Calvin's Place Tacoma, Washington

First off, when I walked in the place smelled like a litter box. There were dogs barking, which is expected. The employee went back there and yelled at the dogs to be quiet. My husky went there for a day. When I picked him up he had a bump on his nose, the employee said that he was in a cage and bonked his nose. The bump was big and red, he was whining a lot and wouldn’t play. When I got him home he drank 4 bowls of water. He ate his food really fast like he’s never had food before even though I brought food the morning of dropping him off. My dog was injured, dehydrated, hungry and sad. Don’t go here. It’s cheap for a reason.

My dog loves it here we pull up and he can't wait to get inside

Unprofessional. A dog that I love very much was hurt at this establishment and the owner was not contacted or informed of the situation. The wound was not cleaned or attended to which could of led to an infection. If you love your dog please do not leave them here. Very dangerous.

I’m not one to leave a bad review, but when it comes to my fur baby getting hurt then we have a problem. My dog stayed 3 days and when I went to pick him up, nothing was reported to me that he was in a fight/bitten. Plus no concern was shown, and no medical attention was given at all.

My boyfriend frequented Calvin a bunch before my dog and I came into the picture! Since I've been coming here starting in May, Calvin and his employees have been taking care of our dogs when we are gone or when I have to stay in Seattle for work. I'm not sure why some reviewers leave such mean reviews but this place is great, inexpensive, and reliable. I always call before dropping them off and they'll always take the puppies in. My dog had a hard time socializing but since coming here she does much better with other dogs and people. She doesn't bark as much either. The place does have a potent smell but I don't go to other pet boarding places so I don't know how to compare. They'll bathe your dogs if you request it and I highly recommend because I'm not sure what they do back there! The first time I came in I was weary of the fact that we can't see inside, but I've since let it go. I hope more people leave good reviews because I don't think they deserve lower than 4 stars! We're moving to Graham now and need to find a new place but we wish these guys a great future!

I am not one to write bad reviews but this place has done it for me. I just moved to the area and I placed my dogs in their care for two days and when they came back, one of them kept crying and whining and the other was very quiet and timid. They both smelled very very strongly of urine and took them straight to get a bath when we noticed that our bigger dog was limping and we realized that they clipped his nails without our knowledge or consent. They cut them very badly and he had to go to the emergency room while also all his paws were red and swollen, he walked as if he was stepping on hot grounds. A couple days later he refused to eat and became very ill. He started vomited and having diarrhea so we took him to the E.R. AGAIN because he was severely dehydrated. We just picked him up a couple days ago and his attitude and not been the same since. It’s very sad to see him this way. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. Trust me, if you think you’re going to be saving your money, you won’t. It’ll just end up going towards their care afterwards.

Not very welcoming. After calling multiple times weeks in advance to ensure availability for my dog. I showed up and the front desk worker questioned why we were there and who I talked to. The next person I spoke with was pleasant. My dog seemed to enjoy her time there. The prices are reasonable and the people knowledgeable. Well most of the people minus the rude old guy at the front desk.. I hope he is not Calvin!!!

Went to pick up my dog after his first stay and he smelled very strongly of urine and needed a bath as soon as I got home. While drying him off I noticed that they had cut his nails and several had been cut very short causing him pain and discomfort.

I went to see the place and it smelled so bad. The other problem is they wouldn't let me see inside where the dogs were kept. The worker said that they may have 100 dogs sometimes, which totally turned me off.

I'm not normally someone who goes out of his way to leave reviews, especially bad ones, but today's experience with this place makes me feel like I need to. While the hours and the price are some of the best in the area, we are ultimately not happy with how we got our dogs back. The lobby smelled very strongly of urine when we first arrived, but as even one of our dogs did an excited piddle when we got there, I assumed that accidents happen and it was probably just that. However, we had to immediately bathe them after picking them up, as even on the short drive back to where we are staying the entire car reeked like urine. They themselves, and their harnesses, were actually wet with it, and it got onto everything. After looking into reviews before I wrote this, it seems like the urine smell thing is a common complaint. Just for info purposes I've included a pic of their bath water. They were bathed just a few days ago and haven't gotten into anything muddy or dirty in between.

Absolutely amazing staff!! My pup loves it!! I know she is in great hands when she is at Calvin's

Pros- Early open, affordable pay. 9pm pickup. My pup loves it there. Cons- smell is horrible I have to hold my breath going in. ( But other doggy daycares I've been to have the same smell)

They take excellent care of my dog Jake

I typically don’t write reviews, but my pup is the light of my life and I know that most people feel the same way about our fur babies. My dog had been going there for about a year. The first 3-4 months were amazing. She loved it, but soon after that every time she got in my car she wreaked. Absolutely smelled awful, like she had rolled around in pee all day. She wasn’t tired anymore in fact she came home and had more energy than before. About 2 months ago I recommended a friend due their hours being amazing. Both her dog and my dogs came home with sores from calvins. As far as shots go, Lucy is and always has been up to date. While waiting for her to get her kennel cough shot we didn’t go, but we were never asked to provide her updated records which is a red flag for me. Unfortunately I though I had found a place that was amazing but the great hours and cheap price is not worth it.

In the beginning when we took our dog he seemed to enjoy it.. He seemed to be excited when we got close to the building. something had changed his attitude. We started noticing he seemed to lose weight each time, but I figured he just played a lot.. As soon as we got home he'd scarf up food... and then lay down for the rest of the day. The last time I brought him he didn't want to stay. he actually sat at the door to go home instead of the kennel side. This tells me he doesn't enjoy it. We had him stay because we had to catch a flight... 6 days later, and he will not be going back. He smelt like he'd been peed on a lot.. I can feel his spine and ribs... He has a sore on his leg. If you ask to tour the place, they say no. Ok.. so put up cameras in the lobby so we can see the place in live time. This place is priced very cheap.. but I don't care about price if My dog is being cared for like Cruela De'Vile.....3 days later he's not eating and throwing up...

Greatest,, my dog loves Calvin, my dog always comes home ????.

This is a group doggy care center. I have sent my dog here twice. He did not sleep well due to other dogs in close proximity and some other dogs are hyper and non stop with the barking. I will send my dog here again if he feels that he is a privileged gold dog.

Great place up there my dog really liked it

I live a few blocks away so I thought I would check it out. The place stunk. Not a good sign. I asked if I could tour the facility and was told no! How on earth do you choose a facility to leave your animal, if they don’t allow you past the front desk. I would NEVER leave my dog here.

The guys at Calvins take really good care of our dog! Go see a Riley! We highly recommend Calvins Place!

I will be taking my dog back. My dog LOVES to go. And the staff is friendly. They are my go to.

Always a great experience. I have a very large dog who doesn't always like everyone, but they have always taken great care of her. She always go here whenever we go out of town. She always comes home clean and happy!

At first I thought this place would be great. Everyone seemed really nice and they even offered to take my dog for a rabies shot when I didn’t realize it was a couple months past expiration. They said they didn’t want my vacation plans derailed. HOWEVER, when I called in to check on her they were rude and evasive with a two word answer. “She’s fine,” was said incredibly rude like I was putting them out for asking about her. I asked if there had been any trouble and they said “no, can we help u with anything else,” in the same voice. That was it. Then when I come back to get her a few days later she has a deep cut above her right eye. They said it happened FIRST day (meaning when I called they lied about no trouble), “nothing to worry about” and wouldn’t explain how. Something seemed incredibly suspicious about how they treat her while I was away. Plus when my Grandma went in (while I was still on vacation so we didn’t know all the details of my dog’s stay yet) to see about leaving her dog there they rudely and flat out refused to let her see where her dog would be staying. They said nobody was allowed in the back area. This place is NOT worth the cheaper price. There is a reason it’s much less expensive than most pet boarding. Beware of leaving your pet here.

I took my dog here once because I was visiting a friend and was going to see a movie while I was there. I dropped my dog ask for just a few hours. When I got him back he was limping and he has had more issues building off of that ever since for the past year. I would never take him back.

The dudes that run Calvin's Place are all fantastic. We know they treat our dog like he's one of theirs...they know and understand his quirks and personality. They keep super convenient hours and are some of the nicest people we've ever met. Can't say enough positive things about Calvin's :)

Great place. Dogs loved it. Affordable. No drama.

Best doggie day care. They have helped me at the drop of a hat more than once and always been professional. They certainly know how important hu-mans best friend is

Great place to take your dogs. The owner is great and really helps you out and gives great deals! I highly advise this daycare. My husband and I moved from Tacoma to Lacey and still try to take our dogs here as much as possible! The hours they provide are also amazing for us people that work really early in the morning. Yami and Bear also always come home tired and ready for sleep when they are picked up

Friendly people, and very helpful when you're in need of their services!

My boxer seemed reluctant to go, which was odd, becsuse she's lived doggie daycare beside we moved. Then she was there for 6 hours on a Sunday and when I picked her up, her neck was swollen. The guy at the front said they noticed it too... but no one called me, no support, nothing. The owner came out and said she was playing with another dog and it wasn't too rough. Obviously, it was! I watch I could add pictures to show how my baby looked. I paid ahead and they still owe me at least one day, bit I'll never take my baby there again.