Waukee Bark Avenue

Tyler Rien

2024-02

Easily one of the worst groomings my dogs have ever received. My wife and I just recently moved to Iowa from another state and we were immediately in the search to find a new groomer for our Cavalier King Charles Spaniels. I decided to try this place seeing it had a good star average and the person I spoke with on the phone while making the appointment was genuinely very nice. However, things changed very quickly after my wife picked our dogs up and immediately called me at work to express her opinions on the dogs. At no point would I consider this to be a professional establishment, despite them boasting that they have “award winning groomers”, considering the state that my dogs were returned to me in. There is no sign at all that they were groomed properly. They went in with some mats and came out with all the same mats. One dog still has tiny twigs stuck in his fur that he went in with. They hardly looked bathed and it looks like they were wet down and left to air dry for 4 hours until they gave us the call to have them picked up. One dog’s hind feet toenails looked to be unclipped. I also asked to have the inside of their ears cleaned and the hair trimmed down which they were not. Their hair besides for their back(where they spritz a vanilla smell) smells dirty still. I can lightly brush my hand across their backs and pull out a whole handful of hair. They were not brushed at all after their hair was dry. They definitely just bathed them (not well) and let them air dry because they looked like they were outside in the rain.

Chelsea Steeples

2024-02

This place is incredible. We had an emergency and needed to leave town quickly for 5 days and they got our dog in for boarding and let us check out the place with one days notice. They have literally thought of everything when it comes to your dog. They even will have him groomed by the time we pick him up. He took a tour and they observed how he was with other dogs so when we came to drop him off, he nearly pulled my boyfriend’s arm off trying to get in the door! He was so excited to play with the other dogs again, which made it easy on us leaving him for the first time! While on vacation, we received a report card with pictures and he’s smiling in every one of them! I’ve never seen him smile so much! He has horrible separation anxiety so I thought he’d be so sad but getting to play with the other dogs three times a day clearly distracted him from that anxiety! After picking him up, he was looking like he had a spa weekend! He was happy and their groomer did an incredible job! He clearly loved the staff and they clearly did a great job picking out friends for him! He came home and was so tired and relaxed, which was great for me just having spent all morning and afternoon on airplanes! He clearly enjoyed his time there and that truly is just priceless having that peace of mind while I’m half a country away. I would have thought it would cost an arm and a leg for this kind of boarding/daycare, but their prices are so very fair and impressively inexpensive. To top everything off, we got half off boarding for his first time, one free report card, a free day of daycare, AND a bath was free with his sanitary trim. My bf and I were trying to guess how much 5 days boarding, gold package, upgraded room size, teeth brushing, sanitary trim, nail grinding, and anal gland expression would be… and let’s just say we were off by about $200! I'm so in love with them right now. I’m excited to try out their daycare next!

Andee Miller

2024-02

I took my Mini schnauzer here to get groomed by Maggie. I forgot some papers at home, and they were very patient when it was being forwarded to them via email. This was his first groom.It took about three hours for him to get groomed. She let me know when he was done, and charged me an affordable price. I expected it to be in the upper 100s but it wasn't even $100. He came out all nice and clean. He had a full groom. He didn't look like he had any discomfort, and was very happy.I would 100% recommend this place!

Stephanie Barrett

2024-01

We have been taking our dog, Oliver, to Waukee Bark Ave since February 2022. He loves it! We utilize regular daycare as well as overnight boarding. The staff are friendly and welcoming, Oliver practically runs in the building, excited to play! We feel very reassured that Oliver is getting excellent care and attention when he is there, and he comes home tired after his days of doggy daycare! The theme-party days, complete with professional photos and fun treats are enjoyed as well. Highly recommend Waukee Bark Ave!

Adrianna Young

2024-05

The staff were extremely nice, and they were very accommodating when their computer system was having issues. I was pleasantly surprised by the price as well! 10/10 recommend and will be returning!

Doug Nehls

2024-04

I don’t normally fill out reviews but this time I have to. The customer service was absolutely spot on! I will definitely keep using Bark Avenue!!!

Rachel

2022-05

Love bringing my pup here for day care. The staff is very friendly and always welcomes her with excitement. The report card is the highlight of my day and I love seeing how she did, cute pictures, and the friends she played with. She is always worn out after day care which is great for me! I have boarded her once and she seemed to do very well. Would recommend to anyone looking for a great, affordable doggy day care and boarding!

Whitney Tucker

2023-05

We had good experiences before but will never come back. When we picked up our dog there was an overwhelming smell of urine. Our dog was saturated in it and had blood of her paws. Never coming back.

Charles Cotton

2024-05

Spectacular service. Under promise and over deliver. Best groomer we have had for our labradoodle! Also loved the price.

Monica Marshall

2024-04

I love that they spend time with your dog before boarding to see if it's a good fit and offer a variety of activities. They are very welcoming.

Catelyn and Tyler

2023-11

Have been using this place for both of our dogs for a few months. Pretty neutral on it, not great not terrible, but some things that have influenced this review:1. Their pricing for boarding honestly makes no sense. They advertise a $35/night rate that is not true. They make you pay for an "activity package" on top of that, so it comes out to over $60/night per dog. Most boarding places that do daycare include that with the overnight cost.2. My dog has come home injured multiple times. The injury itself I'm not mad about, I'm sure it was his own fault and they offered to pay vet costs when I brought it up to them. The fact that no one has ever noticed the wound is what concerns me. It isn't obscure, it's on top of his head3. This is from the Ankeny location, but we boarded there once and had one of my dogs in daycare with a gold activity package or whatever. I ended up calling and asking if we could get photos of the dogs every day for the rest of their stay. About 5 minutes after calling, they called back to inform me that my dog was actually kicked out of daycare- I didn't really receive any additional information on this and the Waukee location continues to put him in daycare so I'm still unsure what happened. I find it suspicious that he had been there for a full day and they only thought to inform me once I asked for pictures :/4. the last time we boarded one of my dogs here it was for one single night, not even 24 hours. When my partner picked him up at 10am the next morning he said that he immediately had the longest pee he has ever seen and also pooped. This is uncharacteristic for my dog, leading us to believe that he had not been taken out since the previous night.

David Regan

2024-04

Everything was great. Reserving an appointment for our dog’s evaluation was simple. The actual evaluation was right on time and very professional.

Mike Hurt

2023-08

Our dog has been here 3 times (only as a last resort when other facilities full) and every time she comes back smelling like urine and feces. Smell is so bad we had to drive with windows down and immediately took her to a bath. Never going back!Facility is clearly dirty and unkempt and smells. Hair clumps that were there on the floor when we dropped off were still there when we picked up a week later.Coincidentally, as we were picking her up this last time a lady came screaming out of the door saying her dog was covered in urine (yelling at the staff).At first we thought it was a fluke, but clearly the animals are not properly cared for at this facility. If only the pet owners could see what happens behind closed doors. I think they're not taking the dogs out to relieve themselves on a proper time schedule and they're literally being forced to go on themselves.Do not take your pets here!

Shawn Purcell

2023-05

I’ve been taking my Aussie Mix ,Cane, there for quite awhile now. Staff is always friendly, and accommodating, place is clean, and I appreciate the feedback on how he played and with whom. I also board him there and never have to worry when I’m gone. 😊

Adam Hansen

2023-07

I’ve used their services twice. First time was good. Second time my dog came home with kennel cough and smelling of urine and feces. We were in a pinch for a kennel and I attempted to give them another try. I was told I could drop the dogs off 30 minutes early on a Sunday by their call center, that it was cleared by the manager. I showed up and had the manager berate me about being early, claiming she never agreed to that. Was then told that the worker who put one of dogs vaccines in the computer didn’t put the others. Wasted 30 minutes and eventually told me to go home, get the vaccine records and come back. At that point I had zero faith my dogs would be treated well so we just made other arrangements. The place has potential but is not clean (smells horrible and not swept) and the staff is overwhelmed and not the most polite.

Misty Serrano-Hubbard

2022-05

Absolutely love Bark Avenue. Even if I forget to book they always have a spot for Apollo, Apollo has so much fun, playing and great staff to watch over him while I’m busy with appointments. I recommend Bark Avenue and of course he sleeps all night!!!

Austin Sondag

2023-05

I love Bark Avenue and can’t imagine taking my dog anywhere else for boarding, daycare or puppy parties! (Strongly recommend getting the report card)

Lynnette Long

2024-04

This place was so kind with my dogs & polite to me. I received a report card on each of them & it seems they got along well there

Beau Barrett

2023-05

Such a great place for pets! We take our dog to daycare regularly and have used their overnight boarding services. Highly recommend both! Our pup is well cared for and provided lots of attention, care, and playtime. We also love the theme party days! Thank you for providing great services!

Tom

2023-05

Very helpful people at the front desk. I had an issue with the amount I was charged they came through and fixed it without hesitation. Being able to drop your dogs off and know they are in good hands is a wonderful feeling.

Rasheila Dolleman

2023-05

We have an older dog now on 2 maintenance prescriptions; one that has to be an hour before or two hours after eating & the other with food. They said no problem. And, she has to be isolated b/c she is hyper susceptible to kennel cough.This was her second extended stay. She is healthy, happy, and was well cared for. It is a really nice, clean facility with friendly staff that clearly love dogs.

Carolyn Fry

2022-05

I just adopted a puppy and they took great care of him. His nails are no longer sharp and are smooth and dull. He smelled and looked amazing too. They took great care of him and I highly recommend bringing any dog or cat here. Bark avenue is definitely my go to spot now!!

Beverly Leighton

2023-06

Luna always has a great time at Bark Avenue! She really enjoys Daycare with them.

Whitney Bellinghausen

2023-05

We have tried the Waukee location several times because it is so close to home, but this last experience will be our last. My dog never seems tired after all-day daycare like he does at other places. We boarded him for 2 nights this last time. We received a call about him having diarrhea while he was there which they said wasn't a concern to them because it is common when dogs get stressed (he has been boarded dozens of times and has never had this reaction). I did appreciate the call and they said they would provide him with Pedialyte to make sure stayed hydrated and he was still eating well. When I picked him up, they said he was doing fine and nothing more. On the drive home, I discovered he smelled awful. After getting home, I find he has dried feces coated within his paws and underbelly like he had been left in it. It seemed like they kind of tried to wipe off what was visible but didn't actually clean him. No call about him maybe needing a bath while he was there and the person who checked me out didn't mention anything. He seemed traumatized but did perk up after a bath. It must have been on there a while because his paws are irritated and raw now. I will not be sending him to the Waukee location again since they don't seem concerned with leaving dogs in those conditions and sending them home like that.

Allen Dahl

2022-05

Frank and Toby love spending the day there when we are in the office. They get lots of play and stimulation! They are too tired when we get home to wreck the house!

Belma Bajramovic

2022-05

We decided to put our pup to day care as early as possible for more social interaction with different dogs and people. Benji has been with Bark at Waukee for 3 months now and he loves it! They have great report cards, awesome facility, and my boy is exhausted every time I pick him up! I defiantly recommend bringing your dog to Bark Avenue!

Mike Johnston

2024-03

My dog loves the grooming and friendly staff. So do I

Steve Hoyt

2023-05

Really seems like the staff loves dogs. My dog Molly is 17 1/2 and a jack Russell some places won't take her but when she stays at bark she comes back looking better then when I drop her of. I am a real customer with a real story. Hope all have my experience it really gives you peace of mind when you want to travel.

Brian Davis

2023-05

We boarded our dog here for a few days while we went on vacation and we don't believe they took good care of her at all. The staff was not very outgoing and the place seemed dirty and unkept. When we walked in to pick up our dog, we were greeted with the strong smell of feces throughout the building because obviously they don't clean. Our dog was terrified and cowering with her tail between her legs. Originally, we ordered a report card to be sent for an extra fee to see how our dog was getting along while we were on vacation, but it was never sent. I asked them about how our dogs playtime went and the description they gave me was not indicative of our dogs behavior which tells me they were lying — I don't think she played at all. Furthermore, our dog came back to us emotionally traumatized, starving, insanely thirsty, she had diarrhea, and a small injury on her back paw. I think this place is horrible and I'll never be bringing my dog there again. If you love your pet, you shouldn't either.

Laura Helmers

2023-05

My son had a reservation with this Waukee location. Took his dog to the day care did the evaluation in prep for leaving the dog there for a week. When the day came to leave the dog, they stated that they were full and didn’t have the reservation. They sent us to the WDM location, and it was awful. They didn’t feed him the correct food ( paid extra for the gold package and the food had another dog’s name on it, along with another dog’s toy) and our dog had lost 10 pounds, had mouth sores, and smelled AWFUL. Nothing about this experience would ever let us consider this company again.