Pet Paradise Chesterfield

Cindy Larkin

2024-03

Our dogs LOVE Pet Paradise - Chesterfield. The staff is very familiar with all of the dogs and give individual attention, even during group play time. Our pups even have their favorite staff in Paige, Taylor, Josh, Rowan & Rebecca. They are like their second family and we wouldn't trust our pups to anyone else. We absolutely love when they come home with pictures for the day.

Christine Greenberg

2024-04

We've used this Pet Paradise location twice and it's so nice to have a solid option for care when we go out of town. Our dog is a rescue, so we were nervous to board her. The PP team was communicative and reassured us. She always has a great time and it's so nice (especially for our children) to be able to check in on the pups in the play yard while we are away.

Ashley Parkhurst

2024-04

This was my first time taking my 1-year-old dog for a grooming, and my first time at Pet Paradise Chesterfield. I had scheduled a mini groom online, which when booking says it would take from 11-12:30. At 1:30, I called for an update and they had said another 40 minutes because he was skiddish with the dryer - totally fine! When it ended up being 2.5 hours later instead of 40 minutes without a call I started to get worried, and read some of the recent Google reviews with similar stories. I instantly did not have a good feeling and called again to come pick him up regardless of if he was finished, to which they replied oh yes he's been ready (for how long they couldn't tell me but he ended up being there for 5 hours). On the bright side the groom looks okay, however, I don't think they cut his nails which was supposed to be included because they look the same. All I can say is trust your gut with this place, I likely won't be returning.

Brian Loewen

2024-03

We've been taking our puppy to pet paradise for day camp for the past two weeks and it's been great. The staff is incredibly friendly and have gone to great efforts to ensure we are comfortable with our puppy's care.We enjoy the activities Pet Paradise makes available and have been pleased with play time our puppy gets to enjoy while we check in on the web cam.I highly recommend Pet Paradise if you're looking for a doggy daycare that you can trust with your pups.

Michelle Leyva

2024-03

I have to admit, I have not left my dogs with many people. They are my children. I was so excited when I saw that there was a bone shaped pool at some new place opening up next to Costco because I work over that way. I had just gotten a new puppy, and he was turning four months old. He has a pit mix. His name is Stanley. He is become well-known at the Chesterfield location only due to their constant vigilance of what happens there with all the dogs, and the constant attention and care and loving kindness that I see with them. Paige Taylor, Josh Rowan have been a pillar of strength for me and helping me with my dogs lately my parents have been ill. So my dogs have been going twice a week I recently adopted a deaf dog and their care and extra attention to detail with him is outstanding. I cannot say enough goodness about the staff and the care that my dogs receive there . When we go there, we are checked in immediately. When I go to pick them up, they go get them immediately. My dogs are happy. They’ve played all day and if they don’t feel like playing, they get special attention and I know that they do this with other peoples dogs as well because I talk to the other dog moms while we’re standing in there. It’s a family , we love them. I would not trust anyone else with the care of my animals and I can honestly say I would leave my children with them my real children. That’s how responsible that they are. I have had a couple of them over to my home to help me with things with the dogs And I don’t invite just anyone into my home. Our family is blessed with the staff at Pet Paradise . We absolutely. Adore and love each and everyone of them. Thank you for opening up such a well run establishment. And I only say that because I’ve been a business owner and the staff there is impeccable and in tune with the needs of the client as well as the dog.

Katherine McCole

2023-09

I've never written a bad review before in my life, but I'm starting here. We booked a grooming appointment for our almost 5 month, 6.5lb puppy to get a basic haircut. Dropped him off for his appointment at 1pm and they say to expect him to be done by 5pm. That's a long time but ok, I'm sure they will take care of him as they have so many dog amenities there for play and free roaming and he's had all his shots so he can be around other small dogs. Hours go by with no call. 5pm no call. 6pm no call. They close at 7, so we called them at 6:20pm to ask if we can get him. They haven't even started grooming him. He's been locked in a box alone for 5 hours. We go immediately to get him. They said they were busy today and tried to get us to rebook for another day. He's got knots in his hair and they say they washed him, but it seems like they just ran a brush over him and fluffed him up with a dryer. If they can't fit our dog in a reasonable time, don't book us, or cancel, or call and tell us even that day. We would have come to get him and have been disappointed, but not angry. Leaving a young puppy locked up with his needs unattended (no food or potty time) puts him back emotionally in training, and I will be working for a while to help him trust this whole grooming process and us again. Zero stars, DO NOT take your pet to this business.

Jessica Zaccarine

2023-09

I had such high hopes with this facility and was so disappointed. The communication in the beginning was wonderful, they were flexible and it was easy to add an extra day when we decided to leave a day early to visit family out of state.Two days before we were to drop our dog off at 6:30am, they called me to go over a few things and let me ask questions which I thought was great! I was told that I could arrive 10 to 15 minutes early if I needed to ask any further questions. On this call, I did outright say that we will be 10 hours away and needed to know the policy if we couldn’t make it back by 7pm to get her in time. I was told to just call them, they’d charge an extra day and it would be no big deal.On the day we drop her off, we get to Pet Paradise at 6:10am which I understand was a little earlier than planned since they said to arrive 10-15 minutes early and her reservation drop off was at 6:30am. We knocked on the door and the two girls inside completely ignored us. We decided to just walk our dog around for ten minutes to kill time before our 10 hour drive when one of the girls came outside, went to her car, and pretended we weren’t there before going back inside and locking the door. I knocked again and was ignored again. We stood outside with our dog and six year old daughter for ten more minutes before a very rude woman finally opened the door and let us in. She had known we were out there the entire time. I explained that I was told to arrive early to ask questions and she kind of waved me off. Because of the promotion they were doing for first timers, I verified that the grooming and Furever Connect was on the schedule for my dog for free. She said it was and that I’d be receiving a picture of my dog every day which I appreciated since this was my first time boarding her and she’s just 11 months old. I’ve had her since she was a baby and thought they’d take very good care of her.We go on our trip and I wasn’t receiving any pictures as I was told. I called multiple times every day to only get the voicemail, none of them were returned, and on the third day, I finally got someone to answer and she said I was misinformed and I was only going to get pictures on one day. I had checked the website and the board in the lobby and it said Furever Connect was a “DAILY communication package”. I was too irritated to get into it with the woman since it was too late at that point.I needed to contact them again because we weren’t going to make it back on time to get our dog the day we planned. I had to call multiple times a day for two more days before I finally reached someone to let them know because I didn’t want to be a customer who just doesn’t come get their dog and not tell them. They extended her stay by one more day and we finally get home to pick her up.My dog, being 11 months old, is very bubbly, energetic, and doesn’t have a bad bone in her body. When she got home, all she wanted to do was sleep and was incredibly scraped up. Her two front paws had bloody scrapes and so did the backs of her legs. I expected some of that since she’d be playing with a lot of other dogs but one of them looked like another dog took a chunk out of her skin. She was also NOT groomed. She came home very dirty and her nails weren’t cut. Again, I get that it was for free and I didn’t pay for the service, but with the lack of communication and not receiving what I told I would and the condition my dog was in when she got home? I’d never board her here again.Edited to add: our dog now has kennel cough and so does our older dog who has to be taken to the vet today, despite all dogs being required to have the vaccination for bordatella.

Carrie Weese

2024-03

Front desk staff lacks empathy. I called after my dog had been there about 2 hrs to inquire how much longer she might be. The front desk associate told me it might be another hour. I asked if there was anything that could possibly speed the process bc I needed to get home to relieve the in-home healthcare nurse at 2pm. I explained my mom is on hospice with dementia and if they could shave a little time off it would help. The front desk associate immediately tells me the 2-3 hr policy with no regard to trying to help solve the issue. I again expressed my situation, also noting that I noticed a lack of empathy, and the associate interrupted me to ask if I wanted to speak to the manager in a sassy tone. The “manager” got on (sounded like a young person, so I’m not sure it really was a manager). I expressed my concern, at no point raising my voice, but I did give an example of what an empathetic response could have been. I suggested that instead of flatly quoting a company policy perhaps they could have said, “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry to hear that let me speak to the groomer and see what we can do to speed the process.” I only needed 15 minutes which would have given them 45 minutes- even if it couldn’t have been done I wouldn’t have felt dismissed. The “manager” looked at my drop off time and said “ I see here Gypsy was dropped off at 11:11am.” My response to the “manager” was “wow, so me talking about the lack of empathy went right over your head. Never mind, I will work out my own problems and find some way to be at home and pick up Gypsy at the same time.” It felt like the “manager” wanted to engage me in an argument so I hung up to make arrangements for my mom. Luckily the chaplain was able to come earlier to relieve the nurse.When I arrived at Pet Paradise it was clear they were waiting for some fireworks but I didn’t say a word. When I asked for Gypsy the front desk person turned her back and said I was there and I noticed the older general manager came out and held an awkward conversation about the dogs I was watching in the pool area. I think they expected some big “Karen show” so the entire situation made me feel like it didn’t matter I’m dealing with a mother with dementia, I was just some crazy, hysterical woman. Never once did I raise my voice or say anything a normal person wouldn’t ask.I won’t be returning or recommending Pet Paradise. The last two grooms I came in for were weird looking anyway.

Racheal Sims

2024-04

Honestly I’m disturbed, when I was suggested to do 1on1 for day camp I was told it would be just my dog and an attendant, before taking him today God told me check the website cause I been talking with my clients saying how when I pick my dog up he’s full of energy and I didn’t know why, today I was told that they only get two 30 min play times and the rest of the time their in a crate 😒😒😒 pure torture! this company is horrible and will never see my dog again

Rick Irvin

2024-02

We love Pet Paradise! The staff is so friendly! Our puppy gets so excited to go to day care!

Alaini Rogers

2023-05

I’ve been bringing my puppy here for a few weeks now, and he absolutely loves it! The staff is absolutely wonderful and always greet him in the most loving way when we arrive, I truly couldn’t imagine better people to trust my puppy with!

Jen Rals

2023-05

I had such high hopes for this facility - Its new, clean, and staff were initially impressive. I have both professional (animal assisted therapy expertise/training) and personal experience, (many dogs involved in various forms/levels of training and day camps at locations throughout NoVa and RVA), so I thought I had chosen wisely with Pet Paradise. Oh boy was I wrong! After taking time to gather collateral information, I now recognize that the specific concerns I have with the Chesterfield location of Pet Paradise are more likely indicative of larger-scale company issues and policies that are putting dogs at risk.1. Safety Issues: My dog never got any initial assessment or had an appropriate acclimation process on his first day, in spite of being told multiple times to the contrary. After drop off, my dog was put immediately into a room with approximately 25 other dogs even though I had filled out a lengthy form about his specific needs/temperament.2. Inadequate Training: My dog exhibited very obvious signs of distress and received ZERO attention for two hours until an outside staff member happened to come into the room and briefly give him some comfort. His specific behaviors (labored/open-mouth panting, pacing, futile attempts to get attention, “whale eyes,” etc.) were glaringly obvious, even on the cameras, and are considered very basic (“Dog 101”) knowledge, but ultimately, he never received any intervention.Most all other establishments have multiple certified trainers available on the premises for behavioral assessment, intervention, and staff training – this location does not.3. Poor Dog to Staff Ratio: Aniyah was absolutely wonderful to the dogs; however, she was unable to keep up with the sheer demand around her (also due to her colleague’s visible disinterest, distraction, and truly bizarre behaviors). Management later stated that dog/staff ratio is “one staff to between 15, 20-or-so dogs.” This far exceeds industry standards and recommendations, especially given the particular confinement of the room, visual obstacles, and temperament/activity of the dogs present.This also contributes to vast difference in how many of the dogs were treated. Some specific dogs were carried around like babies, others were completely ignored for multiple hours (often the ones who needed it the most).Common practices at other companies include a max ratio of 1:15 or under, multiple little dog groups in order to separate by temperament and/or needs, and a strongly enforced cap of number of dogs in a single room.4. Behavioral Concerns: Tiny Town are not let out for bathroom breaks. They are expected to urinate/defecate all over the room – which they all did while dogs literally ran through pools and piles. (Everywhere. On all of the things.) At pick-up, staff confirmed that this is a customary practice. This is NOT typical at other dog day camps, even in inclement weather.5. Dishonesty: Reports cards are marketing fluff to make owners feel positive about their dog’s experience. Almost all of the information on my report card was wildly fraudulent.6. Lack of Customer Service: Let me just say that the front desk was nothing but fabulous from beginning (when I came for a tour) to end (when I expressed my concerns at pick-up). They noted that management is currently being overworked at other locations (like Charlottesville); however, Skyllar would be in touch soon. After two weeks with no word, I made a final attempt to contact management and was routed to Mac. She was congenial while going over basic information, but remained resistant to specific questions about their Day Camp policies. The moment I stated that I had a negative experience two weeks prior, she became curt and repeatedly stated to “call corporate” as she talked over me. I can’t endorse any company that lacks transparency to this degree.Please stay away from this facility – specifically in regards to Tiny Town – until safety is prioritized over revenue. Pet Paradise’s reported and demonstrated policies of care are far below industry recommendations.

G Zilla

2023-10

Sky (& the entire staff) always takes such great care of my pups when they come in for grooming. There are many places closer to where I live but I drive 30mins to Pet Paradise. My pups are much happier & calmer when I pick them up from here than any other grooming place. I've even tried mobile groomers...no bueno. I've been bringing them here ever since the Koger location opened.

Tezra Leak

2023-10

We've given grace on 2 other occasions that were not positive but this last one means the last time for us. We had early AM full groom appointments for our boys and since we couldn't pick up until late afternoon opted for 1/2 day daycare. While on a break at work around 2p we decided to check the on our boys but couldn't find them. Called and inquired and the staffer indicated she'd check. Hung up and continued to watch the camera. Saw a staffer enter, speak to the attendant then return a few minutes later with our boys. I called back to get details how they were forgotten AGAIN. The staffer lied and said they were there but likely just out of camera view. After I called her on her lie, she immediately cut the conversation short and said she'd get a manager. The manager gets on and perpetuates the lie giving ridiculous excuses. I was insulted. I watched everything unfold. Fast forward to pick up and the cuts were horrible. New groomer. Fine its fur. It'll grow back. The kicker is about 3-4 days later my little one is reverse sneezing constantly, blowing mucus..Longer story longer kennel cough for both. Later found an email explaining the influx but extremely disappointed in the lack of responsibility of not having a notice posted at the counter or sending a text alert for those who might miss an email. But, I guess hey, you sent something. The kicker... we were charged a full day daycare and when I called to correct the partial refund was still incorrect. At this point I was. Just too done to call again. Had high hopes for this chain but guess big biz is all the same.

Rachel Hagerman

2023-11

I got my dog from the SPCA. They were unable to accept the SPCA vaccinations. They told me to go to a vet to have them input the vaccinations into their system and I could submit that. However, vets did not want to give us documentation on vaccines they did not complete. After days of trying to resolve the issue we have given up on trying to take our pet here. The SPCA wrote up documentation on the vaccines and it still was not accepted.

Becky Ketter

2023-08

If your dog is in Tiny Town stay away!! My pup comes home smelling like urine every time. Today each time I check led the cameras the small dogs were in their crates. When we went for our initial visit I was assured they were only in the crates from 12:00 to 1:00 while the staff took lunch. When I question the staff today why the small dogs were in the crates for the majority of the day, it was explained they are short staffed and the big dogs need more staff so the little ones stay in crates. My dog had, obviously, not been taken out to go potty even once from drop off at 8:30 till pick up at 6. Grooming has also been a disaster in that he had an appointment but no grooming was actually done. The staff did refund the cost of grooming as I had to pay before seeing my pup. We've tried this place multiple times thinking it would be better, but the cost, time to raise concerns over multiple visits, worry about his well-being, and an unhappy pup means we will not be returning.

Marquita Garrett Ph.D. LPC, ACS RPT-S NCC

2023-05

My dogs loved their time here. When I dropped them off the place was spacious and most of the process was completed online. They offer different treats for the dogs while in their care. They have cameras so I can see my dogs enjoying themselves. When they were concerned they called with solutions. The best part was my dogs not smelling like they just left the pound. I recommend this facility to anyone who wants quality care for their pets.

cedric white

2024-01

My 2dogs have loved, loved, loved staying at this facility while we are on vacations. We will be using them again next Sept for all 3 of my dogs that I have now

Phenomenal Me

2023-08

I was shocked at the intake process. They do not contact you ahead of time to tell you what to bring or expect. It was not made clear that intact dogs are more expensive by $20 a day boarding and are separate from the other dogs. The rates do not justify, or either the staff just can't explain, the extra expense. This was my first time boarding my dog at this facility but I have arranged for him to be picked up early. I would not recommend this company.

Andrea Gray

2023-06

We needed boarding for our dog for the holiday week. Feeling that I had one month to get a confirmed reservation I signed my girl up for the family day meeting. I did this in person, so I saw the pool. I expressed my concern that my dog doesn’t go into bodies of water. She is prone to ear infections and she was not raised around water. The staff said she would only be around the pool for 30 minutes as a boarder, but come to find out on family meet day, they bunch the day camp dogs with the boarders for a total of 30 dogs! Granted they took my dog to a separate area to see how she would do with meeting a few dogs, then she would go into the large group. Unbeknownst to me, this is their way of weeding out their boarders and day campers. Needless to say, she was very stressed around the pool and 30 other unknown dogs. They called me to say she is showing signs of stress and they needed more info about her behavior in large groups. How was I to know she would be evaluated in a setting with 30 strange dogs around a pool? When I asked what the signs of stress are, the staff person says, foaming at the mouth, panting, and whale eyes. She tells me she might not pass the test if she can’t be in a large group of dogs(30). My girl, didn’t “pass the test”. The pool and the large group was just too much for her. The staffer could have ended it with that but proceeded to tell me my dog was rude to the other dogs because she was sniffing their genitalia! Hahaha! That should tell you right there, they don’t understand dogs. We did find a more suitable boarding situation at last minute. I can not and will not recommend this facility to anyone.

Stryker-Ann Vosteen

2023-06

I absolutely love this place and so does my pup! She is nothing but smiles and excitement when we walk in the door and all the staff are just so amazing and kind, knew her by name after just a few days of going there. If you’re on the fence, just know that your dog is in good hands and being well cared for here.

Raven Sharrieff

2023-05

The facility is nice and clean! Unfortunately, this company has a policy against unaltered dogs playing with neutered/spayed dogs, regardless of whether they are in heat. I'm not sure if they allow unaltered male dogs to play together. Other than that, I feel the facility is very beautiful

Crystal Mathews

2023-05

I would have loved to have experienced the services of pet paradise however the staff blatantly lied about their policy stating that they don’t accept pets that take seizure medication for grooming. However, online under there FAQ it specifically states that they are trained to administer medication. The interesting part about this is they didn’t need to administer any medication for his grooming.

Shay T

2024-02

Wasn’t satisfied with my pets cut, it looked hacked up, me and my Pomeranian are disappointed… sent in a pic she looked nothing like it & I feel overcharged

Christine Houff

2023-05

The people seem to care about your dog. My disappointment came with there was no true communication, and I was not easily able to communicate while my puppy was boarding. Also they complained about my dog not being aggressive but didn't take other dog cues well. We asked numerous times for help and or resources to help our puppy learn manners with promises a manager would contact us but never did.

David Bolivar

2023-05

This place felt like a paradise, no pun intended. Paige was very nice and caring for my lovely dog. I really felt at home and she didn't feel like an employee to customer relationship. I highly recommend this place to anyone who wants their dog cared for.

Stef Lares

2023-05

Wanted to thank Aniyah for being so wonderful. First time leaving my Boston and I was a nervous wreck since I did not have a good experience at another facility. I checked on my dog several times during the day and Aniyah was ON IT!! Making sure the dogs were ok, cleaning, not letting them be too rough with each other, making sure the scared dogs had their time alone etc… All that can’t be easy to manage on a daily basis but Aniyah does it and that’s the reason why I’ll continue to bring my pet to this facility. She definitely deserves a raise!!! Thank you.

Hey There Y'all

2023-05

Sent via your response email:Did a good job grooming. Here is the issue, and had this discussion with a member of staff: Our dogs are older. They have lived on average to 16 & 17 years old. We brought in our healthy 9 year old and 17 year olds for their first visits. We are new to Richmond.We were told over the phone and in person that our 17 year old would not be permitted to return for either grooming or boarding. The reason? I'll quote, "She was nervous and shaking while we were grooming her." Any other reason? "No. That's the reason why."That is outrageous and completely unacceptable. A groomer says the dog, so her first visit was shaking? If there was some other reason the staff member had every opportunity to say what it was but she didn't. I was flabbergasted! Have owned dogs for 40 years. Have had all of them groomed and boarded for those 40 years and "she's nervous and shaking" is the most outrageous and unacceptable excuse for denying grooming and boarding I've ever heard of!This company came highly recommended. Based on this experience I don't know why.

brittney hicks

2023-06

The property is beautiful. Signing in is quick and painless. They are reasonably priced. When you enter there is a big bay window that allows you to see the yard and pool. You literally are sucked in to watching the dogs have fun.

Ashley Mason

2023-05

Went in for a tour last week and the smell was HORRIFIC. You could smell the pee build up on their flooring during the entire tour, no matter which part we went to. They board your small dogs in boxes stacked on top of each other; just a warning. The cameras are a nice perk but you constantly just see staff on their phones ignoring bad behaviors. Will not be boarding here!