AlphaDog Lodging Mill Valley, California

UPDATE: 9/15 As a follow up to this review, I’ll add that the owner reached out with genuine concern and care to inquire about Yorkie’s condition and progress. While I am upset that we went through this, we found comfort in the proactive response, follow up and a thorough explanation of the steps they will take to ensure top notch care for dogs in their care. ****** It has been a very challenging week emotionally and physically for both Yorkie, our mini-Labradoodle, and our family. My husband picked him up on Monday from Alpha Dog after a lengthy stay (20 days). On Monday at 4pm, on our pick up day, we received an email saying that Yorkie had thrown up several times. We didn't see the email until after we picked him up. Once we got him home, we noticed that he was lethargic, disoriented and very weak. We immediately called our vet who advised us to rush him to the nearby SPCA. It turned out Yorkie had not just lost a ton of weight- he was suffering from a massive bacterial infection and required x-rays and bloodwork and an overnight stay in the hospital. He is currently on two types of antibiotics, and nearly a week after picking him up, he is finally acting like the energetic happy pup he once was. At the very minimum, we would have appreciated and expected a call if Yorkie was throwing up -- instead we received an email that seems very much like an afterthought. First, people are not constantly checking their email. Secondly, "throwing up a few times" as indicated in the email they sent rises to the level of a phone call to let us know. Needless to say, we are beyond disappointed in how Alpha Dog handled Yorkie's care. He was also incredibly smelly and didn't get the bath I had requested -- the immense matting and stink was a very clear indicator of that. We visited Alpha Dog in the Spring and were genuinely impressed with space and facility and the staff member we met with. We fully trusted that for 20 days Yorkie would be in great hands. We were wrong. We will not be returning. We will not recommend Alpha Dog to friends, and in fact, will rescind our recommendations to other friends and tell them about our experience. And, perhaps, given how busy dog boarding facilities are these days they may not care about this review or what we went through -- and that is a shame. We will just do our best to make sure consumers are aware. And you should know I sent the general manager a lengthy email which they didn't have the dignity to respond to.

We checked out this boarding place for our three small dogs and we’re invited to drop them off for one day as a trial period to see if our dogs adjusted. We returned a few days later to have them stay only for the day. As we entered a dog ran out the door, as there was no one at the front desk, and my husband had to chase him down, at risk himself with a strange dog and in very heavy traffic, in order to prevent what may have been a tragedy for the dog and his owners. The teenager finally appeared and seemed not in least bit upset that one of their “guests” had raced out onto the street. We said nothing and just left with our three small dogs in tow. I wouldn’t leave my pet chicken with these guys, much less a beloved dog.

Very good experience with Alpha dog while on vacation from Iowa. We wanted daycare for our King Charles Cavalier so we could enjoy our day in San Francisco. We emailed Alpha Dog with our request and they were very professional in communicating what we needed to do to make this day happen. Very pleased and would highly recommend Alpha Dog to other travelers. Thank you Alpha dog!

AlphaDog are always friendly and welcoming. Good work guys.

I filled out their application online which requested my credit card. To my horror a copy of the application was sent to me for my record, including my full credit card information - everything - compromising the card and forcing me to cancel the card etcetc. We have yet to even use them but this lack of attention to detail took them off my list. Be careful because apparently they are not.

Is a really nice place to go take your dog if you cant take him with you in your travels. They takencare really well of all dogs inlike this place

I was referred by Canine Cove. I left my dog for 2 days. They’re were great. No issues, my dog was happy and healthy when I picked her up.

This is by far one of the greatest places to leave your dog. What captivates me most; is every staff members love for my dog, and every other dog.

We take our dog Lola here, and she loves it. She is super happy here. She is always happy to go and always happy when we pick her up. She does daycare as well as boarding. Zach has taken her for walks during her boarding-extra pay for this. Zach is amazing! She has done training with the trainer Michael, and he is wonderful. We highly recommend the training program. All the employees are 5 star. We wouldn't imagine taking her anywhere else. The employees at AlphaDog seem to really like their job and it shows. Before we took her to 3 other places and she would come home smelling like pee. Now she just smells like dog. Go to AlphaDog, you won't regret it.

My favorite seasonal job ever!!!!! This company has all the heart and compassion your K9 needs!!!!! Ms. Pearl is a genius her facility is truly one of capable hands.

They take fantastic care of the pups.

Alpha Dog is absolutely our best daycare/boarding experience ever! Our dog is a nervous nellie and EVERYONE at Alpha Dog gives her extra love and attention. Thank you AD team! Jake

My little guy Roscoe absolutely loves his time at Alphadog for both daycare and boarding. The staff are very well trained in animal behavior and are really nice and efficient at the front desk during pickup/dropoff. I’ve brought Roscoe to two other doggy daycares both where he ended up with an injury due to overcrowding and the staff not paying enough attention. I can tell Alphadog pays super close attention to creating play groups according to play style/energy to avoid any undue stress on the dogs. Thank you Alphadog!!

My dog loves this place, the staff are always so nice, and it’s my dogs second home.

Very professional, clean facility and knowledgeable helpful staff. My Golden Retriever loved his time there. I plan to start my rescue Golden mix soon!!

AlphaDog is simply the best boarding around the bay area, include this as an option for boarding if you live in sf near gg bridge.

Ryan, Ashley and the staff are awesome. My doggie had a great time.

My dog LOVES this place.

Julien is really, really friendly and kind. I definitely recommend AlphaDog Lodging!

They can send you photos of your dog if you're on vacation for a long time. Great service.

In all fairness I only dropped my dog off for the trial period. However, I feel it is important for other dog owners to know my experience as I would never bring my dog to this establishment after my interaction with them. After my dog had been there for 4 hours I was informed that he would not be a good fit due to the fact that he was playing with the hose water. When asked why this was an issue I was informed that they use the hoses all day long to punish the dogs in the play yard, and that he was getting in the way of this because he was trying to play with the hose water. This to me shows that the facility does not have proper control of the dogs that they have there, and that when a dog happily tries to play it is punished. What is even more sad is that I personally had to work really hard with my dog to get him to the point where he would play with the hose as he was petrified of water, so to hear that they were punishing him for playing broke my heart. They encouraged me to work on the hose with him and bring him back. He will not EVER be going back.

Our dogs second home. A great free range doggy day care. Staff are great, our dog loves his visits here.

This is by far the best place in town! Friendly, caring and knowledgable staff. The dogs stay active as much as they want and outside on the turf grass which is a bonus. PLUS they are open 24/7 which, I think, is the only place that does this. My dog loves this place and it gives me a piece of mind when I go to work every day in the city!