A few weeks ago I boarded my dog at a vets office and although it was clean and professional, it was not the environment for my dog. The kennel space echoed when the dogs barked, the lighting was somewhat dim, and the dogs couldn't see each other. It all made my dog very nervous, so nervous the vet tech said she was going to take my husky/lab mix out for a bath and he backed himself into a corner, his hackles raised, and he started growling at her (and he is NOT an aggressive dog at all!!)
We decided to try Villa la Paws because they have a no cage facility. Rather than being separated, the dogs sleep in a community room together at night, which made all the difference in my dogs comfort level!!! The bigger and more active dogs are kept in a separate room from the smaller and calmer dogs, which is also really nice. We took him the day before he was going to be boarded so he could go through his evaluation. They took him on a tour and to the outdoor play area to romp with the other dogs. The next day when we dropped him off he was so excited he didn't even notice us leave! They have an outdoor play area with misters and kiddie pools for the hot summer months, there is someone at the facility 24/7, and you can even get access to their surveillance cameras so you can check in on your fur baby while you're away. We met a couple of different employees and everyone was extremely kind, friendly, knowledgeable, and you could tell they all loved the dogs. A weekend of playing makes for a dirty dog so I requested my dog be groomed before we picked him up. Like I said, he's husky and lab so he sheds like crazy! My boy came back to me happy, clean, soft, and shed free. He was pooped out for about 2 days after I picked him up lol. I was very impressed with Villa La Paws, both the boarding and grooming portions of the business. I will definitely be bringing my dog back when I need to leave town, I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving him with anyone else!