Pet Paradise Richmond Airport — Local services in Highland Springs

I had a daycare appointment set for this morning, the 13th of June and my experience was unbelievable horrible. I had my pups booked for a staycation for 3 days, since before this month had started. When booking it stated that an associate would be reviewing the information and if there were any concerns or questions that they would be reaching out. I have been checking emails, logging in and out of the app to make sure there were no questions unanswered. However there was no communication. 2 days prior to the dogs drop off day I had emailed the company in the morning asking how I would be able to show them proof of vaccines because I know that’s going to be something that was required. There was again no response. The next day, with still no communication I’m wondering what’s going on because they’re supposed to be all set to be dropped off the next morning. So I called the company, and a lady answered finally. I asked if there was anything I had to do to extra other than have basic vaccine papers, the lady rudely said “no and you can just email it” so I let her know I tried to the day prior and had got no response. She then said “OK then bring it with you” so I let her know ok that’s what I’ll do since emailing had gotten me nowhere. Before hanging up I then let her know that for one of my dogs I’ve been giving him his shots since he was a baby, she told me that it was fine as long as I had the paper to show it. Comes to the day they’re supposed to get dropped off I walk in the Richmond center at 7 am with my dogs ready for them to get dropped off and to say my goodbyes. The associate at the desk looks over the papers and then says that my 6 year old dog was missing one of the shots listed on her papers (that she did have) and that I needed her vet to send over proof of vaccination, which is completely understandable but why the hell is it the day of drop off that your telling me this? And vet offices are closed on Sunday. Then the next problem was my puppy who I had given his shots too needed his papers to have a vet signature to be liable information. Even though the vaccine package stickers listing the vaccines are present neatly and dated when they were received. Which awesome I called the day before and I was told everything would be fine never was this mentioned and again if it was I have no problem doing those things I just can’t really get that information on a Sunday when no vets are open when the company had the opportunity to address these concerns for a month and the past two days before drop off that I had reached out. Then at that point I’m not understanding how it’s my fault that neither of my dogs are able to be accepted because I’ve done everything I possibly could to get information or at the very least an answer and I received nothing. So I asked to speak with a manager so I could get more information. A middle aged man comes to the desk and looks over the information and looks up my email to prove that I reached out and had gotten no response. He then states that sometimes the system would send the customer a automatic email to where I could have sent the papers and they then would have helped me that way, saying that I missed something! then proceeds to say oh no it didn’t send you anything. Like I thought. So he attempts to spit out a solution saying that he will hold my dogs somewhere until tomorrow which would be Monday, until he could reach out to a vet and get my dogs revaccinated!! What the hell this man has lost his mind. I told him my dogs have already had those shots and that it’s not healthy for them to get it again especially since my puppy had just received one. He said if I wanted them to stay there that’s what I had to do. His solution was for me to have to spend an extra 300-400 dollars for an unneeded exam and get my puppy sick because they failed to reach out. I asked if I could have a discount due to this being there problem and he said he’d give me 30 off. Wow! Don’t recommend it here, if they can’t even answer their customers I wonder how they treat the...

This was my first experience with Pet Paradise, and unfortunately, I cannot recommend this location. My primary concern was the overall lack of communication, which left me feeling uneasy and without peace of mind while I was out of the country and my dog, Kolbie, was in their care. To be fair, I’ll share both the pros and cons of my experience:

Pros:

Easy Scheduling & Tour Access: My usual sitter was unavailable, and a trusted friend recommended this location. I appreciated that they were able to accommodate a same-day tour. The staff member who gave the tour was helpful and answered all my questions.

Facilities & Separation by Size: The play and swimming areas appeared clean and well-maintained. I also appreciated that small dogs are not mixed with larger dogs.

Flexible Drop-off & Pick-up: I was able to drop Kolbie off on the Fourth of July, which shows a great level of flexibility in scheduling.

Cons:

Reservation Change Without Notice: Two days before Kolbie's reservation, I received a text saying he would be placed in individual play for the entire 7-day stay — not what I had requested. The entire reason I chose this facility was for social play. I was told this was because Kolbie hadn’t been tested, but I was never informed during my tour (June 15th) that a temperament test was required. No one contacted me between June 15th and July 2nd to schedule it. This was a major communication failure.

Medical Records Miscommunication: I had emailed Kolbie’s medical records on June 15th, confirming he was up to date on shots and neutered. A manager later told me they hadn’t received them, which led to another change in his reservation. However, in checking the email again, she saw that they did receive the medical records. Although she agreed to place him back into “Tiny Town” for social play, when I arrived to drop him off, he was still assigned to individual play with no explanation or update.

Untrained Check-in Staff: The employee who checked me in didn’t seem familiar with the facility’s policies and appeared uncomfortable handling a nervous dog.

Unreturned Calls & Broken Promises: On July 5th, I called three times to check on Kolbie. I was told he’d be tested that day, but I never received the promised call back. When I followed up at 5:45 PM, there was still no answer. This lack of follow-through was extremely frustrating.

Lack of Transparency About Dog’s Condition: On July 6th, I called again at 10:45 AM with no answer. My boyfriend called shortly after and got through. He was told Kolbie had been placed in isolation because he wasn’t doing well — information we were never given. We were also told conflicting updates. One staff member said she “thought” Kolbie was fine and “believed” he was eating, but a manager called and told me he hadn’t eaten at all the previous day and barely ate that morning. That’s unacceptable. We only received the call from the manager because we told them that we were coming to get my dog immediately and absolutely needed leadership to give us a call.

Sanitation Concerns in Play Areas: In reviewing the Tiny Town video footage, I noticed the mop and mop bucket used for cleaning were left in the room with the dogs the entire time. This presents a serious safety and hygiene risk, as dogs could easily drink the dirty water.

Final Thoughts:

Due to the inconsistent information, unauthorized changes to Kolbie’s reservation, and repeated lapses in communication, I had no peace of mind during my trip. I ultimately ended his reservation after just two days and had my brother pick him up. Kolbie attends two other dog daycares regularly without issue — this was the first time he was described as “grumpy,” which only further concerned me about how he was treated. I cannot recommend this location to others. When leaving a pet in someone else’s care, transparency, reliability, and proper communication are non-negotiable — all of which were severely...

This place is unfortunately very disorganized and unprofessional, and we had a very frustrating experience boarding our dog here.

They advertise that dogs get to play with other dogs every day. What they don't tell you is that, if you don't pay extra, they only get 30 minutes. The extra play time option doesn't even specify how much longer they get to have outside. The entire process is poorly explained in general, and not transparent at all.

They have webcams set up at each of their play areas where you can watch your dog play. My partner and I, being very new pet parents who were leaving our dog overnight for the first time, checked those cameras constantly while on a long train ride, killing time in a hotel, and just generally anytime we had a free moment during travel. That meant that we were checking as often as every fifteen to thirty minutes. I'd say we rarely went more than an hour without checking those cameras, hoping to catch a single glimpse of our dog.

After being assured that our dog passed their test to play with other dogs, and that he had been out to play every day he was there, we did not see him on those cameras a single time. In fact, we rarely saw them switch out play groups at all, and I felt like I was seeing the same group of dogs out there all day every day. Frustrated, and worried about my very social dog being couped up all day, I went and edited our reservation to pay for extra play time. And the next day, as we sat on a five hour long train ride, I still didn't see him go out once. We checked every 15-30 minutes from 9am when play time starts, to 6pm. Nothing.

We also added grooming to his visit. Not only did our dog not seem bathed at all, but he was actually filthy. He had dirt on his neck and chest, and his nails, which we paid to have cut, looked mangled and uneven like the few times I've tried to do it myself.

My only conclusion from all of this is that either we have the worst luck in the world and somehow missed catching him play all FIVE DAYS he was there, even though we were obsessively checking the cameras every 20 minutes, or we were lied to, and either because of being shortstaffed or just generally incompetent, our dog never left his room.

But honestly? He wasn't missing much. Their play areas are just empty patches of terf, with an attendant who basically sits there on their phone the entire time, barely even looking at the dogs they're supposed to be watching over. I watched one attendant sit on a piece of play equipment for over an hour, just staring at their phone while the dogs just laid there, not being interacted with at all.

Do yourself a favor and hire an in-home pet sitter, or find a local place with better reviews (4.2 is an awful score on maps for a place like this). We will absolutely not be letting our dog step foot in this...