Dogtopia of Madison West Middleton, Wisconsin

I want start off and say our experience started off great. Our Dalmatian had a lot of fun, the staff seemed to really like her, and all our report cards came back very positive. However our Dalmatian has been asked not to come back for some odd reasons. The assistant manager at Dogtopia claimed that other dogs were struggling to understand her because of her markings, her body language differed from “typical” dog body language, and she can’t self regulate her energy as well as other dogs. What is puzzling for us, is that they claim there were no incidents of aggression, nor hurt any other dogs. They asked us to bring our Dalmatian back when she’s more socialized. But seeing as she is a 4 month old Dalmatian puppy, it’s expected that she may have trouble regulating her emotion, or not fully understand other dogs social cues. I’m not quite sure where she is to socialize with other dogs and learn these behaviors outside of daycare. I have no issue with whatever policies dogtopia may have, but they knew she was a puppy and a Dalmatian when they agreed to have her. So her markings aren’t something new, her high energy should have been expected, and we had nothing but great report cards until she was “expelled.” If she had bit another dog or there was an incident, I would totally understand, but it feels as though she’s being kicked out for things they should’ve known wouldn’t work for them from the beginning, or they’re making some kind of knee jerk reaction for not being familiar with a high energy breed.

When I called to ask why my real name had been used in their response to my 1 star rating, instead of apologizing, asked me to take my rating down. BEWARE of giving these people ANY of your information!

Pros: - Webcams - Thorough screening process - I never saw a rowdy group/scuffle in all the times I was watching the webcams - Rooms always staffed & are quick to clean up messes - Multiple playgroups - Lobby smells nice - Updates on your dogs day/how they’re enjoying daycare Cons: - Huge play group for such a small space (it looks bigger on the webcam) - We took a dog obedience class through a group that rents the space. The playroom smelled so strongly of urine/ammonia each class it hurt. - Wish they utilized the outside spaces more. I left the webcam on every morning he went and saw them outside maybe 2 days, just in the early morning. - The poor staff spent more time mopping pee and picking up poo than interacting with dogs. A necessary evil with that many pups, but I felt bad watching them do it nonstop. While Dogtopia is a great place for many dogs, we switched to Barks on Bourbon once our pup was old enough to attend. He LOVES other dogs but is happier in a smaller playgroup. Our new daycare has an open door so dogs can choose inside or outside play, smells fantastic even in the playroom, and is only $12 for a half day.

Dogtopia was thorough about their screening process and very professional about the supervision of the daycare dogs. My puppy loves attending!

My dad went to high school with Dr. sondel so we've been going there since they opened! So personable and kind. Knows his stuff and is very easy to work with. He loves my dog and treats him like his own every time we come in. Also very good at reminding me when he's due for vaccinations and check ups! Very reasonable pricing as well! Love sondel!

Former employee. The staff is just amazing. Loving, caring. Some of the nicest people ever. Great value. Only place I miss working at.

Everyone is so friendly and knowledgeable. My Princess loves going to daycare at Dogtopia.

Excellent facility and staff. Best in Madison area.

I love all the girls who are so excited to see Murphy and me! They hustle and do it with a smile! If I have ever had an issue, they address it right away and make it right. Very impressive.

Ok, covid hit. I had paid $500 for doggie daycare. I was no longer driving into work and needing a mid-week break for my dog. They called my hubby a couple of weeks ago and said they can't keep that on the books anymore. You took several hundred dollars from me. You have lost my business.

Our dog Willie loves Dogtopia! He is always excited to go to daycare and he adores the staff, and also being able to play with his friends! The canine coaches interact so much with the dogs and we know Willie is in good hands when he is there. We enjoy being able to view him on the webcams if we want, but mainly love that we 100% trust leaving our pooch in the Dogtopia's care.

Great place for boarding. Love the "puppycams" as our family calls them.

Our dog can’t contain his excitement when we drop him off for a day at Dogtopia. He sleeps well after spending a day there. The staff seem to enjoy interacting with him and are alway kind and polite.

My new rescue pup (2 yr old female) was turned over to me by foster family who told me she had dog aggression problems. After living with me for 2 months I felt she was missing dog social skills but had promise. I made an appointment with Dogtopia for a meet and greet. I spent over an hour there with Sam, enrollment coordinator. She listened to my recap of all my dog's behaviors and how I felt she was improving. Ultimately my girl did not pass muster but she did successfully meet 5 new dogs and showed some ability to properly socialize. That is GREAT news to me. I'll bring her back in 3 months to be re-evaluated and if she passes muster, I'll gladly sign her up for some doggie playtime and possibly overnight boarding. I cannot say enough about the professional and courteous service I received from the moment I called on the phone to set up my meet and greet. All the parts and pieces worked promptly and reliably so I felt very comfortable going to the appointment less than 24 hrs after my initial intake call. that is magical in and of itself. But then the evaluation time was even better. No need to say more. A 5 star experience for me and my dog.

Very nice people! I saved a foster dog who was almost hit running across the beltline and took it here until the foster parents could recover it. They were so sweet in taking the poor girl off my hands and to do the right thing!

Went in for my dog's 1st bath and brush out,only thing was ended up paying more than originally quoted...

Simply Amazing! Worth my drive from Fitchburg!

My puppy has only been to Dogtopia once for daycare, but during our Meet and Greet appointment I was really impressed by their professionalism and generally clean and happy look of the space. I loved how they interacted with my puppy!

Fantastic! We did an evaluation of our dog with them. We thought our dog had major agression issues with other dogs. They told us nope she is okay with other dogs. Sure enough our dog was happy playing with other dogs when we followed our advice. The staff is amazing and are dog pros!

Love, love, love Dogtopia...oh and so does my fur baby! She is a high energy boxer who needs to play it out of her system every now and then. They know her and her goofy antics and she always comes away ready to peacefully rest. Staff are great, facility is always clean and it is the only place I take her! UPDATE....we were gone since June 2019 and came back in October of 2020. Camo was needing some doggy/romping time. We went back and they remembered her, especially her sparkly leashes and collars. The first day we went she hesitated but was a happy camper when she came back out. When we came back the second time she was ready to bolt in to play. Thank you Dogtopia for your kindness and attention to my baby.

When I checked the webcam I loved seeing the Canine Coaches giving my dogs attention and scratches. I was so happy that my dogs came home tired from having a fun day. The next morning, there were some cute pictures posted on social media of my dogs enjoying the summer sunshine in one of the outdoor playgrounds.

Very thorough evaluation, I felt like the evaluator knew what she was doing. Pup came home tired and happy.

I have been taking my dog, Aspen, here for almost two years (has it really been that long!?) and have had a great experience each time. She is always wiped out afterwards but excited to go back in the morning. The staff have always been friendly and honest about how Aspen does each day, which I appreciate. There's a very good reason I continue to take Aspen here despite being out of my way. I will continue to recommend Dogtopia to friends and neighbors.

Jersey loves this place. When we drive up/past the location he always gets excited and wants to join his friends. For a dog who has separation anxiety, at drop-off he goes with the attendants with no issues. When I pick him up, he is relaxed, tired from a day of playing (even with the nap), and ready to eat dinner/rest for the evening. I can relax as well knowing that he is in a cool environment, having fun, and socializing. Awesome place.

My dog loves it here and they are great. Always so nice.

Very friendly staff and clean facility.

They don’t know how to handle dogs....they expect the dogs not to play and just lay around. Every time my dog came home from here he had cuts that have now turned to scars. On the plus side I did like the webcams.

I would like to start this review by saying I know a lot of dogs that do really well at Dogtopia and are very happy there. I think most dogs that just want to play all day will do just fine here. My dog didn't. And unfortunately, the staff did not feel like they had any responsibility to make him feel better. I don't like to put down companies, but I do feel I need to say something about our experience at Dogtopia. My dog is a lab terrier mix and is about 35 pounds. As such he's not quite a "big dog" or a "small dog" - When he went to Dogtopia he was about 8 months old and sort of going through a fear stage. However, I felt a genuine lack of concern or responsibility from the staff at Dogtopia and it left my dog traumatized for quite some time. The pro of this situation is that Dogtopia has cameras, so I could see what was happening. My dog was asking to be crated and then cowering in a crate all day and at the end of the day the staff would say "Oh he had so much fun!". Nope. He'd whimper and hated getting dropped off, so we started watching the videos during the day. Instead of offering solutions or trying to make him feel better, the staff insisted he was just going through a phase. Dogtopia also does not allow return any funds spent on unused boarding, so we wasted a lot of money here, as my dog will never go back. Now he goes to another daycare and he pulls me in through the door bee-lining for the play room. He comes home happy and tired, rather than shaking and scared. He's much happier! Less dogs, more one on one time, and mid-day walks!! I hope other dogs have better experiences at Dogtopia, but if your dog is sensitive, don't take them here.

Very friendly and professional staff! They helped our Cooper feel right at home from day one!

My now 1.5 year old springer spaniel, Pippa, has been with dogtopia 3-5 days a week for about a year now. I work full time in management at a local business and dogtopia is always flexible and willing to take Pippa on short notice. I also know how hard it is to find good staff and young adults that care about their job for more than just a paycheck. These guys have got it figured out. Their business model is above and beyond, the staff calls you by name, and I trust them with one of the most important things in my life—my pup. We have tried most of the other local daycares, but are exclusively with dogtopia now. Pippa is very high energy and a handful at times, but the staff handle her with care. Don’t hesitate to bring your pup here. A business is successful when it is run by smart people who inspire their staff to care about their work, and that is definitely the case here.