Taurus Academy

I just want to say thank-​you to all the wonderful, caring, animal loving staff here! Kelli Smith– you are the sweetest and smartest dog trainer I have ever met! My 10 month old puppy, Olive came to Taurus for a two week training boot camp. For the first few days, I really missed Olive and I worried about her. However, after a couple of visits to see how extremely happy Olive was and after receiving phone videos, pics and calls I really stopped worrying and felt that Olive was in the most loving hands. All of the staff here are just awesome! My puppy is still absolutely bananas, but she is house-​broken and much more obedient! I highly recommend this facility!

We have had a great experience at Taurus. Everyone here is so friendly and our dogs run in when they go for boarding, never looking back, so they obviously love it! We also left them here for 2 weeks of training. Kelli was our main contact. She is wonderful, and she has made a huge difference in how well behaved they are. They no longer pull on the leash, they know how to lie down and stay, they can lie in their beds and not rush to the door when company comes. Our 1 dog with leash reactivity is also improving on that – showing less hyperactivity when she sees other dogs, getting better all the time! Included in the training fee is several visits with Kelli at our home. Twice she brought dogs with her to help us work on the leash reactivity, and she also met us twice at a hiking trail so we could work with other dogs around. She is patient, easy going, nice to be around, and her training methods work! I can’t say enough good things about our experience!

I’m so glad that I found this place! They’re super friendly, and always know my dog when we come. I can tell that my dog is treated extremely well there, and he always has a good time because he’s always excited to get there. For many years I had been taking my old dog to Just Four Paws down the road, and I was always afraid to leave him there, but I have 100% confidence in Taurus with my new dog.

We have been working with Taurus for the last 15 years. Our latest experience has been at Taurus Lake Travis during the last two years. (We have also used Metric, South Lamar and McNeil.)
We adopted a very «spirited» puppy almost three years ago and were at our wits end with his behavior. After having an amazing training experience at Taurus on South Lamar with our previous pup (when it was their only location), we ended up going to the Lake Travis location for our new dog, Puddy.
Stacey and her staff took our dog Puddy for for a two week «boot camp». They worked tirelessly with him to teach him basic commands and good boy behavior and spent hours training his human family (us) to work with him as well.
In addition to working on our dog and his owners, they graciously worked with us on the price of this training (which is a pretty sizeable sum) and allowed us to make monthly payments.
Puddy boards at Lake Travis whenever we have to go out of town. Every time we drop Puddy off, the staff seems genuinely happy and excited to see Puddy. When we pick him up, they always have information to share about how he did, who he played with, what they worked on, etc., etc.
We have absolutely no reservations about taking Puddy to Taurus at any location, but especially the Lake Travis location. We know he gets the best of care and attention. We know every staff member there loves and cares about all of the dogs entrusted to them. We know Puddy has a great time when he’s there. And we LOVE how tired he is when he gets home! ;)
Dogs sleep in climate controlled cabanas, either separately, or with another dog if they get along. (Taurus takes exceptional care to match dogs with appropriate personailities.) They have play time, and if you ask for it, they have training time, and you can add grooming, extra snacks, extra play time, etc. This Thanksgiving, all dogs that had permission got to enjoy a turkey dinner with peas and carrots! Too cute…
We love Taurus, we love Taurus Lake Travis, and we would strongly recommend anyone to take their dog there for training, play days, boarding or all three!
(In reference to the previous review, accidents happen. When they happen to a member of your family, it’s heart wrenching. It’s not acceptable if you think specific instructions were disregarded but with all of our experience at Taurus, I have no doubt that it was truly an accident and I would be shocked if they haven’t done everything in their power to make things right with this dog and it’s owner.)

Just got off the phone with Alex, who gave me a very thorough overview and impressed me with her description of the facility and how they manage the play time. I also like the way she described the little sleeping houses and the big yard. I have two energetic, big dogs and I’m hopeful they’ll thrive if we decide to board there. They require a Play Day ($ 25 per dog) prior to boarding but I’m okay with that to make sure dogs are happy and we are too… upset to read about little baby dog story though. So sad… will keep open mind and keep you posted.

Update — Nov 29, 2010
My dog is finally better, almost back to normal. His little body went through hell but he is now happy again. It looks like he had a post surgery infection that went unnoticed for a while. The infection affected his heart to the point where his lungs were filling up with fluid and he was coughing up fluids. His infection was not diagnosed by any of the caring vets — NOLA Emergency Vet Hospital, Lake Travis Animal Hospital. Thankfully during an emergency visit to his orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kerpsack recognized the infection and gave him the correct antibiotics. Soon after the infection went away and my dog began to feel and behave normally.
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Update — Sep 27, 2010
Now after all the doctors visits, promises for him to get better, etc., it looks like he has an infection under his plate and will have to undergo more surgeries. So the professionals, surgery and care that were supposed to help him, have now introduced and infection that we may or may not be able to get rid off. This is HORRIBLE.
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Original entry July 2, 2010
I would strongly recommend against boarding your smaller dogs with Taurus –rr620 location.
I had a horrible experience boarding my min pin with them. He is my baby and is very small. I had a death in the family that required me to leave on a very short notice and travel overseas so I decided to let him board with Taurus…
While in their care my little dog broke his leg, it snapped in two. I was told that his leg caught in one of the linoleum metal strips on the stairs that hold it down and broke. The dog was supposed to be carried down the stairs, but instead they let him run down the stairs and hurt himself. The little bone on the leg is broken in 3 place, the bigger one snapped in half. I am crying as I am writing this, I still cant believe that they did that to him.
The dog is not the same. He is always afraid, his leg is now crooked, and who knows if/​how he will heal. I am heartbroken looking at my little boy suffer every day because of the pure negligence of the people at Taurus.
PLEASE, FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR PETS, CONSIDER BOARDING THEM SOMEWHERE ELSE.