Austin Dogtown Boarding & Daycare

I am giving Austin Dogtown two stars because my sweet pup always seemed to have fun, despite a more-​often-​than-​not frosty reception upon drop off. She attended daycare here one day a week for about 6 months about a year ago. I was actually surprised to see that this place still has 4.5 stars. We are not hard to please. Yet, there were a lot of cons for us.
On more than one occasion the person taking my dog back at drop off appeared frustrated by my dog’s excitement at being at daycare, yanking her by the collar and yelling at her. I was only able to witness this through the window on the front door, as the staff generally don’t let you come in when you’re dropping off. My girl is super easy going and comfortable in the daycare setting, so while I don’t think this was detrimental to her, I do believe that it was very unprofessional behavior at best. If the staff are so flustered, perhaps that’s an indication that they are accepting too many dogs.
For us, the other major con of Austin Dogtown was the utter inflexibility in pickup times. On one occasion my husband was stuck in a major traffic jam on Mopac after work on his way to pick up our dog. Knowing of their strict pickup policy, he called Austin Dogtown to let them know he’d be just a few minutes late. We had a regular, weekly reservation for daycare. We had never been late before. They let him know that if he were to arrive late, they would have to board our girl for the night. He arrived 3 minutes late. I’m not exaggerating. He rung the bell. No one answered. That’s pretty abysmal customer service.
Although our dog always seemed to enjoy her time there, luckily we were able to find a much better daycare fit for the humans of our family.

They are so nice to my dog and I know he has a blast every time! He sleeps the whole next day after he gets home. Love the fact that they have water related games in this heat and tons of indoor area for my dog – he is black and husky so he can’t take direct sun all day. Just make sure you make a reservations a few weeks ahead because they do fill up quickly, especially on holidays and in the summer. Also I appreciate that they offer cage free boarding as well as services including nail clipping and grooming.

first of all, my large breed is pretty fearful of all things — especially new situations. so, i always feel like a terrible dog mom for leaving her at day care or boarding. however, i no longer feel so bad, because judging by the facebook photos of my girl while i was out of town, she clearly looooves this place. you know how sometimes dogs smile? yeah — well, i have a «sad dog» and she was totes smiling while hanging with the other canines at dogtown.
i love that this place is so super conveniently located, too. right on the way to the airport — so no traipsing around town all over the place before having to get on a plane. HUGE plus, right there.
the staff is so sweet, too. they sent me pictures and gave me a progress report on her evaluation day. it’s the little things — and dogtown has them all covered.

I recently started bringing my new puppy to Dogtown and couldn’t be happier. She is now 4 months, and I want to continue her socialization (and drain some of that puppy energy…). There isn’t a place I would trust more than Austin Dogtown. My pup can get a little anxious when I leave her with other people, but just like my last dog, she leaps through the doors and never looks back. I LOVE the pics they send me and post on Facebook. She is passed out in the backseat before we even pull out of the parking lot. So happy to have found such a great place run by such caring owners!

So I meant to post this review awhile ago but forgot about it after finding a much better daycare to bring my dog to.
I was bringing my pitbull pup (1.5 old) Mac to Austin Dogtown for daycare every Friday last summer for a couple weeks until one day I witnessed an unpleasant interaction with one of the main employees (Manager) and my dog. I had just arrived to drop Mac off, which first of all they lock their door and you have to ring a doorbell and then the lady didn’t even let me inside just took Mac’s leash from me with the door cracked and said «see ya at 6.» This to me was the first unprofessional thing they did but I let it slide because I had nothing else to complain about at first. However after one of these quick switches in the morning drop-​off I happened to hear yelling right after the door shut. I peered in their tinted windows to see the lady dragging Mac by his collar yelling «C’MON MAC» «MAC STOP». Mac is super sweet but I’m sure he was intimidated by getting thrown into a area full of dogs that is extremely loud and by some stranger yelling at him. His tail was between his legs and you could see how terrified he was. I had to leave and go to work and had no choice but to leave him for the day. My stomach was in knots all day and when I went back to pick him up I informed them I would not be bringing my dog back.
I understand having to get dogs in and out fast but maybe this place is just over capacity for how small of a building it is. Dogs need positive reassurance not negative screaming and force to allow them to adapt to the new environment.

By far, the best of 3 local places I’ve tried. Comparable rates, but exceptional care. This is the only place my dogs have visited where they come home tired, happy, and don’t need to immediately pee and drink water. I highly recommend Austin Dogtown.

I’ve had nothing but great experiences here! They are so accommodating and so friendly. My pup comes home so exhausted — I just know she’s had a great time!
I love that they just charge my card on file so I don’t have to worry about stopping in to pay each time. I book in advance because they do get booked up but as long as you plan you should be fine. I’ve only used their daycare services, not their boarding services, but if I needed to board my pup I’d definitely leave her here!
I was nervous about the test day because my little girl can be scared of big dogs but they kept her separated and said she did great. They even emailed me in the middle of the day with pics of her to put my worried mind at ease.

Our favorite doggy daycare and boarding. These people know what they’re doing and our dogs get all their energy out playing all day.
Dropping off the dogs is so much easier than the slightly cheaper corporate chain. You just swing by the entrance and someone is always waiting to take the dogs and you’re off in 30 seconds. Pick up is similarly simple. How do they get the dogs to the door so quickly the moment I show up?
Compare that to the big box pet store where you park in a huge lot and have to bring your dog to the back of the store where you wait in line behind other people whose dogs want to interact with yours and vice versa. Eventually an employee first puts a plastic collar on your dog and then has you sign paperwork before you can leave.
Plus, the dogs clearly have more fun at Dogtown, which has a total of like 7,000 square feet of space. Our normally energetic young dogs are always so chilled out after Dogtown.
Dogtown is run by local owners directly invested in its outcome and their superior service is actually greater value for the couple bucks more it costs than the corporate chain.

Tried this place out but I guess I’m VERY picky when it comes to those I’m crazy about. It wasn’t clean and very busy and not to structured. It seemed that it was too many dogs For such a small space. This seems to work for most from the positive reviews but I think for my dog I would prefer a more relaxed atmosphere. But she did sleep sound.

If Blanche could write this herself, she’d give it 100 stars! She jumps out of my car when she sees the building and doesn’t ever want to leave when it’s time to go. The ladies who run this place are so easy to work with and respond super quickly to bookings. I am really in love with my dog so I was pretty picky about deciding on a spot and this place is definitely the most highly recommended in the whole city!
My only complaint is that I which it was larger so it could hold more dogs! It tends to get booked up early!

I would be remiss if I never wrote a review about Austin Dogtown. My dog, a beautiful, somewhat aloof Sheltie, was a rescue and I treat him with an amazing (embarrassing) amount of tenderness and concern. He has a sensitive stomach and abandonment issues – he is scared we’re going to leave him somewhere and never come back. Austin Dogtown is the only place in Austin I trust to leave him.
I love that the dogs are free to roam all day. I know my sniffer just loves an all day pee spot and butt sniff spree, and more playful dogs get tons and tons of physical activity. I love that they give the dogs peanut butter kongs when they crate them for bed. I love that they post pictures of the pups on Facebook – it’s so good to see your pup on day 4 of a long trip and know he’s doing fine.
I wish I had more to say, but it’s tough since it’s sort of a run in and run out sort of thing dropping off and picking up. But, suffice it to say, I trust these people with my baby. He has stayed several overnight stays and always come back home in perfect shape. It’s a no-​frills kind of place, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone. It’s affordable, they really care and only a wimpy wallflower like my (wonderful in other ways) dog doesn’t have tons of fun.

Austin Dogtown is the best boarding/​daycare facility in Austin hands down! There’s no need to go elsewhere. Whenever I would take my little fur baby in I know she would receive the same care that she would receive at home. Being that she is a pibble, it was somewhat difficult to find a place where they would allow her to roam free with other dogs, but at Austin Dogtown there are no breed restrictions and she was able to play with dogs of all sizes. Another great thing about Austin Dogtown is they send you updates and pictures of all the fun your fur baby is having. They were always nice and quick to respond when I would check in on Una while I was away on vacation. I miss Austin Dogtown dearly since moving to CA because I know I won’t find a place that will care for my Una as much as Rebecca and her crew have. Thank you Austin Dogtown for all your hospitality!

The more I think about Dogtown the more I cannot help but love them! Our dog is a rescue who just does not like being alone. He has greatly improved since we have had him but he will never be the type of dog to just sleep while we are away. We knew he would not thrive in a typical boarding environment and would probably spend the entire stay howling, digging, and otherwise going nuts.
Thats where Dogtown came in! It was a wonderful option to help drain our dog of energy and give him a great place to stay while we were out of town. We love to use them for daycare too if we know we will be staying in Austin for the whole day so he can burn off some energy while we run around the town.
I never have to think twice about leaving him here! He always returns to us a happy fellow (and then promptly falls asleep for the rest of the day). Also, love that they post tons of photos of their pups so you can stalk your dog on the internet while you are away! Just what the overbearing dog parents needs.

I love Austin Dogtown! A great local business that understands your dog’s need to «be a dog». I bring my dog here twice a month but would bring him everyday if I could afford it. The staff is friendly & upbeat, you can tell they love what they do! As mentioned by Chiqui B, our dog is like a Zombie when he comes home so I know he enjoys it too!
They also offer grooming & overnight boarding services; with available private rooms.

All I can say without being redundant is that every time I come home from work when Diablo has spent a day at Dogtown is that he is Zombie Dog the rest of the evening. It’s fucking great! We love Austin Dogtown, and our puppy does too.

I can’t believe I haven’t yet reviewed the awesome folks at Austin Dogtown.
My girl Mindy LOVES it there. At the previous place we boarded her, she would always balk at the door and you could tell she was not happy to be there. It was awful; it always hurt my heart to leave her there, even though the staff always told me afterwards that she had enjoyed herself.
At Austin Dogtown, she runs right up to the door, tail a-​waggin’, and you can tell she’s excited to see Becca, Laurie, and all her other Dogtown friends, both human and canine. She never, ever looks back as I leave… which makes her mama a little bit sad in a different way, but also means I have 100% peace of mind that she’s having a great time while I’m off on vacation or at work (we also take her for weekly play dates here, she loves it so much). The dogs are never kenneled or crated except for meal time and sleep time, so it’s basically all play, all day — it’s no wonder she loves it there! And the staff is great about posting photos of the pups having fun, so I get to stalk Mindy on Facebook and see her at play.
I think the only thing that could improve Austin Dogtown would be if they let me play there all day, too. Big thanks to Becca, Laurie, and the rest of the Dogtown crew for taking such great care of my girl when I can’t be there to do it myself.

I previously had a nightmare of an experience leaving my dogs with a pet sitter– my schnauzer got loose and was lost for over 24 hours. Thankfully, I found him and I think I was more traumatized than he was. This happened in September and I avoided going back to the East Coast over the holidays because I was scared to leave my dogs.
I spent months researching dog kennels, boarding facilities, in-​home pet sitters, etc, and I finally decided I was comfortable enough to take my pups to Austin Dogtown based off of the glowing reviews I read. I was not disappointed! I immediately felt at ease dropping them off for their evaluation day– the double gate entrance, the owners obvious competence in understanding dog nature, and their kindness towards me knowing I was a nervous wreck. I received picture emails throughout the day with updates, and when I went to pick them up, they had a report card and pictures printed out for me.
Later that week, I dropped them back off for their weekend stay. I definitely felt like my dogs were enthusiastic about going back, and the peace of mind I felt was priceless. I received another picture/​update email over the weekend, and my dogs seemed so happy and well cared for when I picked them up.
Thank you, thank you, thank you Austin Dogtown!

Rebecca, Laurie, and the DogTown crew get maximum stars. I learned about them from my neighbor, who drives all the way across town to take her two long-​haired chihuahuas there for play days.
Pros:
— Lucy (aka Luci Baines) and Emily seem to love going to DogTown; they have boarded there twice now and I keep meaning to take them to a play day. Lucy, who is a nervous dog, was apprehensive on the first visit. I can tell she’s warmed up to going, which is a big deal for her. They seem happy to arrive at DogTown now and they both come home tired out (a great thing) and healthy-​looking. All the dogs there seem super happy when we visit.
— They get LOTS of love and playtime at Taurus. Lucy has come home with a tiny nick or two, but they’re like kids — I know that means they’ve been playing a lot.
— The facilities appear clean and safe. I feel especially reassured by the double door/​gate system they have set up at the front. The outside play area is awesome — they get to play with the other dogs in a kiddie pool and with a hose! So much fun!
— Dogs get peanut butter Kongs at bedtime. I know this helps them relax and gives them something to do before bed to make them feel loved and not lonely about being away from home. It makes me feel better about leaving them there, because I know they must miss their usual nighttime cuddles.
— Rebecca and Laurie are AMAZING. They remember us and our dogs, and they are incredibly detail-​oriented and organized. All our «stuff» is always labeled and in the front room ready to go when we arrive for pickup, and they are always expecting us and have all our info handy at drop-​off. Laurie will email us in advance if there are details we need to touch base about. All the staff that I’ve encountered seem great and clearly love our dogs.
— We got a nail trim last time and they did a good job; I know my girls are difficult about that.
— This is silly, but I love all the updates about our dogs. Taurus staff upload playtime photos to Facebook and I get to see how much fun Lucy and Emily are having while we’re away. The staff always know who their friends are. It’s reassuring, it’s fun for me, plus I get some great shots of my dogs, including some that the staff print out to take home at check-​out. I joke that Lucy and Emily get their vacation photos uploaded faster than I do. The dogs obviously don’t care about this aspect, but it’s a big perk for me.
Con:
— The only con I can think of is that DogTown has limited availability because they are so popular. It’s hard to get in, especially during holidays, unless you plan way in advance — which unfortunately my work schedule is not typically conducive to. I’m almost hesitant to write this review because I know all the 5-​star reviews only compound this problem, but Rebecca and her team deserve the kudos.
I hope they’ll expand one day, but hopefully they will keep only one location, because having Rebecca and Laurie on site appears to be the primary factor that makes DogTown so great.
Whenever I think of moving away from Austin, I think, «but ugh, I’ll never find a boarding place as great as DogTown!»

Oh Dogtown, I would give you 100 stars if I could. First, I would like to preface this with the fact that I love my dog WAY to much. I’m like a new mommy. I literally plan my life around my dogs bathroom/​eating/​sleeping schedule. Its not healthy. But he is the greatest dog ever.
That being said, I just moved out of Austin (waaah!!!) and I think this is the one thing I will miss the MOST, even more than Torchy’s or Homeslice or Barton Springs. Becca and her crew are fan-​freaking-​tastic. They took in my big fluffy polar bear baby boy (Albus the Great Pyrenees) and really took the time to get to know him and his play style and did everything they could to make sure he was comfortable and happy.
They also post pictures all the time on facebook, and videos too, so you can see your dog having the greatest day ever with all his new best friends. And when we boarded him there, they would send us email updates which was awesome. Oh and they give all the dogs frozen peanut butter in puppy kongs before bedtime. Albus freaking loves peanut butter. I mean, who doesnt.
They also bathe and groom him (which is a chore, let me tell you) for $ 40. $ 40!!! Thats a steal. It takes at least 4 hours just to blow dry my dog — as said, he is a giant beast covered with10 inch long white hairs. Petsmart charged us $ 65 and they do a crap job.
Some people have said that the dogs come home with a «doggy» smell. Albus would come home smelling like baby powder, which may be a deodorizer, but the worst he ever had was a little dirt on his lion mane (aka neck fur) from his excessive drooling issues— but if you ask me, that’s just a sign of him having the greatest day ever (see above).
My dog would come home totally blissed out, walk into the house, and collapse in a heap of furry sleepy joy. And every time we pulled into their parking lot he got really excited and did full circle tail wags — thats love. He really came out of his shell and we love Dogtown SO much. Please open one in Houston? Albus misses you guys.

I love Austin Dogtown. The only downside to the place is that the facility is really small. Everything else is perfect. They only crate the pups when it is feeding time and sleeping time. They rest of the time the dogs are out playing together and walking around. I have only used Dogtown twice so far, but they are definitely my go to boarding facility. The two times we have borded our dog at Dogtown she was super happy and peppy when we picked her up… until we got her in the car. Then she just passed out. She definitely got plenty of exercise. Nothing like coming home from a vacation to a happy, worn-​out, puppy. If you need a place to board your pet, I definitely recommend Dogtown.
Pros: Only Crate Pups for Feeding and Sleeping, Friendly Staff, My Dog is Happy When I Pick Her Up!
Cons: Small Facility