Martha's Garden — Local services in Seattle

I had such high hopes for my dog King to be boarded here, but I was disappointed in Shannon when she told me why King was not accepted for boarding.

The reason I chose Martha's was because King is more comfortable around smaller dogs, and he was raised with my chihuahua/corgi mix his whole life and more comfortable around them at other boarding cares and dog parks. I scheduled his assessment on 6/25/2024 with a full day care. Shannon informed me that they'll monitor him for an hour and if he's good, they'll let him stay. An hour passes, she contacts me and agrees with the dominant behavior (saying he's a very confident dog), she also notes that some dogs don't like it. He's being corrected, he knows when to stop, doesn't bother the ones who warn him, but she says that he's okay to stay. I also saw him on the doggy cam and he seemed fine to me (Shannon stepped in trying to correct him one time and I appreciated that). I was glad to hear that he can be boarded post assessment, and scheduled him once I got off the phone.

Once I picked him up at 5:00 pm, I paid for the full day, and Shannon tells me he got into an "altercation/snuffle" with some dogs, didn't really tell me how this was handled, but in the end they decided that they're okay with him being scheduled for daycare, but not boarding. She then suggested that because Martha's is for smaller dogs, King would be better suited with dogs his size/larger, or with a private boarder. I was actually shocked at this decision because it's my first time hearing it from any boarding place, and all I could word out was "ok, thank you." I ended up calling them 45 mins after, and when I I told her that I didn't appreciate her suggestions and she should have called me around the time of the altercation to inform me, and I would've just picked him up, and for "a dog his size" If I knew that was the issue, they shouldn't have considered him in the first place. Shannon told me that what I heard was incorrect (I actually hate being gaslighted because I heard everything she said) and with no accountability whatsoever, She just kept repeating herself, telling me what dominant behavior is and how it could lead to aggression (which is actually incorrect information), and they didn't make their decision until 4:00 pm. I was so disappointed on how all of this was delivered, and was left confused throughout the entire process.

When I created King's profile, I was transparent with his tendency to hover over dogs and labeled as dominant behavior. At dog parks I've never seen him get into any altercation where it leads to fighting and he doesn't do it to every dog he sees, but as his parents we correct his behavior when needed, dogs constantly correct him, and in previous dog boarding places, the workers there never had an issue because they are trained to correct these behaviors. I was shocked to see on his report card that throughout the day they stated for King: "socializing is hard, he's assertive, domineering, reserved, cuddly with us." All words that I never thought would be associated with King.

In the end, I understand it's their business and they get to pick and choose which dogs to be boarded. I highly suggest to anyone that unless your dog is to their standards (which is confusing cause I know every dog that I saw on the dog cam were NOT the best behaved and some were way more aggressive than he was) I wouldn't consider to come here because it will be...

1/21/23 I understand vaccinations requirements are absolutely imperative to enforce for day care for the safety of all pets. However, we were invited to a doggy birthday party during closed day care business hours. Our 1.5 year old golden has had all his vaccines including rabies when he was a pup. We didn't notice until the day of the birthday party that his rabies vaccine expired end of November - it's hasn't even been 2 months. So they didn't allow our dog to come in to have some play time with his doggy friends. All the dogs attending are vaccinated - two months out of date would put no dog at risk - not to to mention, these are all dogs he plays with at our local park almost every week. Making a big deal out of 2 months past due vaccines as if he had never been vaccinated at all was a bit ridiculous in my honest opinion. I understand the need for these rules for day care purposes but for private events where we all know each other I think was unnecessary. 3/06/23 Response to Owner Response: I just want to say what was stated below regarding vaccinations is completely innacurate. Having vaccine requirements to ensure safety is one thing but spreading misinformation about vaccines is another. Two months past expiration DOES NOT mean there is no longer immunity. In fact, we recently brought our dog in to the vet for titer tests (now more than 2 months past expiration) and the tests showed that he still has immunity from all his initial vaccines. I really encourage Martha's Garden to do some research on over vaccination in dogs and the long term negative repercussions that has on their immune systems like an increase of autoimmune diseases (which our dog is a victim of). Some great sources are articles written by Dr. Karen Becker, Dr. Ronald Shultz, and Dr. Laurie Larson. I know it's easy to feel like you're protecting dogs by requiring uneccessary vaccinations but it's simply not that...

This review is long overdue! I have been taking my dog to Martha's Garden for almost 2 years, and I cannot express enough how much my dog is OBSESSED with this place.

My dog is anxious and withdrawn in most situations, but I took her in for a 1-hr assessment on the chance that this daycare could bring out her vibrant and playful side I see at home. They were very communicative about her behavior and comfort level in those first couple of weeks, which helped me feel confident about taking her out of her comfort zone. I knew I made the right decision when within only a few visits, she would RUN to the staff without looking back at me during drop off.

Flash forward to the present and she thrives at this daycare. I can see such a difference when walking her in public, meeting other dogs or new people, that she has more confidence because of the socialization and enrichment she gets at Martha's Garden.

Like everyone else mentions, they have a great routine of different activities every day and send you home with a cute report card so you get a little snapshot of their day. My only complaint is that always tries to go to Martha's on our walks now and I have to disappoint her every time!

If you're someone considering if daycare is right for your small dog - obviously knowing that all dogs will have different needs and comfort levels - I think it is worth a shot to try this place out and it may become an essential part of...