The Dog Stop

My two dogs love it here. The facility is clean! And the staff is incredible. They are so kind and sweet. They recognize our pups every time we come to drop them off for boarding. We trust them and their team!

This review is only for the grooming and not their daycare or retail. We suddenly lost our normal groomer when they decided to close their business. Our experience here has made us appreciate our old groomers even more than we already did.
I chose the dog stop because of convenience and because of what I could see through the windows on my commute – the brands of food seemed high quality which made me trust in their care of pets. I was initially concerned when leaving our pup off when I was told they were short staffed that day and that the groomer wouldn’t know what a «normal labradoodle cut» is. When we picked him up, it didn’t seem like they did a bad job, and I still wouldn’t classify the cut as bad, but now that his fur is going back to normal from his cute puppy blow out, the errors in their groom are more apparent. We had one specific request apart from just a standard cut, to make sure his legs were both even, and they did not do that at all! So we are stuck waiting for his next groom to ensure that it is corrected again. We actually planned on taking him back yesterday to correct it, but did not have the time unfortunately. I’m also finding parts that are uneven – there are bits of hair that are clearly longer than the fur around it. They basically did most of their work on his face, which for him is most crucial when his hair gets so long, but they also trimmed his eye lashes. Are you supposed to trim a dogs eye lashes?!
In the end, it was an ok cut but was twenty bucks more than what we used to pay and it’s a good two stars below in quality. Also – they advertise that our pup should come home in a bandana. Maybe that would have made him cute enough for me not to care about the lower quality cut. Just kidding. We may give them another chance because the location is convenient, but I think we’d rather speak to the groomer directly than have the front desk girl pass on information.

I’m now going to the East End location as I moved. I was really worried that the East End would not be able to live up to wonderful experiences I had at the Banksville location, but they are just as good! The front desk staff are so pleasant and sweet! Whether they are truly happy to see me and my dog or not, they greet us like we made their day just by walking in! I love watching my dog on the live camera! I watch the staff walk around the room petting each dog, picking up dogs for a quick cuddle, and playing with them. It’s such a good feeling to know your dog is in good hands!!!

My dog loves this place and the staff is amazing
Whenever I bring her in they are very excited to see her. I have also boarded her there. This place is top notch

I have been bringing my dogs here for year. They are very nice friendly and love the dogs. They all know them by name. They have a very clean and comfortable facilities.

Love the Dog Stop. I have a 4 year old lab/​shepherd mix, and I’ve taken in him to The Dog Stop (Washington Blvd location) for boarding about 5 – 6 times over the last three years, usually for a stay of about 10 days.
Firstly, the staff are super friendly and care about the animals. My dog loves other dogs, but is leash reactive and sometimes anxious, and they were totally understanding. They were familiar with his kind of issues and put my mind at ease about leaving him there. Secondly, I love the pup cams (new this year). I’m able to check on him whenever I want and know that he is doing well. And because I’m a little bit obsessed with my dog, when I recently when on vacation, I spent A LOT of time watching the pup cam. It was clear that the staff are constantly monitoring the dogs and clean up messes promptly. Obviously, I am limited to what I can see on camera, but my dog was on camera pretty much all day everyday. Thirdly, he has always returned home happy and healthy. I’ve never had any issues with injuries of illness, unless being super tired counts.

I have been taking my dog to the Dog Stop in the Strip District for over a month now after purchasing a package for day care. I have to say, I have been extremely pleased with my experience. Gary, Chelsey, Kim, Amanda and the rest of the staff have taken such great care of my pup, they are always very pleasant and show so much love and care to my dog. We are fans of the Dog Stop Strip District!

My best doggie friend is one of the original East End Dog Stoppers. We started taking him there for daycare (and occasional boarding) when The Dog Stop first opened in 2009. His handsome mug even hangs in the picture gallery behind their reception desk which honors their «regulars.»
When they first opened, The Dog Stop was AWESOME. It was reasonably priced and the staff and the owners knew us and our puppers very well. It felt like he was staying with his second family when he would stay with them.
However, over the years, our experience with the Dog Stop has gradually declined. It seems like their main goal has been expansion, having opened 4 (soon to be 5) locations over 5 years. With such rapid expansion of any business usually comes a decline in quality, and The Dog Stop is no exception. They’ve significantly raised their prices over the years, which is annoying, but I guess to be expected because now they’re equivalently-​priced to the other doggie daycares in the area. But it certainly no longer makes them a bargain. Also, they seem to have high staff turnover these days… or maybe just a much larger staff. Now when I take my dog in, most of the staff doesn’t know him or us (nor do we recognize them). It used to feel like he was a part of The Dog Stop family, but now it feels like he’s just a number (a very handsome number, though). As such, the «small business» charm of this place has totally gone away.
Also, although my dog has never come home sick like some dogs mentioned in the other reviews here, he now comes home from daycare or boarding with a «kennel smell.» This never used to happen a few years ago. This smell must be pretty common for other dogs, because now when you make boarding reservations, they recommend that you buy a «going home bath» if your dog has stayed for a few days (presumably to try to get rid of the kennel smell). A «going home bath» never used to be needed for my pupperoni, even when he’d stay with them for a week or more. Again, to me this indicates that The Dog Stop experience has declined in quality, and I wish the owners would have focused more on maintaining a good doggie experience instead of seeing how many locations they can open in rapid-​fire succession.
Another small, more annoying issue that I’ve encountered as of late — they are super slow to answer the phone, and will put you on hold and forget that you are there. I’ve waited upwards of 15 minutes on hold on more than one occasion (the fact that I was willing to hold for that long probably doesn’t attest well to how much of a life I have ;)
So, in sum, these days I’d say that The Dog Stop is ok, but not great. And when I’m away, I want my pupper boy to stay and play somewhere great. We’ve been slowing using The Dog Stop less and less, and I imagine someday soon we’ll probably start experimenting with other daycares to see if we can find one with that «second family» vibe that The Dog Stop used to have.

I took my dog to the Washington Blvd location for about 3 years, but we will not be back after our last experience. She was caked in urine when we picked her up the last time, her face was bright red (apparently from scratching at it), her eye was swollen shut, she had diarrhea and vomiting, and she seemed very timid. We had to take her to get groomed immediately because she was so filthy. No one called us to tell us she was sick or that she was injuring herself. It was a very traumatic experience for both of us. We were loyal customers for years, so it’s unfortunate that the place seems to have gone downhill.

I love this place. My dog has always been treated kindly here. They know us as a family, they know my dog, his preferences, his behavior. I have used their kennel services and my dog is a regular at doggie day care. Actually, their doggie day care has saved my life. My golden is very energentic and rambuncious. A few afternoons a week at Dog Stop, and he is tired out and happy. He has been a few «doggie scuffles» and the staff has always been good about advising me about his minor injuries. I feel like they provide the human attention and interaction my dog requests constantly, too. I also have never had an issue with my dog getting sick. And we have been regular customers for well over a year. I could not be a happier customer

I travel A LOT for work, and when I can my Swissies come with me and because of that they are conniseurs of Doggie Daycares and Boarding nationwide. And the Dog Stop is by far theirs and my favorite. With out the knowledge of how well my dogs are cared for, I would not be able to travel as much as I do. I have been taking my dogs here for over 3 years and will continue to do so.
Both the facilities and the care are great, but the people make the absolute difference. If you are looking for Doggie Day Care or Boarding in Western PA, the Dog Stop is your best choice.

I brought my dog here over the Thanksgiving holiday. I left him on Tuesday to pick him up Saturday. When I dropped him off, they were very on the ball about making sure his shots were up to date. One of the girls behind the counter came around and slowly introduced herself to the dog. We were told that, because he is unaltered, he wouldn’t be allowed in daycare with all of the other dogs, which we were fine with. They told us he would get extra one on one play time with staff to make up for the lack of daycare.
We came to check up on him the next day. Our dog does have an anxiety streak in him, so we wanted to make sure everything was fine. One of the trainers brought him out and he seemed so happy and calm. The staff was excellent; I have never boarded an animal before so I was worried about how he would do, but from the looks of him and from what the staff said, he did great! It’s been 72 hours since he left and he is not showing any signs of illness.
The only reason I didn’t give a full 5 stars is because about an hour into our car ride home, the dog started to Unilocal and paw frantically at his face. Once I got out of the car and checked on him, I discovered a tick on his face. I checked him over and found three more dead ticks around his body and a spot where it looked like one had been removed recently. I know that a lot of Flea/​Tick meds don’t kill Ticks immediately, so they can still latch on, but I feel for him to have that many ticks, another dog had to bring them in. I wish they would ask for proof of Flea/​Tick meds along with the shot records.
Other than that, it was a great place and I would recommend this place to anyone who is looking to board their animal.

I’ve been taking my 10 month old pup here for about a month, and it’s been a positive experience — for both of us! No problems yet, other than her coming home smelling like a kennel. After a day here, she usually falls asleep in the car on the way home.
We have a boarding reservation coming up… will update the review afterward.

I love the dog stop, I’ve used them countless times for day care and sometimes for boarding. I’m still giving them 5 stars even though 1 time when we left them for boarding for a week, the one of two dogs got sick (later found out it was a uti) and sometimes they’ll come back with bites. But in all honestly, the same thing and worse can happen at a regular dog park. Our dogs have brushed past sticks that cut their sides. I’ve also had our dogs attacked at dog parks but that doesn’t stop me from going there. They’ve been sick from times outside the dog stop, so I see no reason for all the negative reviews regarding this. It’s not a health clinic for dogs, it’s an indoor park, and with so many dogs in one area, it’s easy to see how a dog can get sick or just carry a sickness.
I do know that they require dogs to be up to date with vaccinations (which can’t be said about dog parks) and our dogs get so excited when we just say dog stop. They love it there, we love it there and will continue going there.

I was told about The Dog Stop by one of my new neighbors I checked out the website and it sounded really great so decided to stop in to have a look around.
The entrance of the place is like a store and they have a lot of healthy, hard to find food dog food and treats, which is pretty convenient. I asked the girl at the front desk if she could give me a tour of the rest of the Kennel at that time and I was told that they had «too many dogs» and I would have to make a appointment to see the rest of the place. I made my «tour» appointment for this week.
I am sorry to say the tour did not go as well as I was hoping. The smell when I walked into the back was sickening. A combination of dried urine, and scented candle. I understand they are dogs and it was raining outside but still I don’t think it should have smelled this bad. They have two smaller play areas and there were only about 5 dogs in one and the other had approximately 25 – 30 little to medium size dogs. The murals on the wall were cute but my dog does not really care about murals. There was a mop bucket and a running fan in the area with the dogs. I was told that the dogs were monitored but I did not witness a person in that play area at that time. The outside access was closed off because it was raining. There is another large area in the back and there were a very large number of dogs in with one person looking after them. It also had a mop bucket, some weathered looking pieces of climbing bridges, a big fan and an empty baby pool. There were also a few play toys thrown around. Again the outside area was closed off. There was a long conveyor belt with fencing on the sides for the dogs to get up to the boarding area. I was not able to see that area because they were cleaning? That baffles me because made an appointment for a tour and I thought that meant the whole place.
The information on the website for this place is misleading. I was expecting a more pulled together professional atmosphere but that is not what I saw on the «tour» and is the primary reason I decided to write a review. After my tour I decided that I was not interested taking my dogs to this Kennel. It might be fine for some but my standards are higher than what they had to offer.

I’m a first-​time pet owner and absolutely love the dog stop. My shih-​tzu bichon mix (Chloe) has become a new regular at the doggy day care and always leaves happy and tired. I also appreciate the grooming services with their reasonable pricing and how great Chloe looks after we pick her up! She has never gotten sick, and I love being able to see how much fun Chloe is having on facebook.

I’m a fan, but my dog has never gotten sick from going here. :knockonwood: I can totally understand the less than stellar reviews regarding that. If my dog gets sick, you can bet I’ll be revising this review.
I agree with everyone else — my dog LOVES it. I get her groomed here, and leave her the whole day for a free day of daycare (it’s nice they don’t charge extra on the days you have them groomed too) so she can socialize with the other pups. They love her too, and seem really nice.
It’s convenient, so I probably won’t go anywhere else unless she starts getting sick.
((Sigh, now I’m worried…))

So, this place is convenient and I had to board my dog about 4 days after moving to Pittsburgh from Texas. At the time, it had all excellent reviews. I travel a lot and have boarded my 5 year old large schnauzer there. I don’t take him for day care, but he goes to it half the time while being boarded.
He seems to love it there. I even got him groomed there after being told TWICE to pick up my dog because he was too aggressive. Actually, The Dog Stop made me pick him up once too, then I took him back on Benadryl. I was just glad that someone finally groomed him (he has been groomed in TX for 5 years…)
Recently, after a 10 day boarding, I picked up my dog with a terrible, very terrible case of bloody diarrhea. It was 100% blood and the day after I got him. I had to go to the emergency vet to the tune of $ 160. The following weekend I had a flight and had to board him again when he was still having issues. I picked him up 2 days later and the symptoms were still there. A return to the vet, and another $ 200 he was better. We believe it was stress colitis, but in 5 years he has never had bloody diarrhea. At this point, I’m afraid to return but I don’t know where else to go.
I’m not going to say that there is anything necessarily wrong with The Dog Stop. The people are very nice and it’s a cute place. But, I am scared to go back because of the last sickness. I never did figure out what caused it, and the Dog Stop assured me that everything is sanitized, but you never know when that many dogs are mingling.

My 1ish Shephard mix (Sasha) goes there a few times a week and loves it so much I can’t get her to leave. She literally throws herself down on the tile and I have to pretty much drag her out.
You can’t really beat the price — I take her for ½ days (6 hours) and it’s $ 15. That’s perfect for days when you know you’re going to have a long night, lots of work to do, or the weather is bad and you just need a tired puppy.
It also makes me feel better about her getting all of the socialization and doggie playtime that she needs at her age. She loves other dogs and I just can’t handle two right now.
They have a nice facility with a yard and plenty of space. The toys, bones, and dog foods are also quite a bit cheaper than the nearby Petland as I recently discovered.
Bonus: they post videos on their Facebook page so you can watch your dog play.
I saw a few reviews about dogs getting kennel cough and that’s unfortunate. When I asked my vet about daycare, they made sure she had all of the necessary boosters for Bordatella. Apparently some vets only give 2 when 3 boosters are safer for dogs who are around a lot of other dogs. Mine’s been going there since she was little and theoretically pretty vulnerable and never had a problem.
I don’t know what I’d do without it at this point.
I should note that I’ve also used King of Petcare which I would never recommend to anybody.

I’ve used the Dog Stop about 15 times for half day doggie care. The staff is SUPER nice, and love my dog (always remember his name, tell him what a good dog he is when he comes in, etc). The price is also really reasonable, especially since I don’t feel he needs anything extra afterwards. HOWEVER, my dog keeps getting sick every couple of times I take him there. So far, he’s had kennel cough twice, and indeterminate diarrhea twice after a visit. My vet stated she sees it a lot in dogs there, because they have such a large group of dogs. I love the staff and their attitude, but after spending $ 300+ on antibiotics, care, and vet appointments, I’m starting to rethink taking him back. I’ll probably still take him when I have to have my dog-​free time, but it’s frustrating that I have to spend this much money on his health.
UPDATE: 8÷22÷11
After giving the Dog Stop some more chances, I have discontinued going there completely. When I went to pick up my dog after a half day in June, his ear was bitten and there was dried blood all over it. They never even mentioned that he had been bitten to me. Thankfully, it didn’t go through the ear — I know he can be a little rambunctious, but he’s only 20lbs and has big, delicate ears (and he’s my lil babette!), so I REALLY didn’t appreciate him getting bitten and ESPECIALLY didn’t like not being alerted to it at all. I called and the owner later apologized. Then my husband took him back while I was out of town and he caught bacterial dermatitis, which was another $ 100 and antibiotics to cure (and is still inflamed and red around his neck). The vet said it’s because of the pools they let the animals sit in to cool down. Lastly, I watched one of the webcam sessions, and noticed that the staff continuously allow pushy, dominant little dogs to bite and chase my dog. I’m officially DONE with this doggy daycare, which cost me $ 150 in paid sessions and $ 600+ in vet bills.