Markim Pet Resort

Our rating remains 5-​star. Our dog has now been going to camp almost daily for 5 years, and the staff remains wonderful, committed to a great experience for dogs and owners. Dogs need to be in their «dog world» in addition to being in «people world,» and this is a great place for that. The grooming and boarding services are also first-​rate. Special shout-​outs to Addam, Hector, Michelle, and the entire staff – they are wonderful.

We have used Markim for dog grooming and kennel services for our Mini Schnauzer for about 10 years. They do get booked up so sometimes takes several weeks to get an appointment, but we generally plan ahead so no issue really. The hours are convenient and the location just off the 56 freeway is easy for dropoff and pickup. The staff is generally helpful and accommodating to our needs. This is the best dog place I’ve found in our area.

I used to bring my dog to markim for day care. One day when I picked him up he was an absolute mess and they attendant said, «He had a pretty rowdy day today». It almost seemed to be implying that he was rowdy. When I got home I gave him a bath and found various bite marks on him. One of which got infected and later required surgery. When dogs are around other dogs sometimes attacks/​fights happen. But you think the facility would make you aware rather than you catching it later. There were other things that happened while boarding him, he wasn’t taken out to go pee even though I paid the fee for additional relief. Markim claimed they did, but I know my dog perfectly well and after boarding he looked miserable and I took him outside for what was probably a two minute pee (from a 50 pound dog). Don’t take your dog here. It’s not worth it.

My dog was trained here when he was a puppy and got his good k9 citizenship thru Markim. My dog hasn’t attack anyone yet except his food bowl and I believe Markim has a lot to do with that! Jokes aside, their training is much better than places like Petsmart where pups get trained in a tiny little corner in the shop. The instructors know their stuffs through years of experience and you can tell clearly especially when they handle difficult situations.
The folks here are friendly and helpful, and also very reasonable price for grooming!

We love Markim Pet Resort and have used their boarding facilities for many years. They are the best. The staff is very caring and the grounds are fantastic .Our dogs have always been well cared for and the owner, Salem, is like the a Dog Whisperer.

I adopted a yellow lab from Labrador Rescuers about a year ago. I was told by Markim that he was able to be «broken», unfortunately this was not the case. Just a mere 3 months after one on one training my lab attacked and killed my neighbors dog. I called Markim several times to send over a letter stating that I had been taking my rescue in for training. Needless to say they never did this and I have yet to get my deposit back from Labrador Rescuers. I wasn’t even asking for a refund from them and they still haven’t sent over the information. Would be nice if they could have taken care of that for me considering what I had to go thru.

Our pup has been spending vaca time here for many years and we’ve never been disappointed. She gets to enjoy «buddy play» (all day on weekends) and we always know she’s in good hands. We sometimes feel like trips cost almost as much as ours, but it’s well worth it.

We have a 7 lb Yorkie-​poo whom we always had groomed at Markim until we moved about a half hour drive away. We decided to see if we could save some drive time by having a mobile groomer come to our home instead. We noticed that Chloe started cowering and trying to creep away when she saw the new groomer come in on repeated visits. Whereas at Markim, she couldn’t wait to get out the car when we arrived. If I didn’t open the door fast enough to let her out, she would start Unilocaling to get out and then rush to their front door to be let in. We can only deduce that they took really good care of her! On top of that the grooming was much nicer. Always came out smelling nice with bows in her hair. I don’t think the mobile groomer even used conditioner. And there were definitely no bows! So I guess we’re back to driving! But when it’s your baby, what are you going to do?!

I Love MARKIM Pet Resort & so does my labrador Carli! I just dropped her off for a 7 night stay and all is well. It is so comforting to know our girl will be in good hands. She has some issues with her back legs and the staff talked with me for some time about the best activities for her. I have been bringing my dogs to Markim for 15 years and would never consider any other place! The staff is caring, professional and most important true pet lovers.

We were referred to Markim when we moved to the area and needed to board our Lab, Molly, while we were on vacation. Unfortunately, it was NOT a good experience, for any of us. As a little background, Molly is 8 years old, and while she has some health issues, she has been boarded at least once a year for her whole life and has never had any issues with any kennel where she’s stayed.
When we checked Molly in on a Thursday, we were told that because it was her first stay, she could have some complimentary play sessions, which we thought she would really enjoy. On Sunday, though, we got a call from Markim — while we were 1,500 miles away, out of the country — that she was extremely lethargic, fairly non-​responsive, and had wet herself in her kennel. They were going to take her to an emergency vet hospital. Turned out that Molly was severely dehydrated, to the point that for a few days, we thought she was going to die. She was eventually cleared to be returned to Markim, but with strict instructions that she was only to rest — no more playtime at all.
We went on Saturday to pick her up, not knowing what to expect. And while the shock of her appearance and demeanor was one thing to digest, Markim’s actions at this point were even worse.
While the staff was glad to report that Molly had made progress, they initially planned on billing us for the days that Molly wasn’t there. On the one hand, yes, they’d held the spot for her, but she wasn’t there because she had been taken to the hospital because the staff had allowed her to become so severely dehydrated. When we questioned that, the girl at the desk went back to talk to the owners, and came back to say they wouldn’t charge us for those days. Good.
However, the owners themselves never came out to talk to us. Never called us after the fact to see how she was doing. Nothing. It’s been 2 weeks, and we still haven’t heard anything, so I doubt we will (unless they respond to this, which they seem to do to negative reviews). From a customer service standpoint, that was deplorable. My dog almost died under their care, and they DON’T care. Or at least that’s what it seemed like.
And the fact is, Molly DID almost die under their care. When we agreed to take advantage of the play time (or, even, when we agreed to leave her in their care — PERIOD), it was under the assumption and expectation that they would keep an eye on her and make sure that if there were any issues, they’d be identified and addressed before they became life-​threatening. That obviously didn’t happen. And it’s because of that that I will NEVER board my pet there again, and will never recommend them to anyone.
UPDATE: The response from Markim’s owner is exactly what I expected after seeing responses to other negative reviews. The sarcasm and lack of professionalism in it speaks volumes about both him and his business.
The fact is, we do not know if Molly’s tumor is malignant or benign. The tests that were run on it previously were inconclusive. It has never affected her well-​being, behavior, or anything else, so we had no reason to believe it would be a problem, and because we don’t know what it is, we didn’t feel it needed to be disclosed. She has no symptoms of a chronic disease and we’re still not sure if there’s anything wrong with her that would have caused that. We didn’t say she HAS cancer; we said we knew about the tumor and that it MIGHT BE that. In hindsight, we should have not have taken advantage of the play time that was offered. It was clearly too much for her. But it’s also clear that she suffered from a lack of observation while at Markim, period.
We do appreciate the care that Molly got after returning from Markim and that they apparently helped her in ways that are atypical for them.
The owners can blame us all they want for what happened, but the fact remains that they didn’t even come out to speak to us or call us after a dog that was under their care almost died, and also tried to charge us for the whole stay. That says more than anything else.

Our 2 year puppy goes about three times a month. The facility is alway clean. The staff seems friendly. Our dog comes home happy and tired. I dropped a star because when he went on his first day he was very nervous to leave me and they dragged him by his leash which I found a bit aggressive since he’s only 19 pounds and that’s not a great way to introduce a dog to something. I

As a FORMER (six years) loyal and faithful customer I can honestly say this is the last time I board my dog with these people. The incompetence and smugness at the front desk is unacceptable and intolerable. I no longer trust them with my boy. In their zeal to squeeze the last nickle out of you they have sacrificed quality and customer service. They have an excuse for everything. Dog owners, do what you feel is right, but if you love your animal and want to be respected as a paying customer, go somewhere else.

Pros:
My dogs are still alive when I pick them up
They seem happy
Cons:
Its cost as much as my air fare to keep my dogs here
I need a 2^nd loan on my mortgage to keep my dogs here
I need to sell my kidney on the black market to keep my dogs here
Seriously. And there’s no military discount which really bothers me since our plans change often and and not within our control. I was 20 mins late to pick my dogs up and they charged me an for the entire day. I almost turned around and kept my dogs there for another 23 hours and 39 mins.

We love this place as much as our puppy! We have been taking him here since he was 6 months old, and conveniently it is very close to our house. We have done everything from training, to boarding, and grooming. Salem and the staff are extremely professional, friendly and make us feel very well taken care of. Our puppy gets so excited as we drive up, he practically jumps out the window.
We began our time here with individual classes but soon learned about the benefits of long term training. We left our puppy here for 13 days and were so surprised by the greats results we saw when we picked him up. His personal trainer Braelyn Chapman was awesome! She is a huge reason why I am writing this review… She did an amazing job training our puppy as well as my husband and myself. He left Markim a very well trained puppy and she always gave us extra tips and tricks for long term success. She has been available for follow up questions and made us feel like all our concerns were addressed.
Overall we will continue to use this place for boarding and follow up training and would happily recommend it to anyone interested in a caring, comfortable, and 5 star resort for their furry family member!

While I think some people/​dogs will like this place but it’s certainly not for all.
To start with, my dog’s personality is very mellow and submissive. We thought this place will be a good fit for her.
The place felt pretentious. The staffs think the dogs they board are better than others, while some staffs are dishonest. Dropped my 2 yr old trained German Shepherd first day for initial evaluation, got a phone call around lunch saying my dog bit a staff while the staff is trying to take a ball away from her. Good lord, has anyone tried to take a bone or ball from your dog before? If I take your wallet by force, tell me you are not going to punch me to get it back?
It says how unprofessional these staffs are. They didn’t ask me if my dog knows any commands which my dog knows perfectly how to drop a ball. Second, you don’t take a ball/​bone from a dog by force, that just shows you don’t understand how to interact with a dog. Again, they charged me full day price anyways.
And some staffs are just simply being dishonest. I brought a bag of food for my dog and asked the staffs to feed her late afternoon. After being notified to pick up my dog at lunch time, I also asked about the dog food, the staff simply said «she already ate it». Very convenient. My dog eats no more than two meals a day and she had her first meal right before the initial evaluation.
Overall, while the venue is nice but I don’t think all staffs are professionals. There are better places out there will accept dogs with range of personalities.

Oh gosh, my dog LOVES it here! Friendly and attentive staff, huge area for dogs to run around and play.
I think they recently (or a year ago or something) expanded their land for the dogs.
It’s so nice to have my dog in hands of responsible staff at Markim. My dog is a Saluki, so she needs a lot of exercise and space to run. She loves running around with other dogs and comes home EXHAUSTED.
The Markims let our dog into the pool for free to give it a try… she didn’t like it, but it was good to let her have some experience. They have a pool for rehab, and for fun during the summer.
The Markim staff already knows our car and promptly brings out our dog as soon as we drive in, unlike Snug Pet Resort where they have no communication and takes 15 minutes just to get our dog out, and another 10 minutes waiting for the leash come from the front desk. The service is quick, the field is big, the dogs and staff are nice… pure awesomeness.

We have 2 Bichons that are extremely picky with boarding and grooming and they LOVE Markim! We drop them off and they do not even turn back to say good bye — which is a big deal. Markim is the only boarding facility we now use in SD. (As a back up we have used Divine Pet Care for in-​home care and been extremely happy!)
The desk team knows our boys by name and the entire team cares for them as if they were their own.
We are always happy with our grooming experience but there are some groomers that are obviously better than others with Bichons. (Note: We do not get the typical Bichon cut. We do more of the small round head/​teddy bear look.)

Well, my dog was a jerk and bit another dog and got kicked out of camp. While I am super bummed that she can’t go back to camp, I think it is a great rule. You can rest assured that bad dogs are not welcome at camp. My grouchy girl was having a rough day I guess. After 6 months of good behavior, a labradoodle pushed her over the edge… hey, we all have those days. She really misses camp and it breaks my heart that she can’t go back, but them’s the breaks.
I still give Markim a GREAT review.

I have only brought my pet here once since we moved in the area 1 month ago. I can say, she loves the place! Very friendly and i’m sure they took care of her.
My dog usually have separation anxiety BUT when I left her here, it’s the first time she was excited to be left alone.
I’m planning to use this place when I go out of town. Prices are also reasonable and the best part is that, they have a huge grass area for the dogs to run and play with other dogs.
My dog only «poops» and pee on grass NOT synthetic ones -:)

I heard about Camp Run a Muck through a coworker and thought doggie day camp would be perfect for little munchkin since I’m always working.
The check in process is questionable at first (at least when I saw the sign on the door I was questioning it), but it makes sense. You leave your dog in the car while you go inside to check them in. Once they’re checked in you hop back in your car and drive to the back of camp where you can drop him off. The staff will radio one another so they know when someone’s coming. I was a little sad dropping him off, but he was so excited he started to piddle and cry with excitement that it made me happy. You can also bring food/​treats to leave with them as well. Day camp is $ 32 with the drop off time as soon as 7 am and the latest pick up at 6pm.
Although there is grass — they play area is mostly dirt so expect a dirty dog when you pick them up. They brush them down before pick up though so they’re not entirely dirty — but be prepared to give them a bath once they get home. My white westie came home a little ‘tan’ I guess you could say :) They also have a pool here as well.
On a side note, I felt like I was entering the country side when driving into this place. dirt roads, tiny one-​way bridges to cross over, a small river. I did not feel like I was in San Diego! The girls are perky and friendly. There are lots of quality toys and treats at reasonable prices. The toys here are way better & more durable than most toys at chains like Petco/​Petsmart.