Fort Fido Doggie Daycare

If I could give this place zero stars I would. My dog has been - choked -bitten (with no phone call or notice) - and called aggressive when I know he isn't This place was nice for a while and they always told me how much they loved my dog. I enjoyed taking him because I thought he was being taken care of. However I'm not okay with my dog being abused and choked out by workers and dogs and then made out to be the aggressor.

Bottom line is they do not care about your dog and you will regret ever taking your dog here like I do. On top of this an ex employee has said that they deprive the dogs of water in the summer and they do not use air conditioning. If all of these aren't red flags, I don't know what is. If your gonna run a day care at least care about the animals and at the bare minimum educate your workers who take joy out of choking and abusing dogs.

For some reason my last review was deleted. My dog was choked by a new employee. Granted he does pull at times when excited, but she yanked back as hard as she could to make him stop. If this was a problem that he was having daily, someone could have simply communicated that with me, and I would have walked him out myself. After this he was told that he could not come back because he was showing signs of aggression. However, he was not an aggressive dog when he went in for the first time a year ago. Based off of what I have witnessed, he was triggered by something in that daycare which now I have to pay for training to fix.

Could be from the choking or it could be from the several unreported dog fights that have occurred while in there. I have even picked him up with blood dripping down his forehead because "a dog was frustrated and bit him". No one called me to explain the situation, maybe because they didn't think it was important. But don't ask for my phone numbers for emergencies if your never going to call when an emergency takes place. Employees here must be trained better!

Very obscure "membership" requirements. Go to Wet Noses Dry Paws, they're amazing and they don't DISCRIMINATE against the breeds that Fort Fido does

Great dog daycare in Tacoma / University Place / Fircrest. Really kind, dog-loving staff and very reasonable pricing.

When I dropped my dog off at Fort Fido last Friday, I inquired about a dog wash, careful to state "at the end of the day" to which I also added that I'd be back at 5pm. My stated motivation for having him washed at that time was to wash away the other dog slobber that he would be coming home with. The intake person said no problem and escorted my dog inside.

I didn't give it another thought. Until my 4:50pm phone call with the young man on duty when I called about picking up my dog. I asked him, "Am I giving you enough time to wash my dog?" since I had indicated I'd be there at 5pm. He said yes, he had been washed. And then added at 1pm. To that I was puzzled. I had specifically requested he be washed AFTER the play day.

He explained that the other person only worked until 1pm. He then stated that he wouldn't charge me, something of which I did not request. I think he saw it as a chance to mitigate a customer's potential complaint. I arrived and retrieved my dog, paid the $35 daily fee, had a few friendly words with the young woman who brought him out, and departed, giving it no additional thought. Then, as I pushed a cart through the grocery store, at about 6:45 pm, I was called by the owner David Baker.

He was hostile and not in the least bit interested in learning what led to a trivial misunderstanding. I'm unsure if he felt I was rude or unkind to the employee or confused me with someone else as this isn't my reputation. My position was that I was trying to 1) resolve any misunderstanding of that day's event, and 2) resolve any future expectations as we fully intended to remain customers.

It was most certainly not to argue about a dog washing fee. I perceived his tone by phone to be defensive and without discussion, he had already arrived at a conclusion that he didn't want my business because of this situation. He literally said, "I don't want your kind of customer." On a practical note, I don't know who Fort Fido's groomers are and the times that they conduct their business.

The only way I could have that knowledge is if it is shared at the time a service is requested. I don't recall it being posted anywhere so my assumption is that the available services are the hours of operation. Under any circumstances, after speaking with the manager a following morning, he cleared up the understanding about the grooming times being until 2pm. Further, this manager affirmed to me that there had NEVER been any type of negative exchange between myself and Fort Fido. Again, with that understanding about grooming hours, my expectations were brought in line with the routine.

But the bothersome part of this public complaint is not the misunderstanding but instead the demeanor of the owner. Yes, any business has the right to refuse business (well, that's questionable today). However, placing a hostile phone call to a paying customer and not even asking for an explanation described above, deserves to be called out publicly.

I did reach out to the owner by email with a variation of the words of this post. I also followed up with a phone call in attempt to remain on good terms. I have given the owner nearly an entire week to return my phone call or email, to which he has done neither. That does not speak to me of someone in the least interested in customers or community.

He has completely ignored my attempts to be good neighbors. I will forever speak of this to anyone who will listen. And then gladly take my dog to one of the many choices, two of which completely understood his malignant behavior when I described it. You could not pay me to return to Fort Fido.

I took my three year old mellow boxer there for a meet and greet to get a call two hours later to come get my dog she is not welcome here! She was in a quarrel with two regular dogs there I had told. Obviously she got the worse of it with three claw marks down her side and a big one on her head. Then I was charged for a half day to put her through that nightmare. WOW! They should be paying me. I would definitely think twice before I'd leave my love one there for sure!

We love Fort Fido! They are always so helpful with any questions you may have, always have great information and you can just see they truly love what they do. I was really weary of daycare because my pups are my kids but they are always so happy when we get there and when I pick them up they are exhausted (when you own heelers this is an amazing thing) we started with one puppy and he thrives there, so now our new puppy attends and I have no worries that she is in great hands while I'm at work. Thank you for all you do Fort Fido

I just love this place! When our pug passed away last July our little Boston was so lost. We couldn't leave him alone anymore and so we looked for a place for him while we were gone and could not be happier with Ft. Fido. The staff is so caring and really care about the dogs they watch. I appreciate that I can drop off Floyd and know he is in in good hands.

Best. Doggie. Daycare. My senior fur baby loves Ft. Fido. I've been taking him there for several years now. He can't wait to get out the car and join the others inside. So happy to have a place he loves to go and play.

Our two year old Australian Shepherd, Bailey, has been going to Fort Fido all his life. Although shy with new people around our home, he loves the staff at the Fort and gets so excited whenever we pull up to the building. They give him love and attention, and have taken wonderful care of him when we have needed to board him. I love that they are discriminating of new dogs to ensure that all the animals have a positive experience.

I also feel that should a problem ever arise with our pet that they would work with us to resolve the issue. Past reviewers who have complained of staff have obviously not been there in quite some time. I highly recommend for daycare and boarding.

The best place ever! My German Shepherd loves going there and really has a great supervised work out with the same sized dogs which has her sleeping like a puppy by nighttime; calm, relaxed, mellow. The staff are courteous, professional, and committed to making sure it is always "all about the dogs. It is meticulously neat, clean, organized, and well run-and behaviors which can escalate towards agitation and into aggression from any dog are swiftly and adeptly managed competently by staff, which makes me feel confident all the dogs there will be safe and well managed before in any "canine event" is allowed to escalate.

Everyone has to sit and wait before entering or leaving; everyone takes a nap in the afternoons, and the playtimes are rocking rollicking fun from the videos I have seen if the dogs down thru the years. I have taken both my German Shepherds to Fort Fido and would not even consider any other place. So grateful and appreciative for this place-they need to start a chain of Fort Fidos, because they truly exemplify all the highest qualities and standards of appropriate and optimal doggie day care services. Cannot speak too highly of this business and I am an exacting customer. Fort Fido Rules!

We love Fort Fido! The staff is always very friendly, helpful, and they all seem to love what they do. My dog gets so excited when we pull into the parking lot - he has a great time playing with his friends and socializing with new dogs. My only wish is that they had live cameras so I could check-in on my dog while I am missing him at work.

These people are fantastic! They take are Molly overnight at the last minute and take such good care of her! Love you guys!

My dog went to be assessed for boarding at FF. He was a rescue 1 year ago and gets really nervous and hyper in new situations. However, he is able to calm down when he gets familiar with a place. He goes to part time doggie daycare at another facility and he does fine there, but FF refused to board him. Apparently he didn't calm down during his 4 hour assessment so for me that's a major red flag and the dog is telling me he's not OK there.

So he'll be going to Pet Paradise Lodge (PPL) in Woodinville and they will board him, no problem. PPL offers more individualized care and it's less expensive than FF. Your dog will get fresh air at PPL, but I didn't see any windows at FF where the dogs are & I don't know if they even get the dogs outside. PPL is staffed to offer services such as outdoor walks & brushing your pet (additional cost but still reasonable).

Plus PPL is in the country on a beautiful piece of land. The owners live on site and the staff is plentiful. I'm actually glad FF refused my dog because I just didn't feel good when I was in their facility & wasn't particularly impressed with the staff. Like most pet owners I really love my dog so FF did me a favor in refusing to board him. He can stay at PPL and get the patience & loving care he so deserves. I should have checked Yelp before wasting my time & money at FF.

Fort Fido is an open play based facility. Our dog loves it, he is always eager to go in the back and play with his friends. When joint issues made it so it wasn't healthy for him to play with young dogs his size the staff accommodated by putting him with medium dogs and enforcing afternoon rest for him. I love the fact that they audition dogs and keep out dogs that aren't socially compatible with the environment in their facility.

You will see some negative reviews from dog owners whose pets were rejected. I understand their disappointment, but don't let their negative experience keep you from giving this place a shot.

My dog is 4 years old. He's been going to Ft. Fido since he was 7 months old. He loves it so much that he gets excited when we pull into the parking lot. He knows they like him. I know they will take good care of him. I feel comfortable because I know that all the dogs are evaluated to make sure it's s good fit. It's so friendly and many of the employees have been there since it opened which is the sign of a good environment.

My 2 year old large dog always loves going to Fort Fido and can hardly wait to go inside. The staff seems well trained in their ability to calm and control my active dog and I love how clean they keep it. The only reason I didn't give it 4 stars is because there isn't an outside play area.

It has been 3 months since I have been able to put into words what exactly happened at this establishment. My dog Maggie May had been going to Fort Fido since she was 4 months old (she is now 3 years old). She has always LOVED going to daycare and playing with her friends. Every time I would pick her up, she would get praised for how great she was doing and how much fun she had.

In April of this year, that all changed. My husband and I were expecting and I was 9 months pregnant. We decided that we were going to let Maggie play at daycare for the weekend so she could be with her friends. When I went to pick her up, the young lady behind the counter said my dog had a terrible time.she wouldn't eat, she wouldn't play, and was having large signs of anxiety.

My husband and I were shocked because our dog is like our baby and we were so saddened and confused to hear this. I get home with Maggie, and she has two bite marks in her nose, a large scab on her hip, and some hair missing on her behind. I WAS FURIOUS! I went back to the establishment to show the owners pictures I had taken of my baby, to let them know she was attacked at their establishment and that this is why she had a rough time.

They SEEMED to be sincere and said that they would look into it immediately. About 35 minutes later I receive a phone call stating that they couldn't prove my dog was attacked, that my dog has always suffered anxiety at their place of business, and that we weren't welcome back. When I asked/questioned why we weren't told for the last 3 years that she wasn't having fun, he responded that my husband was abusive towards my dog and accused him of punching our dog in the face in their lobby.

When I threatened slander, the owner quickly backed up stating "let's pretend I didn't say that". ARE YOU KIDDING ME RIGHT NOW?! The owner wrote me a check for the weekend.which is honestly the least of my concern. I didn't need their hush money, but at that point, I was so distraught with what I was hearing. I do not want to see what happened to my baby, happen to yours.

When we started bringing our dogs here we were complimented on their behavior and how well they played with the other animals. After several months we were told that one of our dogs exhibited water aggression towards another dog when they were finally putting water down for the dogs. This was completely out of character and had never been observed before.

It also struck me as odd that water would not be constantly down for the dogs all day long. We would always check after that to see if our dog was behaving correctly. They always said she was. One day after a daycare session they told us she was no longer welcome. They said our dog had been in a fight with another dog. I asked who had started the dog fight and they said it was my dog.

When I asked what the circumstances were that caused the fight they said that they were not sure since the person had their back to the dogs at the time it started. I asked if the other dog was also being kicked out, they said no since they did not start it. How can they determine who started the fight if the person was not watching? If my dog had been in a fight and even more so if my dog had started the fight why was I not called IMMEDIATELY instead of only being told when it was time for pickup? The facility constantly smells like incense and with the exception of the owners it seems like there are only teenagers who are running the daily operations.

The staff are so lovely and they care so much about the animals here, the facility is very clean and the hours are very flexible. I've taken my pet here mostly on the weekends where no other place is open as early or late to accommodate ppl who work all sorts of hours and that is the biggest plus for a daycare. I only wish they wouldn't charge extra an extra fee to feed dogs during the day. With that being said this place is one of the best in the area!

We love the Fort! Our beagle, Levi, is 12 years old. When we moved to Washington last year, I was stressed out about finding a new place to board him during those rare trips for which he cannot join us, such as when we're out of the country or traveling for business. I am so thankful that we found Fort Fido. Whenever we drop him off, it's clear that Levi is happy to be there.

He greets the staff and trots off to the play area without so much as a backward glance at dear old mom-which would break my heart if I didn't recognize it as a sure sign that he is comfortable there. When I pick him up, he greets me enthusiastically, but he is never stressed out, whiney, or overtired, as he has been after staying at some other boarding facilities in the past.

This indicates to me that the staff are tailoring our little older gentleman's experience to meet his needs, that he's sleeping well while he's there, and that he feels secure and cared for until we pick him up. That, in turn, puts my mind at ease while I'm traveling. The facility is clean and well maintained, and the staff are some of the kindest, friendliest, most professional people you could hope to encounter. It's clear that they LOVE dogs. We're happy to give them a chance to love our Levi anytime he can't be with us. Thank you, Fort Fido!

Odd Atmosphere. All Indoors. Denied my gentle 6 yo rescue dog because she "couldn't adjust" and apparently snapped at a puppy. This place is the cleanest dog daycare/ boarding facility I've seen, though it's likely required since the entire facility is indoors with garage doors and fans to circulate the air. The dogs walk on rubber floors all day and are segregated based on their size (small, medium, large).

We needed to board our dog for the holidays and wanted to try this spot. She is the sweetest 50-lbs black-lab mix that we rescued last year. She is gentle, shares her food and water with the house cat, and has yet to show any sign of aggression. She goes to daycare at least twice a week at a different place, goes to the Ft Steilacoom dog park regularly, has been boarded twice at her daycare, and has been very well socialized over the last year.

She is timid and shy, but has never translated those emotions into aggression. Our dog failed her 4-hour assessment (a $30 fee with no guarantees or refunds) because she couldn't settle and allegedly snapped at a puppy. I'm not sure why she was in the same room as a puppy since all the dogs are separated by size. After talking with some dog trainers at a different business, we learned it is natural behavior for a large dog to remind energetic puppies to settle down.

This place is nice and clean and convenient in University Place. But, if you want to be talked to like a human, get a staff that are clearly dog trainers, and need a place that isn't very picky, then look somewhere else. We now have our dog at Good CitiZen in the Stadium High School district and couldn't be happier. They took the time to welcome her and make her feel comfortable, and assured us she would be absolutely fine and well taken care of.

The hell with Fido's Palace. I have been trying to coordinate boarding my dog at Fort Fido for a week after hearing that a colleague used to board her dog there. I found out today (after 3 days of back and forth) that the owner will not allow unfixed dogs, even though I was told that there are exceptions allowed. I am the proud owner of a mild-mannered, sweet 22 pound show quality dog.

She has been boarded numerous times. As a responsible dog owner, I would never allow my dog to be boarded if she were about to go into a heat cycle. However, Fort Fido has been incredibly inconsistent in their communication, citing that "exceptions are made with the permission of the owner". I have called three times, each time I have received an inconsistent response, each time I ask to speak to the someone and for some reason no one is available to give me a consistent response or make a decision.

It is now the eve of the departure for my trip and I have spoken to two of the front desk girls, finally to be told "we have a policy" by the same person who told me to schedule an assessment for my dog yesterday. They were incredibly rude, I was basically hung up on while asking for help. I don't expect an exception, and I don't need special treatment, but what I do need is consistency and professionalism along with common courtesy and customer service and I received neither here, just a headache.

We applied for our dog to go to this daycare based on the reviews. First of all, during the temperament test/introduction we told this business our dog is anxious and has door/window aggression. We were very honest from the start. They said our dog did good and can return. After the first stay, I went to go pick up my dog and the worker had no control over my dog.

I heard her very weakly attempt to get my dog to sit, then she opens the door to let him out. He is excited as ever, hands him back to us, and basically snaps/jumps at someone entering the business. This is my dogs fault but it would be helpful if the employees had control over the dogs. Dogs need calm and assertive and cannot do anything until they are calm, such as exit doors.

And you cannot let a dog enter/exit before the human. This is common sense to me. When we asked her for feedback on how he played, she stated " I just got here, I guess he was whiny" that isn't too much feedback. My dog cannot return to this business. I understand, they need to prevent liability but it would be helpful to have employees that were assertive and knew how to let dogs enter/exit door.

Especially if they knew from the start the dog has door/window issues. I said something to the worker but she looked pretty clueless and insecure. But the facility is super clean. My dog came back smelling better than usual. But two stars for the competency of the worker and communication on the dog's background. Unfortunately all dogs are not the same. Adding to this review - the person that " expelled " my dog actually said expelled and then did not even see the issue. Don't go to this place, the employees there are minions.

Start to finish, there is not a more perfect place for a dog to have his day and to enjoy her/his time running & playing with "the pack". Our Cairn Terrier has been a loyal and loved client at the Fort since the day they opened, and even though we have moved to Gig Harbor, where there are probably more convenient places we could take him, it isn't something we'd ever consider.

The staff is consistent, caring, conscientious and sincerely enthusiastic, and the facilities have been modeled as if they were the imaginings of a clever canine. You will never fret about cleanliness or safety here. The fact that they have added overnight care has been the answer to our dreams, since it is the only place we have EVER been able to leave our dog overnight without him becoming quite literally sick and despondent. LOVE THIS PLACE.