Dog Boarding Facilities in California

Walter Klein says:
2012-04-15 22:59:42

We decided to go out to the desert a couple of weeks ago as our elementary school kids were off for Spring break. We took our labradoodle with us as we were only going to do dog friendly activities during this time. After discovering that there were a couple of things that we wanted to do that weren't so dog friendly (Joshua Tree and the Aerial Tramway), I did a survey of the boarding options in t... view full comment

We decided to go out to the desert a couple of weeks ago as our elementary school kids were off for Spring break. We took our labradoodle with us as we were only going to do dog friendly activities during this time. After discovering that there were a couple of things that we wanted to do that weren't so dog friendly (Joshua Tree and the Aerial Tramway), I did a survey of the boarding options in the Palm Springs/Desert Hot Springs area.

 Enter Bob and Furrst and Furrmost. Bob's setup is not your traditional dog boarding place. He has quite a few rescue dogs (I want to say 10-ish) along with some dogs that were being boarded. The dogs spend most of the time together, with the exception of feeding time and when Bob has to leave the compound (during which they are kept in their own large kennels). Needless to say, the dogs' days are very active and there is much socializing and playing. 

After talking to Bob in person and getting a tour of the compound, Leon (our dog) was gradually introduced to all of the dogs. Bob called this the "interview period" where the dogs got to know each other a little so that any behavior issues could be exposed to see if the boarding setup would work for the new dog. This took 30 - 45 minutes and Leon, after getting over the initial shock of so many new dogs, fit right in. It quickly became apparent during this time that Bob has a deep understanding of all of the dogs' personalities and of dog dynamics in general. We took care of the paperwork and ended up leaving him for two days/nights at around $30 per 24 hour period.

 During the time it took to fill out the forms, my children got to know some of the rescue dogs better. There was one that they became especially fond of and brought him up repeatedly while we were off exploring the desert without Leon. We had been looking for a rescue dog to adopt for about a year, and he seemed to be a good fit for our family. After picking up a very happy and exhausted Leon, we filled out the adoption papers for Matt. Adopting didn't cost us anything but, since Bob is running a shelter (that has non-profit status), we sent him a tax-deductible donation. 

Two weeks later, we have epic vacation memories to talk about, Leon has epic vacation memories that he can't talk about, and we have a wonderful addition to our family. 

Thanks Bob! view short comment

Petra Noelke Young says:
2011-07-28 19:52:54

Great person! My dogs maintained their self esteem and happiness while they were staying there. I had an emergency and left 3 dogs for over a week at this boarding place ... once again: what a wonderful person and dog lover!!!

Tony says:
2011-04-23 14:23:15

We were referred to Pooch Palace as a good kennels and boarded our two dogs there first in April, 2006. It lived up to the "Pooch Palace" name. We used it often since then and we and our dogs have never had a complaint. In fact, they trot in each time with hardly a backward glance.