Paw Commons Pet Resort & Training Center - Bay Park — Local services in San Diego

BETTER THAN MOST

It's very challenging finding dog boarding or dog day care and trust strangers with your furry family member. Some places I've brought my dog too had great first impressions and then quickly becomes a horrifying experience after actually bringing your dog there. I was tipped off about Paw Commons and heard nothing but good stuff. This review is specifically for this locations.

But first... let me get this out the way Hillcrest is the only location that has indoor and outdoor playrooms. Bay Park and Encinitas locations only offer indoor playrooms. The trade-off, Bay Park and Encinitas offers Standard rooms AND Luxury Suites for dog boarding. Hillcrest only offers Standard rooms. No overnight staff at any of the locations. And limited hours of drop-off and pick-up. They have cameras in the playrooms They separate small dog from big dogs

THE EXPERIENCE. They require Rabies, DHPP, Bordetella, and a temperament assessment. By this time, Chloe is use to having temperament assessments every weekend (we've checked out many pet resorts). I decided to bring Chloe to the Bay Park location since I reserved a Luxury Suite when I go on travel (although I prefer to her be at the Hillcrest location). Temperament Assessment is not free like other places - the cost is $10 and they keep her for 4hrs minimum. I dropped her off and the staff seemed like they haven't yet woken up from the weekend. It was I who has to initiate what needs to happen by asking alot of questions. After 4+ hrs I picked her up and again no comments. I had to ask a bunch of questions for them to basically say she did well. Please staff, be more vocal. I asked for a tour and they called someone from the reservation team who was super vocal and friendly - I liked her vibe more than the front staff, she was more welcoming and didn't sound dead. I am so happy I reserved the Luxury Suite for my dog, its a big room with a high bed, couch, and flat screen tv - makes them feel like home. I did see the Standard room and was impressed that it's very spacious - imagine a tall room with the width of a twin size bed. Overall, Chloe seemed happy coming out of this place. I even spied on her on the camera and was happy to see the playrooms were not packed and all dogs were getting along and she was being taken care of.

So far, so good.

Until the...

This review is for one of the trainers here, Heather Simpson and her training programs. I use them for daycare now as well and they’re great!

When I got an 8 week old puppy last august I thought I generally knew what I was in for. I’d had a puppy before and experienced the roller coaster of issues they bring. Well, I was wrong. My new guy put me through the wringer to the point where I was seriously considering calling the breeder and telling her I couldn’t do it anymore. He’s an English cream retriever and the sweetest pup in the world but he HATED his crate from day 1. I tried every trick in the book but nothing worked. He barked and cried incessantly every time he was in it. I persisted, thinking he’d get over it with time. Nope. Things escalated until he went full Cujo mode one day and bit the crate until there was blood everywhere and bent the metal so much he actually broke out. Keep in mind - this is a ~13 week old puppy. I started working with trainers, nothing worked. He had severe separation anxiety as well as the crate issues and over the next few weeks he broke out of another crate, shredded sheets, broke blinds, ate drywall, and more. I called the trainers I worked with for advice and did extensive research for some sort of solution. One name kept popping up again and again - Heather Simpson. After talking through the situation, she recommended a board and train arrangement to push the reset button on these behavior cycles. No one WANTS to send their puppy away for any length of time but I knew it was the best option for both of us at this point so I moved forward. I cannot explain how thankful I am to have found Heather. She’s patient, intuitive, caring, endlessly knowledgeable, professional, and truly a dog whisperer. She updated me with pictures and progress notes almost daily and shared exactly what she was doing so I could repeat exercises at home. There is no magic solution for severe behavioral problems and I appreciated Heathers honesty about my pups progress so I knew exactly what to expect when I picked him up. His basic obedience and leash walking was perfect. He was up to a few hours in the crate alone and I’m able to walk out my front door without him having a stage 5 meltdown. I have my life (and sanity) back and have her to thank...

I have had a great experience with The Golden Paw over the last few years and highly recommend their day play and boarding to anyone looking to put their dogs in a safe, clean environment while they are either at work or on vacation.

We have used many of their competitors in the past and this is the first time that I have actually taken the time to write a review because I was so happy with the service that I received.

The staff at the Golden Paw really take pride in what they do and it shows. Jessica, Tiffany and Kelly are awesome and they are always happy to help with keeping our dogs happy and healthy during their stay. I cannot tell you how much we appreciate their willingness to help with our last minute plans, whether it be heading out of town last minute or getting caught in a meeting and not being able to pick the dogs up on time.

With two kids and everything that comes along with that, it is very nice to have such a great staff at The Golden Paw keeping our dogs happy and safe until we can get there. We have two pretty high maintenance dogs (a short hair pointer and a miniature pincher) and both are worn out from play at the end of the day when they get home so I know that they love the experience also.

In fact when I first started going there it was like pulling them into the front door of the vet's office with all four paws locked up and being dragged across the floor. Now they are both pulling their way into the lobby once we get to the parking lot and they really seem to be having a good time when we check in on them from the web cams.

Our dogs are really a part of our family and that is why I wanted to take a moment to write this review and hopefully give other people the piece of mind in knowing that the Golden Paw really is a great place to send your furry little...