Pooches' Playtime

I had just moved to San Francisco and unfortunately needed to leave my dog for the week of 4th of July. I was very nervous about boarding my dog as I've had some bad experiences in New York City and my dog is now petrified of being left at an unknown location. Unfortunately, we were in a pinch and had to do it anyway. We choose Pooches Playtime and it turned out to be the best decision we made! \r \r We dropped off our little dog, Wrigley, for daycare first to see how he liked the atmosphere before leaving him overnight. Wrigley was, as always, so scared when we left him, but they gently took him and cuddled him and assured us everything would be fine. Throughout the day, they emailed us about how Wrigley was doing and said since he was so shy, they would put him in with the puppies. That made us feel much better. Later that day, Molly called and said she was willing to keep Wrigley overnight, but that it didn't seem like he was having much fun. We asked if there were problems and she said no. He's fine... he just isn't having much ""fun"" and we want our dogs to all have a great time. So she said she was going to take him up to her apartment with her and that he could stay up there with her for the week and could sleep with her at night. We were so happy and shocked! I have never had someone go so out of their way to make my dog happy!\r \r Throughout the week, Molly continually emailed cute stories about how Wrigley was doing and the friends he was making. They even took him to the park one day even though we didn't pay for it. They just wanted him to be happy! \r \r Our experience was amazing. Molly and her staff truly love their dogs and are not doing it for the money (something I feel like some places do!). Wrigley was happy, clean and taken care of as if he was their own. I will never leave him with anyone else. Pooches Playtime was INCREDIBLE! Pros: Molly and her caring staff, personal attention, genuine love for animals, reasonable prices Cons: None!! more

I have been boarding my dog, Red, at Pooches' and sending him to their playgroups for three years now. Jen and Molly (the owners) treat Red like their own - I can tell by his excitement when they come to the door to pick him up. Although they charge the same amount (or less) as all of the other walking services in SF for their playgroup, Red is almost always out playing for 2 or more hours and without fail comes back tired and happy. I also highly recommend their boarding services. If you have an active dog, they are free to run around and play all day. When I go out of town, I am always happy to leave Red at Pooches since I know he will be enjoying as much of a vacation as I am. To sum it up, Pooches' is fabulous and I highly recommend them. If you ask Red how he feels about Pooches', he is simply speechless! Pros: Your dog has the time of his life and you have peace of mind! Cons: None! more

My husband and I would not trust our dogs to any one but Molly and Jen. We know that when we go away for any length of time that our Abbey will be taken care of. Molly and Jen have a staff that cares for your dog and loves them just as much as Molly and Jen do. I had a dog when I first married my husband and we left hime with Molly and Jen only once before he dided of Cancer. Our second dog Missy we left with Molly nad Jen and now our Abbey is goingto Molly and Jens when we go away. \r Molly and Jen have taken Missy to the vet for us on several occassions and are up on what is going on with you dog . When I know we are going to go away the first people I call is Molly and Jen. \r Keep up the great work. We love you. Teresa and Abbey. Greg as well. more

Thanks for taking the time to read this review of Pooches' Playtime. Molly and Jen are the most amazing people ever and run a top notch pet facility. My partner and I have been using them for a little over a year and have constantly recommended them to everyone we know. First, you will love the fact that the dogs have tremendous room to roam around, interact with others, sunbathe in the backyard, etc. It's a paradise for a pet! Second, the owners take extremely wonderful care of all of the pets, as if they were their own. Other places charge you for an open environment, or belly massages, etc. Molly and Jen give each of the pets much love, attention, and care -- much more individual care than any other place (oh, and they do belly rubs for free :o). And last, but not least, they are SO incredibly flexible and easy-going, especially if you are running late in picking up or dropping off (since they live on site). Where will you ever be able to find that?? We were so happy with them that when the time came to find a perpetual care situation for our dog, Molly and Jen were our first call. Today, our dog of 12 years is now living with Molly and Jen full-time and they are offering us perpetual care for him. We visit every other week or so and we have never seen him this happy. He follows Molly and Jen all over the house and you can tell he's going to live out his last number of years in the most wonderful, caring, loving environment ever! We are forever in debt to them for helping us out. You will never find a better place to care for your beloved pets. Make an appointment, talk to them, bring your pet by to try it out -- you have nothing to lose at all! :o) Pros: Warm and loving environment, open atmosphere, super clean, and MUCH more!! Cons: None whatsoever!! more

Don't let the sketchy appearance of the neighborhood turn you off. Molly and Jen LOVE dogs and know how to take care of them. They live in the same building as the dog daycare and overnight play room, so they are there 24-7 to look out for the dogs. They also have enough space to separate big dogs and small dogs into different play areas. Really what stands out to me about Pooches' is how Molly and Jen are just natural ""dog people."" I always feel comfortable leaving my dog-child with them (I've been a client for over two years). They are also ""green"" and have fostered rescue dogs and done fund-raising for shelters. Pros: Personal attention, overall atmosphere Cons: Occasionally late with billing more

I love Pooches Playtime!!! They don't charge extra for 1:1 play with the dogs or attention with their staff. My dog can play all day and can go potty when ever he needs to. Molly picked up on a medical concern re my dog that i just didn't see and thank goodness she did!!! They never charge to trim nails, clean ears, scratch a belly or brush out - the other places nickel and dime me to simply pet my dog!!! They have good hours and I like that the owners live on site. more

I've been taking my dog to Pooches for eight years. The owners, Molly & Jen, treat my dog like their own. He loves them so much! Even though it is a business, for me it is like dropping my most prized friend off at with my best friends! They take such good care, REALLY love animals and are devoted. more

I have taken my dog here since she was 9 weeks old. she is now almost 8. They worked with her as a puppy which was fantastic. Several places wont even take puppies. Now that she is all grown up I still take her there. It's nice to know when I'm out of town that she is well taken care of. The owners, Molly and Jen love the dogs. They do all they can to make sure your pooch is as happy as possible while away from you. Pros: cage-free, takes puppies more

An employee left a window open and my dog got out. My dog was later caught next to a freeway off ramp by a motorist. Cons: everything more

We boarded our dog at Poochies Playtime for about 2 weeks while we were out of town at Christmas time this year. We chose Poochies Playtime because we used them this past summer for 2-3 days while looking for a place to live after moving to the area from Virginia. We had absolutely no problems that time and decided to use them again. I called to check on our dog every 2-3 days the whole 2+ weeks we were gone. I was always assured that everything was great and our dog was doing just fine (no problems, I was always told). However, after getting home we noticed our dog's stomach was severely irritated. I had asked Poochies Playtime staff to give him a bath before we arrived so that he would be nice and clean when we got home. It looked like someone had cut his hair and it was very uneven and looked basically like a hack job. I kept a close eye on our dog's tummy area for about a week after arriving back home and it seemed to continue to get redder and more irritated. Our dogs breath also smelled very bad, which was not the case before we left him. I eventually took him to a vet to be checked out and she prescribed him antibiotics. I contacted the Poochies Playtime owner my e-mail a couple times (back & forth) to tell her my concerns. Among other comments, she stated ""Other points to consider are that he became aggressive, bit other dogs and a staff member and we can no longer care for him."" I e-mailed her back immediately after receiving this message and asked her why this was never expressed to me when we picked him up or even when I had called every 2-3 days while we were gone! She didn't have an explaination, she just said they could not care for him anymore. I was very disappointed in the care my dog received and I wanted to express this to others who might consider using their service. If my dog was aggressive and bit like she said, why didn't she tell me this before I brought up my concerns about the health of my dog after spending time in her care? Pros: Cage free care Cons: Bad customer service more

When you treat your dog as if it were your child, you need the best child care out there. Our family (including our Golden Retriever, Foster) recently had to relocate back East; we only wish we could take Pooches with us. \r \r For nearly ten years Molly and Jen and their colleagues took care of Foster as if he were their own child. Daily walks allowed us to be at work without feeling guilty. Overnight boarding at the commodious Jerrold street location permitted us to go on vacation, knowing Foster was also on vacation, not in jail/kennel. On occasion, Pooches staffers house sat for us as well. We knew we could trust them to take care of the place as well as our most trusted posession.\r \r The walks are great. Foster was often gone for hours, running off-leash with his friends from Pooches and coming home happy and tired. The daily company of other dogs and people goes a long way toward helping to make a social dog who can deal with any situation.\r \r I've never written a review for Citysearch before, but I feel compelled to do so to let fellow dog people know about Pooches. Pooches makes having a dog in the city not only possible, but easy-peasy. Now if only they would open a branch in Connecticut....... Pros: friendly staff; convenient location more

Molly and Jen and the POOCHES crew - many thanks again to you all for taking care of our dog.\r \r My experience with Pooches Playtime was thoroughly excellent. Molly met with me beforehand to observe and get general info. She is utterly professional, loves dogs and understands the relationship between people and their pets. I am convinced that our pup had a better time with Pooches than he has at home! \r \r While we were away I emailed to find out how things were going and got a quick response and even a photo.\r \r When we came back we met Jen and she told us how much she enjoyed spending time with our pet, which was proven by the enthusiastic way he greeted Jen as we were saying goodbye.\r \r It's a huge load off our minds to know Pooches Playtime is here. I highly recommend them! Pros: parking, all around excellent service Cons: no waiting room area. more

was good to go there..!! this is a good place, but the customer service was so so..\r that was my first impression... but the final service was good..!!\r \r more

My English mastiff has been going to pooches for a year. She has grown up with the owners and their staff. Even though she is huge they always make room for her in the playgroup walks and boarding. Then I rescued another English Mastiff a couple of months ago that has behaviorally issues and they have been great working with her. I dont know what we would have done without Pooches. They are always friendly and helpful and they really care about dogs. When they come back from playgroup both of them are tired and that is GREAT for me. more

I've used Pooches for over 10 years. Molly and Jen are very knowledgeable, calm and compassionate. They always make room for us - be it for a few hours or a few weeks. My (multiple) dogs always come home tired and happy - from all the play and exercise Pooches provides. I LOVE that they don't use cages. The dogs get alot of physical touch and affection from the caring staff at Pooches. At several other places I checked out, my dog would never be touched by a human for the whole time I was on vacation - unless I paid extra! Pooches also takes my off-leash trained dogs for a park walk while they are boarding. Most other boarding facilities keep the dogs inside all day. With Pooches, keeping the girls on a more normal routine while we are gone results in much calmer, happier dogs when we return. Pros: Love, Experience, I trust them more

I have been a customer for 4 years and trust that my beloved family member is safe and well cared for at Pooches. The owners are highly experienced, with an abundance of common sense and love for their canine charges and I have found their employees to be attentive and caring as well. It is very common for dogs first attending 'day care' to come home exhausted due to higher and more intense amounts of activity, a point which was explained to me at my initial interview in person and in writing. When my Jake was a pup, Pooches set aside 'nap time' for him as he was quite simply unable to pace himself. I have found Pooches to be responsive and open to providing what works best for my four legged friend within the realm of a day care setting. Pros: Experienced, Clean considering, easy hwy access Cons: busy street in am more

I dont know what we would do without Pooches Playtime. Our dog has been going to Pooches for over 2 years (couple days per week). The peace of mind knowing he is getting the attention he needs, is highly socialized with other dogs (not confined to a kennel like other doggy daycares) and knowing they will take care of him like he is their own is the greatest benefit. Our pup is tired when he gets home but since he is a 4 year old lab with a ton of energy, this is another benefit for us. If you are looking for a day spa for your dog to get a bath try a groomer. If you want to have the peace of mind that your dog is getting great care, for a very reasonable price when you cant be with him/her I highly recommend Pooches Playtime. Pros: Safe Environment, Happy Dogs, Dedicated Staff Cons: N/a, N/a, N/a more

I LOVE POOCHES PLAYTIME....MY DOG DIZZY ADORES JEN AND MOLLY AS WELL. THE DOG WALKS ARE LONG, NOT JUST THE USUAL RUN AROUND BERNAL AND HOME BUT LONG WALKS AT MCLAREN PARK AND HE COMES BACK TIRED AND READY FOR A NAP. BOARDING IS WONDERFUL, I CAN LEAVE DIZZY IN THERE CARE AND GO AWAY WITHOUT ANOTHER THOUGHT. THE STAFF IS GREAT AND ALWAYS WILLING TO DO SOMETHING EXTRA. more

I've had a chance to visit, be interviewed and use their services and I couldn't be happier. The staff really seems to love all the dogs and instead of 1 or 2 playtimes, my dog had playtime all day! My interview with the owner let me know that my dog's safety was their first concern. I read the other review and I have to say....of course he was tired! He played all day with the other dogs instead of sleeping at home all alone. Seriously? check it out, you'll love the place and the staff. Pros: Worth the money, pets are safe more

Wow! What a great place! I've taken my dog here many times and every time I picked her up she didn't want to leave! It's always clean and the staff are friendly and helpful! I trust the owners totally and they treat their client's dogs as if they were their own. I never worry about dropping my girl off there. She hops out of the car without even a backward glance for me! Your dog will love it!! Plus, they're the most affordable daycare in SF! Pros: very friendly, inexpensive, trustworthy more