Downtown Dog Lounge - Ballard Seattle, Washington

Significantly under staffed. No one answers phones and there is poor staff to dog ratios. Have spent multiple hours over multiple days trying to connect via phone. Poor sanitary practices in place and dogs come home with stomach viruses. Update: this review is warranted and accurate. I am a customer whose dog has been negatively impacted by their poor sanitary conditions, they would likely have other reports of ill dogs if they answered the phones! The response from the owner matches how the company responds to all negative reviews, stating it is the customers fault or that the customer reviewed the wrong location. Don't discount these reviews! Try calling yourself, good luck getting through! The Covid blame game is also laughable, as the reason companies cannot find employees in 2021 is due to lack of livable wages and treatment of employees. If you are struggling to find employees, increase the pay and employee incentives. Don't blame the customers who paid for annual memberships but cannot get responses to emails or have the phone answered. This review stays. If I could reduce the stars lower based off of the owner's harassing reply, I would. Update 2: owner has since deleted response to this review.

We sent our dog to a New Pet Evaluation on October 20th, 2021 to set him up for boarding and/or day care services. We are members at the Dog Yard and have heard wonderful things about DDL. Unfortunately, our experience was less than stellar. Knowing we needed Bordetella vaccines every 6 months to send our dog to DDL, we had the vet give him one before hand on September 16th, 2021 and uploaded his records to his profile the same day. On the day of the evaluation, our dog got sent home with a Bordetella vaccine, and my partner who picked him up didn't notice the paperwork. I got an email with the invoice and that's when I noticed that night that our dog got a Bordetella vaccine. I immediately emailed them letting them know their mistake since we uploaded proof of his vaccinations, asking if our dog is safe getting 2 Bordetella vaccines a month apart, and asking for a refund. I did not hear back from them the next day, even though they are usually very quick to respond! I also tried calling them twice, and no one ever picked up. Luckily, we were able to get in contact with our vet faster than hearing from them, and the vet reassured us our puppy would be ok. It would be nice to hear back from DDL themselves who gave our dog a vaccine without our consent. My partner says during the check-in process at no point did they ask him if they could give our dog a Bordetella vaccine, otherwise he would have told them that our dog already has it. Eventually, I called the store number on their answering machine and finally someone picked up there. This is what is leading me to write this review now. Their customer service was very disappointing. After going through the entire story to the supervisor about what I already wrote over email, all he could offer was a half-thought up apology, told us our dog will be ok (which we already knew), and finally offered us the refund for an unnecessary vaccine we never approved of and did not need. When I asked why no one got back to me for days until I had to call the store number, he said that they were "very busy this weekend." When I asked why no one saw the vaccination record uploaded into our dog's account since I uploaded it a full month before his visit, he said we have to alert them when we do that because no one actually looks at them in the portal. What is the point of letting owners uploaded vaccination records to the portal then if no one will look at them? I wish I asked him why they are giving dogs vaccinations without owner's permission or consent and freely charging the credit card on file. You would think they would ask at check-in if they think my dog does not have a certain vaccine, or at the very least a phone call would be warranted. Of course, nothing was offered for our troubles or worries the past few days, and it was clear they had no remorse for making us worry about our dog. If you love your dog, think twice before sending them here! They are careless and unsympathetic.

We love DDL (and the Dog Yard!). Making a reservation or service request is a breeze using their website. Stormie, who I believe manages reservations, has been quick to respond to emails and is always friendly and helpful. I get great vibes from the Lounge itself-- folks are friendly and welcoming, and the space is clean and spacious. Doug was our pup's evaluator and has the kind of energy I love to see with dogs. He texted me during the day to let me know my pup was doing well and gave some helpful training tips during pick-up. As our dog Penny is only a puppy, she (and we) have benefitted from the several puppy perks, including free nail trims and discounted baths. Your dog will be in good hands at DDL Ballard!

My dog loves this place but the statement below regarding the phone is true. They NEVER pick up the phone. I have tried calling multiple days, different times of the day and never an answer. I stopped by another day, after calling, to ask a question and there were two people there by the phones. My emails are also never responded. Other than that, my dog never got sick from going here and he sometimes comes back smelling very good (think they spray cologne?) lol

Wonderful business with kind, friendly and professional staff!

I've been taking my dog to DDL for boarding, daycare, and grooming for the past several years. I've been incredibly happy with their services, communication, and kindness the whole time. It's always a bit stressful leaving my pup somewhere but I feel confident leaving him with DDL.

Great place for grooming and boarding

I got back one smiling, happy pooch. This was our first at the Ballard location. It was an awesome experience. I ended up needing to pick up my pooch a day early and they made the whole thing super easy. Staff is friendly and COVID protocols are all followed.

Pretty decent place. We have been bringing our dogs for boarding and haircuts here for ages. -1 star for a medication mix up one time, otherwise any problems are very rare. However, they were proactive in solving the problem and reached out to the vet about it. It did not cause any illness to my pets fortunately. Otherwise it would be 5 stars for sure. Staff is reliable and gives good communication and updates when you are away. IMHO it’s the best place to board your dogs around town. Would recommend to friends and family.

My dog Prince loves DDL! I’ve taken him previously to a different dog daycare and it just wasn’t near as great as DDL. My pup always comes home exhausted which is exactly what I want. Whenever I drop him off I feel good because he gets so excited and the staff always seems excited to see him as well which truly makes me so happy. My dog has even boarded with them twice and that has also been great. Couldn’t ask for more! Thank you!!

Full service dog care from boarding to grooming people there are very friendly and willing to help with your furry family member !!! AAA+++AAA ???? ????

They couldn't do a tour and they don't hire teenagers

My dog loves this place

The DDL is outstanding! I am so happy with how well Honey, my puppy, is treated by everyone. I appreciate that her mental wellbeing is the priority. At the DDL she gets to learn that there are wonderful people in this world who want to participate in loving and taking care of her. Where before starting daycare she was too frightened to get out of the car to go into a store or a park, she is now excited to go places and greet new people. She also really loves playing with the other dogs – she is always having a blast at the DDL when I use the webcams to look in on her! I am beyond happy and excited with her grooming. Melissa made Honey's first grooming experience wonderful by taking it at Honey's speed and letting her play when she needed a break. She went above and beyond with cares and caring by trying to hand feed my baby girl when Honey was not eating, removing a massive amount of ear hair, and even giving her the sweetest "honey bee" bandana that I will always treasure. It also meant a lot to me that Melissa said she would check in on Honey when she is at daycare to continue to establish their relationship. I really cannot say enough good things about the DDL. My girl has a wonderful experience each time she is there. She has grown in her confidence and socialization.

My 8 month old lab mix puppy is a bundle of energy! He's adorable but he needs to play while I work. I have taken him to two different DDL, Ballard and SLU and he is always so happy to go, and so happy when we pick him up. He went three days in a row one week and I he was more excited everytime we drove up! The web cams to see our little guy during the day are amazing. We could see him playing his heart out with a new friend. I always saw him going for fresh water in the shade. One of those days was 80 degrees and he's a double coated chocolate lab! He had plenty of shade opportunities and fresh water. I was worried about him overheating, but they took great care of him. They love dogs and it shows!

Our pup really loves this place! Wonderfully attentive staff that shows care and compassion for the well-being of all animals in their care.

We have a very sensitive and anxious rescue dog who requires a gentle touch when getting groomed. The staff here was great, and worked with us to get her in for a badly needed nail trim (our regular place is closed). They did it quickly, and said our dog did well (and she seems happy!). They obviously have the right touch.Thank you!

Instantly know that the staff care about dogs having fun, and for their health. Our pup will definitely be spending some of her "vacation" days here in the future.

Family owned and operated, the care for dogs is exceptional

Our poor pup needed his nails trimmed so bad because of COVID and he refuses to let us do them and a friend recommended we try here because she had a great experience and I couldn't agree more! They got him in right away and with COVID the groomer met us outside and took him in as we were pulling up and we only waited about 10-15 minutes and she was done! And she had nothing but wonderful things to say about our pup! We were so pleased I booked my next appointment that same day! I love supporting local when I can and this place was a remind of why :)

What a fun place for our young pup! It is clean, dogs are well-cared for, and there is plenty of room for them to run around. Drop off and pick up is a cinch, there are webcams available online for free so you can check in on your pup during the day, prices are reasonable, and when there was a miscommunication about the expiration date on our package, they generously gifted us extra free visits to make up for it. They really love dogs and their humans!

Bella my Pomeranian loves this place! Everyone seems very nice and I love that I can see her in the webcams

My pup's best friends are here! She barely looks back as we drop her off because she is just so excited. Its a really great place and the Webcam are awesome to check in and see what the dogs are up to. Its not the cheapest but I have no concerns about my pup being bored or ignored. That's worth a lot to me

Melissa is fantastic. Fergus never looked so good!

DDL did a great job getting our pup all groomed. Setting up the appointment was quick and convenient over the phone, thanks to Kiana. And big kudos to Melissa, who did a fantastic job for his first visit. She also went above and beyond by providing some extra touches with a nice tie accessory and fridge magnet with his paw print. I look forward to bringing him here and the A1 service they provide.

Downtown Dog Lounge Ballard is a phenomenal place for my pooch. It's easy to access (located right off Leary with easy parking right out front), convenient (with overnight boarding add-ons and the unlimited daycare package, we can drop-off/pick-up our pup anytime with ease) and the staff is incredibly friendly and thoughtful. Highly, highly recommend to anyone with a pup who wants a safe fun, pawsitive place to leave them for the day/weekend/week.

Barb is the greatest dog groomer in Seattle and the Dog Lounge in Ballard is the best place for your dog in the country. Hands down, the best ever!! Keep up the great work, Buddy and I love you guys!!!!!!!

Your customer service blows! I brought my dog here for a bath and will never come back. I dropped him off for his appointment and they told me it would be maybe a little more than 2 hours until he was done. After 3 hours I called expecting him to be almost done but they hadn’t started. Evidently making an appointment doesn’t matter they get to them when ever. I picked him up immediately with out them doing a thing other than wasting my time and locking my dog in a room by himself. When I asked why, the guy responded “I did tell you it would be more than 2 hours.” Screw this company and their smug employees!

I have an anxious dog who is a big love bug but can get overwrought at times. DDL seems to handle him beautifully and he likes going to daycare there. I like the open field and the webcams are great!

Man do I love the DDL. I can drop my hounds off for a day and not have to worry about them. Great daycare and great boarding!