The Kennel of Champions

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OPEN NOW - Closes at 5:30pm

This kennel is amazing they take such wonderful care of my dogs and are so knowledgable about dog care and health.

I believe the owner lives on-site. The place looks very run down. The lobby smelled very bad (bunch of pets, makes sense). My experience was not great. I apologize for the lengthy review, but I feel it paints a picture.



My wife and I dropped off our 1-Yr Great Dane (weighs 75-80 lbs), and were welcomed by, "Wow, she is skinny." I'm sure most vets would say our girl could put on more weight, but that she is not malnourished. Our vet said she was the perfect weight for a growing Great Dane puppy. Not too lean, not too big. We told the owner that she didn't love her current food, and that we'd be weening her to a different food.



We were quite offended that the owner questioned us as responsible puppy parents continually. The owner didn't ask many questions, just made judgment right away and continued to make sure we knew she was "skinny" with any chance she could.



We told the owner that we would bring new food when it arrived (special order from Amazon) and to not mix their food with ours. Food arrived her third day of boarding. We went to get our girl to take her to the park and to drop off the new food.



When we got her, her stomach was bloated (she was dirty and had urine on her stomach). We were met with more "skinny" talk and that they didn't know what we were talking about, because she was scarfing down whatever food they put down for her (hmm, not a surprise - pretty sure almost any boarded and bored dog would scarf down food). We were specific in how much food she should be fed, and I believe they may have increased portions to help put some weight on. Maybe they did, maybe they didn't.



Once we got to the park, our girl wasn't acting normal. She was lethargic, not playing, and moping around. When she went to the bathroom, her stool was a bright yellow color. She's had the same dog food from when she was a puppy. We've only seen discoloration in her stool a handful of times. She then proceeded to vomit what appeared to be about 4-5 cups of food (she eats about 5-6 cups per day). I'll "Add a photo" to Google of this vomit. Her vomit looked like a mix of yellow dog food and our brown dog food. Maybe it was bile that made the discoloration, but the food looked like it was mixed with the kennel's food. The owners said they did not mix the food. Maybe they did, maybe they didn't.



Still, it was pretty apparent they were feeding her too much food. I can understand if their thought process was we need to put some weight on this dog, but that doesn't happen in one sitting. That's not their call to make either.



We decided we weren't big fans of these owners and wanted to take our girl and business elsewhere. We went back to get the remaining food, treats, and toy. Our girl was there 2 1/2 days and we paid $64 which appears ironic considering that I believe their price for 75-80 lb. dogs is $18/night and we were charged for the heavier dog rate of $20/night for our "skinny" girl. Maybe there was a holiday surcharge or something. This was no big deal. A $6 difference wasn't much to fuss about in comparison to our experience.



The owner said she was sorry it didn't work out. I told her that we felt like it was rude to question us. Her and her staff said they weren't rude, seemingly referring that I was rude for our girl being "skinny." Apparently the owner's brother is renowned dog trainer and knows a Great Dane breeder that wouldn't approve of our girl's weight.



In the end, everyone has their own opinion on everything. We love our girl and do what we believe is best for her. We try and learn all about Great Danes and apply what we learn. I do not believe we did the best thing for our girl by boarding her at Kennel At Champions. They simply did not put us at ease leaving our girl with them. You have a choice when boarding your pets, and this business may be a great spot for you. I think you can do better though.



Thanks for your time.