Dogwood Kennels

Our experience with this pet lodge has been mixed, ending with a very bad experience. Dogwood was our boarder for a few years without problem, so let me state at first that our dog has loved this place and we were happy for a long time without incident.



Then our dog came home from a stay there with kennel cough. The vet seemed exasperated and said they had had this problem with them before.



The last problem we had was after a one-day stay with them, he came home limping and cowering in a corner, just not his happy self at all. I called the place very upset and emotional (my husband blames me for this, by the way) and said I needed to hear from the owner about what happened. We got a frantic call back from them, and I had my husband talk to the owner. After 24 hours had passed, he seemed to go back to normal. I can't say what happened there, I can only say it was really weird and has never happened, before or since.



My husband convinced me to give them one more try. I called and had a discussion with a very nasty worker there who said "that dog" has to be seen by a vet before they would allow him back, as obviously something is very wrong with him. It was very childish, but frankly from the owner's response to the other negative review on this site, I'm not surprised. I think this place is fine as long as all is smooth; when something goes wrong and somebody complains, it's blamed on the customer and you're treated very nastily. Not good. I admit I was very emotional, but our dogs are like our kids -- if my kid comes home limping and cowering after one night with you, you are going to get an upset phone call.



My last bit of advice for the owner: if you're going to post a nasty response accusing a customer of being "uneducated," use spell check! Your reply reads like your education ended in the second grade.

They have taken great care of all my dogs. They are particularly good at accommodating special needs, whether it is matching up our geriatric lab with gentle playmates or expertly dealing with one of our dogs that had behavioral problems. The owner lives and works on the premises so the dogs and staff are well supervised. One thing to note - while most kennels charge by the night, Dogwood charges by the day, which means you usually get stuck with a day extra of costs.

I highly recommend Dogwood Kennels! Not only is the place gorgeous (what dog doesn't love going on a country vacation?), but the facility is extremely clean. I've boarded my dogs (german shepherd dog and lab) there a couple of times now and they are always sad to leave. My GSD especially loves the play yard and doggie day care - she can play with other dogs all day. They were also very accommodating to my special needs, geriatric lab (who needed medication daily). The staff is friendly and sincerely kind to my dogs, they always give me an update when I call to check on them.



I've also had my dogs groomed at Dogwood and I don't know how they do it but they always seem to smell fantastic alot longer than when I give them a bath at home. Their coats are fluffy and shiny and with a GSD, alot less fur than she came in with (this is a good thing!). My golden retriever was groomed at Dogwood as well - he is the only dog i've ever taken in that needed to be clipped/trimmed and he always looked beautiful when I picked him up.



Overall, I love this place. Leaving my best friends in such capable hands makes travel alot less stressful.