporting this incident to the PHS and SPCA.
Take care of your pooches. Don’t take them here.
— Sarah Adams
And for the sake of not yelling anonymously:

After a week of utilizing their services, I’m very happy with the results. The size of their facility along with the diversity of their canines, really made the experience for my Doberman a positive one.
I feel the prices are very fair and the staff to be extremely friendly. The one caveat was I wish I could step into the facility where the dogs reside. They do have cameras that allow you to see the inside, but being able to be inside provides a different perspective. Regardless, they built enough trust with me that I bought a package.
Nice work guys!

I was looking for a new place to board our two dogs and one that accepted pit bulls. I was glad that I found this place and so close to my home. We were leaving them there for approx. 3 ½ days.
What a complete disappointment!!! We asked that our two girls be placed together which they accommodated. When we picked them up we noticed our dog had a large scrap on her nose. This was not a scratch but a dime sized mark on her nose where the skin was rubbed off.
I completely understand things happen they are dogs! But to my disgust they never called or mentioned the incident. I called the second day they were there to just check in and see how they were doing which I was told «everything is fine.»
I can’t imagine that they would never notice this mark on her nose that clearly had been bleeding. What kind of service does not notice, does not contact the owner or mention at pick up?
Upon checkout we were NEVER shown a bill, told of the charges nothing.
When we called we were told that they do not know how the scrap happened and only what they believe happened. That is not acceptable for the money that we spent.
I was told that the proper protocol was to inform the owner and treat the wound which was never done. We were also told that the proper protocol for check out is to review the bill, check the charges then the charge would be processed. This as well never happened.
I can not stress enough the lack of attention to the dogs and to the details of the employees.
After two calls we received an answer to my email where they finally apologized for the incident and were told that the procedures were not follows properly.
I urge you to think twice about boarding your dogs here where they can get scraped up and no one will notice! If you love your dogs the way we do and consider then members of your family then you will look elsewhere for day care and boarding.
This is by far the WORST customer service we have ever received. After the emails and calls we were never offered anything to correct the situation. No discount, rebate, nothing.
I will never use this place and will tell each and every dog owner that I am in contact with to NEVER use this service.

This rating is based on my experience here in January. I have brought my dog here a few times prior to this incident. The facility looks decent on the outside, however I know for a fact that the team that are watching the dogs in the back are not paying attention as they should be. YES I know that things can happen when you have a bunch of dogs together. That being said, when two dogs are playing too rough, it is K9 Playtime’s job to make sure to separate the dogs. If you have people watching close enough, serious damage are very unlikely to happen.
Sky, my siberian husky, is a 50 pound female that is on the submissive side. We get a call from K-​9 mid morning that it looked like there was a little scruffle and Sky had a torn ear! Based on that call we were already worried… Is she OK? Do we need to come by to pick her up? Does she look hurt? We were reassured OVER and OVER that she was fine. OK, great. we trust you K9 that you know what you are dealing with…5 PM comes around and we get another call from them saying «oh no. it looks like Sky DID get hurt… there’s a tiny bite mark on her elbow» We were SO UPSET if you can imagine because that means due to your NEGLIGENCE you did not even SEE the scruffle that left my dog wounded… you just thought you saw one torn ear… AND after the scruffle, you did NOT check my dog to see if she was OK enough…
So we rushed to pick her up and had to take her to the emergency at VCA. You know what the vet told us? she had massive sounds that needed drainage, stitches in over 4 locations on her body. My dog has been left uncared for after the scruffle for over 6 hours after your initial call reassuring us that its just a torn ear with 4 other deep wounds. Pictures are shown.
So k9 informed us its an 80 pound boxer that was attacking Sky. They had the other owner pay our medical bills… I’d imagine the other owner is upset too because the caliber of damage could have been GREATLY reduced if someone was paying attention… perhaps maybe JUST a torn ear or a light scratch. instead of stiches AND a drain due to deep wounds. We had to cancel our vacation that weekend as well due to this incident. Very very disappointed…

Nice place. I’ve used a lot of dog daycares in my day and this one is pretty standard. They have a few parking spots which is nice for the city. It’s a little pricey but that’s SF. Not a lot of other options around so this may be part of it.
The dog generally stinks when I pick her up but that is most daycares. I haven’t been in the back where the dogs play but they do have a small dog and large dog split. They have a lot for sale in the lobby as well (food, treats, toys, etc).
I don’t think there is a webcam. Nearly every dog daycare I’ve used in the past has one or multiple cams. So that’s a little surprising given the prices.
Check-​in is a little more work than places I’ve been to in the past, you have to fill out a form. Other daycares have your info pulled up when you walk in so you don’t have to fill out feeding instructions, etc.

They know us by name immediately as we walk in the door. They give Olive little puppy report cards after her day of play. It’s obvious they adore my dog and that she adores them. Highly, highly recommended — they are just great people and they care. You can tell.

One of my biggest concerns when moving to SF from the South Bay was finding a top quality boarding facility. Since I travel quite a bit for work, having a trusted home away from home for Jake (my soon-​to-​be 4 year old Doxy Bull) is really important to me. We were wonderfully lucky with Klub K9 in Sunnyvale, as they were close to home and very caring. Lightning stuck twice with a K9 named facility when we found K9 Playtime.
The onboarding process is very straightforward, just come prepared with medical records and adoption paperwork. The temperament evaluation is fairly quick and, once done, your dog is good to go. Boarding and daycare dropoffs are very easy and appointments are not needed (except for major holidays). You do need to fill out a form each time you drop your dog off. If you want to expedite the process, get a copy of the blank form, put the relevant information in and make a bunch of copies. Then just put the dates in ahead of time.
Jake really seems to enjoy going here and always comes back home completely exhausted. So far there haven’t been any issues with other dogs. The staff all appear to be competent, qualified animal handlers, and engender trust with owners that their dogs will be well taken care of.
The store is very well stocked with high-​end food and treats, as well as all the toys, bedding and training tools you would ever need.
There are quite a few dog care facilities in the city to chose from, but I would heartily recommend K9 Playtime.

I wish we had more pet stores like this, around where I live… having an independent store kind of makes you feel a little bit more special than other overly priced chained stores

There is not a dearth of dog daycares or pet stores in San Francisco, but there aren’t a lot in SoMA and there aren’t any as good as K9 in my opinion.
When I first got my Italian Greyhound at 9 weeks, we started out doing the occasional daycare thing at the Wag Hotel since we’d gone to a few puppy socials there. But then I got a job and needed something easier and closer to my house on 3^rd/​Mission to ease my commute to UCSF and happened upon K9 Playtime luckily.
The on-​boarding process is a breeze — shot records, a quick temperament test and your doggie can play all day. At the time I bought a monthly package for $ 540 and brought Phillipa every weekday from 7 — 6. She loved it and came home exhausted everyday! So tired in fact, I’d have to wake her up to eat her dinner and breakfast! She’d sleep most of the day Saturday too. It got to the point where we’d drive up to the garage/​sally port and Phillipa would wag her tail enthusiastically squirming excitedly until she got inside to play with her new best friend Charlotte, a Papillion mix. Happiness!
Inside there is a store that sells food, treats, beds, and other pet paraphernalia which was really helpful for when I’d forget to buy food — so convenient! They also will order specialty items if you ask and are a client. Refer a friend and get three free days added to a package if they buy a package — I referred a lot of people, I had like 9 free days at one point lol!
K9 playtime has none of the annoying policies that make other daycares infuriating. No reservation needed for daycare, no specific time windows, drop off is really quick, pick up can take awhile (5 – 10 mins) at rush hour but you don’t have to call ahead, they have partial day daycare (6 hours), and various packages to choose from. The best part is they are very accommodating and are willing to work with you and your dogs needs. We welcomed an extremely shy Sloughi puppy into our home and the team at K9 worked with him to find him a comfortable fit for him within the doggie groups which is amazing because everyone told us this breed of dog can’t do daycare because its too upsetting for them. All the staff know the dogs by name which is really special.
Sadly, we had to move across the country and it has been an emotional search trying to find a daycare half as good. I told the owner, Mark, he should open up a K9 Playtime in DC… he’s thinking about it, he went to school here…

Hi — I’m Miss Kate — I actually live with Dave and Bob. I’m a border terrier schnauzer mix. In October, I turned 15. The needs of senior dog are very different than when I was a young lady darting around dog parks and playing rough. Particularly with my arthritis and well, slower world view, I really appreciate the staff at K9 Playtime. They are attentive, and always watch over me and my snuggle buddies with a warm blanket and a smile. I love dinner time — and recently even got a photo with Santa.
My owner Bob — appreciates their affordable rates, flexible schedule and clean facility. The staff has bent over backwards to make it a great fit for both him and me. I get my snuggle time with my friends, and Bob has the freedom to head to the gym, perhaps get a quick supper, and be ready to pick me up to head home. The socialization with other dogs is exhilarating, but exhausting, and I know I’m sleeping better and being all around in better health.
Bob, Dave and I can’t recommend K9 Playtime enough.

I was surprised to see some bad reviews about K9 Playtime because my puppy, Luna, definitely seems to enjoy herself. She has a little bit of nervousness towards people and more so toward men, but everyone at K9 made the extra effort to make her feel comfortable. Michael was especially patient and good with her. She jumps up on the gate when she arrives now and can’t wait to go play with her friends! When I expressed concern about her anxieties the K9 crew offered to show me the videos of her playing so I could see for myself how well she had adjusted. Most of the staff are very knowledgeable about dog training and behavior, as well as all of the products they carry in the store. I really appreciate everyone’s friendliness and enthusiasm for Luna when I bring her in.

Hi There ,
I dont think that I’ve ever given a place a 1 star, but we all have to start somewhere, and I think that K9 is perfectly qualified for it. My review is going about their dog showering service and not about their boarding.
I was first misquoted about the cost of a simple shower. When they quoted me the price, my dog was with me. Unless my dog is a shapeshifter, the difference in the quote and actual paid price shouldn’t be much. The price after the shower was 1.8x what I was quoted.
The art of lying is rather a hard one, one that the manager didnt quite master yet. When asked on the difference in price, she told me how they had to slog for more than an hr and half to wash my dog and how much of a trouble he was. I left him there for 40 minutes exactly, I know since I paid for parking .
I also assume that you have to pay extra to have them dry your god. My dog was wet all over when they returned him to me,. His face and his ears were dripping wet! I mentioned this to the guy who handed him to me and he brought out a towel to wipe his face off. My apartment smells like wet dog now.
But what pissed me off the most was that they didnt brush the dog at all! He was literally shedding hair when he walked. I was again met with some terrible lying on how they furminated him for a long time he just has the power to grow fur fast. I went home, brushed him for 5 minutes and got all his excess fur removed. Not that, this was a lot of work, but I had to go to work right after, and having dug fur on you is soo the 90’s.

Most of their staff know all the dogs (and their owners) by name. That’s pretty special.
Cheri, their manager, is awesome. She does what she can and keeps it real. The owner Mark is super kind if you’ve ever met him. He owns a very big boy (¾ wolf) named Logan. I can seriously continuing talking about each staff member as they operate and treat their attendees like family.
Small dogs get a lot of playtime. There’s probably 20+ dogs on your average weekday. It’s great for high energy pups — which one of mine is. The other one was shy but now happily trots through the doggy gate to daycare. They make friends with other dogs there — good variety of personalities available for everyone.
They have indoor and outdoor play. Big dogs are separated from small dogs. They have a monitor in the lobby to watch them — if it’s off, just ask! It’s a good feeling watching my pups play and socialize.
I’m a big animal advocate — naturally, I think every dog deserves some time to play with others of their kind.
There’s also parking available for drop off and pick ups. Really convenient.
Thanks K9 Playtime!

I have boarded my dog in many places over many years and he consistently goes on group dog walks so he is very familiar with care by strangers and interactions with other dogs. He always comes home happy and tired from these days — except for his day at K9 Playtime.
When I recently moved out of SF I thought K9 Playtime would be a great solution for my quick trips back into the city. They have great hours and make it easy to drop your pet off. Unfortunately, they allow no visibility into their methods of care and facilities I had to find out the hard way that they are well below poor.
When I picked my dog up after 1 day of care, he raced to the closest water bowl and drank for nearly a minute. It was apparent he had not had sufficient access to water. Then, he continued to cower and shake for the rest of the night. Clearly something traumatic had happened during his stay, or it was just a terrible experience for him entire time. Either way — he was visibly upset and physically exhausted.
Again — my dog has stayed in numerous boarding facilities all across the country and never come home so dehydrated and upset.
The convenience factor is there at K9 Playtime, but the care is not. I refuse to risk injury or trauma to my dog by returning.

My dog was hurt twice here.
The first injury was a cut on her leg, which required 2 staples at the vet. I should have known better but I thought it was a freak accident and continued bringing her to K9 Playtime.
The second injury was a serious, deep laceration that traversed the length of her leg. A pancake sized flap of skin was just hanging loose. My dog needed multiple drains, heavy painkillers, and a dozen staples.
I don’t know what K9 Playtime is doing wrong, but they’re definitely doing something wrong. Their stock response is that «they saw nothing unusual, saw nothing on the video». Even if that were the case, it doesn’t matter. Something is broken in how they are watching and handling the dogs. I will never bring my dog back here.