Planet Canine

We recently boarded our dog at Planet Canine for the first time – over the Thanksgiving holiday, no less. Back in October I had called and asked to check out the facility before making our reservation and the staff member was very kind and accommodating. The facility, as other people have mentioned, is no frills, but it is full of happy, playful pups, which is really what I was looking for. When we dropped off our dog before Thanksgiving, the same super sweet staff member (and I wish I had gotten her name) was there. She remembered me and our dog and was very attentive to our obviously first-​timers checks and double-​checks. When we picked up our pup after Thanksgiving, he was happy as can be. As many other reviews noted, the staff created a safe space for the dogs to be dogs, play and hang out, which was awesome. Our dog definitely played his little heart out!
However, I particularly wanted to write a review because of how helpful and professional the manager, Steve, is. We had put a deposit down for our dog because he was a first-​timer and it was over a busy holiday weekend; however, when we picked up our dog, the staff member working at that time (different one than the other two times, but also a nice guy) didn’t credit our deposit. I emailed Steve the next day, and he responded right away. He apologized for the confusion/​inconvenience and reimbursed us for what we had overpaid right away.
We’ll definitely be back in the future.

UPDATE:
The manager of Planet Canine contacted me after reading my previous review and kindly apologized for the customer service I received when dropping off my dog for boarding.
The employee who I considered unprofessional was new and is still being trained to deal with situations like lost toys, etc. The manager found my dog’s toy in the wash, mailed it back to us, AND sent us a gift card to replace the destroyed harness. He also reached out to me to personally apologize.
This shows how much Planet Canine values their business and cares about their customers. Although, PC may have made a few mistakes in our initial experience, they did everything right to fix the situation. Thank you!

We have been bringing our two Saint Bernards here for over a year, both for daycare and vacation boarding, and it is a wonderful place. When we pick up our dogs they have HUGE smiles on their faces. They’ve clearly had a wonderful time. When we drop them off they can’t wait to go to the back to play. They lean up against staff members in a way that shows they like them. The people there are very friendly and clearly love dogs. They’ve even shown us several training tips. Prices are also very reasonable. What more could you ask for.

I have two large St. Bernard’s. They LOVE their day at Planet Canine. I bring them here every time it rains and now have created a Pavlovian response. Oh boy! RAIN! Time to go play with our doggie buddies at Planet Canine! We love our human friends too! Steve will rub our bellies and Bill will play with us!
When I pick them up they are always exhausted, smelly and very happy. Snacks, blankets, dog friends and human companions. Greatest moment of my puppy life! Can a dog’s day get any better?
I also use Planet Canine when our human overnights do not allow for our puppies to come along. The boarding is very affordable and they have a great big kennel where my dogs can sleep together. Did I mention that the two of them are 300 + pounds as a pair? Yes they get the ground level kennel.
The price structure is very affordable. Clare and Victor woof to check them out.

Once again these guys at planet K9 have never let me down. I trust these guys more than myself with my dog. Steve is the hardest working manger I’ve ever seen. He never complains and always has a smile on his face, especially when he see’s Paisley and Timber. I have referred numerous peolpe to them with great confidence that they will not let them down. The intire staff is always willing to help out in any way… staying a little late, borrowing something and giving tips on training methods.
Thank you guys… y’all are outstanding!

I boarded my American Staffie girl (aka blue nose pit bull) for around 24 days at Planet Canine.
Upon my return, the pooch was in great shape and happy to see me. Signed her up for daily outings with Steve and she was in great physical shape. The fact that they take the dogs out (for $ 20 a day) for exercise in large open areas, is very important to me.
Planet Canine may not look (or smell) as she-​she as Wag Hotel, but does the pooch really notice? What matters is that they «get» your dog and her needs and offer a good price for their services.
Would highly recommend Steve and company to owners of large breed dogs.
Will bring her back again.

Planet Canine is awesome. I was looking for a place to take my Napoleon Mastiff. My dog is HUGE and its hard to find a place to take him while I’m away. Planet Canine really took good care of him and my dog was happy. Thank you Planet Canine, Simba will be back soon :)

I would very strongly recommend Planet Canine — either for day care of longer stays. We’ve been taking our dog, Bob, to Planet Canine for day camp once or twice a week for about 4 months. Bob is one of those shy, nervous dogs that takes several meetings with a new person before he settles down. New dogs are no problem. The first time we picked him up it was obvious we had found the right place for him. He was happy to see us, but not crazy excited like he is after being home alone all day. This was our first sign that he had a good time. He pranced up to Steve, co-​owner?, and gave him a sniff and a nose butt like they had known each other for years. Second sign. Bob was totally exhausted and slept all the way home. Third sign. Maybe because we usually only leave him for the day we haven’t had the same dirty dog experience that some of the others have had. Since our first visit we have seen Bob enjoying all the other people there as well. When we commented on this to the guys there they looked at us like we were talking about some other dog.

As stated in the previous review, the only down side we found to boarding our hounds with PC is that they smell like they’ve been living a wild dog party pack life while they’re there – which is pretty much how it works at PC and why they love it. But, boy howdy, they morph into two odiferous, frankly rank canis domestici – as disgusting as 5 day old chicken bones left to fester in the kitchen garbage. Two pee – uuu pups!
Luckily, Matthew T., one of PC’s former employee’s tipped me off.
If requested, PC will bathe your blissed out but stenchy friend (s) the day you pick them up so you don’t have to make an immediate stop at the dog wash on the way home.
After being gone for 5 days the last thing we wanted to do was have to schlep the dogs over to Pet Food Express for a bath.
PC did a great job with their care and our olfactory bulbs sighed a sniff of relief when we got them back clean and newly washed.

We love Planet Canine! Our mini schnauzer goes crazy in the car as we get close. She barks, tail wagging, head out the window looking forward to spending the day with all her buddies, canine and human. As soon as we park the car she jumps out and sprints to the front door. She barks to announce her arrival (I think she thinks they are all there just for her). The staff is AWESOME, we trust all of them completely with our baby. When we pick her up at the end of the day they tell us what she’s been up to and who she’s been playing with. Sometimes the staff will take pictures or videos of her during her day. They really are great and we feel lucky to have them in the neighborhood.

Planet Canine deserves all 5 stars. My dog, Tully, loves all the exercise and fun she has there with the other dogs. The owners and employees really treat her well, and she’s so happy and tired every time she returns from being there. Thank you, Planet Canine! Highly recommend.

Our experience with Planet Canine was so-​so, and so we’ve decided to start taking our dog elsewhere. Planet Canine, if you’re reading this, here’s why:
Our first weekend with you was fabulous. Staff was friendly, helpful and attentive. Our dog was happy when we picked him up. Great!
We took him to you again another weekend, and it was completely different. Staff was spacey and indifferent. When we picked him up, we were charged for more than the previous stay, and more than what I had been quoted when I made the reservation. Pop music was blasting in the back where the dogs were (obviously for the enjoyment of the workers, not the dogs). Our dog was howling in the back when he heard us arrive, and my boyfriend actually heard someone in the back snap at him, «Hey!». When they finally got around to bringing our dog out, he was a bundle of nerves. He obviously had not been exercised enough that day, and was desperate to leave. They gave us his food back, and had not used all of it, even though instructions were clearly written on the bag. So you didn’t feed my dog enough – that’s a pretty big oversight.
Maybe it’s just the guy who was running the place that weekend, but it was enough to make us not want to come back.

Just picked our dog Teddy and were so pleased with the staff and facilities. This was Teddy’s first stay and we were nervous about how he would do. The staff was so wonderful about puppy updates and I loved the «report card»!

Five stars to you, Planet Canine!
Yogi had a great time — came home happy and HEALTHY!
The staff was great — took my phone calls during his stay and reported good things. I also really appreciated the fact that they recognize that some dogs (like Yogi) aren’t into the whole dog-​social thing ²⁴⁄₇ — they prefer the human touch — and allow these dogs up front to hang with the people. I know Yogi had a better time away from his family because of this.
Another thing I appreciate is that Planet Canine is about the DOGS — not about FRILLS for the dogs. They don’t need a fashionable couch and plasma tuned to Animal Planet — just some space to play, a warm place to sleep, regular meals, and some love. That’s what they give here, and for a great rate.
We’ll definitely be back.

Not much from the outside but as soon as we make the turn into the alley, our dog gets so excited. Staff is very attentive. We HIGHLY recommend thisplace!

I am so grateful for Planet Canine. Marcelo the owner and Steve the manager are wonderful guys who take care of my dog. They go out of their way to accommodate and know how to take care of different type breeds. I feel safe dropping my dog off here. If you are looking to board your dog I would recommend Planet Canine.

This is the BEST place EVER!!! I love the people and the quality they have to offer my dog. I’ve taken my dog to a few other places in the past couple years, but nothing compares to Planet Canine. My dog loves this place too! I would recommend this place hands down to anyone who wants exceptional care for their pet.

I’m from So Cal and I was in town visiting some friends, and I couldn’t bare to leave my dogs marlana and missy at home by themselves so I figured Id just try to sneak them into my hotel room or find a hotel room that allows pets. Well most hotels don’t allow 2 dogs in one room, only 1… so instead of being worried sick about hiding my dogs in a hotel room for the night, my friend insisted I check Planet Canine out… I’ve never left my dogs overnight before at a place i didn’t know of so it was a little scary for me.
My first reaction was similar to another person’s review that the place was not AS visually attractive as I would have hoped BUT i have definitely seen worse… But once inside, the attentive and knowledgeable staff calmed my nerves and made me feel comfortable to leave my dogs there. I saw all the larger dogs and was scared that my two little ones would get eaten alive! but they were able to give me a piece of mind and I even saw that someone was attentively watching the dogs at all times when they were outside of their kennels. Not watching TV or doing something else.
The next day when i went to go pick up my dogs, they were sooooo happy! it was like a mini adventure for these homebodies! I would definitely return! So don’t judge the book by its cover cuz the good service definitely makes up for it!

I was in town visiting a friend of mine and luckily found Planet Canine to take care of my baby Maggie. She’s a tiny boston terrier and I had some concern because there are larger dogs there. The attentive staff and well kept grounds kept me reassured and when I picked Maggie up the next day, she couldn’t have been happier. I wish they had places like this closer to where I live. Genuinely caring staff, affordable prices, and easy!

(I’m trying to make sure this review shows up, since I think Ralph M. must be on crack. Planet Canine is GREAT. And, dude, it takes more then 2 days for a dog to be conditioned to cringe because of beatings. Your dog was probably just stressed out from being in a new place, surrounded by other dogs, etc. It’s way, way, way out of line to draw the conclusion that these aboslute animal lovers abuse animals!)
We stumbled on this kennel based on a recommendation someone made in a Unilocal forum — when I e-​mailed that person to get more specific information she said that she had never boarded her dog there, but had friends who raved about it. So, sight unseen, we made a week long reservation for Thanksgiving and couldn’t be more pleased — this is definitely the kennel we’ll use from here on out. You can check them out online at
I should note that I’ve boarded my pooch at both Pet Camp and Fog City in San Francisco, both pretty high end, so I do have quite a bit of experience. For my dog, the basic requirement is plenty of time outside of a crate/​cage to run and play, preferably outdoors. Planet Canine has that and more.
It’s nothing fancy to look at — a somewhat messy and bare ‘reception’ room, and the usual concrete floor kennel stink. But every employee we interacted with really seemed to truly love working with animals, the dogs get to play for several hours each day (with a nap time break in the middle of the day), they have the option of boarding in huge crates or kennels (our dog is crate trained, so this was great for us), and our dog came back happy, healthy, and exhausted from her week of playing. All for at least $ 5/​night cheaper than the alternatives, which have a nicer exterior, but offer the same services.
Plus, since I live in Berkeley, it’s only a 15 – 20 minute drive. The only comparable alternative in the East Bay is the oh-​so-​fancy Citizen Canine, which I’m sure is much prettier, but is a whole lot more expensive too. Since neither my dog nor I care about fancy paint on the walls or piped in classical music (but do care about comfortable kennels, and friendly and loving staff), I’ll go with Planet Canine!