Northgate Kennels & Cattery

First off, I would like to start off this review by saying that I have chosen to board my dog here multiple times (I believe that my previous visit would be the fourth and LAST visit for my little dog). Sorry for the long review, but it’s based on several visits and issues.
I first brought my dog to North Gate Kennels about 1 year ago. The kennel seemed decent, and the people on charge asked for vaccine records and everyone seemed competent. I boarded my dog twice last year (in February and March), and I would say that I was satisfied with the care that my little dog received during her stay. I felt comfortable leaving my dog with them.
I started having problems with this place the last 2 visits which were in February and March. During my visit in February, the older man who stays on the premises was holding my small dog who weighs about 5 pounds over a half-​door (like a barn door) and was about to drop her on the ground before the receptionist grabbed her from him and brought her to me. I was mortified, so I paid the bill quickly so I could get out. I received a call the next day saying that I was overcharged, and I would be receiving a refund.
My most recent and LAST visit was just a couple of weeks ago. I needed to board my cat and my dog for this visit. Although I had reservations, when I arrived, they said that they did not have me on the books at all. The place reeked of urine, even more so than my last visit. When I called in to check up on my pets the day before I picked them up, I was given attitude and was told they were fine, but felt as though my call was unwelcome. When I picked up my pets at 3PM sharp when the place where reopened after lunch, I was told that I would be paying for another night. This was never communicated to me on the phone, nor was this an issue during previous visits.
In addition, my cat came home very oily and stressed, while my dog came home smelling like urine. My pets feeding instructions were not followed, as my cat came home with 2 extra cans of food, when there should have been none left. I was very unhappy to discover this when I got home.
In short, I would recommend avoiding this place as it is clear to me that they do not properly maintain the facility, they don’t follow directions, and they come with a bad attitude. Also, their staff changes often.

This place was recommended to me. So I had called with questions however my first few calls went unanswered. When I finally talked to somebody the gentleman I got was quite rude an unhelpful. I chalked it up to maybe they were just busy and decided to go by for a tour. As I was greeted I was given a spill about how they couldn’t really show me around but here’s one yard and one set of kennels for small dogs well I don’t have a small dog I have a big dog why would I want to see where the small dogs go. To me that was a red flag. Then I was walked through a dirty kitchen to a window to be shown their main play area in which I had to stand over a smelly overly dirty litter box to look out a window and their so-​called Main play area that is half the size of my backyard. The whole place had an odd stench and when we made our way back to the office the lady tossed a contract at me I told her I would take it and fill it out at home what should I bring back and all she said is the contract. I’m pretty sure all kennels want vaccination records but she didn’t ask for any. That makes me very nervous to leave my furbaby somewhere they don’t ask for vaccination records. Rather disappointed after all the so-​called good things I heard about this place seems like they put on a great front for their clients but it’s not a place I will be using!
OHH and Also the so called employe parking is full of broke down cars. is it a kennel or junk yard!?!
I’m only giving one star because I have to at least give one.

I’ve been using Northgate Kennel for a few months now and my dog and I are very happy. The service is great and you can tell the staff really enjoys being with animals. My dog is shy around other dogs and has a little separation anxiety, these issues aside she is always in good spirits when I pick her up. My pup has to come here on average bi weekly for a couple days and I am so happy she is in a safe environment with people I trust.

I have been boarding my dog at Northgate Kennels for 6 – 7 years. I really liked that they are open on Sundays, and live right on the premises. However, I have had several incidents with them, and they always have excuses.
1. They lost one of my dogs toys, and never apologized or offered to replace it. The lady said, sometimes dogs carry their toys out in the yard and they get lost that way; my dog has never carried a toy outside with him.
2. One time when I dropped my dog off, I asked the woman that was putting the paper collar on him, «isn’t that too big?»; she said it would be fine. After I picked him up and got him home, he was rubbed raw underneath one of his armpits, from where the collar had been rubbing him for days, because it was large enough for him to get his arm through. Besides him being sore and uncomfortable; it cost me 100.00 between the vet visit, ointment and inflatable collar. When I called and told them, they said, «sorry that happened». They never offered to reimburse me, or even give me a few days free.
3. I went back again, because my dog is now 12 and is used to Northgate Kennels, and I did not want to put him in a new environment at his age. But, when I picked him up yesterday, he reeked of urine!!! My dog has stomach problems and is on special food. I individually bagged enough for six meals (2x a day — Fri, Sat and Sun). When I got home, I noticed that that there were still four bags left. I called when I got home, and the girl was making excuses and said she would call me back because she was helping a customer and she never did. The woman I spoke to this morning told me that sometimes when dogs are dropped off, they go on a hunger strike, and don’t always eat right away. I told her, he has been coming there for 7 years; he does not have hunger strikes.
I will not be taking him back to Northgate, and will not continue to recommend Northgate to anyone. Our pets are our family, and I need to know that he is in an environment where he is being taken care of, being fed and not coming home reeking of urine.

I boarded my cats here a couple of years ago. I liked the size of the cat condos and they seemed nice. On the day I dropped off my cats, I walked to the cat area with the staff person. I was alarmed to see that the condo had dirty water in a water bowl, and left over dry food in the bowl in the condo where my cats were going to stay. I had the guy change the bowls (yes, had to ask for clean bowls) and the water and handed him my dry cat food. The cat room would be ok, it’s got some nice light, but the place needs serious cleaning and scrubbing. Everything in the room felt grimey and dusty. Sad to say that a business like this that has been around for a while and that has had some success, needs to be told to clean and the staff need to be trained better. Since it’s been a few years from my experience there, I hope that this business has gotten a clue and is more onboard with providing clean bowls and a clean place for cats to board. I won’t be boarding here again due to the risk of bacteria and how dirty it was. Ick!

I’ve been taking my older dog Shelby here for years now and love that I can leave town without worrying my pet is in good hands. She always seems happy to go and happy to see me when I return. This kennel provides a dog bed in a heated/​air conditioned room, play time with other like sized and tempered dogs, food, and often she is even returned to be bathed without charge. This kennel is reasonably priced and locally operated. I will be a loyal customer for years to come.

I decided to make a visit before dropping my cat off for a week. This place looks like someone converted their house to a kennel without a lot of forethought. Prices were good ($ 15/​day) but the place stinks and is FILTHY. The cat shelter area was unkept and food all over the floor, plus there was some dog (?) excrement in the walkway by the cages for the cats. There is very little light for the cats to see outside. I would be afraid my catch will catch some disease from this place. I know animals are messy and can smell, but this place goes way beyond that.
Two stars instead of one only because rate is decent. Otherwise, pass …

I toured his facility before dropping off my dog for the Christmas holiday and everything seemed fine. The owner lives on the property, everyone was very helpful and they all seemed to be dog lovers. We dropped off his bed, his collar with leash and a bag full of food and treats. When we picked him up a few days later we were shocked to find him in bad shape. He was scared, shaking, filthy, smelly and seemed traumatized. When we asked for his items back, they told us that we had never given them a bed for him. Um yes we did. We went back and forth with them a few times and we ensured them that he did in fact have a bed and other items. They finally found his bed and gave it back to us which tells me that it was most likely never even in his kennel with him. When I confronted them about that they said that it was most likely taken away to be washed. It was filthy and pull of grass and hay so I’m sure the wash was the last place it was. We didn’t receive any food or any of the treats back and they didn’t bother to put his collar or leash back on him when giving him back to us. Those we a few other items we had to hunt down ourselves. Last but not least, they are a CASH only business. I had to pay the first half up front in cash and the remaining amount at pick up in cash. When picking him up we owed 45.00 so we gave them 60.00. They didn’t have any change for us. You’re a cash only business but you don’t keep change in the office? They asked if they could give us a credit on our acct for his next stay. We agreed just to get out of there already. After discussing it, we came to the decision that we won’t be returning to North Gate Kennels and I have requested that they mail me a check for the 15.00 that they owe us. They were apologetic to all of my complaints but seemed to have an excuse for each one. If you love your dog, don’t take them here. I can highly recommend Barka Lounge though! Feel free to check out my review there.

I left my dog here for 9 days over the Thanksgiving week. When I picked her up, she smelled awful. This is somewhat to be expected as she is a 65 lb dog that I allowed to play with others. What I wasn’t expecting is the illness that my dog has come home with. Within 3 days of cominng home, she has severe diarrehea and I will be taking her to the vet tomorrow to get her stool tested as they think she has a parasite. My dog is an indoor 8 mos old puppy there is no other place other than the kennel. Again, things can happen but if she does have this parasite, it is in my opinion from the kennel.
On another note, the staff was less than caring when I picked up my dog to give me any sort of report on her, gave me none of her food back that I brought for her to eat. 9 days with my dog and I received no feedback and when asked I got, she did fine.
I will not go here again regardless of my vet outcome. First time I’ve kenneled and not a good experience. I gave one start because I have to give something.

Reviews were very high for this kennel which surprised me at how bad the experience for us was. First we were told to drop our dog off on a day the kennel was closed, Easter Sunday. Thankfully, someone lives on premises who took our dog in. Had she not been there we would not have been able to leave for vacation. When we picked up our dog his rear quarter was mated with feces. His nose was cut in multiple places which tells me he received zero attention and was trying to get out of the enclosure. Will not board here again.

We have boarded our dogs here only once. We have four crazy dogs. our old Bassett hound did get a scratch on her nose playing in the yard and they cleaned and treated it for us. They even kept her in their personal home cuz she was old and they felt bad she got scratched. Something similar has happened before at other places and the wound didnt look taken care of as nicely). My other dogs were tired and filthy (to be expected staying at a kennel) but seemed healthy and well taken care of. Only took one star away because they dont take credit or debit cards. Getting that much money in cash was a pain. We will be using them again though. But will get the cash ahead of time so we dont have to try to get that much from an ATM.

I’ve been going to North Gate 10 years now. I hate to kennel my german shepherd but sometimes it just makes sense. He always seems to be happy to go there. Most recently my dog got seriously ill while we were on vacation and unreachable by phone. They baby’d him as if he were their own. On my repeated thank-you’s their response was simply «that’s what we’re here for.» I truly feel indebted to them for the care they gave my dog — beyond the call of duty.
From what I know, they are also one of the more inexpensive kennels around — worth the drive up North Gate Rd.
Thank you North Gate Kennels!

I’ve always wondered, «How would I really ever know if my dog actually gets the attention and play time promised by a kennel when I drop him off?» Most kennels promise one on one time and getting let out 3 times a day for a walk or play… but how would I really ever know?
Well, unfortunately, I found out here that they definitely don’t do as promised.
My dog is white, all white. They’re «play area» is a dump, a mix of grass and mud. When I came to pick him up after a week stay I figured I was going to have a mess on my hands because it had been raining in the Bay Area for days, and I opted out of the bath they tried to sell me when I dropped him off. To make matters worse, when I called ahead on my way home from the airport to say I was coming to pick him up, «Billy» made the comment that «Oh he’s been playing outside all afternoon». I kind of rolled my eyes at the comment thinking I was going to have to lay out some blankets in the back of the car for this mud ball of a dog I was picking up. I mean it was pouring outside while I was driving to get him.
To my complete shock, not only was he bone dry when I got there, but he was completely white, not a speck of mud on him. My first reaction was one of relief, I thought, «Oh thank god, they washed him, because he was such a mess».
Uh, no. He came running right up to me and the first thing I noticed was how bad he smelled. You know that dog smell you would get if you buried your face in your dog’s blanket or bed. I was shocked. He smelled terrible so I knew he hadn’t gotten a bath at all. I asked one of the guys if he had gotten a bath or something, but the guy said he didn’t think so, and I wasn’t charged for a bath when I closed out my bill.
I was kind of flustered when I left. I was in a rush to beat traffic, glad to get my dog back and get home, but frustrated by the idea that my dog might have not been let out much at all. My fiancé gave them the benefit of doubt that maybe they just toweled him down before I picked him up (even though in the back of my mind I knew that was not the case, its impossible to get the brown out of his fir without a shampoo.) Then came the final straw, just minutes after getting into the car, my dog started acting weird and pacing, something he does when he has to go to the bathroom. So I pull over at a grassy spot, and before I can leash him he jumps out of the car and makes a be line to the closest blade of grass. He proceeds to pee and poop at the same time. I couldn’t believe my eyes, it was like he hadn’t gone to the bathroom in at least 24 hours. He peed for a solid 30 seconds, and he’s a small dog. This definitely wasn’t the behavior of a dog that had been «playing outside all afternoon». This also wasn’t the behavior of a dog that had been let out 3 times that day to play. It was the behavior of a dog that had been neglected and left in his cage for who knows how long.
I was and still am really pissed about the whole situation, but what can I do? Call and ask them why they didn’t let my dog out at all? So they can just lie about it and give me some excuse? It’s a frustrating thing to be a pet owner and put your trust into people only to have them completely lie to your face. I was just glad to find them here on Unilocal so I could share my story with anybody considering boarding their dog here. I’m no Sherlock Holmes, but I know a dry dog from a muddy one, and I certainly know when my dog hasn’t been let out to go to the bathroom all day.
Also on another note, I was kind of shocked at the condition of the «play yard» when I toured the kennel. It’s a dump, half dirt, half grass, and it’s tiny. Also, I noticed that the dogs where locked in the outside portion of their kennels, with no access to their beds, just the concrete floors in the outside «run» portion of their kennel. This means that if they are cold or want to lay down, they are out of luck until someone comes in their kennel and opens the door to their bed. I was assured that my dog (who gets cold really easily… doesn’t have any fat and has short fur) would have ²⁴⁄₇ access to his bed, but when I was given the tour, none of the dogs had any access to anything but the concrete they were standing on. They assured me it was because the dogs were just about to get let out to play, but that made no sense because when I pulled up, no one was even at the kennel, everybody was in the adjoining house watching TV.
For your dogs sake, please don’t put them here.

I’ve been taking my dog here for about a year now. She absolutely loves it. Bonnie is great and will open up after hours with no extra charge if needed. My dog gets to play with other dogs and I have never had any problems. When I pick her up I can tell she’s been playing all day cause she’s wiped out.
I wish they took credit cards is my only complant but other than that it’s GREAT.

Our dog has stayed here many times in the last 2 years. The staff are always very friendly and our dog loves going. We’ve never had any concerns. I took a tour of the facility before we used them and it was clean.
We have an Australian Shepherd who is very social and active and she’s never been upset when we picked her back up. Actually, when we drive up to drop her off, she gets excited! We live in SF and I actually drive her out to Walnut Creek every time we leave just because we know she’ll be happy.
They let the dogs out into an outdoor grassy area twice a day for 30 min each time to play together. For us this is perfect because our dog gets some exercise and play time rather then staying the entire day in her crate or only getting a 10 min walk.
Very reasonably priced. We’ll continue to use them.

We’ve used them a couple times a year for 2 years now. The dogs come back clean and happy. We kennel 2 bigger dogs and they share one of the larger pens. Actual grass for them to run on. The staff there takes care of the special diet needs for our older dog.

My dog came home from here shaking and terrified for several days (and she is very used to kennels).
Not only that, her personal belongings (blanket, etc.) were not ready when I arrived there were several items missing. I had to go back once to retrieve something and one blanket was lost permanently. No offer was made to reimburse or replace it and in fact my phone calls were not returned.
This is the worst boarding experience we have ever had and I would urge everyone NOT to go here.