The Paw Pad

I’ve been going to the Paw Pad for a few years now. My chihuahua is an only child and I love the fact that I can take him to doggy daycare to socialize. At first it was a few days per week but my work schedule changed to nights, so now it’s a treat for him when Im off… Specially since the prices keep going up. This week we had one of those, and after I paid for the day they tell me they broke his food bowl and would give me $ 5, or I could choose one of the plastic ones they had there. They had ceramic ones with cat figurines or girly colors… My baby is a boy. This is after I already paid $ 25 for the day. I say no, to give me $ 10, it was ceramic and part of set. They tell me they can give me a $ 10 credit next time, well no. I just paid you, give me the money now since I have to go get him a new food bowl. They refused. Blamed me for taking a ceramic bowl. And mind you, this is me talking with the owner in the office. Honestly, I realized it was not worth it. I took semi boy/​girl bowl and left. I’ll use it for my cat. This is no way to thank your customers, well, if you want them to come back that is. My husband tells me it’s just a bowl but it has been his bowl since he’s a puppy… And yes, my baby could care less about it as long as he is fed but I care. If you are reckless about how you treat someone’s property I can’t imagine how you are with other things. Needless to say, not going back.

I’ve used 3 different doggie daycare and boarding facilities (outside of veterinary offices) and researched numerous locations to take care of my babies when I’m out of town. I’ve moved and wanted a location close to home. As far as amenities go, they are comparable to other Atlanta area facilities. But, I was bothered by at least two of Paw Pad’s pricing policies that are not typical (IMHO). First, they stated $ 6.00 per hour for a temperament test. If you want my business, do not charge me for something that you require. I’ve never had to pay for one before and I’ve boarded different dogs during the last 10+ years.
Second, when dogs are boarding, Paw Pad’s fees only include 2 hours of play time with other dogs. So, my pups have to hang out in the kennel and get to listen to the other dogs play. Dogs get plenty of potty breaks (during the day) but you will need to pay extra for additional playtime. There’s one other major corporation that has this policy but most other mom and pop shops don’t split hairs over boarding and daycare. I urge pet parents to shop around. Paw Pad seems to be a monopoly in McDonough.

Great place our puppy really enjoys his time there.

In June, 2014, I boarded our 14-​year-​old dog there based on others’ reviews and a recommendation from our vet’s staff. Like others’ reviews, I was impressed with the friendly staff at the Paw Pad and the cleanliness. We did not book the luxury boarding because of the cost — just a regular accommodation is $ 30 which is twice as much as we usually pay. When I picked our dog up, I asked the staff how she did and they said she did just fine and enjoyed playing every day. I noticed when they brought her out that her behavior wasn’t normal. On the ride home, again her behavior was odd. During the ensuing two weeks, our dog failed to engaged with us, was aggressive (she bit me three times and not by accident — she actually came after me). She was no longer hose broken, and wouldn’t eat for 4 days. It took a full two weeks plus for her normal behavior to begin to return. I took her to the vet who agreed that her behavior was not normal (our dog tried to bite the assistant an the vet). I researched all her symptoms, and everything pointed to abuse. I am not accusing them here because I would have no way of knowing what actually happened while she was there, but I definitely will not use them again or recommend the to anyone else.

Hopefully this hasn’t and won’t ever happen to anyone else but it sadly happened to me. I boarded my three dogs along with my families three dogs for three nights. My last night on vacation I got a phone call at 11 pm saying my two dogs broke the gate at 8pm, one came back but one was missing since 8! the one missing was only 25lbs. I was very angry I got a phone call three hours after he went missing, with all her workers, she could have called me earlier. 24 hours of him missing, we found him on the side of the road… Not alive. Although the owner did make things right by agreeing to things I asked her to do, I Was very unhappy that I thought I was going to pay more money to stay at a «highly secured area» when I really wasn’t. I ask every pet owner to please think twice before using this facility, at least make sure their gates are secure enough to where your animal cannot get out of the gate.

We’ve left our dog there several times in the past year, overnight and for day-​care. We even boarded him for a month while we were abroad. So far we’ve had no problems with their facility or service, and indeed, like another review said, all employees are polite and warm.
We particularly like the «luxury» suite for overnight stays: not quite a suite, but a space with enough room, running water, mattress, TV, and most importantly, cameras, so we can check our baby online.

I’ve only taken my dogs here once, so my experience is somewhat limited. With that being said, from the time I entered the door I was greeted with a warm smile and a very nice disposition. The facility looks very nice and smells clean, which I appreciate. There is a indoor as well as an outdoor play area and dogs are separated by size and/​or personality. The prices are in line with what I’ve paid in TX but we get more so that’s a plus. I’m not quite used to their limited Sunday hours but that doesn’t present a huge issue for me.
All in all this is a great place to take your animals for all day play & we will definitely return for any future daycare needs.