Kaluah Kennel

Found out today that Kaluah Kennel is closing down. :(We absolutely loved Tom and Debbie — they took great care of our Australian Shepherd over the last two years. It’ll be hard to replace them!

I have used Kaluah Kennel for my large, special needs, mixed breed dog (Peety) since I adopted him from the Humane Society of Silicon Valley in 2008. I started using Kaluah when they were the kennel recommended to me by HSSV. I travel on business and have used Kaluah at least six times per year since then. The owners have always gone out of their way to accomodate my travel schedule and requirements. There is no problem bringing special food for your pet here. The costs are very reasonable compared to the other more impersonal and corporate kennel alternatives in the area. I know that Tom and Debbie, the owners, go out of their way to play with Peety and give him personal attention (I hope I’m not saying anything I shouldn’t say publicly, but I know they have even let him sleep in the house with them), since he actually gets excited and starts wagging his tail when we pull up for a visit. I have to move out of state now with Peety, so I wanted to write this and publicly thank Tom and Debbie for being such wonderful and loving hosts for Peety for the past six years. I really feel like Kaluah Kennel is as good as it gets for personalized and attentive pet care.

Just called for information about boarding my dog and was informed they would not consider boarding the Husky breed. Had to much trouble with them in the past per the gentleman who answered the phone. Disappointed as the pictures on website looked like they could have been setup nicely for any dog really.

Our dog has been coming here for years. Tom and Debbie and very friendly and loving to the animals. Highly recommended.

We’ve continued to board our dog at Kaluah Kennel multiple times a year, sometimes for a long weekend, sometimes for up to 2 weeks. Tom and Debbie take great care of our dog and are always friendly and professional. They know our dog and all her quirks well. On longer trips, we like to call to check up on her and Tom and Debbie always gladly give us a detailed report. We may always feel guilty leaving her to go on trips, but Kaluah Kennel gives us peace of mind that our dog is well taken care.

Great place! Very friendly owners, my dogs always come back clean and happy! Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a home like environment for their dogs or cats to stay in whole you’re away.

My dog gets too stressed with other dogs in an open doggie daycare setting and she has a chronic controllable health condition that can get out of control easily if she isn’t well cared for. I’ve taken her to Kaluah for the last 2 years and they are great. There have been a couple of extended stays and she is as good as if she was home. She’s always been one of those dogs that can be fussy in the morning if her breakfast is late– Tom and Debbie watch her closely and call me if anything is up. I really appreciate the care they give my Della.

Great owners who have been doing this for a long time — they know their stuff. Our dog is super shy with new people, especially men, and I could not kennel her at one of those dog daycare centers where she would be handled by a bunch of different staff members. Kaluah brings comfort because I know our pup will be handled by the same people each time. We’ve taken her here six or so times so far and it’s the only place I bring her.

This was my first time boarding my pup at Kaluah Kennel. While I was nervous at first, Debbie put me right at ease. She and Tom were very warm, friendly, and knowledgeable. It’s a no-​nonsense place that provides reasonably priced but solid dog care. My pup came home happy and healthy, which is all that really matters to me.

When I was a kid, my family never had to use a kennel because our suburban neighborhood had many dog owners who were willing to take care of our dogs. Living in my young adult apartment world, my fiancé and I had to put our dog in a kennel (my parents were also out of town) for Thanksgiving. I could barely look at our dog the day before we were to drop him off, because I felt SO guilty, even though my fiancé had used this kennel before and had positive things to say.
When we dropped our dog off, he was excited and wagging his tail upon seeing the owners. I saw other pets there looking cheerful and happy. The way the owners said his name and talked to him was as if he was their own pet. I felt much better. I have these visions of those cold kennels or stupid doggie hotels where they actually don’t get love and attention, but I fell in love with this pet-​sitting home (the owners’ actual home) immediately.
I just picked him up, and he was fresh and clean from a bath, and fluffy from a nice brush. The owners were organized and the check-​out was quick and simple. The owners were so sweet and nice to interact with– you can tell that they are really good people.
My conscience will be clear the next time we have to put our pup in a kennel, knowing he is with the lovely people at Kaluah Kennel.

I feel very comfortable boarding my cat here and the owners are always so nice. The prices are very reasonable too! The location is easy to get to, right off 101.
The only drawback is they have limited hours, especially on weekends, so pick up and drop-​offs are not always convenient. If they were open more on the weekend or gave you an option to pick up on Sunday (I’d be willing to pay extra) I would give them 5 stars.
Good place!

I brought my two kittens here for 5 days. This was the first time for my two kittens being boarded here. I’m always nervous when I leave my pets, but I know Debbie and Tom would take great care with my kitties.
Kaluah Kennel is the only place for my pets whenever I travel.

We have always felt comfortable sending our dogs to Kaluah. After some terrible incident at another boarding facility we were so glad to find a place our dogs felt comfortable in and that we knew they would be safe and well cared for.
It’s such a relief to find a good place for your family pet.

–Tom & Debbie of KALUAH KENNELS are the very best at what they do.–
I went on a long vacation and have boarded my dogs at KALUAH KENNELS several times. When I came back to pick them up — none of them wanted to leave. That is because my dogs had too much fun playing at KALUAH KENNELS while I was away. Debbie was also very patient with my older pugs and administered their medications religiously.
I highly recommend KAHLUA KENNELS for their excellent care and passion for taking care of my dogs like their very own. I know when I am away — I can sleep at night knowing my dogs are in excellent care. — Thank you so much Tom and Debbie.
– and also A BIG CONGRATULATIONS to KALUAH KENNELS for 24 years of dedicated service to provide us pet owners peace of mind and plenty more…

I take my dog here every time and will never switch — although it is a 20 mile drive from my house. My dog, Chip, is a bit of a maniac on the leash and they properly care for him and, now that they’ve developed a relationship with him, are quickly learning about his personality and what he likes.
First of all, I prefer a kennel that isn’t a «day care.» In other words, I don’t really care if the kennel has hardwood floors or a lot of those worthless «frills» that many Bay Area kennels add (for a much more expensive price). Secondly, I don’t really like my dog in group sessions — because he is a hyper lab. and while he LOVES to play, the last thing I want is for an over aggressive dog to attack him or try to dominate him.
The most important thing to me is a place that I KNOW my dog is going to be safe and healthy. Sure, the hours here are often difficult if you work 9 – 5 and they do have «rules» — but at the end of the day, this isn’t about fluff or a warming atmosphere. this is about the SAFETY and HEALTH of my dog!
But on that note, every time I’ve been here, the owners have been absolutely great. I trust them with my dog and that is all I care about.

I’ve lived in the Bay Area for 8 years and have tested multiple kennels for my American Eskimo (Aspen). This is the only kennel I will take her to when I have to go out of town, because of two things: (1) How happy Aspen is to see me when I pick her up, and (2) I know Aspen is in great hands with Debbie and Tom.
They do a lot of things right: Change the doggie bedding frequently, provide large pales of water for each room, listen carefully to my food instruction. I just found out that they use ‘misters’ in each kennel to cool down their guests during the summer. The place smells cleaner than other kennels I’ve visited, and it’s comforting that the owners live on the premise.
Don’t come here expecting fancy accommodations. As a review earlier described, this is a ‘no frills’ kennel. Come here expecting that your pet will be in experienced, caring hands.
Tom and Debbie are the sweetest, most down-​to-​earth dog-​lovers. I may be biased because I am also from Texas, but they truly are good people. Each time I take Aspen in, I’m excited to catch up with them. I’m so relieved to have found this place. On more than one occasion they’ve saved me in a last-​minute work trip dilemma.

Going to the East Coast for 10 days with my husband and two kids I wanted to find a new kennel for our dog. Not having too much time to check around, I thought Kaluah Kennel would be OK. Debbie Hutchinson seemed OK and reasonable when I dropped my dog off. At our return from the trip, I left a voicemail saying that I realized it was Sunday and they were not officially open, but we would be home all day, and if possible I could come at a moment’s notice and pick up Scamper, paying for Monday too. If not possible, I would be there the next day, as previously arranged.
I got a call saying I could come over. Happy to be reunited with our dog, me and my 11-​year-​old daughter went off.
We were not prepared for what was to come. The gate was locked at our arrival, so I did some ‘yo-​hoing’. Recognizing my voice, our dog’s head started popping over the fence of the enclosure further in.
Then Mrs. Hutchinson arrived. Without a word of hello, she started off
by saying this was not a social call (sic!), we were there to just pick
our dog up (!!!), she had work to do… She hustled us into the office to get paid. She repeated the ‘not a social call’ a couple of times in different ways, then she laid eyes on my daughter Sara, who was quietly standing by my side. Mrs. Hutchinson said she could
not have ‘people’ around (sic!). She told my daughter: «Get out! Go back to the car! Go back to the car! «
By this time my daughter and I were both stunned and shocked. My daughter went out, and I only had the thought of getting out of there
safely and quickly with our dog. I paid. I had to make two trips to the car since I no longer had my daughter to help me get the bedding, the box of dog food, and the dog itself.
It took the whole day to get over this event. I wrote a letter to Mrs.
Hutchinson saying that I had found her rude and downright nasty,
especially to my child.
Mrs. Hutchinson wrote back saying she was sorry for being rude towards my daughter, it was due to a ‘mood’ and family problems.
I think a sincere apology would have come before I reminded her that I had found her through
and that I would be relating my
experience there.
Word of caution: you don’t want to be an animal, a child or even a grown-​up paying customer when this woman is in a foul mood.
*************************************************************************
⁶⁄₂₃ Response to Mr. Hutchinson’s comment:
According to Mr. Hutchinson:
Mrs. Hutchinson felt terrible about ‘the incident’ the second it happened… but apparently not enough to contact us to apologize.
(She wrote a letter later in response to my letter.)
I admit I have no idea how my dog was treated. I wasn’t there. That is kind of the point when you board your dog; you need to judge businesses from the brief time you are there for drop off and pick up. The dog can’t tell you
anything. You just hope that your dog will have a decent time.
However, if a person takes out their bad moods on me as an adult –an adult who can speak up and defend themselves– I sure would not trust them with my kids or my dog. I guess it’s possible to be a bad people person but a great dog person, but it does not work for me.
That’s why Unilocal works, you share your observations for the benefit of everyone, and you take whatever people write under consideration,
take it or leave it.
By the way, if there is anyone out there who want to try and exchange
dog stay favors — I’ll take your dog, you take my dog — contact me. I think that would be the way to go. You can tell by Unilocal that a lot of people have trouble finding a kennel they truly trust. If we dog owners, who want to thoroughly enjoy our vacations (without thinking of our locked-​up dogs), could create a dog-​match-​people-​match website I think that could be an interesting solution.

I have used Kaluah Kennel a few times to board our two dogs while we were out of town. I can’t say anything bad about this place.
It is family run and I really get the sense that they care about the animals they have boarding.
The place is kept clean from what I’ve seen.
I will be back.
Thanks

This is an excellent, clean, no frills, reasonably priced kennel.
Originally we tried to board our puppy at our vet’s, but their facility was booked already. The receptionist recommended that we bring Tuco to Kaluah Kennel and said that this is where she takes her dog if the clinic’s boarding area is booked.
The owners are very nice and live on the premises. Tuco took to them right away. The lady was very kind with him.
Dogs stay in fairly large outdoor runs, which are both covered and have open areas. Our puppy loves to sun himself, so he was pretty happy.
He does have tummy issues when in new situations and we let them know in advance that it might happen (which it did). They said no problem, and kept an eye on him. They let us provide our own food, blanket and toys.
I like that they exercise the dogs individually. Tuco plays well with others, but you never know. I was happy to know that he wouldn’t get hurt.
The only downside is they have very limited viewing hours and times when you can drop off or pick up your pet. They are not open for pick up on Sunday and they close at noon on Saturday. That makes it hard when you are travelling.

I tried Kaluah Kennel for the first time last week when my husband and I went away on an Alaskan cruise. Kaluah is different from those pet hotels and other pet resorts you see being heavily marketed these days with fancy beds, tvs, etc etc. Kaluah is a no frills mom and pop establishment that has been in business for years. They aren’t fancy, but the facility is VERY clean and it has all the essentials for dog board and care (I mean really, why would a dog need a stupid tv anyway?). Tom and Debbie are the owners and live on site. It was comforting to know that they would be there around the clock if something were to happen to any of the dogs (especially mine).
This place doesn’t work like a pet «hotel»; the dogs here do not interact directly with each other and are given their own separate playtime in a play area a couple of times a day. When we took our dog to Klub K9 in Sunnyvale, she was returned to us filthy and injured. They do 100% cageless boarding there and while this may work for some dogs, it did not work for ours. Our dog likes to play with other dogs from time to time, but she gets tired out and wants her own space after awhile and I’m afraid cageless boarding was just too much for her. She was so exhausted when we picked her up she slept for 24 hours straight. So with all these factors to consider, we decided to try Kaluah Kennel.
Tom and Debbie are great. They seem to genuinely care about the dogs and know each one by name. I was very pleased when I picked Yuki up after a week. She looked exactly as I had left her and was very happy. They took the liberty of washing Yuki’s bed before I picked her up too. And with their VERY reasonable prices (a little less than half the price of pet «hotels»), I would definitely take Yuki back!