Sam's Doggie Dude Ranch

Loved SDDR! The kennel is now operated by Elite Pup Training. After happily boarding my dog at SDDR for several years, I just dropped her off with the Elite folks. They seemed very dog focused, loving, and well organized and accommodating to me as well as my dog. I'll know more after I pick her up when we get back.

Great people, lots of room for the dogs to run. Constent attention paid to the dogs.

Susie was so helpful, sweet and kind. We really appreciate her going above and beyond for our family. She has a big heart for both humans and dogs. I would recommend this Doggie dude ranch to any dog family. The dogs there are so happy and well taken care of.

WOW what a slice of doggy (and people!) heaven! Our three year old English Springer loved the "pool" and the plethora of gophers and creatures to chase around :-). Susie's ATV tour is AMAZING! A highlight for our whole family the weekend we visited.one of SB's hidden gems. Thanks Susie and team, see you next time!

Our dog, Albert, loves to be with other dogs and does not do well in a standard kennel with small enclosures. He Loves the Dude ranch where he can interact with his new dog friends in a very large play area. SDDR isn't cheap, but he's happy, so it's worth it.

This is my favorite place! My rescues that are 11 and 10 years old stayed here this weekend and loved it. Hats off to the owners, who are true ranchers and lovers of the land. We really needed this, and the owners were there for us in a pinch. We felt very secure leaving our loved ones in their care. We received updates and some photos and just fell in love with the coastal property.quite a picturesque location. Susie - you are amazing!

Anyone who needs a safe and friendly environment for their pets should visit here! Just north of Santa Barbara;). We will be back and are so thankful this place is here! We also loved how the dogs have an acre and more to roam and explore (which our boys love), but for animals that might not be able - or inclined, they can stay in a safe space that is more private.

My aunt was displaced for more than 9 months as a result of the January 9 debris flow in Montecito. We were able to place her two dogs with a friend for some time, and then had to move them again. That is when we found Sam's Doggy Dude Ranch! Following is a statement from my aunt (she doesn't use email): "When we picked them up from Sam's Doggy Dude Ranch, I was overwhelmed by how good they looked and how happy they were.

It was the perfect environment for my dogs--a paradise for dogs, if there ever was one! In just over two months, my babies muscled up, gained cooperating skills with all kinds of new dogs and developed emotionally. My love to Susie and Michelle and other staff for all they have done to care for my dogs!" Sam's Doggy Dude Ranch is FUN, SAFE, CLEAN and very WELL MANAGED. Thank you, Susie!

This place was very unusual and I did not think at first it would work for my special needs geriatric dog but I gave it a chance since the kennel I reserved her in rejected her before her insulin dose was due at 630pm! Susie was fabulous and sent me many text messages, pictures and even a little video. I drove 26 miles and it was worth it.

We cannot be happier with SDDR. We had checked out another dog boarding place, and it just seemed so crowded and really no place to exercise, despite it being "cage free". A friend recommended this, so we took a tour and saw how awesome it was. I was nervous about leaving our new dog Shadow, a 1 yr old lab female, who is a rescue. Shadow is very shy with people, and I was afraid leaving her would be traummatic.

Not the case! I got videos and pictures during our trip, and she was SO happy, running around with the others. Susie was great with communication, very organized, everything under control. It was nice not to have to worry during our vacation, or feel guilty that she was in a bad boarding situation. It was a really cool experience going on the tour of the property too; when do you get to go on a beautiful Gaviota coastal ranch property?! This is our go-to place, I'd be bummed if I had to take Shadow to some other place.

My dog had his second extended stay and it was a great experience. Susie and her staff went out of their way to make him feel secure, comfortable and cared for. Although my dog is an Aussie, he is in no way a ranch dog, as he prefers to snooze on our king sized bed, but living the Dude Ranch life for 2 weeks seemed to agree with him. I really appreciate having such a great alternative to a traditional kennel situation when we travel.

AMAZING! Susie and Sam's Doggy Dude Ranch have been a life saver for us! We bought a home in the Santa Barbara area and immediately after moving in, we found true love when we adopted a BEAUTIFUL shepherd from the County Animal Shelter. Our new dog was young, beautiful, athletic and a complete handful! When I say "handful" I mean really energetic and never able to be worn out!

You really can't help who you fall in love with when you go to a shelter and for me, it was love at first sight! When we took our new (big) baby home; I promised to give her the best life ever! Yet. we had no farm. no sheep to herd. To compensate for lack of a big property and our dogs need for major exercise, we got our dog into extensive training courses with professional trainers and she learned the basics.

After basic training we then began looking for dog 'activities' and fun for our NEVER ABLE TO BE EXHAUSTED doggy! That's how we came across the dude ranch! Simultaneously to adopting our dog, we started a major exterior remodel of our home that included days, weeks, MONTHS of workers going in and out of our home and also having numerous months with little or no backyard or fencing at all.

Even though our yard is an ok size to have a dog, we had NO yard for her on an ongoing basis for weeks at a time and, with a dog that can easily run 35 miles per hour and run long distances. this just made our dog go nuts from pent up energy! We needed a place to take her occasionally and, that's how we began utilizing Sam's Doggy Dude Ranch regularly after finding other doggy 'camps' to be way too small or too impacted with dogs for our performance athlete!

At Sam's Doggy Dude Ranch our dog had a HUGE, fully fenced enclosure where she could run and play and BE A DOG all day long! That was really key for me. the ranch gave my dog the "working dog ranch experience" that I wanted her to have despite our lack of a home with a ranch sized lot! This is a REAL working ranch so, that is what your dog will get here.

Our dog is very SPOILED at home but, her true and instinctual dog-needs were to be outside and run at top speed, bark, jump and play! The first time I went to meet with Susie for a planned tour of her ranch, I just fell in love with the ranch property and Susie. Riding around on Susie's ATV with all the dogs was the best part of my day and a welcomed break from the office. Susie is friendly, fun and loves dogs so, I immediately felt comfortable with her and leaving my dog in her care. Susie and Sam's Doggy Dude ranch has been instrumental in 1) wearing out our dog that is filled with never ending energy 2) helping our dog making new dog friends and 3) helping us remodel our home, on an ongoing basis by providing play-day services for our dog.

I have taken our dog to Sam's countless times and, it has by far, been the best money we have EVER spent on our dog. She always comes home exhausted and with a big smile!

We boarded our small terrier at Sam's Doggy Dude Ranch for four nights and we are so happy we found this place. Susie is so great - she obviously has a passion for dogs and was so helpful to first-time boarders like us. The dogs have a main play area, and each have their own fenced-in dog house to sleep. Her prices were reasonable and she'll even pro-rate the cost by the hour.

She surprised us by even sending photos and videos of our pup having a great time at the ranch! When my daughter and I picked up our dog, Susie took us for a ride in the ATV and our dog chased us around the property. We felt our dog was very well cared for and came back tired from all the fun at "camp." We will definitely use Sam's Doggy Dude Ranch again!

I highly recommend Sam's Doggie Dude Ranch as they were literally a vacation and life saver for us! My wife and I had plans to be at El Capitan Canyon for New Year's Eve. But 30mins after dropping our dog Lola with a PetVacay.com person in Santa Barbara, we received a call from a stranger saying they'd found Lola running down the street!

So within minutes of taking her, the DogVacay person allowed our dog to escape. So we rushed over to rescue our dog, but then quickly realized we were 3 hours from home with nowhere to take our dog (we pleaded with the resort but they wouldn't allow a dog under any circumstance). After several frantc phone calls, we came across Sam's Doggy Dude Ranch. Technically they were already closed for the New Year's holiday, but Susie answered the phone, listened to our situation and kindly said she'd stay late and make an exception for Lola.

It goes without saying Susie was incredible and saved a potentially disastrous situation. Lola is incredible skiddish and scared in new situations, so Susie took extra special care with her meals and sending us constant updates throughout the trip to make sure both we and Lola were comfortable. I can not recommend Susie and Sam's Doggie Dude Ranch enough!

I know it goes without saying that most dogs aren't just a dog they are a family member, but not all pets are allowed on vacation with you. This doggie ranch is every dogs dream. A few weeks ago I took my 2 year old pup to the ranch, while I traveled down to San Diego for the weekend. I was apprehensive leaving her because I have never left her overnight before.

With that being said I received several picture updates via text from the staff on how my dog was managing the ranch. I would like to think that my dog is most happy when she is with me, but she looked almost just as happy being on the ranch playing with other dogs. When the weekend ended and it was time for her to come back home with me she was exhausted and needed a vacation from her vacation.; I recommend this doggie ranch to anyone that needs to leave their furry family member with a fun, responsible, loving and adventurous dog sitter company!

Our dog is a lab mix who LOVES to run. Sam's Doggy Dude Ranch is the perfect place for him. There is a large fenced in area for dogs to run around in as well as individual shelters for eating/sleeping. The dogs get daily outings around the ranch, which encompasses a huge property. Ask for a tour when you call--the view from the top of the hill cannot be beat and the looks on the dogs' faces show the shear joy they get from running! Susie and her staff are fun, caring, and fantastic with the dogs that are under their care.

I know our dog looks forward to his stays at the ranch and our family feels good knowing that he is having fun and is well cared for. This is the perfect place for you if you are looking to give your dog something less depressing than being stuck in a typical boarding facility. The rates are reasonable, the dogs are happy. Great for the active dog who loves to run and enjoys frolicking with other dogs. Susie even sends us little videos during our dog's stay so we can vicariously enjoy watching him, for instance, leap into a large tub of water for a swim. : We are so glad that we found Susie and the ranch!

This is such an awesome place to bring your dog. I'm so glad I found it! There is a large outdoor area for the dogs to run & play and a warm area when it's cold. Each dog has their own dog house to sleep in at night that is insulated & well protected. My dog loved splashing around in the large tub. Susie is very kind & caring. She sent me videos of my dog having a good time.

That put me at ease right away. She took us on an outing on the ranch the next day with her Atv which both my dog & Iloved! The dogs are able to run & get tons of exercise. Susie is extremely accommodating. We will definitely be back when we visit, I wish I lived closer we travel alot & I would love to have a place to leave my dog that was like this one!

EXTREMELY happy with the care and attention Grover got during his stay at the ranch. I cannot recommend it enough. Susie is extremely accommodating and went above and beyond to bring paperwork and contracts to us in our car -- we had a like, 2 minute maximum in handing off our dog to her at her front gate so we could make a wedding nearby. Susie is sweet and took photos and videos of Grover and updated us via text often.

When she realized he wasn't much of an outside, run and play kind of dog, she brought him inside and took care of him there in her own house. I appreciated her sweet spirit, her sense of humor, her rates, and her communication about how Grover was doing. She also extended the pick up time for us by 1.5 hours so that we could enjoy the wedding. I highly recommend.

This place is incredible! Our beautiful Miss Kali LOVED it here and had such a wonderful time. From drop off to pick up and everything in between, Susie and her staff made us feel comfortable leaving our baby to romp and play and wear herself out! When we arrived, we got to do a test outing with Kali to see how she would do running beside the ATV and with the horses.

We were nervous that she would get run over or kicked by a horse, but Susie was careful and Kali learned quickly from the other dogs what she was supposed to do, so by the end we were not worried at all! Susie then showed us the huge fenced-in play area and the sleeping areas - little fenced-in areas for feeding so the dogs don't fight over food and enclosed houses for them to sleep in safely.

We were impressed. On Kali's first full day, Susie texted us pictures and a video of her running and playing and swimming - we were already satisfied! When we picked her up, Kali was excited to see us but then ran back over to the staff member who helped us and gave her tons of love - it was obvious that she had gotten to know this woman, had gotten plenty of love from her, and loved her back!

Once we started driving home, Kali zonked out - she had played so hard! Do expect your dog to be a bit dirty when you pick her up - to us, only a sign that she had a good time! And we actually expected cuts and scrapes but she didn't really have any. I have no doubt that she was kept safe, happy, and healthy the entire time. Oh and the price! $35 for every 24 hours?! WAY cheaper than where we take her at home for so much more. The worst part? We don't live in the Santa Barbara area so we can't take her there every time we go out of town! Thank you Susie and staff!

This is THE place to safely leave your canine kids! Susie is AMAZING! A free environment that is the happiest place on earth if you are a doggie! Love, compassion and care is what Susie and her team offer to your loved one! I took my 18 yr old Chihuahua there, he stayed for 3 days. didn't want to leave he was so happy! She really spent time with him, fed him his VERY intricate diet, loved on him and he was in tip top shape!

The other pups that live there are very friendly, not aggressive towards timid little dogs and it's a very safe place for your "children". I highly recommend SDDR! Thanks Susie, you are a blessing to me and my little man!

I love this place! It was recommended to me by a friend that takes her dog here too and I can see why! Upon arrival, Susie was great with sending me all the paper work i'll need and instructions on how to get there. I called her once I entered the ranch and her and her wonderful husband greeted me at the gate. I followed them down to the kennel and got the tour.

There were quite a few dogs there but everyone got along great. Its a great large fenced in kennel with high walls. Which was great because my dog loves to jump fences! The barn was packed with cozy beds for the dogs to sleep on. There was even a male dog that wasn't fixed and she kept him in a secure pen just in case. Love to see they go the extra mile.

After I got the tour we all jumped on the ATV and took a tour of the ranch while to dogs got to run next to us! My dog LOVED it! Was at the front of the pack and so happy to be running with all the other pups. She fit right in right away. After the beautiful tour of their property and the pups getting a good run I knew my dog was in good hands. They truly have a love for dogs and even their horses and other animals.

Even while I was away Susie texted me a photo of my dog running with the pack and I could tell she was having a blast while I was away. It truly eased my mind! If you ever need a place to board your dog, please go here! Its extremely affordable and your dog will come home happy and exhausted form all the running and playing! Can't wait to come back!

Sam's Doggy Dude Ranch is a great-looking place with some flaws. If you take a look at their web site, you can see that it's an open-kennel design so your dog will get plenty of exercise and company. So far so good. The owners will also take the dogs out on ranch outings where they run alongside an ATV. A little bit scary. When we toured the place, our dog who was pretty small at the time, got his head basically run over by the ATV.

I saw his head go under the wheel and I thought it was all over, but amazingly enough he just yelped and ran off--no damage. Even so, we decided not to authorize ranch outings during his week-long stay. The owners are friendly and accommodating--even if a bit forgetful--they had forgotten that they had nearly run over my dog. Oh well. Anyway, we dropped him off and came back a week later and he was fine, except for a number of nasty cuts and what looked like puncture wounds.

I don't know if they had a particularly aggressive dog there or what, but he had a 2-inch cut on his side and several other deep punctures. I was expecting some cuts and scrapes because it is an unsupervised open kennel, and we did sign a waiver of rights that mentioned the possibility of cuts and scrapes, but I wasn't really expecting quite such big wounds.

When we picked him up, there was a very nasty border collie who growled and bared his teeth at me. Not pleasant--maybe he was the problem. The owner told me that he was the on-site vet tech's ranch dog. I like the fact that there's an on-site vet tech, but I don't like the fact that she had such a nasty, unsocialized dog. Because of the ranch dog and the wounds, I don't think we'll take our dog back here. It's a shame--it's a really nice location and a great setup. Maybe they need to be a bit more particular about what dogs they accept. I think that would help.