AL'S BOARDING KENNELS

They charge a daily fee. The food is included, which is huge. You can also bring your own food. The owner is very conscious of her charges -- she really seems to care about the animals. She does a fabulous job.

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The day I dropped my dog off was the 1st time I saw the facility, just before my flight. My dog had a small caged kennel, maybe 2x3 and 24 hour access to a larger concrete pad outside via a chewed up plastic flap.  They supply food, but I brought my own.  I asked if he would get exercise and they said that it would be extra so I opted for the short walk each day. There were several dogs in this outbuilding that were barking incessantly, I'm hoped they would settle down after I left.  I felt bad about leaving him here because I have only previously used higher quality kennels that are heated / air conditioned and used barriers between pets to reduce stress.  He was fine when I picked him up.  Apparently, he would not defecate on the concrete pad so the lady walked him for that purpose, which was considerate. I won't feel comfortable bringing him there again due to the building conditions and the kennel setup.

I don't know if "Al" exists, because for about 20 years now we have periodically boarded our dogs and we have always been checked in and out by Chris. We first started using Al's with our previous pooch named Casey. Now, our Bailey stays with Al's when we are away for a couple days or weeks. Every time I have been at the kennel, there are a large number of cats and dogs boarding there. I took this as a positive sign to mean that a lot of people know good service. The kennels are always clean and Chris is always working hard to maintain a great kennel. She has at least one assistant to help. The exercise program amounts to walking about 1/2 mile on a leash. I have seen Chris out walking the dogs in her rural neighborhood, one of the few left in Mendota Heights. I had tried about 5 other boarding kennels in the area before finding Al's. There was no need to look any further. The price, although it doesn't matter with my precious pup (all 105 lbs of him), is competitive. This is a kennel with a wonderful caring proprietor. It is NOT a pet spa.

WE HAVE HAD 'AL'S' TAKE CARE OF OUR DOG NUMEROUS TIMES and HAVE ALWAYS BEEN IMPRESSED WITH THE CLEANLINESS OF THE KENNELS, RUNS AND WITH THE FRIENDLINESS OF CHRIS WHO MANAGES EVERYTHING.