Active! Dog Daycare and Boarding

There is not a better daycare in Chicago. The entire team at Active is amazing. We have tried other daycares in Chicago, and each time it felt impersonal and rigid. When we decided to send our little guy to Active, we immediately felt welcomed. Alex (the pack leader!) met with us in our home beforehand, so he could get a sense of our dog’s personality and comfort levels with new people. We were able to build a high level of trust with the entire Active team, simply because they take they time to get to know all of the dogs on a personal level, providing individual attention as needed.
Our little guy is definitely a homebody. But when the daycare van arrives outside, his ears perk up and he sprints to the door. That’s how I know he loves it :-). We send him there every day now, and I couldn’t be happier with the support we get from the whole Active team. I wholeheartedly recommend this service to anyone looking for a trusted group of individuals to look after your pup.

Active! is the best possible doggy day care I could have found after my dog, Roscoe, came into my life. Being a first time dog owner as an adult, I essentially knew nothing, besides that I loved dogs and that my dog needed to go somewhere during my long work hours. Everything else was brand new (and slightly intimidating) to me.
Alex and all of his Active! team have become like family to myself and Roscoe as I’ve raised Roscoe from a puppy stage. After Alex visited our apartment to meet Roscoe, his constant communication and support has shaped my first year of pet ownership.
Alex and his team helped in the early stages of potty training, leaving me detailed notes and times about when Roscoe had done his business, as well as if he had or had not had an accident in the crate that day. Alex and his team were the first to notice Roscoe’s shoulder injury early in his puppy years and were able to provide me with guidance as to trusted vets here in Chicago. They also were the first to warn about the outbreak of Canine Influenza and handled the outbreak to provide the least disruptions to all of our dogs. They stretched themselves thin by providing ample walks to all their dog members when the day care was temporarily closed, and still provided walks to those dogs who were recovering (such as Roscoe!) Communication is speedy and every interaction with a team member is nothing but positive!
Even with ample friends around Chicago who are willing to watch Roscoe, Active! is the only group of people I can leave for a weekend and 100% trust with my fur child. I truly cannot speak highly enough of this business. Even calling them a business sounds too formal, as they have truly become family to Roscoe and myself. Thanks for everything you do Active! team!!! Roscoe and I would be lost without you guys.

Alex and his staff are the best! When we decided to send our dog to daycare, Alex came to our house to personally meet our pup and talk about Active’s services. I work from home, so I see the drivers come and pick up my dog for transit to daycare. They all greet him by name and treat him with such good care. This is my first dog, so I admittedly ask a lot of questions. Everyone at Active is kind and extremely helpful.
Active has top notch service. I completely trust everyone there with my dog!

ACTIVE is amazing on so many levels. First and foremost — I do believe they love my dog as much as their own. That is made very clear. A few other factors that set them apart:
1] I love that they do in-​home assessments before service starts. It shows they really want a good experience for all — and understand the personality of my dog that is going to join the group already going there.
2] I haven’t met a staff member that hasn’t been kind, cordial, genuine. It seems there is a true family there — and they not only have respect for the dogs they care for — but for each other. Every staff member makes it a point to share their name — and usually give me their own personal story of my dog Max [which ranges from «we share the same name, so we instantly bonded» to «Max is the best — he has such a fun personality, we love having him!»
3] I can tell my dog Max is happy. Through ACTIVE, he does a mix of dog walking and daycare… he’s such a happy boy. And I fully trust he’s in good care. I love the thoughtful notes the dog walker leaves on the adventures he’s had with Max! It’s not the standard «your dog went #1» — it’s more of a recap of their walk, a la «I learned Max loves rubbing against bushes on his walks.» [which is true] I feel confident he’s not just «let outside» but that Max has a good walk and has fun with his walker.
4] I like they require updated health records. I consider myself a focused pet parent and make sure my dog Max is the healthiest he can be. I appreciate knowing the dogs Max is making friends with when he’s at ACTIVE have been screened accordingly.
5] They’re responsive. Enough said. It doesn’t take forever to hear back from an email or voicemail.
6] Social media savvy: I love that they post the dog activities throughout the day. They seem to give every dog their due spot in the spotlight. Even if my Max isn’t the headliner in the post [though I love when he is!] — I pretty much always see him in the background. And let’s face it — we all think our dog is the best, and I like that they recognize that.
7] Max loves ACTIVE. When at a recent pet fest in the city, ACTIVE had a booth — my dog Max dragged me over to the ACTIVE booth because his buddies were there. Now my dog pretty much loves everyone, but he makes a concerted effort when he really loves people… and the fact he recognized the staff at the booth was telling. And the fact the staff responded with «MAX!» confirms they have taken the effort to know my lil dude. Not to mention they all made it a point to introduce themselves to me [again].
I do love ACTIVE — I feel my dog is in good, respectful hands when I can’t be there. And owners/​managers/​staff are people you want to talk with — it’s not a vendor/​client relationship — it’s a let’s take awesome care of this dog relationship.
I’ve met some new dog owners in my neighborhood — and I’ve already given them ACTIVE as the best doggy care solution.

Active! is terrific, and we’ve only been going there for the last couple weeks!
We moved right down the block a couple weeks ago and were thrilled to have a dog daycare so close to us. Alex (the owner) came to our apartment, met our dog Mougley, and was very thorough and informative, in addition to being a really genuinely nice guy. We have been taking Mougley there for a couple weeks and the staff is always so friendly, even going so far as to introduce themselves to us by name every time we bring Mougley in.
Mougley also had a seizure recently, and I talked to Alex about it so he and the staff could watch out for anything abnormal. He assured me he would update the entire team and let us know if there were any more seizures, and seemed generally knowledgeable about how to handle seizures in dogs. Trust me, this was a huge relief.
The most important thing: Mougley’s input. He loves it. Rushes to get in there and has so much joy when we pick him up. He’s tired at home and it’s worth every penny. I don’t write many reviews, but Active! deserves all the praise in the city.

We started using Active for our two dogs (lab and ridgeback) at the recommendation of our trainer. We moved to Chicago 6 months ago and had terrible luck finding a daycare we liked. One kept forgetting to pick up our dogs, I caught another hitting the dogs and yelling at them when they thought no one was around to see, and the third my dogs just didn’t seem to like as they didn’t want to go inside when we would pull up. We were so discouraged as we absolutely loved our old daycare in MN. Fortunately, we gave Active a try and have been thrilled.
Alex and Paul really care about the dogs. We do the half day with transportation and the full day where we drop them off depending on our schedule. Our dogs get super excited when they see Paul and Alex and wait at the door with anticipation on the days they know they are getting picked up. Alex and Paul communicate with me quickly if there are any issues, such as the day one of my dogs discovered where we keep the trash can. They are also understanding and accommodating with any schedule changes. As a Realtor, my schedule can change at the drop of a hat and they work around my needs. I also like that they bill on a 2x monthly basis rather than my having to pay each time they come; it’s just easier. My husband loves the photos they put on FB as he likes to be able to see what the dogs are doing while at daycare. Overall, I just really trust Alex and Paul. Our dogs are happy and tired when they come home. Definitely give them a try.

Active! Dog is truly one of the greats.
Frankie and Teddy have been going to Active! Dog since the doors opened, and Alex (the owner) has known both since they were puppies. He and his team go above and beyond for the dogs and their owners. Every dog is shown love and attention, and the staff genuinely care about each and every one. For every schedule change, they have been nothing but accommodating. This organization is like our extended family, and the dogs are happier and healthier because of it.
We are so fortunate to have an organization like Active! Dog serving the dog owners of Chicago.

First and foremost, this place couldn’t have been more highly recommended by people my pooch and I have met while out on our walks.
I checked out the website, filled out the application and called the next day to make sure they received it. Yes, I know, I know… a bit «crazy mom» of me but I was eager to get Brando (my pup) in with these guys.
Alex emailed me confirming receipt of our information at which point he brought up the LEPTO shot for dogs. I hadn’t heard of this but apparently it’s a nasty common cold that can be spread from our pooches to us and this series of two booster shots help prevent that… needless to say, I was very appreciative of that information. Brando is scheduled for his shot already.
Alex then suggested a date and time to come meet Brando and briefly assess his temperament. I think this is a great idea and maybe it’s because I’m new to doggie day care but if all facilities don’t do this, they should. Alex came over and Brando did what he does to all of our guests, his tail went crazy and just proceeded to lick and want as much love as possible. *a little history on Brando, I rescued him on June 28 this summer and it’s made my entire year. He’s doing so well!*
Alex was awesome with Brando and Brando sensed how safe and positive Alex was, Brando was a bundle of «let’s play» right off the bat. So, the meet-​n-​greet concluded, Alex and I confirmed Brando’s days and that was that.
Come Monday morning, Brando’s first day, I was probably more excited than Brando was… it felt like the first day of school. (when it was fun and exciting to wake up and go to school, aka pre-​high school). Brando and I got there a few minutes after 7, met another pup who welcomed Brando, then off Brando went…
Like all first-​timers (at least I assume this to be true), I emailed Alex asking how Brando was doing and the response not only put me at ease (no one wants their pup to be a trouble maker) but it made me laugh thinking about how he plays with me and how much fun he must be having with all the other pooches.
I went to pick Brando up and Alex reiterated that Brando played great with the other dogs and that he’ll likely be pretty tuckered out. Boy, was Alex right. I got Brando home, he ate, and then he was out for the count. I had to essentially carry him outside a few times before I decided to hit the hay.
Paul and Alex make it a point to get to know your dog, they are super personable, and clearly love what they do everyday. Paul greeted me by my first name on only our second morning (this morning) and it’s that type of attention that makes Alex and Paul and Active! stand out. I can’t think of anywhere else I would feel this comfortable leaving my pup and I’ve already raved about it to other people Brando and I have recently met while on our walks. The guys at Active! have two new loyal members of their crew, Brando and I are psyched to be a part of their canine & parent family.

My boyfriend and I signed up our pup for the puppy class and were generally very satisfied, however, there are a few things I would recommend/​change. First, if you’ve trained a dog, successfully, in the past, you might want to skip the puppy class, which covers the very basic commands (i.e., sit, down, wait). Second, if you can take classes at the actual Active Dog Daycare facility (on North Ave) do so because it is MUCH nicer than the place on Diversey. Lastly, I wish there was a big dog and small dog class that separated the two. It was really annoying to have the small dog owners freak out every time my Retriever mix would go anywhere NEAR their dogs. I have a Maltese that my pup is WONDERFUL with but you would think that she eats small dogs for lunch considering how much freaking out some of the smaller dog owners did. Joanna, our trainer, would often say «it’s okay» to try to quell their overreactions but it rarely helped much. On the other hand, if you are a first time dog owner, this is an excellent first step to a good life with your pup because you’ll also learn a bit about potty training and leash walking essentials. Plus, if you have questions, you’re welcome to ask them at every class.

Active was such a God sent when I started a new job! I knew I would have to work late nights and wouldn’t always be able to pick up my puppy from daycare. All the trainers just love my dog and the owner Alex has been so great! Very flexible and understanding when we needed to switch our schedule around for the week and always responds back right away! Great service at a reasonable price!

I can’t say enough amazing things about Active! And the staff. My girls love being with them whether it’s for boarding or for daycare.
I went away on a 8 day vacation and had anxiety about leaving my dogs for that long. Alex and Paul always take good care of them, and you can tell how much they care about all of the pooches that are in their care every day.
It’s nice to have my mind at ease that my dogs aren’t home alone all day, and can hang out with all of their dog-​friends while at work, or away on vacation. I love seeing all of those happy faces on Instagram and Facebook too.
Thanks Alex and Paul for all that you do!

I recently started taking my dog to daycare with Active! and so far I am loving it. The staff has been very responsive and willing to accommodate my needs and, more importantly, the needs of my pup. I’ve been using the half-​day daycare with transportation service, and have always come home to a happy puppy. Not to mention, the relief that comes with knowing my dog had a good day and was taken care of. My favorite aspect of Active! is the live updates they provide via Instagram/​FB/​Twitter so you can checkin.
Definitely worth looking into if you live in or around Logan Square. Can’t wait for the dog walking service!