Whole Dogz

Patricia Baldwin

2024-03

I do not recommend this business to anyone. I had a previous bad experience with the grooming service under the old ownership. I gave them another shot under the new ownership this past weekend. I dropped my dog off at 9am. I called mid-day to find out when he would be done and was told he hadn't had his coat trimmed yet because the groomer washes all the dogs and then cuts them in the order they arrived. At 4:30pm I had not heard back so I called again. I was told he hadn't had his coat trimmed with the same explanation again and was advised that I should pick him up and bring him back for a cut another day. When I picked him up, I saw that many dogs I had seen arrive AFTER me had or were leaving with full grooming/cuts. So much for cutting them in the order they arrived. It was also obvious that my dog had been brushed only shortly before I arrived to pick him up. By the way he used the bathroom and drank water upon arrival home, I can safely say he spent 8h in a crate, likely wet until I called at 4:30pm. Absolutely will not be returning and I advise everyone to avoid this business.

Michael Stock

2024-03

Our dog has been going to Whole Dogz for over 5 years daily. He is well taken care of and has care takers that truly adore him. Their facility is very big offering your dog lots of room whether he wants to be in the action or not. Many facilities are too cramped.They have a dog trainer and grooming too, both which we have tried and recommend. Put your mind at ease, and give them a try!

Brian Nienaber

2024-04

Our Siberian Husky has gone to daycare here and boarded here. It is a great place for dogs. He is always so excited to go there. It is very much a place run by people who love dogs. I highly recommend it.

Madeline Meis

2024-04

Wonderful place for dogs! The animals I’ve had and fostered always seem to enjoy their stay at boarding/day care, and behave well for their grooming services. Will certainly continuing taking my dogs here.

Jessica Swansby

2024-04

My dog loves it there. She has been going for about a year and has made many play friends. The staff is wonderful with her. The facilty is clean and maintained well. I have boarded her there several times.

Barbara Walker

2024-02

This was a wonderful place to take your dog for some hours of playtime. Mary & Patrick loved dogs & it showed. It was sold to a company that cares more about making $$$ than dogs.My happy, easy going dog began to shake when I brought her in a couple of times a week & was never tired when I went to pick her up after her 5 hours there. I watched on camera as nasty young man was grabbing her roughly & she would disappear from camera from around 9:15 onI made several calls asking where she was & I got hung up on or they just said the didn’t know as they were busy. Went to get her & asked again where she was. Once again I was told they didn’t know.Most working there are fine people, but please watch webcam as much as you can if you go there. I watched him roughly chase a little black dog that was terrified & was doing nothing but playing

crissy odonnell

2023-06

We love Whole Dogz! The owners and staff really love dogs and it shows. They have everything Bailey needs all in one place, so convenient. Daycare, training, grooming and a store. So glad we found them.

Nickolas Forsberg

2024-03

Whole Dogz is great! We love knowing we can trust our dogs in their care and check up on them with the webcams.

Samantha Quigley

2023-05

Super friendly, knowledgeable staff that loves what they do!!Update: I recently added a (very large) puppy to my house and he absolutely LOVES going to Whole Dogz! Apparently he has his own little group of friends that play all day. I couldn't ask for a better doggy daycare or better folks than at Whole Dogz! The photo is from this year's Halloween party.

Sarah Stusek

2023-11

no communication at all from this place very disappointed i really wanted to like them. came in for our eval and had a great experience watching from the cameras as my dog was in medium. then brought in for a day on saturday when i had to be gone for a few hours. checked the cameras and found my dog over in large. the dog was very obviously distressed and crying and i saw the worker spray the dog in the face repeatedly with the water instead of comforting them. this appeared to go on for hours while the worker stared at their phone, spraying away any dog who dare needed attention. I tried to call multiple times to tell them my father in law was going to come pick up the dog and no answer so i sent him anyway and they just gave the dog to him.... and then on monday i stopped in to hear their side of what happened and they just kept saying i don't know someone will call you and still no one has called one month later.

Andrew Sheehy

2024-03

Whole Dogz is amazing! My dog loves it here, the staff is fantastic and the facility is wonderful. Highly recommend!

Cameron Wakefield

2023-05

Best dog daycare, grooming, and boarding in the DMV! I took my dog here for years before moving away. The facilities are clean, there’s plenty of space (including outdoor space) for the pups to explore, the groomers are excellent, and the boarding is exceptional (your dog gets either his own tiny little “room”, or the manager’s suite to sleep in. So much better than a crate!). Highly, highly recommend!

Eva Bignoli

2023-07

Stay away from this facility. Took my dog here for 4 hours last week for a “test stay” before boarding him for a week during my wedding. He got kennel cough from staying here only 4 hours and he has not been around any other dogs since. He was also vaccinated with the bordetella vaccine before going. I haven’t slept in 3 days my poor dog is non stop throwing up, I spent $500 at the vet and no one will watch my dog now due to the contagious factor of this illness, my wedding is ruined..I will NEVER again visit this facility.

Crystal Toby

2024-03

Harley adores coming to Whole Dogs! He practically runs inside without saying goodbye ready to have the time of his life at daycare.

Joyce Pastore

2023-05

On the way to Union Station, my boarding facility called and said that they were closing down due to a potential case of canine flu. I had to return home and pick up my dog. I had no one to take care of my dog for four days so I thought my trip was canceled. The next morning I called Whole Dogz to see if they could help me out. I brought Madeleine in for an assessment, she passed with flying colors. The next morning she boarded for three nights, and spent the days in daycare. She absolutely loved it! I could watch the WebCam while I was out of town and see how she was smiling in the playroom. I greatly appreciate how the staff accommodated us and I’m so happy to have found a new boarding center as well as daycare. I highly recommend Whole Dogz to all doggy moms and dads.

Diane Dietrich

2023-09

Nothing but A+ from us and our pup, Riley. She's never so happy as she is at daycare drop off. We also board her fairly regularly, and she's always clean and happy when we pick her up.

alexis brown

2023-05

I have been coming to whole dogz for about 7 years now. I love them and they love my pups. Unfortunately sometimes there are people who, for no other reason than to try and make the business look bad, post false negative comments. I would say to those who are thinking about trying Whole Dogz, do it! See for yourself the exceptional care your dog will receive.

Tam O'Shanter

2023-05

Thank you to your team for taking care of pooch for the last few days. She has been sleeping since I brought her home, probably catching up on some zzz’s as well as recovering from her play sessions with the other pups. She was calm and relaxed, definitely not over anxious, when I picked her up, which was great. She settled down at home quickly and has been sleeping since dinner time yesterday. I was worried about leaving her for so long of a time but your team did such a great job with her. Thank you again from the bottom of my heart. Highly recommended. -T

Brandon Sheehan

2023-05

We always know that our babies will be taken care of here despite their beagle tendencies to be a little crazy. They come home happy, stimulated, and tired. We love checking the cameras throughout the day and often see the staff hugging/ petting our younger dog that needs a bit more affection than the average pup

John Smith III

2022-05

Great small pet care location for getting things for your dogs. Staff on my first visit was friendly, went out of the way to help me and show me items. The items I purchased were stuffed dog toys which ultimately cost me approx. $1500 in vet bills. Purchased a toy that within an hour of getting home, my small dog got the stuffing from within side of the toy. He ingested it, and our problems started. After several days in the Vet Urgent Care on Xmas day, he’s now fine. When I went back to the store to alert them of the toy they are selling, and the potential dangers the individual seemed uncaring or just not invested in hearing about it. So, while I enjoyed the store, just be cautious of the items you buy. Not the stores fault, but hopefully they will read the comments to see how they can improve. UPDATE: Staff reached out to me on the issues I brought up, and clearly a miscommunication was had. All is well now! Thanks

Saringi Agata-Moss

2023-05

TLDR: Horrible customer service especially from owners and will charge you a cancellation fee for boarding even if services were not rendered due to animal sickness.Whole Dogz has extremely appealing amenities (different playrooms based on you dog’s size, no need to book ahead of time for non-holiday daycare, convenience store in front) but I would STRONGLY suggest you consider one of the other 100s of doggy daycares in Alexandria as their customer service, particularly their owner, is rude and inconsiderate.My dogs recently caught kennel cough (diagnosed by a vet) around the holidays when I had initially planned to leave them at Whole Dogz during my international trip. When I informed management of my dogs sickness prior to the start of my reservation (both for the safety of other dogs at the facility and to abide by their policy that “no sick dogs shall be admitted) I received accosting questions and comments from the owner suggesting I was being untruthful about my dogs’ illness in order to have to pay less for the reservation. I was further told that “if I fed my dogs well and gave them additional vitamins (which they happen to exclusively sell in their store) that they wouldn’t have gotten sick.”Unfortunately my dogs still had kennel cough a week after our original reservation so since I was out of the country I made the decision to continue the alternative care I found when my dogs got sick initially. As opposed to charging me the deposit for my original reservation equivalent to a night of boarding, they chose to charge me a cancellation fee equivalent to almost half the entire stay (we had booked two weeks). This was directly contrary to not only the rules stated in their pre boarding email correspondence and website but directly contradicted their policy to “not bring in sick dogs.” On top of this about half way into our original reservation they sent an email out to all Whole Dogz clients closing their facilities for two days DUE TO A KENNEL COUGH OUTBREAK.There are a number of small business/family owned doggie daycare facilities in Alexandria - I strongly suggest you look elsewhere.Response to Business response:Actually told you my dog was sick the day before drop off as there was no guidance on when to inform whole dogz when a dog gets sick in you pre boarding correspondence or on your website. When I spoke to you on the phone you did not confirm that you had even pushed my reservation to the following week you just continuously asked me why I wanted to push heavily implying I was lying about my dogs being sick.Further, in your pre-registration email correspondence there was no claim that holiday reservations were non-refundable and this was further backed up by the fact that I was not charged when I made the reservation (earlier in November) but conveniently after the reservation had begun and I did not drop the dogs off (again due to illness). Presenting rules after the fact is disingenuous and makes it hard to work with an organization especially as a new customer because I can’t even trust the information I see on the website or in direct correspondence. Rules are fine and necessary to run a business but when they are only presented after the fact it breaks the trust between the business and the customer which is the reason I won’t be returning.You all clearly have desirable facilities and daycare services but I strongly suggest you amend your website and automatic email correspondence to convey pricing rules (holiday vs non holiday bookings, deposits, etc) ESPECIALLY when it comes to sick dogs to ensure you maintain the trust of new customers because even the “best” daycare in the city is out of the running to most dog owners if they don’t feel confident leaving their dogs in your care.

Aj Va

2022-05

We had a family emergency, and I am so grateful that Whole Dogz was available to board our dog so we could hop on a plane that night. They are very caring- monitoring his food intake, especially for his first boarding. When periodically checking in on my dog I see the staff petting and cuddling the dogs sporadically throughout the day, which isn’t always standard with some boarders. They have a great store front as well- with the full line of our dog’s favorite West Paw toys. The best part is that my dog doesn’t come smelling of harsh chemicals, which has been a problem with other places.

Pam DeNunzio

2021-05

We have been bringing our dog to Whole Dogz for about a year. They helped us from the very beginning when we had just adopted a rescue. Mary has been so helpful with products and suggestions and Patrick is always great to take emails and calls and respond promptly. We used their trainer for initial training and we have continued to use daycare a the excellent grooming services. Cannot say enough about this small business. Great group of folks caring for our fur kids.

Lisa Dutzman

2023-05

Six years ago, I visited several doggy daycares/boarding facilities around the Alexandria area and selected Whole Dogz due to the cleanliness of the facility and the great staff. They are the only place I will take my dogs because I know that they are being well cared for. They may be a little more expensive than other places, but to me it is worth it having peace of mind that my fur babies are safe and happy.

Justin Hill

2022-05

We have two dogs - an older dog who can sometimes get a little nervous when lots of other dogs are around, and a super high-energy younger dog who will try to play with every other dog he meets. The fact that the staff at Whole Dogz does so good with dogs with such different personalities is a major credit to their standards of staff training. Good help is hard to find in the current economic climate, so sometimes they can be quite busy, but the webcams make it easy to observe the staff working diligently to provide a clean, safe play area for the dogs. We've used them for both day care and boarding, and I would recommend them for either.

Kristina Henderson

2023-05

I would have to say that this place takes the prize for being disorganized and non- dependable. This place has the worse communication by management on earth!!! They dont really want business or care about your dog. Stay Away from this place at all costs!!!! I was headed away for a few days and contacted WD 3 to 4 weeks in advance for a home away from home for my dog. I could never get a firm answer for boarding from management even after the dogs face to face initial passing evaluation (a waste of time, energy, and money traveling here). They had the nerve and audacity to contact me the same day that I was supposed to drop my dog off with a different boarding time and day that would occur after I would already be long gone. Thank God for family that stepped in to watch and care for our baby after our being screwed by this business. Run from this place and find a dependable, reputable, honest, and secure place outside of these fake and phony good reviews for your fur baby.

Erin Berry

2023-05

We were having a good experience until we suddenly weren't. I cannot recommend Whole Dogz. Our dog previously enjoyed going to Whole Dogz so much that we didn't stop going there (or sue) when our dog was injured there twice. They should not have sharp objects in the playrooms. Whole Dogz never offered to help pay for the injuries that were caused there, and in retrospect I should have stopped taking my dog there when it happened but it was conveniently located so I ill-advisedly kept taking my dog there. They have had a ton of staff turnover during the 1.5 years we went there. Suddenly, a few weeks ago my dog was "expelled" from daycare for barking.Dogs bark. There were tons of dogs barking when I picked up my dog! Additionally my sweet dog cowered when we brought her home that day. I think something bad happened to her there that day (she has been cowering since) and I regret not leaving the daycare sooner.

Meighan Haupt

2023-05

We did an evaluation for our pup and they were great. They have the dog camera viewings on big screens that you can see what is happening. The dogs are happy. The place is clean.

Margot Johnson

2022-05

We have been taking our dog to Whole Dogz for seven years because we know they take such good care of him and he loves it there. However, we didn’t realize how important it is to have a great kennel until this weekend when we were way out of town and our dog had a seizure. The owners of Whole Dogz called us immediately and showed great concern. They took him to the ER immediately and gave him the kind of love they give their own dogs. I am just so relieved our dog was at Whole Dogz and not at home alone with a dog sitter coming in and out. I could not be more grateful to Whole Dogz and would give them more than five stars if I could.

Lauren Comunale

2022-05

Location is clean and spacious and I was thankful to get a last minute weekend boarding. There's 4 rooms with cameras in each so you can watch your dog from across the cashier counter. There's a wide variety of items for purchase and I was happy to get raw dog food for my dog bc his subscription ran out. My only wish is that their hours were a little more expansive.