A Dog’s Life LLC

My dog Franklin has been attending day care for three days a week for the past couple of months, and will continue to do so! Just FYI to dog owners with shyer dogs, my little guy Franklin can be quite shy, and it took a good 2 – 3 times before he started racing to the door and coming home exhausted. The first few times he wanted to stay with me, and initially it made me worried, but he always seemed happy when I picked him up and looked in on him from the window, and Amy showed me some videos of him playing during the day, so I continued taking him to give him some time to adjust. Clearly that was all he needed, since now he goes racing into the door tail wagging and comes home exhausted from playing all day, which is such a life saver and makes me super happy. They are also great about letting me bring a little lunch for him (Franklin is a picky eater) and providing updates when I pick him up. I also really appreciate how strict they are about screening dogs — we all had to pass the initial evaluation and it is wonderful to know that all dogs Amy accepts are similarly rigorously screened. Thanks so much to Amy and the staff at A Dog’s Life for taking such great care of Franklin, I’m sure he misses daycare right now while we are away for the holidays, but we will hopefully be back in town soon!

Meh. I think people are split about this place. You (and they) love it if your dog is low key and lazes around. If you have a dog with personality who needs attention and stimulation, then this is surely NOT the place to take your pet. The staff (while nice) are not knowledgeable about canine behavior. It may be too much work for them to be watchful as well as provide appropriate canine guidance. As with some readers who posted earlier, also found the owner/manager’s attitude a bit unwelcoming. Who needs that?

It didn’t take much convincing from my wife to leave this place, especially after I heard from a employee about 2 weeks ago about a pittbull that stays in the cage most of the time, from what this employee said Is that the dog has a infection of sorts, and the dog has been there a while and only is out to go to the bathroom and that’s it and stays in the cage anytime after that, I think that dog needs professional
Attention and care and obviously the staff at a dogs life doesn’t have the knowledge to care for this dog so it’s kept in a cage instead of getting treatment, pitbulls have a bad name because of owners and stuck in cages because of bad owners, so in this instant a dogs life is no better then a bad owner, (not much of a dogs life if you ask me). The assistant is rude the owner is rude, and that pitbull is suffering.

This is a wonderful dog daycare facility. The staff are knowledgeable and make sure the dogs follow the rules. My dog has been coming here for a few months and I feel very safe leaving him here, he always has a great time!

My dog was actually injured here during boarding. It was an accident and he is okay. They actually called me right away and took him to my vet to get patched up. I feel like they took good care of him in my absence. And they felt really bad about it… and they paid for everything. So despite this accident that probably could have happened with any sitter or anywhere I felt like he was in trusted hands.
Other than that I feel good about leaving him here, he is supervised all day and get a lot of bathroom breaks and get to be with other dogs all day. The staff is nice and they remember my dog and me right away which.
it’s a little on the expensive side, that’s the only thing.

We love A Dog’s Life! We got our pup in July when he was still a small puppy and we gradually started him going to A Dog’s Life. He is now 9 months and goes 3 days a week. Every time I drop him off, his tail wags as he is greeted and goes into the playroom with all the other doggies. A Dog’s Life is clean, safe, well-​supervised, and well maintained. All of the people that work there know my dog and genuinely care about him and his well being and seem to genuinely love animals. The owner is meticulous (which may have led people in the other reviews to be annoyed by her), however, that is for the benefit of ALL of the dogs at daycare! Amy wants to make sure all of the dogs are safe and healthy. Amy cares about the health and well-​being of my dog as much as I do and for that I am so grateful. My only wish is that they can someday develop an outdoor area for more outdoor time. Bottom line: My pup comes home tired and happy every time he goes to A Dog’s Life! Highly recommended.

If you have a dog, and you are busy or your pooch needs to play with other dogs, this is the place! Clean, professional, loving but no nonsense, the owner Amy carefully screens and evaluates newcomers and places them with dogs of similar temperament, so shyer guys don’t get overwhelmed. The atmosphere is never chaotic — all day dogs even get nap time and a snack! Nice staff and friendly patrons. My only wish is that they had an outdoor place to play, but our dog is still always happy and tired at the end of the day. A real winner!

My furry kids LOVE this place.
Been going here weekly for over a year, and the staff are friendly, competent and clearly care about the dogs attending the day care.
Mine go to day care several times a week, and have also boarded without any issues. They run to the door to go in, and come home tired at the the end of a day (well, as tired as 1 year old puppies can be made!).
I actually dropped the leash of 1 of the dogs when getting out of the car, after only 2 weeks of coming here, and she ran straight to the door and sat waiting to go in. Immediately sold me on the fact my dogs love it here.

This would be a great place to take your dog if the owner wasn’t so incredibly rude! She knows very little about dogs, & yet forces her supposed «knowledge» about them onto you. Wish the person running this place had some class. Too bad. Any recommendations for a doggy daycare in new haven that’s run by friendly people who are grateful for your business rather than arrogant about owning a doggy daycare?
Thanks!

We have never had our dog stay here doggie day care but we love the little shop and the community «Yappy hour» events that the personable owner organizes. The store has a great selection of specialty dog foods, as well as fun toys and gear.

Our dog Nutmeg has been going to daycare and occasional overnight boarding at ADL since it opened — we are proud to have been one of ADL’s first daycare pups! Nutmeg LOVES it. She goes twice a week to run around and wrestle with the other dogs. Amy C and her staff are amazing with the pups. They are always playing with and attending to the dogs when I stop in (and sometimes I stop in unannounced mid-​day) — not one of the staff is ever sitting around as if there is nothing to do. Plus, ADL is so popular that it is often very full and there are lots of other dogs for Meg to play with. Also, Amy is meticulous in screening new day care visitors for temperament. She and her staff maintain a clean and safe facility. Every night the floors are cleaned. I know at least one of the staff has worked in a vet’s office, so they are also familiar with common ailments and also with the proper techniques for handling dogs to e.g. administer medications. Amy is also very good with dog training and has offered me some great tips for improving some of Nutmeg’s behavioral quirks when we recently welcomed a new baby to the family. I also know that Amy has had professional trainers visit ADL to offer advice. She is always straightforward with owners and treats her customers very fairly, and offers competitive prices, especially when you buy the daycare passes when they go on sale a few times a year. Also, I have to add that ADL is an active member of the New Haven community. They always have a booth at the Cherry Blossom festival, East Rock, and other local festivals. They co-​sponsored weekly «yappy hours» this past summer with Kitchen Zinc to raise funds for the New Haven Animal Shelter, and they were a key participant in organizing the new Union Street Dog Park. Really, you couldn’t ask for a better business-​citizen.
I have to say that the remarks given in the negative reviews in no way reflect my experiences at ADL with Nutmeg over the past three years.

I absolutely love A Dog’s Life LLC. We have a very active and high energy dog and Amy and the staff always work so well with her. We boarded our dog there several times and have neve had any issues. And despite all the craziness our dog brings along they are always open to her coming back! Amy has helped with training tips and she is very good at reading dogs. She has showed as videos of our dog playing with the others and that little touch really makes a difference. I constantly recommend for any one I know with dogs to try it out! Even just once a week can make a huge difference for your dog. Our dog has even figured out which day she goes and is always waiting by her leash!!!

The first time we brought our dog here for boarding while we went on vacation he was fine. The second time I noticed that he’s a little different. He’s not his playful self with other dogs anymore and sensed that something wasn’t right. I think I’ll follow my intuition on this one and go somewhere else. If my dog isn’t comfortable here, I’m not either!

I used to take my dog to this doggie day care. I thought I had to put up with the way that this place treated me and my dog. The staff told me my dog had to have her harness on while she was there playing even though it gave her cuts and bruises. Multiple times the staff was rude to me and seemed annoyed when my dog came in.
We now go to a different doggie day care and it is such a difference. I feel like my dog and I are welcome at the new doggie daycare, my pup does not have to wear a harness, and the staff treats me courteously.
I gave this place two stars because the space is clean, my dog seemed tired when I picked her up, and the staff seemed nice to some of the dogs (just not mine). My review is: try it, but if the staff is not anything but courteous to you and your dog, know there are other places that will treat you better.
I noticed this place has had bad reviews in the past and they have disappeared from Unilocal.Hopefully this one will not disappear and people can have a balanced view of this business.

My dog loves this place. Initially, she was very shy with other dogs and didn’t really get excited about being with a lot of her kind. Now, she gets so excited coming here and at the end of the day she is pooped out from all of the fun. Amy and her staff are very professional and run a very honest business. I really trust this place to take good care of my Lolo!

We’ve been bringing our dog here for a few months and he really loves it. Amy and her staff are always on hand to tell you interesting stories about how your dog’s day was and who he played with. The facility is clean and well kept — accidents are quickly mopped up. It is really obvious that they really care about the dogs — whether it is something small like trying to fix his hair after another dog slobbered on him, or the bigger things like keeping them cool with PLENTY of water and ice cubes. I feel better knowing that Paddington is having a blast playing happily with the other dogs while I’m at work.
We’ve boarded him here on several occasions also, and he’s still happy to go back for day care, which in my book means that he really loves the place. And as a bonus, Amy spends time selecting really awesome brands for dog food and treats that are grain free. There are a bunch of great toys in the store as well. Five stars!

A Dogs Life has a convenient location to those who either live in downtown new haven near Wooster Square or commute to work in downtown new haven (its right off 95 and 91). Personally I heard about a dogs life thru neighbors/​fellow dog owners near where I live in new haven. The business is relatively new but everyone who works there really takes the time to know the dogs that visit, also the owner has very good quality organic dog foods and anything else you may need. My initial experience with finding the time to get my dog in for a consultation was a bit unorganized and time consuming since it required my follow up, but other than that, my dog LOVES going and I also find that the people who work there encourage appropriate socialization (my dog is a bit shy with new dogs and new people) and he is happier and more relaxed at home. I recommend A Dogs Life with no reservations and trust that the owner and her employees are truthful in their feedback (when I ask for it) and take good care of my dog!

We boarded our dogs Abby and Molly for a weekend to attend a wedding and when we picked up them they were playing with other dogs and having a great time. They didn’t even notice we arrived to pick them up because they were having such a good time. The daycare is easy to reach (right off the highway). The establishment is clean, there is plenty of room for the dogs to play and I was able to get my dogs’ food and treats too.

I’ve been bringing my dog to ADL since I moved to the neighborhood. My dog loves daycare and overnight stays. You can tell Amy and her staff love their jobs and dogs!!! They do a wonderful job of making sure the only dogs allowed are stable and friendly. I love the policy that dogs that visit must be on some time of flea preventative and I’ve heard they have sent dogs home that weren’t or showed up with fleas. I always feel safe leaving my dog there. They treat the dogs as if they were their own. Doggies even get nap time. They run specials every couple months which is also a plus! We Love doggie daycare at A Dogs Life :)

It’s new, It’s clean and very safe for the pets. It’s just what the dog needs. Activities with other dogs. Keeps the pooch active and happy. Amy (the owner) keeps them going all day. They get their outside time, as well as nap time. The indoor arena is great, toys, balls, climbing centers, as well as a small dog area so no body gets hurt. As if that’s not enough, if you planning a long weekend away, there are overnight facilities with 24 hour care. There is also a pet store for treats, food, toys, and many other accessories for pets. My dogs love it.
They come home tired, and never hesitate to get back in the car for a return trip to their play at A Dog’s Life. Thank you Amy for starting such a great place.
gmm