The Grateful Dog

Viktoriya Wise · 4★ · 2026-04-05

Alison Dietze · 5★ · 2026-02-17

I’ve been taking my dog to grateful dog for ~2.5 years for daycare and the occasional overnight stay. The people that work there are really kind and he loves going. He has separation anxiety so I’ve had issues finding the right daycare for him. Other places we tried he would shake uncontrollably when we walked in the building after his first experience going. But at the grateful dog he happily goes in and runs up the stairs. Knowing he enjoys going and is safe while I go to the office gives me so much mental peace. I also like looking at their Instagram and seeing him in the pictures—usually sunbathing in their outside area. Also was really impressed with how they handled the kings tide flooding. I used to live in dc and a dog daycare flooded there with several dogs dying so it really solidified my trust in grateful dog that they made sure all the doggies were safe in an emergency.

Fog City RC · 5★ · 2026-02-11

Great staff. Our dogs are always excited to go here!

Desiree · 1★ · 2025-11-21

Our experience with Grateful Dog on Thursday, November 6th was deeply troubling and ultimately unacceptable.\n\nThis was our dog Indio’s first visit. When we picked him up around 5 p.m., he had a severe laceration on his lower eyelid and was visibly shaken. A young staff member admitted he was in another room at the time and that no one was supervising the dogs when the injury occurred—despite Grateful Dog’s website explicitly promising “supervised play, indoor and outdoor.” It was clear this employee was not trained to handle incidents of any kind.\n\nHe also told us he had been instructed over the phone by his boss, Ernie, to clean the wound and apply ointment without notifying us. Ernie made a judgment call based on a dark photo instead of contacting us. As a result, our dog was left with an open, untreated wound for the rest of the day with no communication whatsoever.\n\nWe took Indio straight to the emergency hospital, where he required full sedation and several hours of treatment. He remained there for nearly six hours. Both the ER team and our primary vet agreed that the lack of supervision, failure to notify us, and the attempt to treat a significant injury without consent were irresponsible. Indio is now on multiple medications, wearing a cone for weeks, and his emergency care totaled $1,295.26.\n\nWhen we later spoke with Ernie, his attitude was shockingly dismissive. His exact words were:\n“I’ve been doing this for 30 years — didn’t seem like a big deal.”\nNo responsible professional minimizes an injury requiring emergency sedation as “not a big deal.”\n\nWe then emailed a detailed summary with photos and documentation. After that, Grateful Dog completely ghosted us. No response, no acknowledgment, no concern.\n\nAccidents happen. But zero supervision, untrained staff, unauthorized medical treatment, a manager who downplays the injury, and complete silence afterward are not accidents — they are serious failures in judgment and care.\n\nIf you’re considering this facility, ask very direct questions about who is actually supervising your dog and what their real protocols are. Our experience suggests there is a significant gap between what’s advertised and what actually happens.

fernando mandujano · 1★ · 2025-04-24

Unfortunately I had the worst experience at The Grateful Dog. I took my dog to daycare back in August of 2024 and within 10 minutes my dog got attacked by another dog. I didn’t care to ask about the details, I just rushed in to get my dog to the emergency room (yes it was that bad). My partner called while I was at the emergency room and was told by staff that another dog was growling and showing teeth to my dog and that this dog does that but always just sticks to themselves in a corner. This time that did not happen. My dog is a large Weimaraner / Pitty mix and is very energetic and not at all aggressive (did not fight back).\nAfter all of this happened The Grateful Dog went silent. No one tried to check in on us, nothing. We were left with $3K plus in vet bills and they never once checked in or apologized for anything. If you’re thinking of leaving your dog here please rethink.\n\n* Edit / Response to owner (4.23)\nYes Phoenix is very high energy, and can be an idiot at times. You're right that I didn't stick around to hear the details, like I mentioned, I came in and saw the gash underneath his eye and the only thing that mattered to me at that time was getting him to the vet to make sure it didn't get worse. My partner did call to ask for the details and you guys talked to her. I never received a call from you guys though, not sure who you called. You guys have my email and had my phone, and for months I kept getting your emails about boarding and weekend daycare. I waited to see if you would ever check in and it became apparent that wasn't going to happen. My review on google took this long because I don't like to make reviews. Reason I am making it is that no one checked in. After his surgery he got an infection and had to get another surgery / get new stitches. It's the experience I had unfortunately.