A Dogs Life Daycare and Boarding, Cincinnati OH

A Dog’s Life is incredible! Dawn, the owner loved what she does and you can tell her staff feel the same. They are so kind and they are wonderful with all the dogs. With a pup that has a lot of energy, A Dog’s Life has been an a absolute blessing. It’s a great feeling to drop her off and know she’s going to have a dog’s best day!

There is no other place we would take our dogs! They love daycare and the employees really care about the experience every dog has. It is not the most beautiful of entries, but don’t let that fool you. Our girls have tried, nearly, every boarding and daycare facility on the east side. A Dog’s Life is the only place they forget about me and run in to.

I should have known better than to pick the cheapest daycare in the area but all the good reviews had me hopeful. When I started taking Buddy earlier this year we had no issues. He’s a high energy boy but very dog/people friendly and has completed obedience class. One day a worker told me he was “a big problem” and “always causing fights to break out”. They assured me however that he was not aggressive, just “too playful. ” This was the first I heard of any problem and it sounded like it was withheld from me for a while. The next time I picked him up a different worker told me he just has a problem with one dog that he’s “infatuated with”. I was getting 2 different stories. They suggested a trainer and socializing him at dog parks more. This didn’t sound like my dog, but I believed them and agreed to their suggestions. I continued to see no bad behavior when I took him to dog parks and the trainer I used also saw no problems and hinted that the workers just don’t know how to handle him and redirect him. A few weeks later I decided to bring him back. Within 1 hour of drop off I got a call I needed to pick him up now. They said “he’s playing too much” and the dogs he’s playing with are “not playful and are picky” I asked why he’s being punished for playing too much (is that not one of the main purposes of daycare?) and why it’s his fault these dogs aren’t playful. I wasn’t given a real answer but went to pick him up. When I got there I was not determined to argue, as I can’t prove to them what I know to be true, that’s he’s a good dog who would do well at any other daycare in town. I just asked if I would be refunded for the day as he was there for less than an hour. The owner Dawn said no because they “worked too hard in that hour” I then asked if they could just charge for a half day (per their policy this is a stay less than 5 hrs). They still said no. I was shocked. At this point they were just being spiteful. A few days later I did get a full refund so I don’t know why they acted so rude and unreasonable. I truly believe these workers are lazy and incapable of handling a high energy dog. I think Dawn is taking the side of the other dogs who’ve been there longer over my dog although he did nothing wrong. They apparently don’t have a way to separate high energy and low energy dogs and should be more upfront about their limitations at the beginning. They also don’t have cameras so who knows what is really going on there. I’m so glad my boy will never again have to step foot in a place where he is not loved or accepted. I would not recommend bringing your dog here.

I really don't want to write this review because I want to keep the best kept secret of dog boarding in Cincy to myself. Alas, A Dogs Life is too good of a facility and people and cost to not let other people know.

I've been taking my two large dogs here for over a year, and they are always happy when they get there and happy when they leave. The staff pays attention to detail, especially when we started boarding our nervous second dog, they watched over him the whole time.

In addition the staff is responsive, flexible on availability and have SUNDAY pick up! It's not a fancy dog spa facility, but my dogs do not need a TV, or a spa. They need an attentive staff who care for the animals every day and that is what Dawn and her team do. I highly recommend!