Downtown Dogs

Do not assume this is the right environment for your dog!
After more than a year of bringing our puppy pit-​mix here, first for the puppy socials then 2x/​week for daycare, and occasional overnight boarding (and thousands of dollars later), my husband and I realize now that it was not the right environment for him.
It seems like a chaotic, unstructured and stressful environment, stuck in one indoor room with 15+ other big dogs all running around for 10 or more hours a day. We’d repeatedly get reports back talking about his bad behavior – rough play, toy aggression, over-​the-​top energy, having to be put in many «time outs” – all behavior we have never observed in any other situation (dog parks, one-​on-​one play with small and large dogs, at home). This was behavior apparently specific to downtown dogs and they told us there was nothing much we could do at home to prevent it. They also said other owners experience the exact same issues of dogs behaving very differently at downtown dogs than normal.
We realize now that he acts worse the more tired he is and likely just needed more frequent and prolonged breaks from play. «Time outs» should not be a negative thing, but rather just a time to REST. The staff said they were «working with him» but we never knew what that really meant. It doesn’t seem like they truly knew what he needed.
Finally last week he was involved in an «altercation» and was immediately kicked out of downtown dogs for good. The owner spoke with my husband this last day but she didn’t have many details about the incident or show much concern. After the time and money we invested in this company, you would think the staff would have tried to intervene or tailor their care before his behavior got to this point. My husband and I feel very frustrated, helpless and sad, since we know he is not a bad dog. He was just in the wrong environment.

As an update on my last review: I would like to say that Mark emailed me before Thanksgiving apologizing and refunded me for half of Mimi’s package. I thought this was a very kind gesture. So in return I thought it was only fair to change my rating on downtown dogs and express my apologies for lashing out the way I did. My dogs are my babies and I do everything I can to keep them safe and healthy. I sent Mimi to downtown dogs bc I didn’t want her alone while I was at work, so I would take her to downtown dogs everyday to play with the other dogs. Mimi absolutely loved it there, loved the staff and enjoyed going everyday!

Look no further for the best daycare in town. Playgroup leaders are trained to pay close attention to each dogs individual needs, to keep play safe and also train dogs. There are monthly themes. And special nap time snacks you can purchase. The owners and senior PGL’s are full of knowledge. Everyone there LOVES dogs. If you need boarding that’s the best too !

Went to Downtown Dogs today for the first time for their puppy social. I have a vivacious (aka slightly crazy) golden retriever puppy who loves to roughhouse. Luckily, there are a bunch of dogs here with the same play style, and she had a blast.
There was one incident today where a larger puppy (looked like a bully mix) latched onto the fur of another dog there and would not let go. However, the staff responded extremely professionally and were able to free the dog with no injury. They had the offending dog leave immediately after.
For puppy socials all you need are up-​to-​date vaccinations, since it’s one-​hour long and all the owners are there. They do much more in-​depth evaluations for daycare.
From what I’ve seen, the staff there all love dogs and seem to know a lot about handling them. I also go to PetSmart’s puppy social, but the location here is a lot bigger giving my puppy more room to sprint around.
Cons: It isn’t as nicely ventilated as PetSmart. There’s a certain «basement-​like» feel to the playrooms.
All in all, we had fun — and we’re looking forward to coming back.

So happy with the team at Downtown Dogs. Everyone is super friendly and obviously very focused on creating a healthy, happy environment for all their visitors. My dog loves coming to visit and is always very tired after her busy day with her friends. Definitely check this place out!

Love love love love the Downtown Dogs team! When we moved here a year ago, I needed a new day care and boarding spot for my 5 year old pug/​beagle mix and picked DD based initially on proximity to my house. We’ve steadily gone for over a year now and every stay for both daycare and boarding has been a great experience. The most telling thing for me is when we run into the DD staff walking dogs in the neighborhood, my little one pulls and pulls until we get close enough to say hello, then she slobbers all over the DD folks and does a full body wiggle. I get a great since of comfort knowing she’s in good hands, whether its a day or a week. They are incredibly accommodating with last minute needs and have bailed me out more then once when I’ve had delayed flights. Between the webcam’s, on site grooming and amazing staff, I am always comfortable leaving her there and she’s always ecstatic to be there.

Moved to Oregon for a year plus — came back «home.» The pups love DD — the staff remember them and love them. The care is 10x better than we received in Oregon. I know they are happy and safe. It is also wondeful that they work on basic commands throughout the day — reminds me to do the same as well! Thank you DD for being professional and fun-​loving/​energetic

We love Downtown Dogs! Our little guy has been going to daycare every week for several months now and I can tell he loves it — he doesn’t even turn around as they walk him into the playroom! It’s been great for socializing him and tiring him out. There are webcams in each of the playrooms so you can watch your pup, and the report cards they give us at the end of most days are so cute too.
We’ve also boarded him once, and everything went great. We decided to get a room without a webcam so we weren’t able to check on him, but he was just as excited to go back to daycare that I think he had a great time! There are a lot of options for boarding, including fancy stuff Kongs, walks, and baths!
Downtown Dogs is great and the only reason we’re leaving is because we’re moving! Definitely check it out!

LOOK ELSEWHERE. THIS PLACE IS INCOMPETENT.
I WOULDN’T EVEN GIVE THEM ONE STAR.
We found Downtown Dogs and went through every step that they wanted us to: filled out the enrollment forms, had an in-​person/​dog evaluation (which we passed). On her first day, we even brought her in first thing in the morning, based on their suggestion, so she was one of the first dogs to arrive and could «greet» the other dogs on their arrival (since she was the new dog).
We followed all of the proper steps and procedures and in the end, they kicked our dog out of doggy daycare because they said they spend too much time focusing on her. Um… HELLO!!! Isn’t that what I pay you for — to care for my dog??? They claimed that she was herding the other dogs — this is an innate trait in her breed (German Short Haired Pointer) — they are hunting dogs by their bloodline. Any time we followed up on her during the day with their cameras, she wasn’t doing anything that any of the other dogs weren’t doing… BEING A DOG! We received a call mid-​afternoon that when we picked her up later that day, that it would be her last visit and that she wasn’t welcome back. We were not even allowed a grace-​period to find another facility… they just left us high and dry to find care for her as we were going out of town following weekends and had signed up for overnight boarding.
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On a side note: we had a couple friend board their two dogs here over their weekend out of town. They brought in a huge new bag of food for their dogs and two days later when they picked their dogs up, Downtown Dogs told them no food was left. They asked…“how could this be? We dropped off a 20 lb dog food supply with them 2 days ago?” They demanded that Downtown Dogs check… low and behold… guess what they had in the back? The rest of their expensive, grain-​free, 20 lb supply of dog food they had brought.
Downtown Dogs needs better business practices.

We love it here at Downtown Dogs! They have been very supportive since we are first time pet parents, and we just HAD TO GET a Labrador Retriever. Haha!
Anyway, the staff here is great! Always very informative and go above and beyond when it comes to customer service. They are patient and understanding, simply amazing. Our young pup loves it here — it’s definitely his home away from home.
Thank you so much for everything, DD!

My dog has boarded here on three occasions, and it is the only place I feel comfortable leaving her.
The staff are always helpful and seem genuinely caring, but for me what really stands out is the segregation and evaluation of dogs. Knowing that the dogs are separated by size and all borders (day or overnight) have gone through an evaluation process is really reassuring.
The webcam and report card are also really nice touches. Would be 5 stars if it weren’t for the smell, but I know cant be helped!

Searching on Unilocal for a place our puppy can socialize we came across downtown dogs, reading the reviews I felt this place would be great for our little baby Pomeranian. Puppy socials here start every Saturday at 9 am you have to bring proof of your little ones shots to make sure they are up to date. It is $ 10 and only 45 min. We decided to come here today and my first impression was that the area was very sketchy. The staff seemed nice but had feeling they didn’t want to deal with this again. There were many adorable dogs but the problem was there was too many dogs. We only had one trainer so if dogs were getting into bad fights the fights would be broken up after a dog has cried more than once. I feel they should have more trainers to keep a better eye on them. Our little Pomeranian was terrified before of bigger dogs but bringing her here only made her more afraid and more aggressive. We will stick to play time at Unleashed. I wouldn’t recommend this place if you have a terrified puppy or a puppy who doesn’t like to be trampled on or roughly played with enough to cry painfully. Unleashed is a lot better. I really wanted to love this place reading all the good things about it but this place is not for our little one.

I came across Downtown Dogs when I was looking for puppy socials for my very active border collie/​German shorthaired pointer, Axl. If you know anything about the breeds, you know they are both working dogs and have a lot of energy! The Saturday morning puppy socials were perfect! Briana was very attentive and had a lot of advice for a 1^st-​time puppy owner. She maintained peace (well as much peace as you can have with 5 – 7 crazy puppies running around), and I always felt like my puppy was safe. She intervened when needed and even gave puppies very short timeouts when they were needed. All the while explaining to us new dog owners that puppies wrestle and play and they need to figure out boundaries by other dogs’ corrections. While there, Briana also evaluated Axl for daycare. I wasn’t looking for a 5-​day-​a-​week daycare but maybe something once or twice a week to let him socialize with other dogs. Thankfully he passed the temperament exam, had all his vaccination records verified and I was able to enroll him. Best thing I ever did.
Daycare day is the highlight of both of our weeks! He gets to play with all of his big-​dog friends in Ruff City (there are 3 different rooms where the dogs/​puppies are separated based on size and activity level). When I turn on their web cam (either on my Mac or on my cell phone app), I can see how much fun he’s having romping and wrestling with his dog friends (mostly the huskies, probably because they’re so fun and bouncy all the time) or chewing on a toy. I watch the playroom staff constantly interacting with the dogs, cleaning up after them when necessary, and most importantly, ensuring the safety of the dogs by breaking up any «rough» play by re-​directing and giving dogs short timeouts when needed.
At noon the cameras are turned off and the dogs (and hopefully the staff) take a little break. Then at 2:30, they’re on again and the dogs are back at it, refreshed and ready to play. Play some more and then it’s time for pick up (by 7:00 PM). I can assure you Axl is having fun ALL day long. Sometimes I get a report card describing his day — who he played with, his activity level, training exercises they did with him, and an update on how he behaved. And the icing on the cake is that I have a very, very tired puppy at the end of the day! I mean, so tired that he can get himself out of the car but doesn’t always make it into the house from the garage before he lays down to rest.
Doggie daycare isn’t for every dog but if you’re looking for a clean, safe, loving, fun environment for your dog, please give Downtown Dogs a try! Watching Axl have so much fun is well worth the expense. If I could afford to bring him every day I would! Hmmmmm… I hear that employees can bring their dogs for free!

I used to take my dog here when they first opened up years ago and he loved it. I take my new pup here and it’s taking her sometime to get used to. she’s more of a ppl lover than a dog so she’s following the workers around everywhere they go. I think they need to hire more workers like Lina. you can see that she LOVES the dogs and I love to watch her sit and interact with them on the webcams. I wish all of the employees were more like her.

Highlight of our dog’s week. He get’s so fired up from about a ¼ mile away and comes home absolutely knackered. 100% reccomend

We take our english bulldog here for daycare 2 or 3 days a week, and we also board him here when we’re out of town. Downtown Dogs is simply the best! Everyone who works here is a trained canine handling professional. I have toured other facilities and found that most staff are not trained on proper dog handling, most other places just hire college kids to sit there and watch the dogs. At DD, all the staff are professional, and they’re attentive to the dogs and are able to speak to you intelligently about canine behavior.
I was very nervous to leave my dog here the first time, but then I discovered the joy of their webcams so I could always see what my little guy is up to. In addition, they also write up a full report card for you so you know exactly what your dog did all day, who they played with, if they ate their food, etc. You will never have to worry.
I also have been very impressed with their overnight facilities. Go tour most other places, what do they normally do? Put the dogs in crates in a room and then walk away. At DD, every dog has an overnight suite with floor to ceiling walls so dogs don’t see each other (so therefore they relax and actually rest), they also lower the lights and play soothing music, which has been proven to help dogs calm down.
Downtown Dogs is really the best in San Jose. If you have been looking for a daycare or boarding facility you need not look any longer. Your dog will thank you!
PS — Be sure to always sign your dog up to attend daycare around holidays. DD does the cutest holiday parties for the dogs! Halloween costume contests, Easter egg hunts, Santa-​Paws meet ‘n greets and Valentines cards are all the cutest! The best part is that they always take really great photos of your dog and email them to you. You’ll love it!

Our first experience with Downtown Dogs was through the puppy social on Saturday mornings at 9 a.m. It was a great way for our high energy puppy to learn how to socialize with other dogs.
Our dog is now a bit older (11 months). Now we take her to daycare. We couldn’t be happier. The visits are expensive, but we buy a bundle of days to save on the per visit cost. Our dog is happy, tired, and well-​behaved when we pick her up in the evening. We’ve also tossed in a few extras to simplify our life (teeth brushing, nail trim, extra kibble), and the prices are reasonable. I also love the webcam feature!
We’ve also boarded our dog at Downtown Dogs. The staff has gone above and beyond to make our dog eat her food (she’s not a big eater) adding broth to her food and keeping track of her eating through her stay. Since she’s in the daycare play areas during the day, we’re able to watch our dog even when we’re on vacation.
Downtown Dog has been a great fit for our high energy puppy (she’s in Dogsville).

This is about the small dog social (with small breed puppies included) on Sat. at 12 – 1.
I had heard about Downtown Dogs for years from recommendations and good trainers.
Just got a new 3+ mos Terrier Mix puppy that has been running over my other small dogs so decided I better get out and socialize the kid as much as possible.
I was very impressed with the dog facilitator for the social. My puppy really pushed with rough rough play behavior and/​or at times if the other dog was not interested in the same style of play would start a arguement (i.e. would not back off). The facilitator kept a close eye on all the dog kids and quickly would put my puppy in a 30 second or so «timeout» in a open kennel in the room and then release. When pup displayed negative behavior again… a fast timeout was instituted again… with Briana the facilitator always doing it with speed and grace and keeping an eye on everything else — an amazing multi-​tasker who knows her dog behavior.
This is my first terrier pup and Briana was able to share with me several points about Terrier behavior that really helped me gain new perspective with what type of kid I have and what I may be dealing with.
5 Starts to Downtown Dogs and to Briana. Will be coming back.

My puppy gave this place 5 paws.
Okay, I’m an overprotective doggie mamma. I would only leave (Winston) my 7 month old puppy with family and Downtown Dogs.
Mark, Kelly and the rest of the staff are amazing.
Everyone is so nice and clearly loves dogs.
My experience here has been outstanding.
I highly recommend DD.

We love Downtown Dogs and so does our puppy.
Its such a great feeling when you go to leave your dog the entire staff is excited to see them. They always, ALWAYS, greet her by name and she always is eager to leave us to go with them, which I will admit is a little heart breaking to watch my fur-​baby go but I know she is being well taken care of. The little extra touches that they provide such as a «report card» and the spa report show that they actually pay attention to each dog.
Their «spa» services are the best! They are the first place that properly cuts our Great Dane’s nails and actually know how to handle large dogs.
The Downtown Dog app on for the smart phones is great. When we dropped off our dog for the first time it made the transition easier (for us at least, she didn’t think twice about leaving to play with all of the other dogs). You are also able to actually see the staff interacting with your pet.
It is well worth the money because every time we bring our pup home she is always extremely happy and TIRED OUT (big bonus!).
This is a great place and I wouldn’t even think about leaving my dog any other place!