Santa Monica Kennels Svc

I STRONGLY recommend Santa Monica Kennels for boarding if you have a cat. I have a three year old siamese cat who is my baby and never been boarded. I boarded him for a week and I was nervous the whole time. The manager was a delight. She didn?t mind that I called every other day to check on my cat. And even returned my call when I called after hours. The area where the cats stay is an entire apartment! The cats have cupboards and closets and drawers to hide and play in. They even have an enclosed outdoor balcony where they can see the ocean. When I picked up my cat, I was so pleased. My cat was calm and relaxed. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND this kennel! more

RECOMMEND - SANTA MONICA KENNELS IS EXCELLENT I have boarded my dog at Santa Monica Kennels for years. They are an excellent facility. Anyone that says otherwise is wrong. I travel frequently and have always found my dog to be excited to arrive at the kennel and excited to see me when I pick him up. This means ?my dog is happy there?. The staff is knowledgeable, kind and there 24 hours a day. The kennel is safe and clean and the dogs are walked and played with constantly. My next trip will take me out of the country for three weeks. I know my dog will be loved, safe and happy at Santa Monica Kennels. more

I had a death in the family and had to find a place to board my king charles puppy asap. I was lucky to find this kennel. The owner and staff were so kind. The place was very clean and they feed an all natural dog food. I liked that they walk the dogs around the dog park next door several times a days. And they use leather leashes strong enough so your dog is safe and secure. It was also great they give bathes to each dog before they go home. My dog smelled great. more

The Dog Training is GREAT! I have a six month old yellow lab named Fresh who stayed at the kennel and was trained by Ira at Santa Monica Kennels. Ira did an amazing job! Fresh came home completely potty trained, walks on a leash without pulling me and listens to me! I opted for the 4 week training, which at first seemed long, but was perfect. My dog still has her same playful personality. Fresh and I both learned the commands and it is a pleasure to have a trained dog. If your dog needs training, it is worth every penny to use Ira. His staff is nice too. more

Can more

Cannot comment on training which is very expensive. They are next door to a dog park and walk each dog 5 times a day around the park. To my way of thinking those 5 walks are more important to a dog than the prettiness of the facilities. Sit outside and you will see people walkiing the dogs all day long. All the rest matters to people but not to dogs. more

you say you get charged for two days even if you picke up at 8 am well your dog is being cared for from midnight to 8 am. so your not supposed to pay for that. also your dogs only gets per your instuctions 2 1/2 cups in th am you said she nibbles throught the day. Also when you drop off you are asked what time will you be picking up because the get a complimentary bath. you should have said you didnt want a bath. and you were the one very rude. more

They rip you off by charging you for the day you pick up your dog even if it is EXACTLY WHEN THEY OPEN THEIR DOORS at 8:00 a.m.! They then tell you they gave the dog a complimentary bath & fed your dog! I brought my own food, which they told me she didn't even et the morning I picked her up. My dog has hyper sensitive skin & allergies. I did NOT ask or want their bath. Now my dog has had an allergic reaction to their shampoo! They totally rip you off! Pros: There are none Cons: RIP OFF more

I paid $5000 to have my two dogs trained. Specifically I sent them in to learn the ""no"" command which the trainer assured me would take care of their barking. I was very specific about this being the main problem. more

I am not sure why this kennel still shows up with so many stars after all of these negative reviews. It's dirty, they staff is rude and the dogs are all terribly upset by the time they come home. Don't send any animal here. Pros: Zero. Cons: Everything. more

The outside of this kennel looks great but once you walk it, it'll smell like a dog pound. In fact, it has that very look and feel of a dog pound. They will take in ANY dog, so you will hear a lot of badly behaved dogs barking and crying. The noise and the stench is so unbearable you have to wonder why people even drop off their dogs at this pound. The dogs are all confined in crates so throughout the day they may urine and defecate on the ground, which will really ruin your crate-training or potty training. Pros: Location Cons: Smelly, noisy, dirty, EXPENSIVE. more

I used to work at Santa Monica Kennels and I would NEVER board my dog there. Mind you, I am by no means a disgruntled employee, I quit on my own terms, I simply couldn't take it any longer. Here is the deal, people, they are liars and just in this for the money, the statements they make on their website and pamphlets are simply not true: the cages are cleaned once for every dog in the morning. They are only cleaned more if there is need (dog soiled it), not a ""minimum of twice a day"". The dogs get walked around the little dog park next to the faciltiy about twice a day, if they are lucky maybe three times (""4 - 6 times a day, yeah right!). There is no playtime or love/cuddle time, the place is understaffed and there is simply no time for that. And no, the dogs do not get to frolick around the dog park like some people think. The ""bedding"" consits of a rubber mat and a towel! The gourmet food was standard IAMS when I worked there (maybe they changed that, however I doubt it!). The complementary Bath is simply a necessity, since all the dogs are filthy and reek after having spent 24hrs a day in a run! The worst part however are Holidays (especially Christmas and Thanksgiving)! The place will be stacked with Vario Kennels and they accept twice as many dogs as they are legally allowed to! We struggled to clean all the cages and kennels and not all the dogs got a chance to even go out and stretch their legs! We were totally understaffed, four employees for about 140 dogs!!! (the legal capacity is about 60 dogs!). Trust me, I saw the saddest pooches in that place and I would never ever to that to my dog. Do your dog and yourself a favor and avoid Santa Monica Kennels at all cost. Did you ever wonder why they do not have any pictures up on their website? Well, I don't, I know why! Try Wagville, K9-Camp or Go Dog LA instead. Your dog will be most grateful! more

Let me preface my comments by stating that I understand that on occasion dogs DO get a cough/get a little sick after being boarded at a kennel. However, not only did I pick up a VERY sick dog after a brief (4 night) stay at SM Kennels, but I also got no warning or comment from the staff about my dog's condition. Pros: absolutely nothing Cons: customer service, attitude, lack of interest/care for health of animals. more

They are very expensive dog training programs. By paying about $3000 or more for a 6 weeks program, you may think that your dog would be trained well and not do any house breaking. The truth is, my dog only know how to sit, come, recognize NO. These are basic commands that I bet EVERYONE can train their own dogs easily. My dog came back worse than before. He would urine very little and not poo at all when we bring him out for a walk. Even I walk him every 3 hrs, my dog still poo and urine in the house near but not ON the wee wee pad. I don't expect to have to walk my dog continuously after the training program! Even worse, he would bite and break the wee wee pad, bite through the wall. Well, Santa Monica Kennels' suggestion after the training is to put your dog in a crate. Wow, so I paid $3000 for training my dog to be put in a crate so then he won't do any house breaking! I see no point of training a dog at Santa Monica Kennels at all. Oh, and don't try to express yourself to hope to get a solution to your dog's problems after the training. Because their customer service after the training may be terrible. No matter what a customer says, I don't think employees at Santa Monica Kennels should yell or scream at you, which one of them did to me. The worst service I have ever experienced. Cons: Service, HouseBreaking Training more