Camp TLC Pet Resort

We just moved to Aromas and needed somewhere for our beloved older pooch to stay for the day while we were at work and our fence was being built. Since Camp TLC was right on the way to work and seemed to have everything we needed, we decided to check it out.
We were a little apprehensive after our initial visit, since it’s set up differently than we were used to from the various dog daycares that we used while we lived in San Jose (Planet Pooch, etc), but after many days at daycare and the extreme level of care that Gail and Buff put toward our dog’s happiness and care during her stays, we are happy with the change.
The main differences are that this is a private home rather than a boarding facility, pickup and drop off times are super flexible and can be changed at the last minute if need be without penalty and I can always reach Gail or Buff via text or phone at any time.
Gail would text me pictures and videos of our dog throughout the day so that I could see how she was getting on and that was very helpful.
I would normally drop off our dog around 6:30am which was extremely accommodating and could never have been done at any of our previous daycares. I frequently changed her pickup times based on my schedule, and it was never a problem. I could text Gail the night before or even early in the morning to let her know that our dog was coming for the day, and it was always AOK. Buff even had coffee for me one morning and was always very sweet with our pooch.
At one point our dog was a bit sore from playing hard with us all weekend and after spending a mellow day with Gail, Gail recommended that our dog might be happier recovering at home and that she’d just come by our house to check on her and take her out for a mellow walk. That turned out to be perfect and we’ve had Gail back out for check-​ins a few times since. She even brought a few of the mellower pups to visit and play, which was great.
Now that our fence is finished, it’s good to know that we have on-​call care for our dog when we need it.

Gail took our dog for 2 weeks over Christmas. We were a little concerned that she’s getting old and being in a pack of dogs would be stressful but from the reports and the contented doggy we got back, everything clearly went well. Gail clearly loves dogs and goes the extra mile to make them comfortable — though dressing them up in christmas sweaters might have been a tad too far ;-) Highly recommend and will absolutely use the service again.

This place is terrible. I considered boarding my dog here so I called and spoke to Gail. I checked out the website and watched the video online. Gail seemed very nice on the phone and offered for me to come and visit before I committed to boarding. Fortunately, I took her up on a visit. The facility is Gail’s house and looks just like the video with one big difference, it is FILTHY. When I first got there, Gail took me out to the back where the dogs are kept. We went past the pool which looked like the cover had never been taken off. There were 10 or 12 dogs all barking behind a gate. Gail got a squirt bottle full of water and started spraying them all in the face to make them stop barking. This was the first sign that this was not a good place to board my dog. She took me to the inside area where the dogs sleep. There were lots of wooden dog beds like in the video, except they have all been chewed apart and the pillows and blankets are gone. There was one dog chewing pieces of wood off one of the frames. Gail squirted it in the face. There were torn up pieces of bedding all over the floor and yard. The windows were disgusting and covered in a dirty film. The floor was filthy. She took me outside to the backyard area where the dogs get to run around. It was pretty small. The energy and tension was very high. It is obvious that most of those dogs had not been exercised well enough. Many were trying to dominate one another, and two got into a fight and were biting each others faces. Gail squirted them in the face and pulled one away. There was a dog running around with a leash on and Gail told me that the dog didn’t listen well so she kept the leash on it to grab it in case she needed to. She said that it helped build trust with the dog if the dog got stuck. The dog would have to ask her for help. Gail seemed to forget that a dog that is choking to death can’t ask for help. Gail then showed me the «kitchen» where the dog food is prepared. It was filthy. She showed me the grooming room which was also filthy. This was also where she had put the dog that had gotten into the fight but it had jumped out the window into the front area. She said it was ok because he wouldn’t run away. What if that had been my dog? It is my impression that the dogs Gail cares for are mostly hers and her neighbors, friends, or few regular clients because they are the same dogs in the video. It is my impression they are unsupervised most of the time. They have an unstable pack mentality and are not exercised enough. They are not in a safe environment and could potentially eat wood or other harmful things or escape. If you board your dog here, Gail will squirt it in the face if it barks or misbehaves instead of addressing the problem appropriately. The price she asked is the same price as at a legitimate boarding facility that offers constant supervision and safe play time. I will never board my dog here and I don’t recommend anyone does.

What a great find! Was able to get last minute care with TLC. And, the facilities are catered to the animals. A lovely home in the country with a huge tri-​level backyard. When my Toga went, he had access to all 3 levels which includes outdoor yard, outdoor deck AND indoor sleeping quarters for the dogs. Though not necessary for mine, they also offer a smaller dog area on a beautiful outdoor deck. And finally, if your pet is a little on the cranky side, there is the option of a sectioned off area. LOTS OF OPTIONS HERE!

Camp TLC was wonderful! I had a bad experience with boarding a couple years ago, but Gail really set me at ease. My dogs came home happy which made me happy. I will definitely be taking them there whenever I need to board them. I think not having them locked up in cages is a wonderful practice.