Animal Friends Pet Hotel

This is my first experience with owning a cat and having to take it to a pet sitter and I must say this experience was pretty satisfying.
I came in unannounced because I didn’t know their procedures. They told me that I should call ahead of time so that they can make sure there was enough boarding to make the reservations. Oops. But even though I made that mistake they were still courteous and informative.
The staff members seemed very warm and nice and even fun to converse with. My cat was apparently «cute and friendly» to them because every time I called to ask about him they seemed to remember exactly who he was.
I came in to check up on him after two days to see how he was doing and noticed his nose was a bit swollen. Concerned, I asked one of the staff members and she was puzzled too and said it could be because he kept rubbing his face against the cage to try and get out. But she took the initiative and jot down notes about it so that they could keep an eye out. I thought that gesture was awesome itself because it shows that they care.
I would definitely recommend this location to others because of the price and quality of service and I would no doubt come back when I need them to watch my cat again. So far my experience has been great and I feel I can trust them with my pets.
FOR THOSE WHO HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT APARTMENTS
There are 1, 2, 3 «Apartments» and a Pent house Suite.
Each apartment is a single cage, but multi cage apartments are connected giving your cat room to walk around. I went with the Apartment 1 because my cat had stayed there awhile and I needed something affordable. I had many questions about the handling of cats and they were happy to answer my questions.
If your cat is problematic they will notify you and switch to a larger apartment so that they can switch the litter and feed safely and stress-​free. Of course you would have to pay for upgrades but I believe if it gives your pet peace of mind, it’s worth it.
The staff does not take the time to play with your cat unless you upgrade to a pent house suite and if it is friendly with people. The pent house is actually a bit cheaper than the 3 Apartment option so I would recommend that if you want extra space and attention for your fur baby.

I have been bringing my dog here for the past couple of years and I use them frequently (5 – 10 times/​year). I have never had any issues whatsoever! The staff is super friendly and they are always accommodating. Yes, your animal may not get the TLC they get from you at home, but this place is really good for when you are away. I would recommend this place to anyone and I will continue to bring my ‘lil doggie here as well. :)

Very upset with the service and the unspoken care that took place here. A friend recommended this place to us and it’s near our house. We were going on a week trip and decided to board the dogs for 5 days during the new year Eve’s week. Price was reasonable. When we picked up our dogs they seemed so lethargic and weak. They did NOT smell good either. The staff is not friendly either. When I dropped off my babies I asked for a tour and the girl told me it was too busy in the back to go on a tour. Anyways, when we took them home we noticed that our pit bulls elbow was missing hair, like she’s been laying on her elbow for 5 days. She loss weight too. Our Shih Tzu was so hungry and thirsty once she entered the house. They slept most of the day. We will not be taking them there anymore. So disappointed. I know they didn’t take good care of our dogs and probably locked them up all day. Our babies are precious to us. The staff did not seem to share the same love of animals like we do. No smiles at all.

TAKE YOUR PET SOMEWHERE ELSE!
We dropped our dog off on Saturday morning while we headed to San Diego for the weekend. Originally we planned for her to stay until Monday, but we decided to pick her up Sunday instead. Not only did they charge us for both days when she only stayed for one, but that charged us for bringing her own food. THEY CHARGED US FOR OPENING HER FOOD BOWL? Seriously? Besides that, when I checked in I told them to feed her in the evenings. so really they shouldn’t have fed her at all yet (Sunday 12pm). When i dropped her off a woman who happened to be the owner helped me. and all she did was try and upsale me the entire time. it didnt feel welcoming… it didnt feel helpful. it was uncomfortable and pushy. This will be my dogs very last stay here and I’ll be sure to let my friends and family know to take their pets somewhere else from now on. I’m sure there are better options in the area.

I boarded my dog here for the first time over the weekend and I must say it is attractive in price but it is inconsistent in information and the customer service could use some snuffing up. I drove by this pet hotel everyday for work and seeing how I am moving I went to check out other businesses besides petsmart, camp bow wow, and crossroads for a dog hotel. when I first called to inquire additional information, the lady over the phone was great. she was informative and took her time and answered my questions and so forth. I inquired about the pricing and she mentioned how many services are add on and the day of drop off I would get additional details and even a tour of the facility. the day of drop off I was excited and then felt disappointment and concern about leaving my dog here. initially I get told it was $ 18 and even double checked and then I am told it is 18 per day no matter what. that’s fine still less than most places. only 1 complimentary walk a day and if you wanted to add additional walks and playtime (10 – 15 mins) its all additional $ 2 dollars each time. if you want to bring your own food and they have to dispense it, its another $ 2. there is also a environmental fee of $ 3 which honestly I have no idea what covers. they do feed your pet but don’t specify what type of food is being fed in terms of what brand and when i inquired about how much is fed i received a sarcastic response. so after going through the process of check in and trying to ask questions, the lady at the front desk continuously cut me off and basically was on the defense of justifying the cost. I understand that there is a purpose for things but when I expect to pay 18 and the total comes out to 53.50 without a breakdown of course I am going to question things. I never received a tour of the facility and just didn’t feel comfortable with her approach whether it was me or my dog, but I wanted to give this place a chance. I come back the next day to pick up my dog and it is pretty much mediocre service and I don’t get told how my dog did overnight and so forth. I may come back here as a last resort but for the lady to say the reason we are so cost effective is because we don’t do many walks a day for the animal doesn’t sound justifiable in my mind. first impressions go along way especially to owners who treat their dog/​cat/​pet as a child.

I get my puppy, snoopy, groomed here and he absolutely LOVES the staff here. Everyone is professional and very knowledgeable and genuinely love their job and animals. Snoopy also always looks fabulous after every groom! Thanks guys!

I have taken my cats and now one cat to this Pet Hotel for 10 years now. I have received great service for my cat, Lori, who is almost 10 years old. She is a very sociable kitty and the staff love her. She loves water and enjoys her shower! I have never had any bad service since I’ve been going. They are very reasonably price, the love on all the animals and I always refer them to my friends.

I use their service very often and have never had any reason to complain. My furbaby is a shy one and they seem to know how to take care of him while I’m away which is great! I have boarded him here multiple times and have always been happy when he returns to me. I will be boarding him often since I’ve started working later and longer hours. I’m glad I found this affordable home away from home for my baby.

Whenever we take a trip to California (we live out of state), we bring our two dogs here. We have been taking both of them here since they became part of our family, and before we got the oldest one neutered last March he was very aggressive towards strangers, but whenever he came here he loved the staff, which says a lot. We had a bad experience with another dog boarding hotel where we are pretty sure they gave him some sort of sleeping/​relaxing medication, and he was deathly afraid of going into the hotel. Here, he is really happy and the staff remembers the dogs by name. The little one still has some separation anxiety, but she gets over it quickly when she comes here, they actually pick her up and pet her and bring her to the back (I hate when I see people drag her by the leash into the back). They are professional and kind, and I can definitely see that my babies are happy here. I honestly feel comfortable and relaxed and enjoy my vacation when I leave them here, whereas with other boarders I worry and call daily to make sure they are doing okay lol. I wish you guys were here so we could book them here for all our trips.:(

So let me start off with that I have been going back and forth about writing this review for a while now. Today finally put me over the edge. My fiancé and I have brought our dog to Animal Friends at least 6 times in the past year for boarding and grooming. Every time he stayed there there was always one thing that kind of rubbed me the wrong way but I always just thought it was just a circumstantial thing and it probably wouldn’t happen again. But when we went to pick him up today after boarding for a one night camping trip I realized that this place is just horrible. We had dropped him off Saturday afternoon and picked him up Sunday at 11am, when given our food bags back there was no food missing for Sunday. So my dog had not been fed since the day before. Also gauranteed every time I have picked him up he can barely make it out the door to go the bathroom which makes me believe they never walk them (which a complimentary walk is supposed to be included). This time they wanted us to get vaccines updated and I was almost positive that we had done them the last time he had stayed there which was a month ago and when I asked for a record of the shots that he has been given the front desk woman gave me attitude and would only print out a piece of paper that said when he was due for his next shots, seriously? Another incident that happened the third time he stayed there when picking him up it took the person working in the front 20 minutes to get my dog because they couldn’t find any record of him being there. So basically they are an extremely unorganized, poorly run kennel that does not care about the well being of any of the pets there. Don’t waste your time, money or welfare of your pet. I waited a little too long to realize this and just don’t want other people to make the same mistake.

The first weekend of May I had booked my kitten Marie in for the weekend while I went away on vacation. My Aunt had referred me to this Pet Hotel and I sure am glad I brought Marie here. The staff was very friendly and their pricing was very reasonable (I spoil my kitten lol so I booked her their Penthouse Suite at $ 15 a day)
While my baby was there, she got play time, received a grooming, food and a nice treat from my request and was extremely well taken care of. And while I waited to check her in and pick her up there were people constantly coming in and out of this establishment whether it was to pick up their pets from vacation or brought them in for grooming. So that reassured me that this place had a well established line of loyal customers.
Overall I am very VERY happy with my business here with the Pet Hotel and I will be using them in the future for when I go on vacation. Heck I may even bring her in for a grooming soon.

We brought our two medium dogs here over Thanksgiving while the family enjoyed Disneyland for a long weekend. We were very grateful to find a kennel with open space available only a couple days prior to the holiday. The charges were very reasonable and my pets were happy after the trip.
My basset hound is a real handful, but before I could give the standard warnings he had already warmed up to the person greeting us. They host a basset hound rescue or provide boarding for one I found out. My «special case» hound was very relaxed after his stay, so I feel confident going back in the future. Literally all my extended family have vowed not to pet-​sit anymore, to give you a clue why I mention this. My mixed breed is on medication and has numerous problems that I felt were well recorded and carried out to my instructions.
We have used local kennels in Northern California but our dogs are so great on roadtrips that we keep them along if we can manage. The hotel Mom booked for us actually allowed dogs we found out a few days too late, but for the convenience this was a great deal, and in a perfect location for our needs. We enjoyed the extra time we had to shuffle little nephews and nieces around that infernal park for a few days not worried about our dogs for once.
A true value, friendly atmosphere. I would return and will next time I take a Socal roadtrip in the future.
–L in Aptos

Do NOT come to this place. The place is unorganized, messy, and the staff are rude and not caring to pets. I made a huge mistake and had my two cats board here for a week while I was gone on vacation. I paid the highest price for their so called «cat suite» so they çan stay together in a larger cell and was told they would be allowed an hour of play time in a room per day. I come back to pick them up and noticed that their behaviors have completely changed. They were hissing at people, which they never did before, and they have been boarded at Pets Hotel at Pet Smart before and never showed this type of behavior. Even after few days they came back home, everytime I pick them up, they would tense their body, where as before they used to love being held. I don’t know how they treated my cats over there, but one thing for sure, DO NOT GO THIS PLACE. I regret so much for taking my cats here and this is something I will feel guilty for putting my cats in care of these irresponsible, rude people.

Our whole family went on vacation for 11 days, so we found this place to board our dog. Our Bichon has never been away from us and is not social or friendly with others. At first we were rather dubious and were afraid that he might return home sick or exhausted. After picking him up we were quite surprised by his health, energy, and happiness even after a long stay. It is evident that Animal Friends Pet Hotel is very thoughtful and compassionate towards the pets that board there.
Thank you Animal Friends! Now we can send our dog to board with ease of mind.

Disappointed. Everything was an upcharge, service desk was unorganized and chaotic. My small dog was stressed when I picked him up and my large dog was limping. My stuff wasn’t ready even though I called ahead, and I will have to go back to get their belongings. Instead I got the printed checklist I made and an empty bag. My bath was twice the prepaid cost and the excuses were flying once I questioned the extra 38 dollars on the bath cost. Story kept changing why it was so much more and what was done to my dog (shaved/​not shaved/​dematted/​uh something). Lots of extra charges for things that didn’t happen. Wouldn’t recommend them if you have an alternative.

The grooming here was great the boarding… no not really. I prefer boarding that doesn’t keep a dog locked up in a cage all day but that’s just me. Still… great grooming. :P

We have boarded our dog here at least 6 or 7 times and he has been happy, healthy and clean when we pick him up. He has stayed as little as two nights and as many as 15 and usually some number in between.
The price is fair for the boarding so we tend to pay for some extras like 2 walks, treats, grooming, etc. Seems to keep our pooch a little happier about being boarded. I have not experienced any of the stuff that another reviewer complained about in the two to three years we’ve been using them.

Great grooming here! I came in the ‘lobby’ looked a little dinky. The front staff was pretty friendly. We were just checking out the hotel in case we had to leave our little Dusty there on vacation. The worker there said that he was cute but thought he would look better with a poodle cut. (At Old Town Pet Grooming they did a horrible job but I don’t have to go into details.) So I agreed and scheduled an appointment tomorrow. I was a little hesitant though. I dropped him off and at 11:00 when I picked him up, he looked so handsome! The only thing is that they forgot to shave his neck so the lady just took him and did it real quick. That didn’t turn out to good but… oh well. I’ll definitely come back here for grooming. Probably will drop him off here if I have to go on vacation too.

I took my cat here twice, and am never going back. The workers at the front desk were anything but friendly, and my experience was even worse the second time.
I will admit that my cat is not a social one and can get pretty territorial when taken out of the home and put into the hands of strangers. He growls, hisses, and spits, but never really does much damage. The first time I brought him, he was automatically put into a double (for $ 14/​day) to make cleaning easier for the workers, supposedly. The second time we brought him back, they decided that my cat alone has a special rate of $ 20/​day because of his behavioral issues. I was also told this after I had driven 20 minutes to the hotel, so I had no choice but to leave my cat there, otherwise I was going to miss my flight. When I handed over my cat, they shoved him under the counter (instead of putting him in the kennel like they did the first time) so he could «calm down.»
When I came back, the workers were nothing but rude to me. As soon as I told them my cat’s name, I got dirty looks from all the workers, and wasn’t given any sort of welcome. The lady who charged me kept asking questions and criticizing me, trying to figure out why my cat is so aggressive. I was brought back and tried to calm my cat down as she watched over, but he was still growling. So she called over a vet from next door and had me wait outside while my cat was put into the cardboard carrier I brought. I don’t know what they did to him, but my cat urinated all over himself in the process, which I take as a sign of extreme anxiety. After waiting and hearing the workers laugh at the situation, I was given my «brat» and I left (without any help opening the door). I tried to apologize for my cat giving them trouble, but I got no farewell greeting at all. I was also lectured for about 5 minutes (by two workers) about why I should buy a plastic carrier, and that they won’t let me return without one. Oh, don’t worry, I won’t be back.
Overall I would not recommend this pet hotel. Regardless of if you have an extremely friendly and social pet or not, I would definitely look elsewhere. This place is no friend of animal or human.