Little Rascals

We regularly use Little Rascals (daycare, boarding, grooming), and are always extremely pleased. They are friendly, dependable, willing to accommodate, and obviously really love animals. And most importantly, our dog loves them. He generally likes people, but we certainly can tell the difference when he sees someone he truly loves. And that is the reaction we see in spades when the Little Rascals truck pulls up, and even more so when he see Debbie get out. His only focus at that point is to get a belly rub from one of his best friends!

There are not enough positive things we can say about Little Rascals. My dog LOVES going and playing with her friends. The owner is wonderful. We had scheduled a grooming appointment and ended up having to reschedule 3 times (our own poor planning) and she made it so simple. When our dog got groomed, we weren’t sure how she would do since she had never been to the groomer. Much to our surprise, she seemed to love it! We wanted to keep her longer, but her fur was rather matted from her journey up here (rescued from Texas). When keeping her fur longer wasn’t working, the owner communicated that to us. She looked phenomenal when we picked her up! She is so much more comfortable without her heavy coat. We will 100% be bringing our girl back in the future. Cannot recommend this place enough!

Terrible Place. My dog spent 7 hours there and he will traumatized by groomers for the rest of his life. A child with a pair of buzzers could have done a better job. Worst of all they cut my dog, tired to glue it shut and neglected to tell me. I was in such shock at the hair cut when I picked him up that I didn’t notice the blood until we were home and there were drops on my carpet. I promptly took him to the vet and had the wound properly cleaned and closed up. I would never trust this place with my dog again. I see others have had nightmare experiences with this place as well. Please heed our warnings and if you love your pet do not bring them to this awful place, they may not come out in one piece.

I purchased a Groupon for two baths and cuts for my Yorkshire terriers. The hair cuts were great and the dogs looked amazing. I dropped my dogs off at 10 am and they were not ready until 6:00pm. That was not a problem. However, I cannot give them 5 stars though because I called two times asking for an estimated time for pickup and I was told they cannot give me one at which point I asked if they had at least been bathed already and I was told yeah, sure. Took another star away because the place smelled and while I know it’s a dog kennel, it could use a little TLC with some odor neutralizing spray. I would take my dogs back for cuts again. However, staff really needs to work on customer service. I had no idea who was waiting for their dogs and who was working there, so it was slightly awkward.

I just picked up my dog from being boarded here for four days, and he looks like he has literally been abused. If I could press charges, I would. His nose is gashed, his face is covered in scratches, his paws are bleeding, and he is covered in various other injuries. He was 40 lbs when I dropped him off. Now he’s 37 lbs, even though I LEFT THEM THE FOOD HE EATS. It’s as if they never even fed him. This place is a crime against animals, and should be shut down.

I had never been there before this and thought that it was super convenient, as it’s right near my work. My puppy (7 mos) has gone to boarding and day care since I adopted him at 10 weeks old, so I had no doubts about taking him here. We walked in to this place and the first thing I noticed was the overpowering smell of urine. As soon as we were inside, three boxers bombarded him, one growled, which intimidated him quite a bit. I filled out paperwork and a woman showed up (presumably the boss) and snatched him from me, dragging him out of the room. He was already nervous being in a place with such strong smells, strange dogs, to only then be taken by a strange woman who didn’t even take a second to address me, introduce herself, or ANYTHING. She didn’t explain what I should expect, how they’d handle my dog, what I was comfortable with, what HE was comfortable with, special needs etc. My dog isn’t aggressive, but what if he had issues? They’d never met him — that’s a great way to get bitten! And the loose dogs is just ASKING for dog to dog confrontation. Upon dragging him out, both employees left me standing in the lobby, unsure where my dog was just taken, and no questions answered. They popped in a couple times and said nothing to me, didn’t make eye contact. The ‘boss’ who owned the boxers kept making baby noises at them but didn’t address me directly, seemingly avoiding me. I had to interrupt and ask «where did you take my dog?» She informed me that he’d be in a kennel. She declined letting me see where he’d be staying, which made me very uncomfortable. I ended up telling her that I was very uneasy with the whole thing and that I’d be leaving with my dog. Zero customer service + Zero cleanliness = Definitely NEVER going back.

Not a place I would go again! Smell bad, groom my dog bad as well, and just not worth the deal on groupon. Don’t take your dog or pet there.

This is the third or fourth time I have left my dog at LR. The dog comes back happy and barely wants to leave. After having some bad expereiences with neigoors and friends wantching the dog, I am happy to pay LR for a little piece of mind.

This place is awesome. I swear.
I have loved and trusted Debbie and the Little Rascals team with my dog, Virgil, for about five years and they have never let me down. Virgil has gone to Doggie Daycare every day of the work week for months at a time and, when I travel, he stays at Little Rascals for stretches of time without incident. Virgil is a healthier and happier dog because of Little Rascals.
It wouldn’t be fair to write this review without acknowledging the fact that there are a number of unreasonably negative reviews elsewhere in this section (which I find to be the case all over Unilocal), so let me address them: if you are looking for a place that really really cares about animals, then you should use Little Rascals; if you are looking for a place that cares more about your feelings, maybe you should use PetSmart. To clarify, in my experience, I don’t think that Little Rascals is bad about customer service; but, look, they work (very well) with pets and, as far as I’ve seen, the pets love the hell out of the staff. Who cares if you do? If you would rather take your dog to a place where they make humans feel great and dogs feel just ok, as opposed to a place where they make dogs feel great and humans just ok, I guess that’s your choice. If you focus on your pet, however, I guarantee that Little Rascals is your place.
Also, the prices are better than anywhere else in the city, especially when it comes to boarding and doggie daycare — and Debbie is willing to work with you if you are a loyal customer.
The pick up/​drop off is most helpful.
The web cam is convenient.
The grooming is affordable and always done with care.
I have moved around the city and I have researched (and even used) other boarding/​grooming places: they are not as good as Little Rascals.
No one should rely on a local Fox news affiliate’s «investigative report» when it comes to anything, yet alone choosing pet care.
Five years. No complaints. Happier dog.

Simply put, they would not accept my Groupon after I paid for it! Why? They seem to prefer cash versus Groupon purchases and truly discourage the use of them because they cut into there profits…(sigh) then why even advertise on Groupon?

When I got the deal on groupon, I thought it would be great to get my boy a hair cut after the icy winter. But I’m not too happy with the Mohawk, he looks like a hyena from side. When I asked for a Mohawk, I thought it would be on he head. Not down his back. But I do think it was nice that the owner was gonna still cut his hair, even tho I did have proof of his Bordetella vaccine. But I found it.

I recently brought my dog here for a 5 day stay. I will NOT be bringing him back! My biggest complaint is that after dropping him off I realized that they never asked for my dog’s shot record. This is irresponsible and potentially dangerous. I also don’t believe he was kept in the room I was shown and promised when I dropped him off (but I have no proof of this). In addition their website advertises a «live webcam», so you can watch your pet while away. It never once worked. Please do not bring your pets to this completely unprofessional place.

Our dog went here Mon-​Fri from 7:30am-4pm for about 5 months while we were at work to the Rockville location. Since there is no structure and the workers aren’t trained she picked up a lot of bad habits like excessive barking and a little aggression towards strangers. She was never much or a barker and she NEVER showed any signs of aggression towards people or dogs before. She was also attacked by another dog and we didn’t find out about it until the next day. We took her out of day care and within a week she stopped the excessive barking and haven’t had any issue with aggression. She seems a lot more relaxed also. I wouldn’t recommend the Rockville location just because there really isn’t any structure and none of the workers have been properly trained on how to work with dogs.

I’ve had pretty good experiences here. My dog goes to daycare at the DC site twice a week, and gets baths and shaved periodically. The first time I got him shaved, they did a great job with minimal instruction. Like I was a expecting them to be a mind reader. Exactly what I wanted!
Just last week I asked to have him bathed when I dropped him for daycare, as he was scratching a lot after a swim in the river. They did it no problem, and he smelled great when I got him. Sometimes retail transactions are a little frustrating, but it’s a doggie daycare, not a grocery store. I’ve chatted with the owner a number of times and she is always friendly and seems to really be concerned about the business.
Since my dog literally pulls me the entire walk there when I ask him if he is «ready for daycare,» he must have a good time.

We took our dog here back in March because we can walk here from our home and it seemed like a decent place when I toured it a couple months prior. I was too angry after our experience to write a review immediately.
My husband and I last minute long weekend and needed to use their boarding, so we arranged to do the evaluation about a week before our trip.
I scheduled the evaluation and my husband took our dog in without incident. After a few hours, someone called my husband to tell him he could pick up our dog. When he showed up, a woman was very rude and told him he was too early. He wasn’t interested in coming back, so she said, fine, you can take your dog.
We had some reservations, but not a lot of time to make other arrangements and we really needed these two days away. When I dropped our dog off on Sunday morning, the guy who took her in was very friendly and I felt good. I walked over on Monday afternoon to pick our dog up and was told that there was a fee for picking our dog up late. I was confused as to why, because I had arranged the pick up time over the phone and told it was fine. The lady working subtracted the amount and we left.
About the time we arrived home, my husband was on the phone with someone from Little Rascals saying we didn’t pay what we were supposed to. I got on the phone and asked what the problem was. The gal I had just spoken with explained the mis-​communication and why I owed more money. I said ok, can I pay by credit card. She said I could not, that I had to come back. I asked if we could make other arrangements and she said she couldn’t do that.
Someone else got on the phone; a woman who didn’t introduce herself, but turns out to be the owner, informs me that her worker said I refused to pay. I explained that I would have been happy to pay, had someone taken 2 minutes to explain the charges. I’m the customer, and I don’t have services memorized; I’m also a reasonable person, just help me to understand.
I said I would pay now, if I could give her my credit card number. The owner told me they couldn’t do that, I had to come back. I asked if I could pay the next time we came back for boarding, or if there was something we could do, so that I wouldn’t have to physically go back right then. I was told that if I did not pay that day, the money would come out of the employee’s paycheck.
By now I was furious and told her I would come back only because she would be unfairly penalizing her employee, but she could be sure we would not be using her services ever again. When I did arrive, with cash, the owner tried to be chatty, but made no effort at an apology.

I have two big dogs and have been taking them to Little Rascals for almost two years. Many weeks, they go every day. In fact, since January, I have been paying for a monthly daycare package for each dog (about $ 650 per month) and taking them every day of the week. I recently learned that this place has been keeping one of my dogs downstairs in the basement in a crate — ALL DAY LONG! And this has been going on for months! I was never informed, and when my husband realized my dog was not in daycare and asked why, he was told it was because my dog was aggressive. We were never informed nor were we discounted for the lower-​than-​daycare care he was receiving (not that we would have approved of it at any price). I will be reporting the owner to the better business bureau, and I am contemplating suing for breach of contract. I’m so angry that the owner has so little regard for animals that she would subject my dog to daylong crating just so she could keep collecting money from me!!! This is not a person who should be entrusted with your animals.

We brought our dog here a couple of times despite hearing some negative experiences from friends because it is close to where we live. The staff is nothing but rude and condescending, there is expired dog food in the lobby, the staff is bad at handling dogs and the dog area is not always supervised – so we will not be returning. As opposed to other dog day cares we’ve used, the dogs in the play area are inactive and don’t appear to be enjoying themselves. When we went to pick up our dog the last time, she came out without a collar. When we asked why, they asked if she had a collar on the way in. They said one dog had had a collar chewed off during the day, but they didn’t know if it was her or not. Of course she had a collar on the way in. They didn’t know what happened, and they had thrown the collar away – tags and all. They never apologized and didn’t seem the least bit sorry. These things can happen with dogs, but it should have been observed and they should have apologized at the very least. They advertise a live webcam, but it is suspiciously always pointed straight at the ground so you can’t see what’s actually going on. I give it two stars because our dog survived the experience, but that’s about as high of praise as I can give this place.

I arrived to drop of my 3 dogs for their «interview» prior to boarding the lady that greeted me was friendly and trying her best to help me and another customer. Then a lady walks in and immediately has attitude… supposedly shes the owner. Not only did she have attitude with her employee but with me and a couple of her other customers. She was just rude! One of her customers even asked her «hows it going» and she barely even looked at the gentleman and mumbled a few words. The gentleman responded with a big «OKAY then». Talk about AWKWARD.
The employee took my 3 dogs or their interview and I waited in the lobby thinking they would give me a set time to come back or more instructions. The owner simply looked at me and said «you can go». I asked what time should I come back to pick them up and do I need anything else. She said no. As I returned for my pups, that evening employee told me my total was $ 90!!!
I was NEVER told that the interview fee was $ 30 each dog and that it would not be used towards my boarding. I asked the employee to call a manager or the owner and to ask if we can reduce this cost or if this will be used toward my boarding. The owner called and said she can apply $ 60 towards my boarding and asked me what I thought the total was going to be for the interview. She said «I should have asked» by this point I had it with this lady and canceled my boarding plans.
She lost my business (3 dogs 8 days of boarding and I was considering upgrading my dogs to a private suite with the gold package). I do not recommend this place to anyone. The owner kills her own business.

Never again!!! Today I took my 4 month old puppy for several hours of day care. Within 4 hours, I received a call from Debbie (who has thee worst customer service skills and is completely condescending and disrespectful to her own staff!) stating that my pup was limping and she didn’t know why or what happened! Obviously the staff are too busy doing other things to actually supervise the animals they’re paid to keep watch over! I totally regret patronizing this business and hope that my puppy does not need treatment and meds beyond what the vet prescribed when we left this careless establishment. This app wouldn’t let me post without selecting a star rating. If I could, I ‘d give Little Rascals three (3) thumbs DOWN

I took my dog here to day care for a month while I was between apartments. My dog was always excited to go in the morning, and she would come out happy and exhausted! The webcam almost always worked (minus a few occasions which I feel is understandable and acceptable).
I feel like they did a great job looking after my dog, and I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking. I did not run into any of the problems that other reviewers mentioned like a bad smell or the webcam never working. That may have been the case in the past — but it wasn’t the case for us!

I previously gave this place a 1 star review — the owner was very genuinely concerned with my complaint, and went out of her way to call me today to offer a free re-​do to make sure I got top service for my dog. Will post a final review later on after I have it done! She was very very friendly, and Genuinely apologetic.

My boss has brought her dog here several times and always had a funny feeling about it, but never had anything concrete to back-​up these feelings. Today, when we were asking for a estimated delivery time, we were given that reason. My boss’ dog will never be back. I am very much a dog person and do not feeling like I am paying ransom for getting my dog out of a hostage situation. I talked with the owner and her response to me asking for my boss’ dog to be delivered from their place to me was (in a very snooty voice) «anything can be done… for a price.» It is not acceptable to treat customers that way and definitely not a way to make people feel okay about leaving their dogs there. I hate to write negative reviews, in fact, this one might be my first one, but I don’t like extortion.
Debbie is the owner and was the one I was speaking to.

We have been using this place for over three years now, and they have been unbelievably helpful. They have a wide variety of services for almost every need we’ve encountered (drop offs, pick ups, daily walks, play groups, grooming, boarding, etc), and during a family emergency last summer they came to the house and picked up the dogs on very short notice to help us out. What prompted this review is that yesterday we dropped off our 110 lb Tibetan Mastiff for grooming. I had been brushing her every day during shedding season but I just couldn’t keep up. She came out of the grooming absolutely stunning. They even called in the middle of it to discuss a few options based on what they encountered once they had her washed, which I thought was very professional. We feel lucky to have Little Rascals in the neighborhood! As do our dogs!

We have brought our two dogs here for boarding on several occasions, most recently in March 2013. Little Rascals is convenient to where we live and their hours work for us. We have used cageless boarding and, most recently, kennel boarding because one of our dogs had surgery a few weeks ago and needs to have her activity limited.
As a previous reviewer noted, Little Rascals is up-​front and clear about pricing and services, they have multiple options for boarding, and they have a webcam so you can watch your pet run around on a live video feed. That is an awesome feature.
That said, LR’s office/​intake area is not a beautiful space (I haven’t actually seen the rest of the facilities), and it definitely has a doggy odor. This time I remembered to ask for an «exit bath and brush» (they also have a sign on the wall as a reminder) because the dogs come home smelling funky otherwise, and I didn’t have time to bathe them myself when we got home. The bath and brush were nicely done, and the dogs were ready when I was ready to pick them up.
I guess our needs are pretty basic. Our dogs are active when we see them on the webcam. They seem well cared for. There are usually a good number of other dogs present. I expect them to smell like they’ve been around a lot of other dogs, which they do, unless they get a bath. LR allows us to go away overnight without worrying about our dogs and without breaking the bank.

My little rascal definitely needed this place last month. My partner and I were both going out of town, and we needed a safe haven for our newly rescued pup.
After failing her trial visits at some of the places closer to our house in Shaw, Little Rascals was one of the only options we had left.
The facility definitely is not exactly close to home for me, and forced me to get a zip car, but that is not really relative to my overall review.
At first glance, the facility is a little overwhelming. It is part of a former car dealership/​bank and doesn’t really look all that gentle on the eye at first glance.
But after I drove around and saw signage, I got inside. The welcome area inside the back door of the old bank building really was not very welcoming. It’s a small foyer with a couple of chairs and a computer. There is an official feeling missing, where you aren’t sure if this is the proper place to check your dog in.
I got a tour of the facility when I first arrived, and it’s a pretty big place. Since my little pup has some anger issues that we are working on, we figured getting her in her own place would be best, so we went for the private suite. The suites are pretty cool. She gets her own room, space to run around, and a child-​size bed. They have a nifty webcam feature for the general playroom, but it really would have been cool if they had cameras in the individual rooms as well.
We didn’t opt for a bath for her, as she wasn’t getting any joint playtime and was just getting the usual 2 – 30 minute walks a day. But for whatever reason, she came back absolutely filthy. It was as if the blankets they used were not washed or something, and was rather disturbing. Sure, I could have paid for a bath… but she also shouldn’t be in a filthy room upon arrival.
But overall, the facility is fine, it works for my uses, and I have a safe place to drop my dog off.
I do have one major issue remaining though: the staff.
When I drop my dog off somewhere, upon pickup, I want to know all the details. I want to know how she ate, if she acted up, and generally, how she was. The staff here seems to lack such knowledge.
When I came to pick her up after a 2 day stay, I arrive to see all of the chairs in the waiting room filled with teenagers, who I later found out were the employees. They were just gossiping and hanging out for a few minutes, before one finally stood up to talk to me. Then, once I check out, and they bring my dog downstairs, they don’t say anything else to me, like a «oh, she did well» or anything.
Once I asked how she did, the teenage kid simply says «yeah she did fine.»
I’m sorry, but if I’m paying that much money for you to watch my dog, the least you can do is put on a smile and report something back to me. Anything. I definitely was not thrilled.
Another beef I have is with their mandatory trial day. Other places in the city require a test day to see how the dog gets along, etc. And usually when they offer this, it is a free day, since it is required. Well, not at Little Rascals. Here you have to pay the full rate of the required all day stay. A bit of a rip off.
The major reason I liked this place to begin with is that they are one of the only daycare facilities that I could find within the city that offers private boarding areas, not just a big, communal room.
If I get in a bind again, I may use them again, but really, if you are able, and your dog is in good spirits, go somewhere else where the staff actually seem to give a crap about your best friend.