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Thousand Island Dog Care


19 reviews
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Thousand Island Dog Care Reviews (19)

4.1
19 reviews
5 Star
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By mordeen on Jan 09, 2017
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I would not leave our dog anywhere else than with David and Dave. He actually dances as we enter the driveway and then sits waiting for his precious human friend to come and let him in the kennel. Once he sees David or one of the staff all 75 pounds of him turns into a wiggley puppy. He is so happy to see them and hops out of the car and into the kennel without a backward glance. When I pick him up he is happy to see me and if he could talk I'm sure I would hear about his friends and his adventures. The pictures posted let me see the fun he has and who he plays with. Some mornings as I wait in line to drop off our precious dog I see other happy dogs eager to enter the well kept kennel. I can't imagine any dog not feeling they are king or queen when they stay at the kennel. I am thankful that the Slys are part of our lives. Great people with wonderful staff to keep care of our treasured dog. What more could an owner want for their fur baby. Thank you to all who care for our dog.
By jw5 on Nov 08, 2016
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Once again we get our pal Yoko back from 1000 Island Dog Care, and she is happy, shiny, well fed and full of beans! Did I mention that she has been coming here for most of her 12.5 years ?
We have never been disappointed in this kennel...the service is totally focussed on our dog and we just love that we can trust leaving her here with full knowledge she is cared for completely. Bravo!
By JanL on Sep 20, 2016
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I have been taking my dog to Dave's for kenneling for about 11 years, and I took my previous dog to him as well. My dog gets excited when I pull into the yard and has no hesitation going into the building. She is a very anxious dog generally (that's just her) but there is no sign of that when I take her to the kennel. That alone tells me it is a great place and I would not hesitate to recommend Thousand Island Dog Care to anybody.
By Cinnamon Emu on Jul 12, 2016
Guest Review
Absolutely incredible place. My dog has some separation anxiety issues, but he's happy to leave me when we pull up the driveway of the kennel! Both Davids are just amazing with the dogs and so helpful if you have any questions about dogs in general. The photos they post online are so appreciated if you're traveling and want to check in on your dog! I couldn't recommend this place enough.
By Gray Bobolink on Jun 22, 2015
Guest Review
We have been sending our dogs to Dave Sly Kennels for many years now and have never had a bad experience of any kind. Our dogs (multiple dogs over the years) have always bounded out of the car on arrival and been returned to us in perfect condition. The photos posted on Facebook will give you comfort that your dogs are having "a blast" while you are away. Great Kennel!
By Purple Buzzard on May 29, 2014
Guest Review
I recently left my 5 month-old puppy in the care of Dave Sly Kennels. I am a very new puppy owner and am consequently probably a high maintenance client for Dave. I was concerned about the amount of exercise the puppy would get, what dogs would be around the puppy during play, where he would sleep, if he would be okay... the list went on.

Dave met with me personally a few days before Max went and showed me around the kennel and in the back. It wouldn't be my preferred hotel accommodations, however, for dogs, it seems pretty great.

Dave has acres of room for the dogs to play and seems to have a keen sense of what dogs need and how they interact with each other. Dave provided me with the information I needed to know to feel comfortable leaving my puppy with him.

Additionally, (and being the overbearing puppy owner I am), when I e-mailed Dave, his staff got back to me very promptly to provide me with an update. Within hours of that reply, pictures were up of my puppy outside, clearly having a blast.

Finally, after I picked him up and (still) had questions, Dave got back to me immediately with honest and forthcoming answers.

If I go away again to a place where my puppy can't come with me, Dave Sly Kennels will be my first choice for care.

By Umber Bird on Feb 24, 2014
Guest Review
I have been using Dave Sly Kennels for about 15 years, with two different dogs. Both dogs have been eager to go there when they see the place and nothing but happy when I picked them up. They are obviously well-cared for while they are there.

I am absolutely baffled that anyone would not be happy with the care their dog has received for Dave.
Comment by davidsquash on Mar 05, 2014
I spend a great deal of time responding to the negatives, I have to thank you for the positive reviews.

We are in a business where most will only ever say anything if something is bad.

So I do appreciate those that comment when things are good!
By Azure Coyote on Feb 23, 2014
Guest Review
Dave Sly came highly recommended to me. After checking out the website I had high hopes. I have only had my dog for 9 months and she is a rescue. She has severe separation anxiety and is fearful of men. Also being a first time boarder I was extremely nervous. Upon dropping my dog off I was greeted by a man who seemed to only want to take my dog and not talk. I don't even know what his name was! Mind you it was pouring rain and I can understand not wanting to stand outside. I had lots of questions and even had a list of tidbits for my dog. I didn't feel like I was given any opportunity to discuss my dog or pick up or payment. I felt rushed out.
When I came back to pick up my dog I was greeted by a young lady who was very friendly and told me how my dog did. She let me know that there was a bit of an issue with Dave at first but she warmed up afterwards and was great with this lady. She told me that my dog had a few scratches on her from the kennel. These scratches do not look like they are from a kennel, they look like they are from another dog. She has a big scratch on her side, on the inside of both back legs and on her chest.

Really unsure of my experience, especially being a first time boarder. Maybe the summer time would be a better time of year to get a good impression.
Comment by davidsquash on Mar 05, 2014
First; we do take the dogs quickly. It works better for the dog and the human should recognize that.

Our process is to take the dog off you, avoid your anxiousness if any and get the dog into a field within moments. We have always done that.

If people have questions, ask; usually works best before you leave your dog.

Sometimes talking might be difficult if I have a bunch of dogs out and have to get back out with them; but if one really needs to talk, say so, and I can bring some dogs in and its all good.

The scratches: The dog while it went out fine the first time, did not want to come in. A couple times a year we have a client dog that will "panic" on the outside. Sometimes its being off leash; sometimes it is the new environment and sometimes it is just me.

This particular dog tried climbing the fence in panic mode; the fence has burrs where there are welds, it can leave scratches; as do the ties that bind the fence to the posts.

After one cycle of exercise the dog for the rest of its stay (day and a half) was fine (photos on the Facebook page), no trouble coming in and playing with others (in the small area, with other shy or small dogs).

Scratches can happen while playing also, especially when the footing in the snow is not the best. I would be far more concerned if there were bite punctures!

As I look at the photos of the dog posted on our Facebook page (Feb 23/24) the dog is playing, has a toy and is indeed (on the second day) relaxed and playing with others.

We did attach a line to it, so that we would be able to get it in if necessary without it trying to climb fences and do any further damage.

I go into great detail as these comments were not emailed to me, or brought to me privately and rather than write a canned response, I feel it better to be perfectly accurate and apply context.

We are very clear about what we do here. The photos are very clear about what we do. It is the beginning of March and we have already posted close to 2000 photos since January 1.

We are very passionate about the dogs having a good time, even if that clashes with what the human's perception of that might be.

As more dogs are adopted with difficult backgrounds we still accept every dog; vicious, nervous, friendly, whatever; as we have proven to ourselves and most of our clients that in the end, the dogs have a good time here and often go home better for it.

Lastly, sorry you are disappointed, but try us again, your dog will be far better the second time round.

David

By Brown Ermine on Nov 12, 2013
Guest Review
I happened upon this site when clicking on it, by mistake, rather than on the kennel site. I was surprised to see a negative review. We have been boarding our dogs with Dave and David for close to 20 years on a very regular basis. We haven't once had a negative experience. Our dogs are thrilled to arrive (good indication that they like it there!) on every visit. They are always returned to us in excellent spirits and have obviously been exercised well as they are usually exhausted (in a good way). If anyone doubts that the dogs enjoy the property, please have a look at the many photos posted on their Facebook site. The posting of photos is a wonderful service as you can ease your mind while away by viewing your dog/dogs in action. As to some comments as to the mannerisms of the owners, I have always found both Dave and David to be passionate about their interests and always happy to chat. Personally, I find them both extremely likeable and professional. For those who find Dave's mannerisms/comments odd...I would suggest developing a sense of humour. We will be boarding our dogs with the Sly's long into the future I'm sure!
By redfordsailo on Aug 15, 2013
Verified by Email
My family and I are moving here from across the country and we were looking for a place for our dog to run free during the day. I had checked this website out and thought the green space looked awesome so when in Kingston, I called and asked to come tour the place.

I was answered by Sly Sr., who promptly started telling me that he was alone with the dogs and overwhelmed. He was all over the place in his speech, in his manner of speaking and in his directions.

Nevertheless, I thought he might just be eccentric and decided to check it out anyway. When I showed up, he started talking about 100 different things that had nothing to do with the dogs. I walked into the kennel, and there were some dogs alone in a kennel (looking distressed), some were paired barking loudly to get let out and some rolled up in a corner.

I went outside and saw there were a few dogs outside. The property is beautiful and the grounds well kept.... but the dogs were INSIDE.

I couldn't get a question in edgewise with this guys - I was trying to understand why the dogs were inside and he kept talking to me about things that had NOTHING TO DO with our conversation. I asked him how many times the dogs go outside a day and he said he didn't know exactly, they don't have a routine.

Put shortly, I would NEVER EVER have my dog stay here - the place was messy, loud, chaotic and disorganized. The only thing it has going for it is the land. Worst of all, the owner is bat shit crazy.

Don't believe me ? Call them yourself and ask to speak to Sly Sr.
Comment by davidsquash on Aug 28, 2013
Oh dear. I am not sure how to respond to this. How does one take a complaint like this seriously when terms like "bat shit crazy" are tossed in.

As always we encourage anyone to come wander the kennel and make your own judgement. Maybe we are.

That being said, we know what we are doing and do it well.

Yes, we can talk about many things; we support schools in Jamaica, it is a passion and we talk about it.

We travel for sports, 40 countries and counting, we like stuff like that.

Yes, we can have tired days (again, another human thing)

With regards to the kennel. Dogs are always brought inside for tours. Period. Mix a pack of dogs with a random stranger, bad stuff can happen. Safer to bring them in, saves you from being bitten, jumped on etc. Common sense and safety in our mind.

We will also bring them in to feed them or if there is thunder or if it is raining heavily. Some dogs get tired quickly, or prefer the air conditioning to summer heat and come in sooner. There are many variables.

Dogs in the corner? They sleep, often in corners; especially when tired because they have been out running (refer to our Facebook page, with over 1000 photos this month posted... oh... and find the distressed dogs)

I have a client that brings her dogs in every day. Every day (for six years) If there was depression or anxiety or if a systemic problem with what we do it would surely be evident. Surely, it would be.

Dirty? If I bring in 25 dogs from outside where it can be wet, muddy, dogs rolling, yup, it can be dirty. I bet your kitchen looks a touch untidy around meal time!

Floors are pressure sprayed at least twice a day.

Despite dogs having ample time outside, certain dogs will still make mistakes inside. Rare, but possible.

Not every dog is perfect here. Some need time to adapt to being in a kennel. We certainly believe that our system of exercise gives a dog the best possible chance to enjoy a kennel experience.

Visit us and if you have a question, ask us.

We have a reason for everything we do and to not ask and simply assume doesn't benefit anyone.

David





By Carnelian Caterpillar on Oct 13, 2012
Guest Review
This is a dream for dog owners as well as dogs. We were unsure when we first brought Rocky to Daves last year, never leaving him or having had experience with a Kennel before, however the place is remarkable with a dog pool and a 12 acre playground that Dave and his staff entertain the dogs in. Don't think of this as a kennel think of it as a vaction for your dog. Dave has put a great deal of thought and care into this operation and the dogs he works with and it shows in your dog.Our dog Rocky loves Dave and his staff. Rocky is back from his second visit looks great, smells good and is in great shape again. I don't know what he baths Rocky in but Dave said its from California smells great. I might have to take a vaction there myself to find out what it is. Rocky comes back relaxed and sleeps the first two days when he gets home. Dave and his staff our true profesionals and will post pictures of your dog on facebook and respond to your e-mails and concerns. This prevents anxiety and concern when leaving your pet for holidays. Thanks from Rocky and his owners.
By Azure Stork on Jul 23, 2012
Guest Review
I had never had to put my pet in a kennel before. I heard about Dave Sly from a friend of mine. I was very nervous and leary of leaving my pet with anyone but family, but had to as none of my family were available. I had read a couple of bad reviews as well as several great reviews. I have to be honest the bad reviews made me even more leary of leaving my pet. I went on a tour the week prior and the place was beautiful. It looked like a zoo, lots of land for the dogs to run, trees for shade and a big pool for them to cool off in. The kennels on the inside were clean and well kept. The dogs that I did see there all looked very happy and well looked after. My dog stayed with Dave for 4 days. When I went to pick him up he was wet from running in the pool and sprinklers and so excited just like a kid at Canada's Wonderland. He was happy and content. They told me he ran and played all weekend. I will definetely be bringing him back.. I actually felt bad taking him as he had so much fun and plan on leaving him there for the day every once and a while.. Thanks, Dave Sly Kennels for taking such good care of my Teddy.....Andrea
By harleemorgan on Jul 12, 2012
Verified by Email
This is not a kennel where your dog is put on lay-away until you get back it's truly a dog haven.

The children and I took a walk around the property prior to leaving her and saw our dog come to life. Easy drop off, no food to pack just hand her off and pick up a relaxed and freshly bathed dog 1 week later.

I loved seeing photos of our dog on facebook.

I found Dave to be quite delightful if you have a sense of humour.
By Bistre Otter on Jun 17, 2012
Guest Review
Taking a few moments to present the other side of the coin.
Under my own name I might add.
Over the last 14 years I have kenneled our Rhodesian Ridgebacks with Dave Sly.
At one point a dog was at a quiet stage in her life. Dave was so sensitive to her needs providing a soft place to rest in the sun. A special apartment for her evenings and sleep was provided.
To this day there is a wonderful portrait of the old lady
hanging in the welcome area of the kennels along with other fascinating portraits of dogs who love to play and stay there.
During serious family crisis which went on for six years we
could leave the dogs at a moments notice and fly away.
On occasion a dog of mine might need medical treatment and there was never a discussion or hesitation: that dog went to a well regarded vet.
Do not hesitate to consider Dave Sly's kennels as a clean and very safe environment to leave your treasured dogs. Look at
the photos, visit the site, appreciate the careful planning of the acres and their uses and know that all the dogs must have up to date veterinary certificates to confirm that the dogs are vaccinated.
Listen to understand.
If only my dog could write.........
Respectfully submitted - Patricia
By Cerise Great-Dane on Apr 28, 2012
Guest Review
Dave is a really unreasonable and unstable person who I deeply regret leaving my pooch with this past week. He was making fun of other clients to me when I dropped off my dog. When I asked to see the kennels, he originally said no, which should have made me walk away. I was insistent, and after much grumbling he let me in, laughing at me for being "ridiculous" because all kennels just "have walls and floors, you know". He was surprised that two dogs where still in their kennels, and not outside. He laughed that he can't see the dark dogs sometimes: "as long as they get out once a day... that's what the concrete floor is for!"

I called Dave twice over the week I was away, and he didn't pick up or return my calls. I was finally able to get ahold of him today - I knew my train would be arriving late, and he said it would be no problem that I call at 6:30 to arrange the pick up. He was in a wonderful mood then, and so I wasn't concerned. I called when I arrived at 6:30, and no answer. I continue to call, leave messages with a number to call back, and nothing. So I drove over, and he comes out of the house, raging that he's called the cops on me for trespassing. I kept repeating that I was sorry for disturbing him, explaining who I was, but he said he didn't care and that he would call me at 4:30 am and wake me up because I was at his house so late.

So I'm now paying for a hotel for the night because he has told the police (!) that he refuses to open until 8am and I'm not from Kingston.

With all the raging, yelling and screaming he's done tonight I'm concerned that he'll take it out on my dog, but I'm hoping he'll cool off, and that it'll be OK in the morning. I'm going to follow up formally with complains to the BBB, humane society, etc. I can't believe that this guy is still in operation.

For the safety and well being of your beloved pooches, and mental well being of yourself, do not use this awful kennel.
Comment by davidsquash on May 16, 2012
This is my first response to one of these comments, simply because the client is so wrong that her garbage simply can't stand without some form of rebuttal

As a business in a residential area, we are bound by manners and bylaws to keep our place quiet after 7pm.

As a business that runs 365 days a year our hours are strict, for the sake of taking good care of the animals and also keeping good relations with the neighbors as well as trying to enjoy a few spare moments of free time!

Go to your bank after hours. Order food at a restaurant after hours. Grab a beer at a bar in Ontario at 4am. Hey lets go to the mall at 11pm!

In the end, we rely on a certain amount of respect from our clients to understand the need to close and 99% of our clients do understand.

Often, but not always, we can make an allowance up to about 630pm for a late pickup. Again, not always.

Once the dogs have settled for the evening, wake up one dog, they all wake up.

So this particular client decides to show up at the house after getting no response on the phone.

At some point after 9pm (I have a call on my phone from the kennel at 10:19pm that there is someone there that won't leave) this client decides to arrive at the kennel to collect her dog. We are closed. Many hours closed.

The client stated that she was not leaving until she got her dog. We stated that we were closed and that if she didn't leave we would call the police She encouraged us to call the police. The police were called (not 911 as it was no emergency) as we can't have defiant clients sitting by the kennel all night; Not sure what they might do that could affect the other dogs.

The client left, shortly thereafter (we called the police back and told them she had left)

To infer that we would abuse the dog due to the owner being an upset is a rather bitter and malicious act. Absolutely pathetic in fact.

To write and infer that the dogs are out once a day is again in poor taste and utterly inaccurate.

Anybody who visits us during our open hours knows that there are dogs outside playing all day long. If they are out once a day, it is from 7am until 6pm. Again, utterly and grossly inaccurate.

I know that the dog had great care in our hands and that if the dog returned would be excited to enter the property to enjoy what we offer. In fact I feel sorry for this pet having to live with this particular human. How embarrassing for this poor dog.

There is a particular tone to this rebuttal; simply due to the owner being being altogether inaccurate with pretty much every detail.

We are never going to please everybody but if one has a valid complaint, a public forum is probably not the first choice of action as it really doesn't solve the problem. When we do something wrong, we pay for it, we do our best to fix it. Our tragic flaw here is that we stuck with our hours. We can bend by a few minutes, but not by four hours.

As I read this complaint I felt that such vitriol deserves to be replied to in kind. Not conventional perhaps but for someone to maliciously chastise us for their inability to arrive during our open hours (or remotely close) deserves an unsanitized but accurate response.
By gisnpets on Jan 31, 2012
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We took our dog to Dave Sly. I never met anyone quite like him. He disagreed with everything that I said even if we talked about the weather. Everything that he was saying was either negative or to have one up on you. We liked the fact that he dogs were able to run free. My dog is a terrier and I was told that she would be fine. When she got home from being a week at Dave Sly, my dog was nervous, she wet our bed for the first time and was urinating everywhere in the house for a few days. I've taken her to other kennels before and she never reacted that way. Dave should work on his people skills, they are the ones paying his bills.
By Auburn Swan on Mar 23, 2011
Guest Review
I happened upon a negative review of Dave Sly Kennels when I was searching for the kennel address in order to make a reservation. I was terribly surprised by the person's negative experience boarding a dog at Dave's. For the record. my husband and I have been boarding our dogs there for over 15 years on a regular basis (both for day care and for vacation boarding). Our dogs have always been thrilled to arrive at the kennel and always come back in mint condition and totally exhausted from the terrific amount of exercise they get there.
By mydog on Feb 03, 2011
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My dog stayed with Dave Sly twice. The first time, all went well, as far as I knew. Dave was pleasant to interact with (although very tangential and disorganized in his speech) and seemed to have great facilities. The second time he went to stay with Dave was an absolute nightmare. Dave forgot to pick up my dog, leaving me to scramble at the last minute to get him to his kennel before my train left. Dave did not return my calls OR emails for the entire duration of my dog's stay. Dave forgot to return my dog to me at the set day and time and would not respond to any of my efforts to contact him. I even took a taxi as considerable expense to get my dog, but no one would answer the door. Finally, a day later, Dave got in contact with me, apologized, and returned my dog. Despite having given my dog exactly the right amount of food for his stay, and him having stayed a day longer, Dave returned him with half of his food left over. When I asked for an explanation, he alternated between saying he was out of town and his sick assistant was caring for my dog, and insisting he was there the whole time and knew with absolute certainty my dog was regularly fed and just left the food over. He tried to convince me that dogs eat less when in a new environment and exercised. Perhaps this is true of other dogs, but not mine. He eats MORE when in new environments and receiving extra exercise. All that said, my dog had lost considerable weight and was out of sorts for several days thereafter. I would NEVER EVER send my dog to Dave Sly again. This was the WORST experience I and my dog have ever had at a kennel.
Comment by davidsquash on May 16, 2012
This particular client was dealt with, primarily with an employee that we terminated after this incident. She was scheduled to pickup the dog and drop off the dog and failed on both occasions.

Also we did not charge the person for this visit the pickup and drop off which I believe was roughly $165.00

Food: Some dogs, despite what their owners say will not eat for a couple days and often with the exercise will drop a few pounds the first couple days due to a lot of exercise. On top of that, in general, dogs will burn about 35% more calories in a kennel.
Comment by redfordsailo on Aug 14, 2013
Dogs don't stop eating unless they are distressed. My guess is this guys was too disorganized to remember who had been fed OR the dog wasn't eating because he was distressed.

This place is awful.

Comment by davidsquash on Aug 28, 2013
Roughly five days of the week, I train. I run... play squash. I don't feel like eating for a couple hours after.

I am not distressed.

For people who have not visited us, note that each dog has a label on the pen with the dogs name, in addition a pail with that dog's medicines and food.

No disorganization.

By Spockcrew on Aug 14, 2009
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We have three dogs, two large, one small and our preferred pet care is at Dave Sly Kennels. The care is great (our dogs are happy to go in). The grooming is wonderful (yes, that fresh scent lasts a month even if your dog's a swimmer). All in all a wonderful experience for your dogs, but especially yourself because you know they were well looked after.
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