Oak Brook Kennel Club — Local services in Oak Brook

Hands down the best boarding and daycare facility I've ever encountered, the staff is accommodating, polite and understanding even of the craziest requests. I initially found them for daycare after I had a puppy with 14 stitches after an exploratory surgery, it's incredible how many facilities will turn away a puppy that requires individual play. Without hesitation they took Pablo on their schedule, we fluctuated days but each time he came home he was exhausted and practically begging to go again the next day. 6 months later I added a mastiff/bulldog mix to my pack and he was terrified of people, hesitant with other dogs, underfed and in need of major socialization. Max started to go to OBKC a few days a week and they've helped him with his people skills, understood all of his anxious behaviors and again, never told me we can't deal with his special needs. When the boys board together, they are allowed to play together under supervision, but have their separate rooms, the boys can get rough with one another, but when I'm out of town I have no concerns over leaving their play and boarding under the supervision of the staff at OBKC.

As of late, I've been fostering a special needs puppy who has undergone 3 eye surgeries, making him less social since we've isolated him for recovery so often at a young age. Again, I turned to OKBC to give him time with various people and safe interactions near other dogs without allowing them to interact. This last week he boarded with his brother while I was out of town and they got supervised time together and their time to decompress separately. While Doggie daycares and boarding facilities seem to be increasing in number, none of them hold a candle to OBKC. I don't take on many "normal" dogs or dogs that come from the best situations, which makes it extremely hard for me to find trusting facilities with staff that understands a variety of needs for my dogs. I have sent referrals to OKBC and they have normal dogs, but rave about the care their dogs get when they are there too! Sorry for the long review, but I could go on for days about how...

After endless searching for a kennel for our two dogs we found OBKC to be everything we and the dogs needed. Not only do they get one on one play time - our 13 year old Lab doesn’t have to worry about random puppies jumping on her, but our 2 year old Cattle Dog gets his snuggles and ball throws too, in a big grassy space - not an indoor potty place but a SUPER CLEAN grassy yard with beautiful oak trees. The staff was all so wonderful to both the dogs when they boarded that the little one climbed into one of their laps when I arrived and didn’t want to go home! THAT speaks volumes! They even gave him a bath because he’d had an accident and didn’t want him to go home stinky. They knew my dogs so well after just one stay and I knew they really cared since the things they were telling me seemed 100% like them. (Having been to other boarding places sometimes they tell you your dogs have done things and you leave scratching your head like that not something my dog has ever done and doesn’t even sound like them and you start to wonder if they were even looking at your dog or maybe another dog that looked like yours because there were 20 dogs in day care that day?) Another great thing about OBKC is they know all about the different breeds and how to deal with them and they’re excellent at reading dog’s body language. They could tell our older dog was a little anxious so she watched our younger dog go into his run and she knew the world was good and then happily went into hers. As a dog mom with no human kids I appreciate the care, love and attention they give to them when we are away. Clearly they do too when they don’t want to rush right...

We just boarded our border collie with OBKC for ten days. Not only was she happy to get there when we dropped her off (she's been before, mostly for daycare) but she seemed almost unhappy to go when we picked her up. At least one of their team has experience with our high-energy, high-needs breed which gives me a lot of confidence. The people are very confident and friendly and the facility is very well-maintained and comfortable in the sense that it seems more of a home than a kennel. And yes, the trees and grass mentioned in their marketing are all true. One small additional positive in my estimation: she smelled great when we picked her up. Not like she's been in a pile of other dogs or pee. Seems basic but it's not always the case with other places. I highly recommend OBKC.

• Update Summer 2024 *

I've been fortunate to board my border collie / mini Aussie mix with OBKC twice this summer and everything from my first review still stands, and is enhanced. It's been almost five years my dog has been going here and they know her and she them and the experience keeps getting better. They seem to have some new young staff who seem great and my dog is still happy to show up there. When I pull in she knows where she is going and is excited. I continue to highly...