Playful Pups

This is one of my dogs' favorite places, and they cannot get to the front door fast enough when we arrive in the parking lot for a visit.  They go there for occasional daycare and/or boarding when I have anything going on that limits me being able to take them for their regular daily walks, need to go out of town or have projects scheduled where they need to be out of the way of workers.  Sometimes they go to daycare to keep them from having cabin fever and to remain socialized in the presence of other dogs.  The staff is very nice and accommodating.  It is not as luxurious as the daycare/boarding facility closest to our primary residence in Florida, but I do not think they notice the difference.  They sleep for about 12 hours when they return from a visit because they play so hard, and I love that extra break when I have had a very busy day.

unknown

N/A

unknown

I took my puppy to Playful Pups for the first time a few days ago. I was very impressed! The staff was very friendly. I was very nervous about leaving my puppy (I haven't had him for that long) but they assured me that he would have a good time. I called around noon to check and see how he was doing and they said he was getting along great with the other dogs. I even got a report card at the end of the day saying how much he ate and that he made a new friend named Tilly! Gus and I will definitely go back!

.

My dog Bailey absolutely loves this place. I work really long hours and don't want to leave her in a crate all day. I take her there a couple days a week and it really helps get her energy out! They also have these cute little report cards that they send home with her to let me know how her day went.

The staff on the first visit was professional and friendly.  On subsequent visits , the staff was less friendly and less accommodating when scheduling an appointment.  I am disabled and due to the lateness of the hour; the increase in traffic; I was hit by a car when I went to retrieve my dog.

I had my dog spend the night here, and they also gave her a bath and cut. My dog seemed happy but the facility may seem poorly run. It is in an empty bank, and they have converted it into a kennel. They dont have much grass around the building.

Absolutely love this facility!!! Playful Pups takes excellent care of my dog...he is always happy to go and is very tired when I pick him up.

I have six large energetic babies that I regularly take to Playful Pups. Here they are able to run out their energy without annoying each other. They have several friends, described in their report cards at the end of every day they play. I know the staff love them as they start squealing and barking as we pull into the parking lot...and then drag me through the doors! Even at home when I mention going to "school" they get super excited! The look of happiness on each of their faces both when I drop them off and pick them up relieves me when I leave them; not to mention that they are all passed from exhaustion in my back seat before we reach the house! Each of my dogs has a different personality and the staff pay close attention to that. I appreciate Playful Pups very much!!

This was the first time we had to board out Peanut, a Welsh Corgi mix. Our niece was coming to stay with him while we enjoyed a weekend away for my husband's birthday but on very short notice, she had to cancel and we were in a bind! I called Playful Pups after reading the other reviews about them, and was so pleased that they said I could bring Peanut in the next day at 9 am  for socialization as well as to determine his temperament, which I appreciated very much. On our return Sunday afternoon Peanut was happy to see us but not stressed, clean, fluffy and smelling great as we had requested a bath and deshedding. We are very pleased and will not hesitate to entrust Peanut's care with them again.

My dog was attacked and injured by another dog at this kennel and I'm still giving them an A. Read on.
I visited playful pups by appointment to see the facility before dropping off the knuckleheads. The front area is impressive with multiple playrooms for smaller dogs separated from the lobby with big glass walls. I think the reviewers who describe the facility as "cage free" must only see this area. *Edit: cage free daycare - yes. Cage free overnight boarding - no, and logically so. Larger dogs play in the back. The back area is huge and open like a warehouse. There are typical individual wire kennels (good quality, permanent installation, not a mish mash of second hand portable cages) and large play areas separated by fences. Like any boarding facility its noisy and doesn't smell like roses. There's also an outdoor play area which appeared to be 3 former drive through lanes for a bank. This seemed strange at first but the concrete was clean and it's covered by a solid roof - not a bad use of space. It was explained that the dogs sleep and eat in individual kennels and have multiple group play times throughout the day both inside and out. It looked clean and there was good energy among the dogs playing there so I booked it, dropped off our 2 dogs the next day and traveled to a business conference.
I got the call about the attack the next day. The owner called personally. He was genuinely concerned and apologetic. My pit had playfully nipped at the legs of a husky and the husky chomped down on my girl's head twice - not playing. They took her to the Northside animal clinic where she was sedated and the 2 largest gashes (both over an inch long) were stiched up. The owner picked her up later that day and returned her to a private kennel where she spent the rest of her stay, closely monitored. He was candid about the situation, but explained things as delicately as he could - clearly unsure of my reaction. My feeling is that they're dogs and these things happen from time to time at any dog park or kennel where group play occurs. Playful pups supposedly gives every dog a 'temperament test' before releasing them into a group. I don't know what this test entails, but apparently the husky checked out ok. Obviously there's still some risk and for me that risk is worth it for my dogs to be active and social. The owner called with updates a couple more times throughout the day. Everything was handled very well. 
When I picked them up, both dogs were bathed, which I was not expecting. I'm not sure if this is standard, or if they were trying to soften the blow of the sight of my poor girls frankenstien head. The owner was there and went over everything that was done once again, gave me the paperwork from the vet and offered another apology. When I dropped my dogs off I signed a form stating that if they injured other dogs, I'd be responsible for the cost of any emergency vet care. I assumed the owner of the husky signed the same form and got the bill, but when I asked, the owner told me he picked up the tab for the vet visit himself. It was considerably more expensive than the cost of the boarding, so Playful Pups actually took a loss on our stay. Furthermore, when I paid I didn't ask for a discount but it came out to be a bit less than I was expecting. The other employees there commented on how good my dogs were. They described their personalities and playing habits to a tee. It was clear they gave them some real attention. Everyone was very friendly and professional and the attack, while unfortunate, was handled as well as I could have hoped.

The staff is incredibly accommodating.  They have great hours, cage-free daycare, and overall clean, nice facilities.  We love them and recommend them to all of our friends.

Dogs were great and the service was fantastic

Now that Playful Pals is in Columbus, I wouldn't take my dogs anywhere else! This is the only completely cageless facility in the area (that I know of) that is staffed 24 hours a day. The first time we left our dogs there, we were able to watch videos of them and I had never seen anything like it before. It was a boarding facility that was absolutely quiet! The video showed dogs walking around and occasionally playing as the trainer talked to them while video taping. The environment seemed so much less stressful than the usual kennel-stay. Now, when I pick my dogs up after taking a vacation, they are happy. Also, they are always clean when I pick them up because at Playful Pals, a bath comes with the stay.