Camp Bow Wow Chapel Hill

Lived right nearby for 2 years in 2012 — 2014 so granted things may have changed but we had an excellent experience with Camp Bow Wow. I wanted to post on here because we’ve moved to a different city now and don’t have any Camp Bow Wows very close and miss our old boarding place. Everyone was super nice, our dog never had any issues, the price was very good value especially with the included play time and camera availability. I wouldn’t hesitate to take our dog again.

We loved our first experience with Camp Bow Wow!
We’ve been living around the corner from this location for four years completely unaware of its existence – but I’m so glad we uncovered it! We boarded our dogs for four days recently, and it was one of the best boarding experiences we’ve ever had. One of our dogs is frequently nervous, and aside from being excited to come home, she seemed surprisingly unfazed by her boarding experience – a very good sign!
More than anything, I adore the Camper Cams. I’m a worrier and like to keep tabs on how my babies are doing! Seeing them interact with all the other pups and the CBW staffers on the Cams made me feel even better about their CBW experience. Though this was our first visit, we will certainly be back, both for boarding and for camp!

We have been going to CBW for about 2 years. In that time we have been very pleased with the care our labradoodle receives. The telling sign for me is how he reacts when we pull into the parking lot. He gets really excited when we go since he has a ball and comes home worn out from playing.
I like the fact they have cameras so you can check up on your dog and see how they really act around other dogs. But I seem to check the cameras less often since I am comfortable with the staff and the care they provide. I just discovered they have an iPhone app and will definitely use it to schedule appointments and use the camera feature.

My wife and I sent our 2 pups to Camp Bow Wow Chapel Hill for 3 years while we lived in Durham, NC. Our dogs are older, take meds, and have mobility issues so they take some careful watching. The staff at Camp Bow Wow of Chapel Hill were always great. They knew our pups by name, enjoyed them at the Camp and always took good care of them. We traveled on a regular basis and never had to worry when they were there. The facility was always well maintained and super clean. The cameras were great too so we can could check in if we wanted to. Same with calling if we ever wanted to hear how they were doing. While we have moved to Connecticut we miss everyone there at Camp Bow Wow!

Camp Bow Wow Chapel Hill is wonderful! We have 2 Goldendoodles and they are beyond excited every time we drop them off. The staff at Camp Bow Wow are always pleasant and helpful. The best thing is the fact that they clearly KNOW our dogs — their personalities, likes and dislikes. We never have a moment’s worry when we leave Ben and Tucker at Camp Bow Wow. If it were up to them they would go there every day! We get such a laugh watching them after they’ve been camping for a week while we’re away — they sleep most of the day away!

The staff has always been really responsive and welcoming. My dog always comes back ready to nap. I feel really comfortable leaving my dog for long trips because I know she’s well taken care of.

Great staff. Spice loves going to Camp. Easy drop off and pick up. Spice is always wagging her tail going in and coming out. Sleeps well at home in the evenings after day camp.

I really enjoyed my experience with this Camp Bow Wow location and I’m pretty sure my dog did too! The staff was friendly and when I checked in on the webcam I could see that Chai really was having a great time. The location just wasn’t the best fit for me and I have transferred Chai to a more convenient Camp Bow Wow location, but that is not a reflection on the facility at all. However, I didn’t transfer Chai for a few months after leaving the Chapel Hill location and I would have thought they would have followed up since Chai just stopped going, but they didn’t. But overall, my experience at this location was great and I highly recommend it.

Like most dog owners, I am extremely concerned about my dog’s well-​being and happiness and this CBW location is great. My dog went there about once a week for day camp and multiple times for overnight camp for about a year (until we moved out of state). He loved it there and they knew him very well too. I never had to worry he wasn’t happy or well taken care of and the entire staff was crushed when we told them we were moving and he wouldn’t be coming back.

Awesome service! My pup Loki just loves going to camp 3 – 4 days a week. The staff is friendly and take great care of my dog. He leaves both happy and tired! I cant say enough how much I like bringing him here.

We are very familiar with CBW having recently moved from Charlotte and being a customer there for years at that facility. We have also taken our girl to CBW in Brighton Township, MI. Both the Charlotte and Brighton locations are outstanding with friendly, smiling staff who seem to genuinely care about what they do and most importantly, care about my pooch — not to mention clean and bright facilities.
I was expecting the same out of this location based on reviews from my fellow Unilocalers but was incredibly disappointed from the second we pulled up. It’s located in sort of a warehouse type business park which I wasn’t overly excited about. We pulled into our parking spot and noticed a guy standing between the buildings smoking staring at us. We walked in and lo and behold, smoker guy was told by the lady at the desk to take our pup back. He never said hello to my fiancé and I nor did he greet our dog. The woman working the front desk was short and seemed to want to hurry everything along and get us out of there.
After leaving, I attempted to watch my dog on the camera. Half the time, the cameras didn’t work which was disconcerting as I already felt really uncomfortable. The next morning at around 9, we noticed the dogs weren’t out yet playing. I switched over to the Charlotte camera and saw a ton of dogs playing and the staff was with them. We called to ask what was up and we were told the dogs are let out from 9:30 — 10:00. 30 minutes?! Ridiculous. I was pretty upset and if I could’ve left our weekend trip then to get my dog, I honestly would have.
We picked our dog up today after her being there for three nights and again we were hardly greeted when we walked in. Also, it was a little after 9:30 and all of the staff was standing in the lobby talking. I had the camera on prior to picking her up at 9:30 just to see if they actually let the dogs out then and after walking in, I was annoyed to learn that staff socializing in the lobby was more important than doing their job giving the dogs time to be out of the kennels running around and playing.
The girl who was at the desk this morning was rude and didn’t even attempt any conversation other than telling us out total and after we paid, she walked away with her breakfast dish and small dog trailing behind.
Suffice it to say I will never bring my dog to this location again.
Here’s a tip to CBW: hire employees who have some basic people skills and who actually at least appear to like animals in front of customers. Fix your cameras and please, don’t act like your customers are interrupting you or annoying you when they walk in excited to see their pup.

My husband & I love this place for our Lab! Our dog gets so excited in the car when he sees us pulling into the parking lot. They also have an APP & a video cam that allows for you to watch your dog play, which is a plus! Highly recommend!

–Personal Experience–
I’ve been bringing my 1.5 year old black lab mix Ellie-​Mae to Camp Bow Wow for both daycare and boarding since summer of 2011. She has been to a bunch of different kennels and daycare but she obviously loves Camp Bow Wow the most. She’s actually there now while I’m on the west coast!
Without question the #1 selling point about this place is the level of activity that your dog gets each and everyday. After the initial interview (which screens for appropriate temperament with other dogs), the camp divides campers by size and allows for a full day of play with lunch and naps in between. You can check out the live «Camper Cam» on their website to get a better idea. My Ellie is quite possibly THE most energetic dog I have ever seen but even she gets wiped out — sometimes a whole day after she returns home. Great for me. I only wish the facility was closer to my place in Chapel Hill.
Lastly, it’s nice to know that your dog is in good hands. I have full respect for every staff member at CBW on Bennett Rd (a special shout out to Reese who always seems to give 150% to each pup). I’ve never once felt that Ellie has been mistreated or neglected.
–Services/​Pricing–
CBW offers both daycare & boarding. Boarding may seem expensive upfront but it includes overnight stay plus *full* daycare. Other places I’ve seen only include a few daily potty-​breaks or may offer daycare at extra charge, and if you do the math it often adds up to the same price. Personally I think the all-​inclusive approach used by CBW is far better in terms of consistency and reliability for each and every camper. If you’re like me and intend to use daycare a lot, you can purchase the 20 day package plan which currently will put you around $ 18 bucks a day. Also be sure to ask if they still offer a student or military discount.
Overall, I would definitely recommend that anyone with a social, energetic dog at least give Camp Bow Wow a try. The first assessment is free so why not?
…and if you’re in a really generous mood mention Lindsay/​Ellie-​Mae sent ya. That gets her a free nail trim and those things grow like crazy :) Good luck!

This Camp Bow Wow location was wonderful for our dog Biscuit. She was boarded here many times during our three years in Durham, and we felt very comfortable with the care she received here. Biscuit has special needs, as she is extremely timid and uncomfortable with strangers (everyone is a stranger to her except my husband and me), and she is also scared of most surroundings and objects, except other dogs.
After failed attempts leaving her with friends and professional pet sitters, we brought her to Camp. The staff always greeted her by name and gave us updates on her activities when we returned from vacations. One staff member even sat with Biscuit while she ate dinner because (due to her anxiety), she hadn’t been interested in eating. The staff also helped us by supplying mix-​ins to encourage her to eat.
The staff were always very pleasant, and were extra gentle with our timid dog. I can’t say that Biscuit ever loved being left at camp, but it was truly the very best option available, and the only place that I felt comfortable leaving her.
The camper cams are great, and I loved watching her play during the day.
I’m so grateful for the awesome staff here, and wish we hadn’t needed to relocate from NC because the care we received at a different Bow Wow location wasn’t up to the wonderful standards set at the Chapel Hill location.
I’d highly recommend this Camp Bow Wow for boarding and/​or daycare!

I don’t know who loves Camp Bow Wow more — humans or dogs?!
We chose Camp Bow Wow for boarding over cheaper alternatives because our dog needs lots of exercise and loves to socialize. And I couldn’t be happier with my choice (and I am certain my pup would say the same).
Before attending camp, the «campers» (as they are called by the staff) must go through an interview, which includes a free day at camp. The interview ensures that all of the dogs are friendly and do well in this environment. Our pup was terrified at first, this being his first time to play with so many dogs at once, but soon came to enjoy the atmosphere.
When you drop your dog off, the staff treats it like you’re dropping off a child, recording special instructions. And at pick up, they remember each dog and have little stories to tell about their experience.
While $ 40 per day for boarding is probably 2x what you’d pay at your vet, for a young, social dog, it is well worth the cost. And you can verify that your money is well spend by watching your pup playing on their «camper cams.» I actually felt badly taking him home since I’d never seen him wag his tail so much!

Camp Bow Wow is a great place for both daycare and boarding. When I first moved from Atlanta, I was despondent that I was leaving his favorite daycare and their awesome staff. I was dubious at first, but ended up being very pleasantly surprised at how good Camp Bow Wow’s staff is with him. He’s always tired and happy when I pick him up from daycare and because of that, he doesn’t realize it when I have to leave him for boarding.
He has a lot of separation anxiety, so by the second or third day of boarding, he tends to get sad and eats very little. I am generally pretty anxious about that and the staff is great at allaying my fears when I call and check-​up on him. During one of his stays, they even went out of their way and put chicken broth in his food to entice him to eat :)
The pet-​cams online are always entertaining and they maintain the facilities nice and clean. They get 2 paws up from my pup!

The inlaws moved to OK, which comes with some cons. No more pet-​sitters, for one. We’ve been taking our two dogs over to this CBW whenever we leave town.
The staff has learned their names (or does a quick check of the records before we arrive!); but I think it’s genuine… they’ve remarked on different quirks that demonstrate they’ve spent time with our animals. This is great of course. The camp camera I mentioned in my last review, is accessed via their website. It is very low-​res and also slow to load, which is frustrating because it results in a grainy and choppy feed. Depending on how many dogs are in the play-​pen, it may be tough to even locate yours! Further, the window is actually cropped smaller than the camera’s view (this becomes evident if you choose to use the «snapshot» feature — the resulting still photo is actually a larger crop than the live action screen). They could really stand to improve that, especially as the feature is meant to be a draw and comfort to overprotective parents =)
Our dogs actually seem eager to come, rather than scared. And this is definitely a good sign. Though I’ve been disappointed to bring them home and discover fleas (which they certainly didn’t arrive with!). Additionally, one of our dogs has floppy ears, which were frayed (we think from being in the kennel) when she came home. I do think the dogs generally get more out-​of-​the-​kennel time here than they would at other places. We have not however toured this facility, so I’m not sure the size of crates… we also opt to keep both our dogs in a single crate, which may have contributed to the increased risk-​of-​ear-​fray.
They are great about following your instructions in terms of administering specific amounts of food and schedules, as well as medication or even special treatment (we’ve been providing them a balm for our dog’s ears, as well as a cone).
The one thing I can’t recommend are the grooming services. On last visit, we requested both of our dogs’ nails trimmed since we hadn’t gotten to them in the last week, and wouldn’t be able to over the holidays. The nails were: barely: shortened. We do have black-​nailed dogs, which admittedly, are tougher to trim since it’s more of a guessing game; but I was disappointed with their conservative cut. We ended up redoing them once home.

We have been taking our dogs to Camp Bow Wow for several years now and have always had such great service. Our dog loves going there. He plays hard all day and is exhausted when he gets home. Even if it’s been awhile since we have seen them, the staff always remembers us and even asks about one of our dogs that no longer goes to camp! We love that we can check in on our sweet guy via the web cam and always feel assured that our baby is safe and well cared for. Highly recommended!

Ovie is obsessed with camp bow wow.
We love taking him here for several reasons. First, it’s great for socializing your dog with other dogs. Second, by the end of the day, Ovie is exhausted and we can have a peaceful evening. Always a plus for puppy owners!
The staff here don’t always come off as outgoing. But I really love the fact that they know who Ovie is and adore him. They’re great with follow up and giving him his food during the day. It’s a nice bonus to get to watch him play on the webcams they have set up. although, i’m going to warn you that you will be insanely jealous if you’re watching your dog play while you’re at work.
To be honest, I’m really speaking for my dog when I say this place rocks. The fact that his tail might break off from wagging so hard when we pull up to this place is evidence enough that it’s an awesome place for dogs to play during the day.