Fon Jon Dog Boarding and Daycare of San Diego — Local services in San Diego

TL;DR - We boarded our three dogs here, they are all sick and one is dying. Treatment may end up costing over $100,000 and even if we can afford it there is a high chance it won't work. Illness, change in behavior, and extreme weight loss went completely unnoticed by the people we were paying to care for our animals. The owner refuses to take responsibility.

This place does not deserve even one star. This place does not deserve to be in business. My family is in the middle of a move and we had to board our three dogs for a few weeks while showings, inspections, etc. were taking place. A few weeks into their stay we were notified that our Great Dane was hospitalized with pneumonia and possibly sepsis. We are currently awaiting more updates but it looks like we may have to put her down at just six years old. She is on oxygen and, according to the vet, uncomfortable. It is $4000 a day to keep her there and pneumonia recovery is a lengthy process. So even if we can afford to put her through 10-30 days of treatment, her chances of survival are slim. After finding out all of this, I went to visit the other two dogs. My English Mastiff had lost 45 pounds during her stay, wouldn't come when called, and wouldn't wag her tail. They "didn't notice" the weight loss or change in behavior. I got her in the car to take her home and five minutes into the ride she began coughing. I highly doubt that was the first time. I immediately took her to the vet where they did X-rays and found out that she also had pneumonia. Thank God I checked on her, who knows how long they would have waited to take action. After dropping her off at the vet, I went back for my Husky/Shepherd mix and talked to the owner about everything. He claimed he didn't notice anything wrong with my dogs. I don't believe that for a second, but regardless he should be transparent with everybody who is paying him money under the false impression that their animals are being cared for. I told him that he should give everyone whose animals are boarded an email or call letting them know that PNEUMONIA, A DEADLY ILLNESS, is going around the kennel. Not canine cough, as he calls it on the website. The most I could get him to do was put up a sign and slightly alter the message on the website although it still doesn't mention pneumonia or capture the severity of the situation. Any animal at the kennel could have it and it would go completely unnoticed and undiagnosed until it's too late. You would think they have enough experience with kennel cough that they would be able to catch and treat it before it progressed into something severe and deadly. We trusted them with our animals and it was the biggest mistake of our lives. Even the husky is not acting herself; she is lethargic and her eyes are red and full of gunk. We will be taking her to the vet as well. The owner took zero responsibility for anything, I don't know how he lives...

I moved to San Diego 1 year ago and have been working with Fon Jon since then everytime we need to board my two dogs. I have two boxer mixes, about 70lbs each that are high energy. One is dog and human friendly, while the other requires a proper introduction in order to get along with humans and dogs. I am always apprehensive when I bring them to a new boarding place/daycare, but both of them have had no issues staying at Fon Jon to my knowledge and always come home bright, alert and responsive. That said, here's my additional feedback.

Pros: Several boarding/daycare options (I like that there was the option to board with other dogs or separately and on top of separately they can board together or alone) Average cost for a boarding facility like this Plenty of staff always available, I often see the same faces working with my dogs and it seems like they look forward to seeing those faces when we pull up in the parking lot Free day of day care when you first sign up in lieu of a meet and greet style test

Cons: Big con overall is anything to do with paperwork. You might think it is 2002 not 2022 lol... There are no online forms integrated into the website to schedule a stay. Instead they email a document to be submitted each stay. 🚨DO NOT🚨 submit this in person ahead of time, because it will go into a folder and get lost by the time you're about to go out of town and come for drop off Along similar lines, there is no option to upload vaccine records to a portal or create an account/pet profile. Again email it, don't bring a hard copy, because it'll get lost No live video feeds and you don't get any photos

If you care about the cons (I can understand, because they are really REALLY ANNOYING), skip this place.

However, for the past year I have continued to use Fon Jon because they are reliable, you know what to expect working with them, and it seems like the staff can handle my dogs well--ultimately those things are more...

I have taken two of my dogs to Fon Jon. Things have changed over the years, especially during COVID, but what hasn't changed is that my current dog and my previous dog LOVE(D) going. The price is competitive compared to other daycares in the area, and the staff is amazing. Every time I take my Great Pyrenees mix she can't contain her excitement and when I pick her up, she sleeps the rest of the day. I have gone from working full time to being a full time law student and Fon Jon has been a life saver in both instances. They take wonderful care of my baby.

Fon Jon has large yards for the pups to play in all day. They put up tents for shade and have plenty of water. They also offer individual or small group playtime if your dog is not great in groups. I've also taken my pup there for some training and enjoyed the experience. The only issue I had was with my current pup when I boarded her, but she is very sensitive and anxious so I discovered kennel boarding is not for her because of her anxiety. I boarded my previous pup there with no issues.

I also can't stress how amazing the bath specials are. It is hard to find a good price for a full bath including ears and nail trim for a big dog like mine! I love whatever soap they use, she comes back smelling great for days! I highly recommend...