Shady Spring Boarding Kennels

Used Shady Spring in the past and was satisfied, however on our last visit our dog came him with an injured tail. He required nearly $600 in veterinary bills after his stay. The staff was unable to be reached for two days during the week to discuss this because of their off-season scheduling. In addition they did not take any responsibility for what happened at their kennel. When I did finally get someone at Shady Spring on the phone, they said that they have ""guillotine doors"" that separate the inside and outside of the runs where the dogs are kept. She admitted that these have fallen in the past if the dogs ""mess with the mechanism."" This sounded unsafe, and was almost an admission of guilt on their part, however they basically recanted this later. In the end they offered us $300 credit towards future services. My wife and I would never be able to go on vacation again and leave our furry friend here with any amount of peace of mind. This has been a short synopsis of a situation spanning several weeks, but we would never return. After speaking with some other friends who also used to use this kennel we feel good about our decision to not return. Our friends had an old employee tell them that the dogs don't always get walked if there is inclement weather, but they will still charge you for them. We found a new kennel that includes daily exercise in the price, in addition to offering better customer service and being less expensive. more

We have been a camper for over 12 years. It is the best kennel? period. Roy feels like it is his second home! more

We have boarded our boxer Harvey at Shady Spring Boarding Kennels several times over the past two years. The staff is very friendly. You can tell they like animals. The staff makes us feel like Harvey will be well taken care of. The boarding area is kept very clean. This place rocks! more

What a wonderful place ~ There is nothing better than picking up my happy, tired puppy after a day playing with his friends. He is so happy here that he practically jumps out of the car to get in! The staff takes amazingly good care of him and he loves it! Super safe environment and top notch care! Recommend to all dog owners. more

My dog is very tough to groom. As sweet as she is otherwise she's so sensitive that she bites the brush and eventually your hand also. My last groomer drugged her (without my permission) in order to groom her. That's how bad it was. Not only did Stacy do a top notch grooming job, the nicest grooming my dog has ever had, it was obvious that my dog also had a good experience. Thank you Stacy for taking such great care of my dog! Now I finally have a groomer I can trust to take care of her. Pros: clean quiet nice facility excellent with my problem dog more

My husband and I returned from our Memorial Day holiday camp trip and picked up our two dogs and a shocking bill from this kennel. I say shocking because it was 175$ more than I expected. Why? Because I was never informed that I would be charged for an early weekday checkin if I brought my dogs at 11:00am, nor was I informed that I would be charged for another full day for picking up Monday Memorial Day. During the hours that were dictated by the kennel. To add insult to injury, we were originally going to board a third dog, our oldest, whom would have shared a run with my other smaller dog. My mother offered to watch her, so I did not bring her and was charged 75$ cancellation fee even though the kennel did not lose any rentable space! Needless to say, I am extremely disappointed. Not sure if I would use this kennel again, nor am I sure I would reccommend it to friends. Pros: great facility with good offerings for pets Cons: financials not disclosed properly more

We've boarded our Kuvasz with Shady Springs numerous times since we moved to DC in September 07. Although the drive from our home is just over an hour, it's worth every minute and every (reasonably priced) dollar. They know how to handle dogs here, which I can't say of other kennels in the area. A Kuvasz is a ""guard dog"" breed and, as such, has a strong personality that must be treated with respect -- that done, the Kuvasz is friendly and amiable. The staff at Shady Springs understands this and we've never had a problem. Not only that, but our dog always looks forward to his ""camp time"" at Shady Springs and happily goes off into the kennel with a handler -- something he doesn't do at other kennels. When we pick him up, he's delighted to see us but also good and tired from all the exercise he gets with the optional ""camping"" service. The picture taken by Shady Springs of our dog that we receive when we pick him up just tops off the experience. I can't recommend them enough. Pros: service, knowledgable staff, our dog loves it Cons: a bit of a drive from DC but worth it more