CITPETS’ Playground

I have checked out many dog boarding places, all around the bay area to Novato! Seriously! and I live in SF. And I never write reviews but I am compelled to let all loving dog owners know how awesome Citipets Playground and boarding is! We dropped of Milly for 6 days while on vacation and Alison dropped her back to our house happier than ever, energetic and bathed! She gave Milly a bath as part of the service! Milly loved it so much, she looked a little sad when Alison drove off! Milly is a shy, shelter dog and Alison really brought her out of her shell! I met her staff too and everyone on staff really cares! The dogs get to play with each other during the day and in the evening, they get to sleep on cots! (like camping) No crates, no kennel. Alison, the owner of Citipets Playground also owns a pet store on West Portal and carries the most awesome selection of top notch food & supplies ! I just want to say «thank you» Alison. Finally, my husband and I can have the peace of mind to take vacations knowing Milly will be well taken care of!

I will say that I never leave reviews but wanted to thank Citipets for taking great care of our beloved Jessie. We had an emergency trip, they were flexible and took her that day (for 2 weeks in August no less). She tends to get nervous when she is away from her family but they gave her lots of love. In fact, one of the caregivers cried when Jessie left. These are nice people who love animals. Thank you Citipets.

*No services provided, review for meet & greet and temperament test only.
Prices are about the same as everywhere else. However, I see this as a problem when seeing what Citipets offers compared to other facilities.
Daycare — 4 stars: dogs all hang out together, usually outside. Handlers seemed less experienced than other daycare/​boarding facilities. Handlers didn’t interact much and were mainly spraying water at dogs who were running around. (I don’t see the water spraying as an issue, only the lack of interaction). However, dogs spend a good amount of time outside so that’s a big plus in my book.
Boarding? — 1 – 2 stars. Oh wow, no. First off, they charge the same as other facilities. That’s the real problem. For the same price as other boarding houses, your dog gets to sleep in a cement warehouse on an old bed. Sure, they’re ‘just dogs’ but if you’re only providing a cement warehouse with old beds, your price should reflect that. $ 35/​night is probably a fair price for what they offer — Not $ 60/​night.
Would consider this place for daycare only since they get a good amount of time outside. Would definitely look elsewhere for boarding.
One positive — They house some foster dogs and I appreciate them for doing so.
The main lady who answered the phones was really rude the two times we called. That was unfortunate.

The very best one !! I am French… So sometimes difficult to write… Love that place and the people… My dog loves them… And dogs don t lie !!

I have a rescue, cattledog/​beagle mix that has gone to Citipets’ Playground for 4 years now. He thrives there.
On his first day, he was extremely reluctant to leave my side (which was one of the major reasons I felt he needed daycare) as he was very attached to me. Over time and with extreme tender care from the staff (and you know who you are), he became very comfortable with the adults there and TRUST was formed. I am very grateful for that.
He has also spent several blocks of time overnight, with one of those times lasting 10 days and did very well.
Compared to two other places in the city I tried prior to Citipets (and would never go to either of those 2 locations again), I feel way more comfortable with Citipets Playground in terms of overall concern and care regarding dogs. I have also found The Playground employees to be very dog knowledgeable. Plus, the place is so spacious and I love that they don’t cage your dog. (However, if your dog requires that, he or she can be caged). That’s important to me because in one of the other places I tried, not only do they cage your dog but they do so for most of the day.
If you want an outdoor, spacious, cage free space, with caring staff, choose The Playground. I feel the owners and staff do the very best they can and I, for one, appreciate them!

The owner of this facility is the rudest most insensitive person i’ve never dealt with. My dog got super sick after staying here for 3 days. Low energy, vomiting everyday and when i spoke with her about it, all she said was «well it wasn’t from us» and that’s it. Facility is gross, dirty and I’m going to the vet tomorrow. I’m sure it’s from that facility. What a joke.

I bought a groupon in march for 3 days of daycare and brought my dog here in April for a day of daycare. Let me tell you, I was appalled. When I pulled up, there was a female staff member and her ride in a car getting there for work blocking the entrance to the parking lot… I waited for about a minute and then honked to let them know I was behind her… she looked back from the passenger side and just took LONGER then gave me a dirty look as she walked in. So rude. I then pull in and walk my puppy to the front door while about 50 dogs bark at me through a chain linked fence. I go in and the staff is nice but the facility just had this over powering odor of bleach. They took my dog back for a temperament test and he passed then they took him into the play yard to play with the 50 – 60 other dogs of ALL SIZES while only 2 handlers watched them all. The play areas were large which was nice, but why are only 2 people watching that many dogs? I was appalled. I left him there for less than 2 hours because I was so stressed and worried about him. I got him and they said he was great blah blah blah, but they picked him up and handed him over the fence to me, how unprofessional is that?! When I got home I noticed a good size cut on his leg that looked fairly fresh and wasn’t there prior to me dropping him off. I was so upset I NEVER brought him back to this place and didn’t finish my groupon… I don’t care that the money was wasted, I would rather spend TONS of money somewhere nice and professional than EVER go back to this awful place. This is a literal prison yard for dogs. Take your pets somewhere else if you want them to get proper care and love.

I found out about CitiPets through the Groupon special. I hate most boarding places I’ve come across because they do the — in a cage all day, except for an hour or two, and you pay for extra play time. I have two high energy breeds, this seems ridiculous to me and I’m also used to Doggy Daycare/​Boarding being — an all day play (with rests) sort of thing.
Citipets doesn’t do cages and that was a big selling point for me. On my visit the place seemed clean (y’know, as clean as a place dedicated to doggies can be, haha) and they showed me around the entire facility. I love the couches, haha. Anyways, I was sold. I boarded my dogs there 4 days and they came back completely pooped out. One of my dogs is incredibly active (Border Collie) and had some issues with blistering his paw (go go go!), but they made sure to keep it wrapped up and taken care of so it wasn’t an issue.
They also answered my phone call so I could inquire after my pups near closing time.
I boarded them again and they seemed happy to be back. I handed them off and they were ready to go outside and play!
So, really, my dogs have fun and are kept happy and healthy. No complaints.

I try this place with a 3 day groupon offer. They say they supervise the dogs at all times. First day my dog came back all scratch up in the face, he was playing I’m sure. Second visit, he came back limping. I wanted to know what happened, so I called and they said the person was not there anymore, to try again in the morning. I called back next morning, nothing, I called like 5 times and nobody could tell me what had happened, my dog end up limping for 2 weeks!!! And I was never able to use my third day, and never got money back or even the decency of a call back and an answer… never again! Be aware!

Being a first time furry parent you instinctly become protective of your pup. My partner and I decided we needed our dog Kona to be at a place where he’ll have fun, exert all his energy, and be happy. We happen to always end up going to CITIPETS store in West Portal and we saw they have playground also, so we decided we wanted to check it out.
It was the best decision of our lives. KONA loves going there during the day when we both have long hours and he comes home happy and pooped! We had him stay overnight and he just as happy. We’re happy if he’s happy.
If you got a pup that needs some play time, I highly recommend this place, the staff is awesome and your pup will come home happy and pooped!

So far so good! Our boy Johnny has been here twice and both times, after a half day stay, he’s so wiped out, pooped, happy and sleepy. LOVE IT. He will be staying with them for five days this week and we feel super ok with that. He’s going to have so much fun! Very friendly helpful staff. What’s not to love!!!

We love working with Alison and her Playground team! They make having a dog and a hectic work/​life schedule easy (even when we are tweaking our last minute schedules and forgetting who has the dog days…) I’ve had dogs my entire life, all found or rescue dogs who were ok to stay at home and wait for us to entertain/​feed them. Then, we rescued a smart strong-​willed critter delinquent who got «kicked out» of another nameless doggie day care facility. Alison is amazing! Getting our dog hooked up with her group helped us so much with her training and In the dog world hierarchy, she is their «Pied Piper»! AND the best part yet is they have pickup/​drop off in limited areas of town which makes this set up nothing short of «perfect» in giving our pooch «the best» and most of all making our life easier!

I’m so happy with this place. I had to board my shy dog for a few days. I was anxious about leaving her with other dogs, as we’re working on socializing…
She cried when we left and I felt like a bad mommy. When we returned, she was in full pack mode. She ran to the gate and howled at the car when we pulled up. It took her a few minutes to realize us because she was so into barking with the other dogs.
The staff was also great and super flexible about the pickup/​drop off times. The groupon was a goo deal too. I will definitely use this service again.

When I first tried to find places to start boarding my Formosan Mountain Dog, it was a struggle. Some places, like Fog City Day Care, didn’t take her because she’s an «Asian breed» even though they had never heard of her actual breed before. Some places welcomed FMDs but seemed extremely judgemental of other breeds like pitbulls, and that’s not my type of place. CitiPets is welcoming of all breeds, is very familiar with FMDs, and after a few times taking my very quirky dog there, it’s evident they’re very welcoming of all dog personalities as well.
And amazingly my FMD, who has separation issues, seems to perk up whenever we drop her off. She’s extremely people-​oriented so I think they must pick up on that and give her extra cuddles, which will always win her over. Most of the staff I’ve talked to knows her and loves her, and we always feel welcomed there. My –1 star is for the fact that whenever you enter the place, you’re greeted by a mass of barking dogs (on the other side of the fence but still) and for a skittish dog like mine, it’s a bit intimidating. If they can fix that problem, I’ll fix my rating!

This place has continually exceeded my expectations. As a new dog owner, and with a puppy with major separation anxiety, leaving my dog for the work day has been a short term necessity.
The employees at CitiPets have been – to a person – spectacular. They all knew my dog’s name. After just a couple days, he was eager to be let off the leash to greet them.
When he got sick, the folks at CitiPets called their vet on my behalf so I’d have a second opinion in his condition. They were willing to keep my dog isolated, and walk him separately from other dogs until he was well.
I can’t say enough good things about this place.

Al is fantastic, and I love how this facility has separate play areas for dogs. It works with the idea that dogs have different personalities and ensures the best environment possible for them.
I brought my pitbull-​akita, Yoshi, to board here for several days. All the staff I met were extremely knowledgeable, friendly and constantly available when the dogs are at play. The gentleman who checked Yoshi out to me, (who’s name I failed to get, the Irish sir? I’m sorry!) was able to tell me how Yoshi did (down to what dogs he played with, etc) and even gave me insight into why some male dogs occasionally dislike other neutered male dogs (recently neutered male dogs also continue to emanate hormones for awhile.
This place is AWESOME!

Love, love, love this place. My dogs have never been happier. Al and crew take such good care of my babies.

Anyone with an older pet can understand the angst of leaving their dog at a boarding facility and worrying that their animal with be ignored, or worse forced to fend for themselves with younger more energetic dogs.
However, Al and the staff at Citipets are a cut above. They took exceptional care of our older lab. They were able to accommodate his dietary needs and his physical limitations. They have a special area for «senior» doggies where they can relax in peace. In addition, the staff at Citipets takes special care to interact with the older pups!
In addition to taking great care of the dogs, Al has been able to accommodate different drop off and pick-​up times, always returns calls, and is great at answering questions.
We’ve tried several boarding facilities in SF and Citipets is the best by a wide margin!

I can not say enough wonderful things about Al! Our dog Rex absolutely adores her. Al started helping us with some behavior problems prior to Citipets being open. We saw results pretty quickly. So when Citipets playground opened, we immediately sent our little (well actually prettyt big) boy to romp around with the rest of the pack.
He comes home nice and tired and always looks forward to the next dat at the playground.
We did have Rex at another day care before and were always aware of the musty smell on him when he returned to the house. This place is so clean, no more unpleasant smell on the pooch.
I highly recommend Al and Citypets to any well behaved pooch and his parents.

Alison was a great help at a time when we were caught between a rock and a hard place at the holidays without reliable boarding for our dog. Luckily they had space! The facilities are indoor/​outdoor, clean and heated, with ²⁴⁄₇ staff.
Martin tends to starve himself when we board him and Alison went to great lengths to ensure he ate while we were gone.
We were happy to find him playing with other dogs when we picked him up. He’ll be back!