Bowen Island Dog Ranch

My dog Jack just spent 12 days there — great place to send your dog, off leash and outdoors for the whole time. Staff are excellent, professional to the core, and very friendly. They just «get» dogs. It’s a peace of mind to have a place like this for going on vacation guilt free.
Love also the extra training service — my Aussie did the agility training and they give you detailed log after with videos.
Thanks to everyone at the ranch!

Our Terrier loves it here. Every time he comes back he looks happy and exhausted. A side effect of a life lived in the wilderness of the ranch. He even cried once as when the shuttle driver said good-​bye. That’s a good sign, so Bowen Island is naturally our go-​to dog sitting solution for whenever we head out of town.
The shuttle service is super convenient (now Monday to Friday), especially when you factor in the cost of taking the ferry to Bowen Island to drop your pup off. We picked out dog up once and it ended up costing more than the shuttle.
Here’s the kicker… it’s comparably priced to boarding your dog in the city. Only here they get to run around in the country all day.
Check out their Facebook page too. They’ll often post picts of your dog their their time at the ranch, which is nice if you want to see what kind of trouble they’re getting into while you’re on vacation.

My fabulous dog and best pal has been involved with the ranch since they opened and he was a pup. He has been in their doggie day care and stayed for long and short periods of time overnight. He loves the ranch! He is so excited and always comes home happy and fit. Even the mention of the dog ranch staff names sends him into fits of ecstatic tail wagging! The staff always go above and beyond in their dedication and care of both the dogs and their owners. There have been many times over the years when my husband was ill and rushed to hospital, that the dog ranch staff came to my home, picked up the dog and took care of him while I was with my husband in the hospital. Knowing my dog was cared for allowed me to care for my husband and not worry about my dog being at home alone. At my husband’s funeral, both Bowen Island Dog ranch owners attended with my dog in their care, so he could be part of the ceremony. I will never forget that kindness. Even though we now live on the mainland, my dog regularly stays at the ranch when I travel. I find the city pick up and drop off service invaluable. He still gets very excited when he hears he is going to the ranch!
Debbie W.

Our two guys have been going to both the Daycamp and the boarding frequently over the past 5 years, and they both absolutely love it.
The owners and staff patently love being with the dogs and give them masses of attention. The facilities are excellent; clean, warm, sleeping conditions and of course the amazing property where they can run.
Best recommendation that I can give is that although both our dogs are completely ‘home loving’ dogs who like nothing better than lying on our bed, they get so stoked about arriving at the Ranch … happily trotting in without so much as a look back.

We’ve been sending our beloved goldendoodle Leo to the dog ranch for years and I keep telling myself that I’m going to write a review so today’s the day.
Leo usually get a bit anxious when he sees us packing. By the time we get to the ranch his tail is wagging and he’s off like a shot without looking back.
The ranch is essentially acres of fenced in forest for Leo and his buds to run around in. At all times he’s supervised so I know he’s being looked after but not in that «stick them in a kennel and fenced in gravel pit all day» kind of way.
The staff are amazing — attentive, friendly and professional and the owners Karen and Scott are so great. You can tell that everybody who works there is truly passionate about dogs and really takes care to get to know each one. I honestly don’t know who has a better time when we go on vacation — us or Leo at the ranch.
By the time we pick him up he’s exhausted in a good way, healthy and always happy with a wagging tail to boot.
I love the ranch and have recommended it over and over to my other furry friends and so far nobody has been disappointed. If I could give it more than 5 stars I would!

Short summary: Our dog was attacked without provocation by another dog at Bowen Island Dog Ranch. The Dog Ranch staff had been warned by the dog’s owner that it didn’t get along with many other dogs, but they decided to board the dog anyway. The result is that our dog received two severe bites and required two operations and $ 3600 in vet bills. Bowen Island Dog Ranch denies any responsibility and did not offer to cover any of the vet expenses, in spite of the fact that they chose to board a dog that they had been warned about. Only after we threatened to sue were we offered any compensation. This is not a safe place to board your dog, and if something happens to your dog don’t expect them to accept any responsibility.
Long version: I should have been tipped off that there was something fishy about this place by the waiver they ask you to sign. Its very first provision says that if anything happens to your dog they’re not responsible, even if it was caused by negligence on their part. Never mind if this is legally binding (and I’ve had a lawyer tell me it’s not). They’re essentially asking you to forgive in advance their own negligence. I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but it should have been a big red flag about how this business conducts itself.
Bowen Island Dog Ranch is a very big property, with many more dogs than staff present. So obviously they can’t watch them all. It’s not like a dog park, where each dog is accompanied by its owner, and where if you’re like me you watch your dog constantly to make sure it’s not getting in trouble. This makes it extremely important that the dog ranch checks the backgrounds of the animals they board. Unfortunately that process failed miserably in this case. The dog that attacked ours seems to have a history of aggression towards other dogs, and Bowen Island Dog Ranch admits that the dog’s owner in fact gave them a long list of breeds that her dog didn’t get along with. That should have been enough right there to make them decline to board that dog, in my opinion. Instead, showing incredibly bad judgement on their part, Bowen Island Dog Ranch chose to board the dog anyway. Had they even taken 5 minutes to call the animal control office in the dog’s home municipality, as we did, they would have been told that «this dog is known to us». (Kind of like those news reports that state «the suspect is known to the police»!) You’d think that having been warned by even the dog’s owner that the dog was prone to problems they’d have at least bothered to make such a phone call. Apparently not.
I understand that Bowen Island can’t guarantee that some dog won’t take a bite out of yours, but the fact that they boarded an aggressive dog even after having been warned about its disposition puts them at fault in my opinion. Our dog certainly suffered the consequences: two deep wounds on her back quarter, each a few inches long, that the attending vet described as «severe». One came very close to penetrating the abdominal cavity. Bowen Island Dog Ranch didn’t tell us how severe the injuries were, and we didn’t really understand how bad it was until the vet took and sent us extremely graphic pictures of the wounds. I’d post them here, but you’d lose your lunch just from looking at them.
You’d think that after what happened to our dog that Bowen Island Dog Ranch would be falling over themselves to apologize, take responsibility for what happened (particularly since it was their decision to board a dog they had been actually warned about!), and offer to pay the vet bill. Well, they did no such thing. They continue to deny any liability, and they had their lawyer send us a letter stating that even if they were negligent the waiver we signed means that they owe us nothing. Even if they believe that, it’s pretty foolish business sense — the amount of business they are going to lose from us, from everyone we know, and from my vet’s office (who used to recommend this establishment to their patients) is a lot more than the vet bill they should have volunteered to pay. It was only when we made clear that we intended to sue them for damages that they apparently decided that the waiver might not hold up in court, and offered us a settlement that still left us with a big out-​of-​pocket bill. Even in the terms of the settlement they still deny any wrongdoing.
I’m really disillusioned about the whole establishment. Our dog has suffered terribly due to a series of mistakes on their part. Had Bowen Island Dog Ranch done the honourable thing of admitting their mistakes, accepting responsibility, and offering to cover the bills I would have given them another chance. Instead I’ve concluded that we cannot trust them and that this is not a safe place for our dog. I can only hope this account saves some other dog owner the heartbreak we’ve endured.

Amazing place for dogs to escape for a holiday! Lots of trails and nature for them to run wild.
The Ranch is amazing and the staff are wonderful!
My dog loves the big red bus that they use for pickups in Vancouver and take them over to Bowen Island!
Im excited for him to go on his next stay! :)

I know… I look like I’m pretty loose with the reviews, giving 5 stars everywhere! However, It’s just because I’m new to Unilocal and catching up by reviewing those places that come to mind– most of which are places I associate with wonderful experiences.
That being said, the Bowen Island Dog Ranch is the ONLY place to board your dog if you live in the lower mainland. It’s an off leash boarding facility, so when you get there, your furry friend is released into a wilderness wonderland, to roam and play as they wish… It’s safe of course, as the property is secured by fences, and a number of gates that keep the dogs in certain play areas until they are ready to move on to the next. The dogs usually get about 6 hours of outdoor activity per day, rain or shine. The dogs sleep in an warm, indoor location, each in their own little stall, kind of like a horse stall. It’s not a barn though… It smells nice, and the dogs are provided with comfortable beds and toys, unless you want to provide your own… They have a shuttle service that picks up dogs in North Van, West Van, and the West End, so its very convenient. It’s a bit more expensive than your average boarding facility, but, it’s a small price to pay for the exceptional treatment your beloved family member receives.