Camp Bow Wow Reviews 

Having daytime activities included with boarding appeals to me. I'd still check the sleeping arrangements at the specific location.

Nothing went wrong with the quality of boarding my special friend overnight with the camp. However, i’ve been a longtime customer and they have decided to start charging extra. If you do not pick up your puppy friend by 11 AM the next morning after overnight boarding. They used to allow you to pick up your friend at around five or 530, when I used to get off work. Now they want you to pick up my friend at 11 AM in the middle of the day. This doesn’t work I don’t know whose decision it was in the corporate office or wherever this decision was made, but this was a bad mistake. I don’t think they’re gonna survive much longer with that business model.

I was looking to board my dog at Camp Bow Wow and prior to boarding, they stated they needed to "interview" my dog first which required staying in their care for 4-5 hours. They said I could watch her on cameras while she was there thinking that would be good. Over half of the time, the cameras were pixilated, down, blurry or the dogs were out of range of the camera. The next day, after being in their care, my dog got extremely sick. I had to take her to the vet which cost me $626. It's been over a week and my dog has still not made a full recovery. They tried to say it must have been from her previous vaccines; however, the two vet hospitals that I spoke with which included one I took her to, said there was no way, that too much time had lapsed and that she caught something from their facility.

I reached out to them and asked for a call back from the manager, but they have yet to call me, they will only send an email. How absolutely impersonal. My dog gets super sick being in their care and they can't even have the decency or courtesy to return my call?

All they did is said that I signed a contract stating if my dog gets sick and there is a vet bill that they are not responsible. I have requested a copy of this contract as I am usually pretty thorough with reading through contracts and I do not recall reading or signing what they emailed me. Beware! Ask for a copy of this contract PRIOR to signing anything or leaving your pet. It seems convenient that all of these terms magically appeared.

Also, maybe check out their board inside their facility showing the many dogs that are on medication. I am sure the community drinking bowl didn't help if there was a sick animal to begin with. Also, I understand that it is a dog daycare, but I think it is the worst smelling one that I have been too.

I would definitely NOT recommend this place to anyone who loves their pets! What an absolutely horrible experience!!!!!!!

Let me add, I've read other reviews now that other dogs have got sick from their facility as well and had extensive vet bills. In my opinion, these people could care a less. It's absolutely sickening!

We couldn't be happier with Wally’s groom at Camp Bow Wow - Silverdale, WA! He went from looking like a total ragamuffin to the most handsome Labradoodle on the block. The grooming team did a fabulous job, and he was so well cared for. We will definitely be back!

We take our pup to Camp Bow Wow in El Cajon because the counselors are great, they provide daycare and boarding 7 days/wk plus you can purchase Sniff and Seeks or Snuggle Sessions anytime for a minimal fee. They also offer nail trims and grooming. Why go anywhere else. We love it. My pup has been going there for almost 6 years. The first day is free so check it out on the corner of Marshall and Bradley. See their website and they also have cameras so you can watch your fur babies play.

We go to Camp Bow Wow in Bloomfield, CT. I love that there are dog cams so you can watch your camper while he's there. There's lots of staff and everything is so clean and organized. They will give you a tour of the facility. You can text them and they will respond right away. I had brought my dog Finn here for boarding for many years and I know he enjoyed his daycare instead of just being in a kennel all day while we're away. Now we have a new pup to carry on the tradition. The staff made our Rupert feel so welcome and you can tell they love dogs. They sat on the ground and introduced themselves gently to him. He came home tired after his first day at camp. Thanks to all the staff who made his day a pawsitive one!

This is the second time my dog has come back with a respiratory virus. This has cost me $800 twice: once for the vet to examine him and again to prescribe medication to stop the coughing. It's super convenient to drop my dog off, but I'll put in more effort to find a sitter. It's super uncomfortable for him to sound like he's coughing up his lungs. I get annoyed, like when something is wrong with my car or having to visit a dentist for a toothache. It's an extra thing to add to "to-do" list that costs me an arm and a leg.

I was going to sign up for this camp for my puppy, and was looking at the requirements they want. What stoped me cold is where they want your dog spayed or neutered by 7 months old. We have owned dogs for over 60 years, and we had and still have show dogs, rescues, and rehomed dogs looking for a forever home. The fact is that if you spay or neuter any dog less than a year old for a small dog or a year and a half for a large breed, you are actually hurting their body before they fully mature. The hormones needed for their growth is stunted causing them to be Langley, and with out their needed maturity, females in particular will develop leaking urine issues early in their lifetime. Ask any veterinarian before having this done. If you are looking for a place for your pet, look into Rover for a pet sitter. We have used them for the past 10 years when we needed for our pets to stay some where safe. Be sure to do a meet and greet with the sitters, and check out their reviews. And no I do not work for Rover, just a satisfied customer. As we have lived in Florida, Colorado, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina, we have used Rover wherever we lived.

I thought it was a good day care but my dog gets targeted by the staff. They look for any excuse to put her in the kennel during the day.

I can't speak for other Franchised Camp Bow Wow camps nationwide, however, I can speak on my experience at the Camp Bow Wow in Raleigh NC, and although mine and my pup's experience may be a bit premature, considering my pup only had a 1-day consultation experience, just to see how well he socialized w/Camp Bow Wow staff , and the other pets in the facility, based on our "1" time consultation experience, I would have to rate Camp Bow Wow "5" out of 5 scores, My pup (7-1/2 m/o Shepherdore) enjoyed himself, and Camp Bow Wow staff took great care of my fur baby for the 3 -hours he was in their care. Importantly, b/c my pup was "already" house trained, I didn't have any issues w/ him growling, barking or even biting any of the staff or other pups. A matter of fact, one of the staff commended me for how well trained he was while playing w/him in the lobby, she noted, other pups even larger animals haven't learned how to play gently w/o using their teeth; however, my pup was able to play while controlling his teeth from coming into contact w/ the staff's hand. Nonetheless, my pup and I are looking forward to beginning full time on next week, starting out w/2x a weekday care/camp, to allow him that comradery not only around people (staff), most importantly, around other animals.

I originally left a review hoping to get a response from management after multiple attempts to reach out directly went unanswered. While someone did respond publicly, the concerns themselves were not meaningfully addressed.

I enrolled my dog in Level 2 training and ultimately withdrew due to repeated issues with the trainer’s approach. Throughout the sessions, there were multiple instances of aggressive or dismissive communication directed at me. Instructions were often overridden mid-process, with the trainer stepping in to physically take control of my dog rather than allowing me to follow through. This created confusion for my dog and undermined trust between us.

There were also inappropriate remarks made during sessions. In one instance, when my dog was in heat, the situation was handled with urgency and comments that felt unnecessarily harsh and unprofessional rather than supportive or either none at all— considering the unnecessarily drive of Mike, the trainer/part-owner, to worsen an very minor situation.

More importantly, I observed behavioral regression in my dog over the course of training. Skills she had already learned became inconsistent, and introducing new methods (such as hand signals that were not part of her original training) without proper transition seemed to create confusion. The inconsistency between how I was guiding her and how the trainer intervened made it difficult to maintain structure at home.

Customer service was also a concern. Phone interactions were often abrupt, with being placed on hold without clear communication and occasional argumentative responses. In-person interactions at the front desk were inconsistent as well. On one occasion, a staff member physically moved my dog’s leash to reposition her without asking, rather than communicating directly and respectfully. A simple request to adjust positioning would have been more appropriate.

I’m sharing this to highlight concerns around communication style, training consistency, and overall handling approach. A more collaborative and respectful environment would make a significant difference for both dogs and their owners.

Been bringing my dog for daycare for 6 months - all was well UNTIL they began a new policy - No human needed in the 'teacup' room unless there are 10 dogs. Website clearly states dogs will receive 'a safe, SUPERVISED, enriching experience'. I watched a dog eat another's poop because it was unsupervised. Tried to call and couldn't get a person on the phone. I wasn't notified of the change and I have 10 day re-paid package for daycare. I'm will be demanding a refund unless this policy is remedied. Can't recommend leaving your small dog at Camp Bow Wow at this time. Can't speak for the medium or larger dogs.

My dog almost died after boarding here a week. If I had picked her up even 10 minutes later, she would gave been dead. It turned out she had pneumonia and was clearly gasping for breath. Her throat was swelling shut she was gasping so hard. Took her to the closest vet two blocks away. Her tongue was turning blue, she was intubated to literally save her life. The thing that upset me was NO ONE NOTICED. If I hadn't been there, she would have laid down and died and they would have just thought she was sleeping. $1500 vet bill later (so far) wasn't worth saving some money from having an in home person come in. 7 news just did a story on them that another dog died of an allergic reaction and no one did anything for half an hour. They were also overbooking and putting dogs in laundry rooms and closets instead of a kennel. Hard no from me.

They are not transparent at all. They have a very high employee turnover. Every time I drop off my dog at the Camp Bow Wow facility, if a dog gets constipation, or poop gets stuck in thier butt, they would call us and ask if they could clean it up. I wondered how much. They said $25. I asked for a picture. They never sent me a picture. They are hungry for money. They even asked us for a tip. Seriously?

They have webcam but provide to be viewed between,I believe 9 am to 6:30 pm. It is unfair that we are not able to view at any time. It tells us they are hiding something from us.

I want to warn other dog owners about my recent experience at Camp Bow Wow in Grapevine, Texas over Thanksgiving. My dog has stayed here many times without issues, but what happened this time was unacceptable, dangerous, and negligent.

Camp Bow Wow advertised a $5 “special Thanksgiving dinner” of “turkey, green beans, and pumpkin”. At no point did anyone disclose that the “turkey” was actually Great Value processed deli meat, not real cooked turkey.

When I picked up my dog, an employee casually told me, “Oh, she has a bit of loose stool, probably from the dinner.”

This was not “a bit” of loose stool. My dog was lethargic, shaking, and having puddles of bloody diarrhea. I had called ahead before pickup and no one mentioned she was sick. Had they notified me, I would have come immediately.

After seeing the magnitude of bl00d, I called to ask exactly what they fed her. That’s when I learned it was Great Value oven roasted deli turkey—something any knowledgeable pet-care provider should know is unsafe. The ingredients include:

Sodium phosphate, carrageenan, potassium lactate, sodium diacetate, sodium nitrate, modified corn starch, and very high sodium levels—all of which are known to irritate a dog’s gastrointestinal system and can be toxic in large amounts.

I had to rush her to the vet, where she was put on three medications. She was ill all weekend, and thankfully feeling better today.

What reputable boarding facility feeds processed deli meat to dogs? This is basic, common-sense pet-care knowledge. If Camp Bow Wow does not understand the dangers of these ingredients, what else are they doing that isn’t safe?

I’ve trusted Camp Bow Wow many times before, but after this experience—lack of transparency, poor judgment, and failure to notify me when my dog became ill—I can no longer recommend them or trust them with my dog. Please be cautious and ask detailed questions before leaving your dog here. Don’t assume they know what’s toxic just because they work in pet care.

Kind staff, good service. Has always been communicative, reliable, and friendly service!

When I picked up my dogs recently one was coughing and our other dog had black bowel movements. The following day we took our two dogs to the vet and they said one dog had kennel cough and a skin rash from where they were boarded. The second dog the vet felt he must of gotten into something at Camp Bow Wow. I tried to email and text them and asked in a email who is the manager so I may call them. The other dogs are now open to kennel cough and the skin irriation being it can transfer to other dogs.

If I could give it ZERO stars I would. I had 2 previous dogs go there years ago and they mistreated one of them. I had video of it, they apologized and said to give them a second chance and if it didn't work out, we would agree it wasn't the right fit. They went back in for day care and my one dog (the one they mistreated) was on time out every time I checked the camaras. My other one was always out playing. I must say that Ritter can be a handful, esp since he was only a few years old and he's a boxer. WE agreed we wouldn't have him go there but that my other dog was allowed. Recently, I signed up my new puppy, he was 9 months old at the time. They emailed me and this is the response I got.. "We appreciate your interest in Camp Bow Wow Elk Grove. Unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate your request. I have read notes on your account from your past visits with a previous dog and unfortunately at this time we think it would be best that you seek services elsewhere." Now, I had went in personally and talked to them prior to my reactivating my acct and was told that Ritter could not attend but Whiskey was still welcomed, Whiskey has since passed, and it was my NEW puppy that we were interested in having attend. That was the response I got! This is a place that says they understand and are trained in Dog behaviors, yet they were not willing to even evaluate a 9-month-old puppy!! Their loss because he is going elsewhere as well as Ritter (my so-called BAD dog) and they LOVE him! Just beware that if you call them out on their BAD behavior your dog and any future dogs will be banned. I Will say we travel across the states, and we never had any problems with other Camp Bow Wows.

I use the Camp Bow Wow central in Colorado Springs and it's the best place EVER. I don't know what they're doing in New Jersey to piss everybody off. But Colorado Springs is a fantastic daycare center and boarding center. They have never ever screwed up an instruction for an elderly dog with lots of arthritis they've always made sure she had an easy schedule she gets played with by the counselors and she absolutely has loved going there for the last 12 years. I'm sorry to hear New Jersey doesn't have good Camp Bow Wows, but most of them are outstanding. They deserve a much higher rating than what you see here. This review covers the period from September 2013 through today, April 2025.