The Dog Spot and The Cat Pad Boulder, Colorado

We were displaced by the fires near boulder. They took our cats in while we figured out our next steps, took care of them and took care of us. They truly showed care and love for our community and our pets.

It really pains me to leave a negative review of The Dog Spot after so many years of receiving excellent service and care for my dogs. So I'll start with the positives: I received a refund for unused punches on my punch card, and The Dog Spot housed animals displaced by the Marshall fire. The Dog Spot was sold to Destination Pet last November. We were told that things would remain the same for the rest of the year. Starting this month, that is not the case. There will soon be up to 15 dogs per person working, and 5 people working at a time. That's 75 dogs in a space built for 30. The dogs will be rotated between inside and outside, even when it's freezing and extremely hot. There will no longer be a rest time in the middle of the afternoon. Maybe this is okay for some dogs, but not for mine. When the previous owners ran the Dog Spot, they limited the number of dogs allowed. The place was spotless and there was never any barking or yelling. The previous owner used to say that dogs bark when they're bored or stressed, and the dogs were never bored or stressed there. After the new owners took over and longtime staff left, I noticed a lot more dogs barking and people yelling. I had a long conversation with the person responsible for the Dog Spot at Destination Pet. She agreed that they should communicate the above changes to their customers but did not. Instead, we got an email that they are raising their rates. After 7 years of no problems with my dogs at the Dog Spot, one of them "went after" another dog after mine was crated for too long. I don't bring my dogs to daycare to be crated for long periods of time. He was so stressed and anxious when I picked him up the last time he went; it took days for him to get back to normal. My other dog began shaking and hiding when I told her it was time to go to the Dog Spot. So I stopped. It is no longer a safe and happy place for them and it breaks my heart. Again, maybe some dogs will do well in this environment. Mine won't. Destination Pet is relying on the great reputation and brand that the Dog Spot had. I would give them another try if they change their policies, but I don't think they will.

It is so nice to be able too leave my Cat Rudolph and not have to worry about him. He is an elderly cat and has been to the The Dog Spot and Cat Pad twice. We were able to see photos of him showing he was cared for and happy. The cost is reasonable and the service is worth it. A lot of peace of mind.

Best cat boarding in Boulder. Maybe even in all of Colorado. We love The Cat Pad and our kitty Elvis does too. Love that they post pics on Facebook so you can check on your pet while you're away. Plus, the staff (especially Jules) are GREAT. They really care for the animals, and the facility is great too. Not small cages. More like suites. Definitely recommend.

I have taken our dog to The Dog Spot for 10 years. The business has recently changed hands and Ben and Shannon are no longer there. I’ve seen a noticeable decline in the care of the property and have seen and heard some things that have caused us to stop using this business for our dogs care. We have heard staff yelling at the dogs, seen entire staff sitting around and no one monitoring the animals in their care. When I picked up my dog yesterday she was trembling and had her tail between her legs. If she wasn’t mistreated, then she was trembling from cold. She is 10 and 1/2 and if she was outside too long, then that indicates that she was not monitored and that whom ever was watching her did not treat her with compassion. We will NOT be returning to The Dog Spot. Very sad to see the quality of care that Ben and Shannon gave our dog. I’m happy that Ben and Shannon have a new chapter in their lives, but we all miss them. God Speed dear friends. Carolyn

Our cat is very shy, and staff did a good job to keep her comfortable and happy. They made special efforts to engage with her which I appreciated. Great facilities and super clean.

My dogs love the Dog Spot and Cat Pad! And so do we. The whole team is taking excellent care of our pups. I’ve never come in to drop off/ pick up the pups without being greeted in a way that made me fell like we are one big family. And when one of my pups got sick they took the necessary steps to make sure he got the best care and informed us right away as well. While I always worry when one of my pups get sick, I knew the entire time he was in good hands and there would be nothing more I could do if I was there. This place is always clean and almost always free of loud barking (my dog being the one who barks due to excitement as he enters and leaves) which is awesome for my other dog who gets overwhelmed when too many dogs are barking. This is the best place to bring your pets to!!!

I have used the Dog Spot for many years for both daycare and overnight boarding when I travel and they are the best! I totally trust them with my two dogs as they take great care of them and my dogs love going there. I have tried other dog daycare and boarding places over the years and nothing compares to the Spot, in my opinion. I highly recommend them!

Avery LOVES being at Dog Spot. She's always so happy to be there that regularly the staff has to wall outside with us so she'll come home. We are always at ease if she stays for an overnight and appreciate the play time and fun she gets when she goes for her daycare days.

The staff is wonderful and our dogs love it!

They took great care of our cats

Truly the best cat boarding ever! We've sent our chonk Earnest there twice now, and he has had the best experience. Our favorite part is the pictures posted every day so we know what a good time he's having! Can't recommend highly enough!

I was having an awfully stressful day and was in a desperate situation to find Luna a safe place to stay, and the wonderful staff - angels in disguise - came to my rescue and went ABOVE and beyond to help me out. I cannot thank Shannon enough, you really give me reason to rest easy tonight finally! I know she’s in wonderful loving hands ???? Thank you thank you thank you thank you ????????????????⭐️????⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Fantastic place for my 9 months old to get all that energy out. Highly recommend.

“Luxury cat boarding” is exactly what this is! We brought our six and seven month old kittens over Thanksgiving and I couldn’t be happier with their care! It took a couple days for them to warm up, but you could tell they were very comfortable in the end. The owners were also very accommodating with our kittens toilet training needs, wonderful to have no regression once we got them home! Pictures like these were posted multiple times daily ❤️???????? Highly recommend!

Thank you for taking care of my cat, great place and highly recommended

I can’t express how grateful I am to have found the cat pad! My sweet cat Biscuits is currently on vacation there for the second time. Not to mention I called so last minute and I think she got the last cat room available, they were sooooo nice and accommodating. Biscuits looks happy and at ease in the photos they post on Facebook every day (so awesome they take the time to do this). The pricing is totally fair for how amazing they are. I will never bring my Biscuits anywhere else. Thank you cat pad :) :)

This is a great place to bring your dog. They take good care of my puppy and he loves going there. He eats excited as we pull up and runs up to the door every time.

We are fussy, protective dog lovers/guardians and have been patrons of the Dog Spot for 14 years. Shannon, Ben and the staff do an amazing job making sure that the dogs are engaged, active, and having a good time. This is an awesome place for our puppy, Izzy, and for us (a guilt-freebreak is always nice...)!

You won’t find a better doggy daycare/pet boarding operation in Colorado. They care about the animals they care for, and the animals know it. Our dog loves it when we bring him there. He goes bananas ????.

We LOVE the dog spot & cat pad. My pup is always so excited to come in to daycare and is tired (mostly, he’s still always ready to play) when he comes home. Ben and Shannon clearly care about all of the animals that come in so much. We really appreciate that they work with the pups and make them practice their sits/stays before racing out to us at the end of the day. Can’t recommend them enough!

These guys go out of their way to make it a positive experience for everyone. Owners get daily photos of their pets via social media so that we can see how our fur babies are doing. And the pets (in our case, a very shy cat) get love and attention and whatever level of socialization they're comfortable with. The cat rooms are comfy and well-stocked with cozy, hiding, and climbing spaces. And the staff are fantastic - friendly, patient, and you can tell they genuinely love cats. They went well above and beyond in managing an unexpected health issue the first time our cat stayed with them - they were in constant communication with us, the adjacent vet, our vet, and they were even willing to drive to our vet to get what was needed! Communication is great, and overall this place is AMAZING. It's not the most convenient location for us (we're 12 miles away), but we won't take our cat anywhere else. LOVE the Cat Pad!!!

I am absolutely 100% happy with this place. We decided to leave our kitten Bentley for eights days while we went on vacation to be taken care of. They have everything to make him feel loved and cared for. They always post daily pictures and give updates to the worried moms who call on a daily basis lol... that was me. I will use this place always for our dog and cat for all future trips. The owners are great people and you can truly see they love animals. At first, it’s a scary thought to leave your loved family members with strangers, but now I trust them completely. The cat pad is the best I have ever seen, it looks just like the Ritz hotel for cats! The rooms are fun, spacious and homey. Love, love, love this place! Check out my pics of Bentley to see how comfortable he is????????

Callie always home happy and exhausted! Ben and Shannon are running an amazing shop!

This was a great place for us to find. We’ve tried a few different boarding options in Boulder and Broomfield but The Cat Pad has become our favorite. We’ve only boarded our cat here once but we were impressed with the facility and the staff. The cat rooms are spacious and feel comfortable. Ours included a window view with a perch for viewing the birds outdoors and a cozy bed for our cat to lounge on. There were regular Facebook updates that assured us our cat was being well cared for and that really offers you that extra piece of mind while traveling away from home. Our cat suffers from being placed in to new and unfamiliar environments but the team at The Cat Pad had him feeling at home in no time. Thanks very much. We will be back.

My dog LOVES it here! The owners and employees really care about the dogs having a good day.

We love this place so much! Our pup flies out of the car when he sees where we’re going and that if nothing else says loads about how great this place is! He’s always been loved and cared for like he’s family. They always go above and beyond to accommodate us and we couldn’t be more pleased with the service and care us and our dog gets from Ben and Shannon and the staff here!!!

Honey LOVES attending doggie day care at The Dog Spot and the Cat Pad. She is completely exhausted when she comes home and crashes on the couch afterwards. The owners, Ben and Shannon are two of the most amazing people I have met and truly love our fur babies!

Awesome people that run this place. It's clean and bright, and my dog loves going there!

Best doggie day care and boarding place anywhere!