The Dog House Portland, Washington

Just passing by and took this picture

Updated on 11/4/2021: I had previously rated this business higher, but unfortunately have to update my review. My dog has been doing to daycare at The Dog House for over two years now. Awhile after I started him there, the ownership of the facility changed and shortly after that, the majority of the staff turned over. Over time I noticed more and more red flags including a lack of handlers in the playroom, instances of them releasing new dogs onto the floor with no one present with the dogs showing signs of stress and being ganged up on, and the handlers often being young, new, and untrained in dog behavior. The most startling thing was one time when I came to pick my dog up and there was another dog being picked up that was actively dripping blood onto the floor from a poorly wrapped wound it sustained. The employee releasing the dog was speaking so casually about it. Over the past few months, I have noticed them handling my dog forcefully and putting him in situations that cause him stress, even after I have seen it and asked them not to handle him that way as it makes him anxious. They did not notify me of any significant issues. This week, they emailed me to let me know that they have noticed him becoming more "agitated" over the past few weeks or months (no other notice of this before! They kept telling me they love him and he's a good dog!) and there was an incident with another dog and and they "love Jerry but unfortulety we can no longer accomodate him into our pack without changes to his behavior." This behavior is something he has never exhibited outside of this specific daycare, and that they did not tell me about until it apparently became an issue. The owner who was quick to email me about the situation was suspiciously not there a short time later when I went to pick him up. I asked the three people working if anyone had seen what happened and all three said they weren't there to see it. Who was on the floor, then? I asked for more information about what happened and was denied it. I asked why I was not told earlier if they noticed behavior issues and was given excuses. I boarded him there less than a month ago for 6 days and upon picking him up, they told me he was great the whole time they had him. I emailed the owner after the fact to voice my displeasure with how this was handled and he has not responded. I will not be taking him back to The Dog House. I recommend anyone interested in trying this dog daycare out checks the yelp reviews and see how many photos there are of dogs who have come out with injuries needing stitches since the earlier part of this year. This place is becoming dangerous and creating situations that promote fights and behavior problems. The handlers are untrained, won't handle larger/stronger dogs, they don't staff well, and they are unwilling to properly communicate with owners about behaviors or injuries, preventing owners from intervening at any point until it is too late.

NEW MANAGMENT TOOK OVER. I previously gave the dog house five stars, but this business has gone down hill. Fast. Go look at the yelp reviews and photos of injured dogs. I've boarded my dog here for about 2 years. Never again. There is constant staff turnover. For the past several visits, when I've dropped off my dog there, there has been NO staff member supervising the dogs. That is an accident waiting to happen and the yelp photos prove it. My dog has come back with weird scrapes and cuts herself. If you love your dog, go literally anywhere else. Don't trust this Google rating. This place used to be great but not any more. Go look at yelp

I love this place so much!! I wish I lived closer so I could bring my dogs here more often. The place is so cute and clean and everyone I talked to was so nice. Hunter and Maddie loved it there! Will definitely be bringing them by again next time we are in Portland.

Excellent staff. Good prices on treats and dog wash is great.

Our eight month old Choco Lab, Hank, had been going to The Dog House for about four months before we had to stop leaving him there. In a four week timeframe, he came home injured on three occasions. The staff, a revolving door of teens, isn't trained to de-escalate when the dogs become too rowdy. We completely understand that it's normal for dogs of this age and size to play rough, but to this frequency and severity of injury is neglectful. We emailed them to inform them that 1) their staff couldn't tell us what happened, but instead responded to our questions by saying, "I don't know, I wasn't here" and offering no attempt at finding out. 2) We were going to have to take Hank elsewhere. Also, making it clear we weren't looking to be appeased with discounts or handouts. We received no response. It's very troubling that they have no interest in the a dog owner's concern for their "fur baby" or keeping business. We weren't going to leave a review until we read The Dog House's owner's responses to some of the other reviews - absolutely appalling! The responses he gave to some of these reviews says it all. We're wishing we had looked a little closer before leaving Hank in their care. Hope this helps. To make a long review even longer: I've attached pictures of the first and last time that Hank left The Doghouse injured. Unfortunately, We didn't take pictures of the second incident when he had long scratches up and down his belly and in the groin area. Considering the owner's gaslighting in previous responses, I've also included the e-mail that was sent to The Dog House.

We utilized this wonderful facility for an overnight stopover of some pups on our road trip. The booking process and the staff on arrival were amazing !!! The dogs were happy and recharged when we collected them fist thing. I highly recommend this facility to anyone looking for some pet loving professionals :-) AMAZING !!!!!

My dog and I love The Dog House!! Daycare is the best way for my dog to burn off some crazy puppy energy. Since he's been going, I can tell that he has learned how to socialize with other dogs and I give lots of credit to the caring staff at The Dog House. He gets so excited to see his favorite staff members when we get there and always comes home happy and tired. I love that I can have him bathed there before I pick him up, too!

I always love bringing my dog, Konrad here, and he loves it too! When we are getting ready to bring him in, we say: "Do you want to go to school???" And he of course gets super excited and jumps in the car. When we get there he knows right where the door is, and even has a favorite dog house employee (I'm sorry I forgot her name, but her hair is electric ⚡????). Konrad is always so happy to see her and is nice and exhausted and happy when he gets home. Would and have recommended this place to friends.

We started out loving this place. Our dog George was able to spend some time there which helps since he has some separation anxiety. However, not sure what has changed, but the last few times we've brought George there, he's come home and had HORRIBLE diarrhea for days. At first we thought it was a coincidence, so we brought him back, but NOPE. I don't know if they just aren't cleaning it well enough, or what. But I am so disappointed now, to the point where I'm hesitant to bring him back. The staff are super nice, but they need to change something.

They have breed restrictions here. Unlike most enlightened places that base it on the temperament test. Looked promising. I don't have a "bully breed" myself, but am not willing to support breed discrimination.

My dog has been coming to this place since he was just a little guy. He's grown up with the staff here and I'm just so thankful for The Dog House! I wish they were open earlier for daycare on the weekends because I'd never take him anywhere else. I've used other daycares in and around the area and my dog doesn't like them even half as much. I HIGHLY recommend this place and the staff are all great.

I would tell anyone to never trust or recommend they bring any animal to this establishment! They leave the animals unattended and use chemicals that arent supposed to be used at all for domestic animals!

I took my dog here a long time ago and I wasn't impressed. Frankly, it stank. I came recently and it is like a whole new place!! The staff is well trained and they love love love my dog. I cant believe I didn't come back sooner. Lots more toys, new floors, and they even do walks now! I wont leave again!!

Best dog sitting in All Portland! Mine comes home exhausted and happy.

This day care robbed me of $475. I purchased a 20 day daycare package for my dog on April 3rd. Work transferred me to Salem on the 5th. I did not use any days of the package. I called and left a message on April 10th attempting to get a refund, I received no response. I followed up again on April 29th, again no response. I arrived in person on May 13th and 14th trying to reach management. Once I was able to make contact, I explained the situation to the manager, who called the owner, and they told me that they would not refund my money, even though I did not (and would not) be using the service. They offered no explanation other than just outright telling me no. I said I would have no choice but to leave this review and the manager just shrugged her shoulders. EDIT: I jumped through hoops and provided all the identifying information to obtain a refund. The business never provided one, even though I was told multiple times I would (also note it in the response to my review). I got my bank involved, filed a dispute, and provided all of the written correspondence with the owner. This matter has now been resolved. Ridiculous.

My dogs love it here! So clean and doesnt smell like a kennel. The staff were very helpful in taking care of my hyper dogs. I dont know what I would do without them. My dogs have lots of energy and need a place they can run and play (not just sit in an empty room).

I don’t understand how people can give this place positive reviews. I’m a pet care provider and walk by this place daily. Dogs are constantly stress barking, the flooring in cement, they are completely under staffed for the amount of dogs they have, it smells, and I know two people that have worked there and have told me so many horror stories. Please avoid this place.

My girl loves this place! They are super sweet and loving. She never wants to leave her friends. She's always got a lot of energy and is super clumsy. The Vet next door is really convenient too. I don't even need to be there for the appointment. They bend over backwards to make happy. Love love love it here!!

The friendliest people, they really care about your furry family members and do a fantastic job!

Our Siberian Husky Steel loves it here - he gets plenty of time to play with other dogs and comes back exhausted from his stay. The main reason we chose The Dog House in the first place was because they allow unfixed dogs - we adopted Steel when he was already 6 and simply haven't gotten around to neutering him yet. I'd give it 5 stars if they hadn't recently changed management and changed their free dog wash policy from only needing to stay 3 nights to now requiring 6 nights. The dog walking prices are also pretty high but I don't have much to compare them to - $18 for a half hour, $29 for a full hour... Steel needs his alone time and lots of exercise so a walk is practically required if he's staying for more than a night or two. Finally, Steel always comes back pretty stinky if he doesn't get the free wash, so we have to wash him ourselves. This is to be expected but he's very clean and never smells on his own - we literally only wash him after kenneling him..

Our pups loved staying at the Dog House! They were able to take our dogs for boarding last minute and they came home happy and tired! We will definitely be back.

Sine my Yorkie loves coming here & playing while I take care of appointments in Portland. I don't dare mention where she is going until we are a block away because she gets soo excited she loses it barking & trying to jump over into the front seat with me (she can't she is connected to seat belt, but still). They are so friendly & know your pooch personally every time she walks through the door.

Love this place and so does my pup! Staff is great and they give wonderful attention to the dogs. Also after I've left my pup there for a few days I can tell she's had a lot of fun and probably played the whole time because she's exhausted and sleeps for a solid day after coming home. I'll always bring my pup here!

They take wonderful care of our dog. We have been going with them for over 3.5 years. We take our dog there 2-4 days/week. They have great hours of operation and they also are air conditioned, which is very important on those very hot days. When you pick up your pup, they rub them down with wonderful herbal scents, so they don't have that " doggy daycare smell". They play all day with the dogs. Can't say enough great things. They are also priced well. The staff and owner are so nice and caring. Our dog LOVES going there. They also have grooming services on the premise, and there is a veterinarian clinic right next door-perfect. They also have boarding availability. Highly, highly recommended. Go check them out. We rate them 5+ stars because we have been to other doggy daycare businesses which don't come close.

Wonderful, kind, and welcoming owners and staff. They provide excellent care for dogs, and excellent customer service for dog owners.

Our dogs seemed happy, they were very thirsty when we got home. They were worn out though.

I had my dog washed there along with having her nails trimmed. I was able to sit nearby to calm my dogs fears a bit with a new person handling her. They did a terrific job. The Dog House also offers daycare and overnight lodging. They are located next door to Wildwood Veterinarian.

Affordable, convenient doggy day care. Our pup comes home exhausted and calm. Only downside is the smell that permeates and come home with the dog. Not sure if this is a shared "wet dog" super smell, or a cleaning product used in the facility.

We decided to start taking our dog here since it was close to my husband's work. We've taken our dog to 3 different daycares in the area as jobs and schedules have changed and this one is by far the worst. I'm usually not a bad review writer but I had to share our disappointment with the Dog House since we felt a bit duped by their 5 star review. Every time our dog came home she smelled horrible and was covered in pee. To the point where her white fur was yellow all around her paws. To me that's a sign that the dogs are running around unattended. My husband has only seen a worker in the play pen once. At the other daycares there are always workers, usually two, in the play area cleaning up and keeping the dogs quiet. We spoke to the manager at the Dog House about it (I always like to give places a chance to offer a solution) and their solution was to wipe down her paws when we picked her up (while making it very clear she was put out by it). The 5th or 6th time we picked her up there was not only pee but poop in her paws and fur. It was really gross. We told the management again. We decided we would get the last few days of our 10 day pass knowing she would come home really gross and we would bathe her. Needless to say we won't be returning and will be going back to her daycare that did a better job keeping the play are clean. Otherwise the play area is nice with fun toys and structures for the dogs which is why I'm giving it two stars. I just wish this place did a better job with the sanitary upkeep because it's cute and convenient.