Vail Doggie Day Spa & Lodging

Great doggie daycare! I was hesitant because of the bad reviews, but asked another dog caretaker in Avon about it and he assured me holly has been caring for dogs for years and is great with them. It’s not luxurious, but luckily dogs don’t care! The owner obviously loves dogs and know what she’s doing and that’s what matters most! I’m happy to have a great place to take our dog when we visit!

Place did have the smell of old pee so cleanliness is poorly lacking since this has been a common theme in previous reviews. I asked for a tour of the facilities and they gave a story about liability issues. I turned around and walked out.
I’m not entrusting my dog in a place where it’s apparently too dangerous for me to go for a tour.

don’t leave ur dog ther e it stinks to high heaven. They walk the dog on Comercial pavement. they are kept cooped up in small cages.

I had a last minute trip to Vail over Labor Day weekend and the hotel we were staying in didn’t allow pets. Everywhere in Denver was booked so I desperately tried this place hoping they had room for my dog for 4 nights… it was a success!
I was a little nervous after reading the most recent reviews, but I’m happy to report that I will definitely take my dog to Vail Doggie Day Spa again if I need to. The staff took great care of my fur baby and even texted me a picture of her goofing around.
The facility is in a weird, industrial-​looking place and I don’t think there is grass inside the facility for the dogs to play on. However, I do know that my dog got to feel grass under her paws because they filled me in on her potty schedule when I went to take her out for the day.
Oh yeah that was one thing I absolutely loved about Vail Doggie Day Spa… we were able to come get her for the day and bring her back in the evening. We only «Checked Out» our dog once because she was so tired from playing with the other dogs she didn’t really care about hiking with us. She even started whining when we drove away… such a diva.
When you walk into the place does smell pretty bad… but, you know, it’s full of dogs. I’m not spending the night there so I don’t really care and my dog eats cat vomit so I know she doesn’t care. When we picked her up and took her home she was a little stinky so I gave her a bath and then she slept for an entire day.
My dog was returned to me exhausted, happy, and in one piece. That’s good enough for me!

I just had a very NEGATIVE AND STRANGE EXPERIENCE AT VAIL DOGGIE.
In short, the owner was incredibly rude and unprofessional to me as a new customer. She dismissed me after asking a couple basic questions and I was in nothing more than shock at the way I was treated. I will NEVER consider taking our dog here again and would highly recommend that no one else give with woman business.
In more detail:
It was recommended to us by a friend because we needed to find a place to leave our dog for a half day while we skied at Vail.
I called ahead and the owner, Holly, was actually very nice and helpful on the phone and said to bring our dog in any time. When we got there the next day, I was first put off a little by the look of the place (looked like an industrial garage with a chain fence and I couldn’t see any outdoor space), but figured it was fine. I’ve never boarded our dog, even for a day before, so just had some normal questions.
However, it was so strange. As soon as I asked one question, Holly immediately got very defensive with me and SAID SHE HAD NO TIME TO WIN OVER NEW CUSTOMERS; her dogs were all that mattered. Meanwhile, she was guarding the area behind her where tons of dogs were barking like crazy and she wouldn’t even let me peak around the corner. She repeated her case that she didn’t care about me, only her dogs… WEIRD.
Well lady, what about your dog owners who should be your valued customers as the ones making the decisions about what dogs you apparently so highly value?!
I barely got a few words in edgewise, again asking her if I could then simply talk to her a little about her business since she clearly was not going to let me see for myself. She then dismissed me and walked away after telling me that I could have watched the video on her website if I wanted to learn about the place.
I WAS IN UTTER SHOCK BY THE RUDENESS AND UNPROFESSIONALISM of this business owner who should know that customer service is always a number one priority for good business. I love my dog very much, as most pet-​owners do and there’s no way I’m simply going to drop off my dog without asking a couple basic questions about a pet-​sitting place.
Again, IN REVIEW, DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE! There is something seriously wrong and strange with how the owner treated me and I can’t imagine anyone wanted to leave their dog with her.

This place is pretty much a kennel. It was not «safe» for us to watch our dog get introduced to the other dogs — what does that even mean? Also, all the dogs were barking like crazy — we were told its just because «someone is here»… well, they were barking just a bit too much for my taste.
We decided to not board our dog here for fear of lasting mental trauma. Not a very relaxing place.
And yes, it does stink like pee. The cages looked small.

Thought it would be fun for dog to play. Did not notice bad smell. Dog not smelly when I picked up, but despite three kennel cough immunization s, dog has kennel cough. Dog hungry and thirsty when I picked up.

We planned a last minute trip to Vail and needed a place for our 2 dogs. This place got mixed reviews but it was close so I thought I would check it out. The person on the phone seemed nice enough – not rude but she sounded busy. When I dropped off the dogs, the place had the worst stench of pee. Now, I know it’s a dog kennel, but it was extremely pungent – as if they never even take a hose to the floor (and one wall is all fence!).
I was told we’d get an update but never heard from them at all.
At pick-​up, they darted for the car and when I offered them water they acted like they didn’t drink for days (we live in Denver and do a lot in the mountains, so altitude wasn’t an excuse). Also, when I dropped them off, I left the exact amount of food they needed for their meals – each in their own bag with their own scoop. When I picked them up, there was still enough food left in the bag to make me wonder if they were fed the right amount of food.
Worst of all, they smelled so badly – like pee. I had drive the entire way home with the window open (2 hrs) and had to bathe them when we got home.
I definitely would not recommend this place or go back.

This place was pretty gross. It stunk like pee, my son walked out within 30 seconds due to the smell. I reluctantly left my small dog here. When I picked him up, he smelled as well. I immediately gave him a bath. He was also very thirsty which bothered me. The lady who checked me in was nice so I thought it might be ok — hence I gave it two stars instead of one. But it is really dirty. Even the front desk is dirty and disorganized which I think says a lot about a business. I tried another place today — much cleaner, more organized, whole different experience. It is a clean, organized, non-​smelling facility. They gave me a tour when I arrived and you can see what is going on right from the front desk. I would not recommend this for any dog, especially if you are on vacation. Keep looking, you will find a much better environment.

We took our dog here for a long weekend and were so happy with the service! The employees and owner are friendly and helpful — we received text updates each day, they accommodated our last minute request for an extension to the stay, and they had our pup clean, happy, and ready to go when we came to pick her up — it was easy to see she had a great time there. We will definitely be back the next time we’re in the area!

Holly is so wonderful! We had to board our dog for the first time, while we were heading out of town for a few days and Holly made the transition so easy for us. Our dog was able to play all day with the other dogs and had a place to sleep in at night with her own bedding from home. The best part was that Holly sent updates and pictures via text, daily to let us know how she was doing. While its not the most glamorous place, I knew my dog was safe, happy, and well taken care of!

We LOVE this place! Our dogs are all rescue dogs, and we don’t feel comfortable leaving them with just anyone… Vail Doggie is awesome! Not only do they have an amazing owner and staff, they have a treadmill for the dogs! Wow I love this idea of giving the dogs extra exercise and training, besides the walks, chasing balls, and naps that they get when there! They interact with dogs all day and that helps my dogs build confidence, instead of sit in kennels all day like some places! I can’t always exercise my dogs, so when they come back from daycare they are so tired and content! We have been going for years, and I would recommend this daycare/​boarding facility to everyone!

We left our beasts there over the weekend. The facility was absolutely wonderful! The woman who worked there was super friendly and very sweet with the dogs. We were staying in a hotel that didn’t allow dogs, but we broke them out of boarding to go on a hike. When we returned them for the evening, the dogs were more thrilled than I’ve ever seen them — even with their regular doggie day care on the front range — which says the most to me. The dogs are crazy tired, which says the second most to me.
Smell-​wise: Yeah it’s a little stinky, but not excessively so. It’s seriously not a big deal.

Added March 28 2011: i don’t know what the guy who says that the place stank is all about. This is a dog day care and, yes, there are going to be accidents. This past week, we had our pooch there for the third time this season. We have a vacation home close to the slopes, but keep Bozie there during the day. The whole point of doggie day care is so our pooch gets a fun day playing and interacting with the other dogs.
We’ve stopped in unannounced on several occasions and I never saw anything that would keep me from going back. One time, our little one was all tuckered out and had secured a bed and was napping with big golden retreiver (or a lab — I get confused). I liked that she could find a quite place to nap during the day. I also liked that she had plenty of interaction to keep her busy and happy.
I wish there was a dog day care this good where our other vacation home is or back in California. The place is so very cheerful and clean. I love the kitty room and gave a nice tip that hopefully will help with the upkeep of the foster program for abandoned dogs and cats. Vail Doggie truly does good work for the pampered pooches in their care and the foster pets in their care.
Holly and her crew are my doggie’s favorite bunch outside the immediate family. Bozie loves my husband’s brother nearly as much as she loves Holly. Every time we pick her up she is happy, clean and tired.
Whether you are looking for a kennel, day care or to adopt a loving addition to your family, Vail Doggie is the place to go.