Tappen Hill For Dogs

The owner requires you to go through hoops to even book an evaluation. We filled out a new client form, submitted the proof of vaccination, and talked to an employee about our dog with no red flags. Yet, despite it all, the owner decided to change the age requirements to disqualify us. The owner should just learn to get their unreasonable list of requirements straight instead of lying to tell us no. Thanks for wasting peoples time. Just say, "no new clients" instead giving people the run around with your personal bias.

Sad change in the style at Tappen. Our labradoodle seemed to love it there and they seemed equally happy to board him. They now seem to us to be over busy and, again our personal opinion, intolerant of the slightest tendency for dogs to bark and do what dogs do. It's their call of course which dogs they accept, but after an almost six year hitherto excellent relationship it is disappointing to be told they won't take our dog any longer. So, it is probably best for us to advise would-be clients to go elsewhere.

Since my 2012 review I've boarded my Labrador retrievers here at least 3 times per year while I travel across the globe. This place is super competent. Staffed by professionals. The facility is clean ad well organized. The play yards are tidy. Three's a couple of splash fountains for the pups who love getting wet. My girls upon arrival run to the office entrance because they are so excited to visit again.

Pretty exclusive place. Your dog will need to be temperament assessed before being allowed to stay here. Strict vaccination requirements. I've seen and evaluated 10 other dog boarding places in Sonoma & Marin counties. This one is the best.

Don't trust these people with your fur babies! We went for an assessment with our 5 month old sweet pure bred black lab. Our lab puppy has just noticed female dogs in the past week. He put his paws over the other dog in a non-threatening manner while playing, which the other dog also did the same thing at times, and the lady there whipped our dog with a leash twice, making him yelp both times.

We left and will not be returning ever. This person did not ask to whip our dog with a leash and then suggested we do this after she did it. There are other ways to handle this with positive reinforcement. This is abuse. If this was in front of the owner, what will they do behind closed doors? In addition, what does the owner tell her employees on how to handle behaviors, and how does this turn out after individual perceptions and any lack of judgment take place?

No thank you. She also told us she doesn't take barkers, which he doesn't bark abnormally. What dog doesn't bark though and what happens if they do? I hope this experience did not cause him to distrust boarding facilities or people.

Whipped My Dog with a Leash, Right in Front of Me It will take me a long time to recover from my "Orientation" interview this morning at Tappen Hill. My dog Bodhi, thank God, is already over it. I will write this review and then I will take a lesson from Bodhi and put this terrible experience behind me. Some of you may already know my 9-year-old Airedale, Bodhi.

He happily spent the first 8 years of his life at The Meadows twice a week for daycare and several times a year for boarding. He was adored by all the staff, and he was a good dog buddy to so many of the other dogs at The Meadows. We considered The Meadows his second home - Heidi and Lana were his second family. Bodhi is the happiest, most social dog I have ever known.

I have been told countless times from staff how much they appreciate Bodhi because he plays with dogs of all sizes, breeds, and ages. He loves being with other dogs more than he loves food. Since The Meadows closed, Bodhi has happily integrated himself into a new dog community at Olivet Kennel. This morning I took Bodhi for Orientation at Tappen Hill, just so we could have multiple options for him given the uncertainties of fire season, potential evacuations, and so on.

When we arrived for our "interview" neither Bodhi nor I were greeted with any cheer or friendliness at all. Annie, the owner, introduced herself and took us into a fenced gravel enclosure. During her questioning of me about Bodhi's social behavior, my alarm bells were going off that this person was directing the interaction toward expecting Bodhi to be an aggressive dog.

I regret not ending the interview right then and there. Annie directed me to remain in the enclosure with her and Bodhi while she let another dog in, but she told me not to interact with Bodhi at all while she observed how Bodhi responded to the other dog. I knew this was not the correct way to introduce any dog to a strange dog - you would never put a dog in a situation where its owner is present, but the owner's ability to provide leadership and guidance for the dog is taken away.

I regret that I allowed Annie to put me and Bodhi in that situation. I allowed this stranger, whom I trusted on blind faith, to determine what dog she would put into an enclosure with me and my dog. I allowed her to forbid me to honor my relationship to Bodhi and I betrayed Bodhi's trusting bond with me by doing so. Annie let a submissive dog into the enclosure, and the dogs quickly went into the appropriate social nose-to-tail greeting.

When they calmed and released from the nose-to-tail, the submissive dog came directly over to me to seek my affection. I did not respond. Bodhi immediately came over and scolded the dog away from me with a growl and a nip. This was not surprising. What was surprising was Annie's reaction. She immediately charged Bodhi and began yelling aggressively in a very loud voice, whipping Bodhi repeatedly with a leash.

She was not correcting him, she was beating him, abusing him. She was punishing him. She continued to yell and whip at him even though the dog encounter was over. The entire thing lasted about 20 seconds, but it seemed an eternity. I instantly knew that what I needed to do was put Bodhi's leash and harness back on him and get out of there as quickly as possible. Bodhi's behavior was not the problem, Annie's was.

And Bodhi was in danger of being injured if I allowed him to stay there one more second. Bodhi, the amazing dog that he is, responded to the whole situation with neutral calm and resilience. He did not cower, he did not cry out, he just got himself away from this abusive woman and allowed me to come over and put his lead back on. As I was leaving, Annie was telling me that I "seem like a very nice lady", but I needed to be very careful because I had an aggressive dog on my hands.

It was horrifying to see this person beat my dog. It is even more devastating to me that I betrayed Bodhi's trust. I put him in that enclosure with this strange woman and I allowed her to abuse him right in front of me. So, if you are wondering why your dog seems anxious or unhappy after a stay at Tappen Hill, I think I might know the answer.

They cancelled our pre-evaluation appointment less than 24hrs, considering we went thru the hassle of getting all the required vaccines and tests, which was a considerable investment; I felt pretty offended by the lack of respect of our schedule. I cannot talk about the place itself, but the way management handles the initial steps to start a relationship is definitely not impressive.

We have loved taking our two Miniature Poodles to The Meadows in Sonoma Valley before they closed. Heidi has been the best! Coco and Whiskey always would get excited when they saw where we were taking them and would enthusiastically greet the handlers when they came out to the car. In addition, they would also happily come to us when we would come and get them.

They are fun loving, non-aggressive dogs that enjoy the company of both other dogs and humans. Keep that in mind with the horrible experience we just had. After looking at various reviews, we chose to try Tappen Hill in Sebastopol (a much longer drive but one we hoped would be worth it for our pets). We chose a short stay of two days and went to pick them up last Friday. Asking the front office attendant how they were, she responded guardedly and said that the owner wanted to talk to me before they released our pets. Well, I received a twenty minute lecture on the aggressive nature of our dogs. First, aggressive to the dogs of similar size; then, placing them in with larger dogs, Coco was aggressive with the larger dogs, then "ratcheting down" and crating Coco, that she continued to be aggressive.

All the while, with reasonable situational awareness, I'm watching and hearing a female attendant aggressively snap at and stand over a dog in the kennel. Hmmmm. Our dogs were then brought out, tails down, heads down, no greeting - nothing, as if their lights were turned off. Hmmmm. Buckled up in the back seat, they just curled up quietly for the ride home.

Not normal. Arriving home, instead of running into the house to greet my spouse enthusiastically, they just stood next to the car and had to be coaxed into the house. When we then reached down to pet them, welcome them home they ducked their heads. Hmmmm. Today, Sunday, they are starting to act happy - normal. For veracity sake, we have had dogs all our adult lives, we bred and showed dogs, one of our Cairn terriers ranked fourth nationally.

Critical: Professionalism Posting for a friend who was a good client and during a recent pet stay, the rates were raised during their visit. This was not the first time. Apparently communication is lacking as they just communicate on their website and are unable to use their words when face to face. Buyer beware when leaving your pet for a stay!

Very accommodating and always take good care of our pup! We can rest assured when we travel knowing our dog is well taken care of.

Critical: Professionalism, Reliability Our evaluation got cancelled without even 24hr notice. They ask you to get all these tests and vaccines from a specific place, and do not even honor your appointment. This says it all. very frustrating

I never write reviews, but felt compelled to because of the wonderful experience we had with Tappen Hill. They helped us out with an emergency and were very flexible and caring. The owners sent me pictures and updates often. Our dog absolutely loved it! The training was amazing! I read a review about they only accept low maintenance dogs and dogs from wealthy families.

We had the opposite experience. Thank you Tappen Hill for taking care of our dog in such a loving environment! We could not have made it through our family tragedy without them!

Oof. No words. Just meh. Act family oriented but always turn on the good employees. Lots of deception. The dogs are most important but the bosses help instigate drama. You're dogs deserve better

It's the luxury resort for dogs. Incredibly caring staff, beautiful facility. 3 pools!

Country club for dogs, pool and all. Match your pup for playmates and sometimes think she's doesn't even want to come home : easy pickup and drop off at Nevin by Bonair. Every dog has to pass an interview - largely to make sure they can play with others and don't bark. You see why if you step inside - 100 dogs and the sweet sound of classical music playing lightly.

Not a peep other than that and the dogs just hang out, play with toys, etc. Our dog did come home with a scratch that concerned us, but they treated it and healed ok over time.

Our dogs love it here. They get lots of play time with other dogs, have a pool to play in when it's hot, and are well-armed for. I like that they carefully assess the dogs and keep the size of the play groups smaller and easier to watch.

Friend of mine job shadowed there and they are very forceful with the shaker cans (cans filled with rocks/pennies) she witnessed these can being thrown into the small dog pen, where a little dog could easily be injured if hit. And a dog being hit with on over the head. Dogs were always corrected for making any kind of noise even if it's play or to tell another dog to leave them alone. Just because it's a luxury boarding facility and you have to pay a pretty been and go through a screening process doesn't mean your dog is being treated well.

Our dog loves this place, wonderful people's work there, they taken very good care to all of them, a lot of space for them to run 2 swimming pool and a lot of toys, there are a happy place for my dogs

I agree with some of the bad reviews. The place felt very corporate. My intake was short and curt. I could not ask hardly any questions. My dog had some anxiety which for me already made my decision in my mind. He usually loves playing and he has been socialized being at another daycare since he was 6 months. And had obedience training. They love him there.

I left the place thinking no problem he should be fine but just got out the gate and they called but did not hear so got to where I was going. I called back thinking must be a butt dial but no they said he was disqualified for growling at some dogs. I can understand that but10 minutes. Give him at least an hour to acclimate, what would Cesar do? I was disappointed.

And they use citronella collars or others if dog barks. They want it quiet. I thought the owner would at least say we can work with that with their trainer.and then we could reevaluate. I think there was some underlying reason. That's what I thought. Oh well they claim to be experienced. I did not see any pups out playing either. They were all looking at me like get me out of hear.we cannot even talk in here.!

My conversation with them never made it to a meet and greet. From the site it seems like a gorgeous place for dogs and very honest about their specific breeds that they DO NOT accept. As our conversation continued, her tune changed when I told her I have a rescue purebred (shepherd). Essentially, rescue dogs don't have a chance at Tappen Hill because we don't have their history and are often are unpredictable.

This conversation became judgmental to the point where I thought this lady was demeaning (and frankly, probably only knows purebreds the best). Judge me when I come up but not on the phone. Our friends love it there - but maybe because they have labs and retrievers. Onwards. This place should be Tappen Hill for Purebreds only. It'll save everyone time.

This place is simply awesome. As you drive onto the property, you feel like you're in the middle of the countryside (you pretty much are) and notice how quiet and calm it is. The dogs have large, shared runs to enjoy inside and outside, and they get rotated into the large yard and fountain areas. This is a professional operation with a friendly and capable staff, but it doesn't have that corporate feel -- the owners even live onsite.

We know our dog likes it because she pretty much jumps out of the car and doesn't look back when we drop her off. The only downside? It's a bit of a drive if you're coming from San Francisco. But for longer stays, it's well worth it -- I think you get a lot more for less money than you do with the big in-city dog hotels.

Tappen Hill is the ultimate in dog boarding. It is truly unlike anything I've ever seen. Located in Sonoma County, it is a bit of a drive from San Francisco, but so worth it to know your dog will be treated with the highest level of care. Surrounded by beautiful rolling hills, Tappen Hill looks like a resort for humans. Beautiful manicured grounds, sparkling swimming pools (yes, I said swimming pools) and play grounds, this place is truly stunning. Your dog must pass a rather rigorous evaluation to get it, but it ensures an enjoyable environment for all. Nothing compares to Tappen Hill & definitely worth the drive!

OK, for those of you who seem to think that there's a certain "snob factor" or "see and be seen vibe", take a breath.your human insecurities are showing. We have a shelter dog and have never felt judged when we drop him off. We've taken our dog to this kennel for the past three years (based on a glowing review from a friend) and can't say enough about how well this place is run.

As an added bonus, the owners live on the property; helping to ensure safety all night long. Our dog gets excited the moment we pull onto Llano Road, is outdoors as often as he wants to be (thanks to the open kennel policy) and is always well matched with other dogs in size and temperament. For those of you who were told that their dog wasn't ready for Tappen Hill, think about getting some training for your pooch.

Being careful about boarders is sure-fire sign that they aren't solely concerned about the all-mighty dollar, so I'll give Tappen Hill 5-out-of-5 stars for good judgement.

This is the Four Seasons for canines! The facility is spotless--I would literally eat off the floor of the indoor kennel. The program is terrific. Your pup is matched up with a small (4-5) group of dogs with the same temperment and they share a lovely indoor/outdoor run complete with radiant heated floors, circulating drinking water, doggie furniture and individual crates for meals and sleep time. Classical music playing faintly in the background soothes the pups. It's amazing that there are 50-100 dogs here at a time and you never hear barking.

Outside the fun really begins! All-day access to an outdoor run/play area. Supervised playtime on a doggie playground complete with toys, agility equipment, etc. And several doggie pools ranging from shallow to deeper water. Dietary issues/needs are taken very seriously. Attention to detail is apparent. We can not imagine leaving our LuLu anyplace else when we're gone for longer trips.

And the fees are VERY competitive. There are a number of boarding places in the city that pretty much keep your pup locked in a small room for more money. Make the drive to Sebastopol--it's only an hour away. You and your pup will be grateful that you did.

Club Med for dogs -- seriously! A beautiful location and facility close to 101 in Sebastopol. The dogs get tons of personal attention, are grouped by age and size, and get to be outside playing all day. Oh, then there is the fountain for them to wade in and the pool to swim it. All the staff clearly love their jobs and working with the dogs. There is an air of exclusivity about it, which really is a selectivity to ensure that the dog will do well with the other dogs and in that kind of environment.

Almost felt like having a child apply to a private school, but I do believe that the screening process is warranted and effective. Finally, at $40/day TH is comparable to many other boarding facilities that do not offer nearly as much.