Dog Paws ‘n Cat Claws Pet Care

We visited Homeward Trails today to check out some cats and dogs up for adoption. Our apartment doesn’t lend itself well to larger pets so we were hoping to find a smaller pet. They recommended we go to Dog Paws ‘n Cat Claws and arrange an appointment to visit available cats. It was on the way home, so we figured we would stop by to check out the shop and look at the available pets if possible. Why not, worst case we would walk out with a toy for our cat. We made our way up, and a lone man was smoking outside. We walked in and soon after we were asked, «what do you want?». We turned around and explained we had been looking at dogs. He got rather verbal with us, not really explaining what this location does, but that it couldn’t help us. «This is a business» he continued to explain, I think referring that it is not a shelter. When I told him who advised us to come there, (Heather at Homeward Trails) he said I was wrong and she was a liar. He didn’t bother to explain that they did have cats, but that no one was there until after we mentioned we are also interested in one or the other. Even then he didn’t mention it was by appointment and that no one was available, just that it couldn’t be done, that the cat’s space was secure. He was hardly friendly, didn’t seem like he even liked pets — more like he was miserable and ready to go. I hope Homeward Trails other adoption locations aren’t as abrasive as this one. I had a much easier time adopting pets at both BARCS in Baltimore and the SPCA in Philadelphia. At least there the employees weren’t calling us liars — were generally helpful, and didn’t make us want to immediately leave. i’ll most likely turn to other rescue centers in a search for a companion for my current cat.
This was at 3:30pm on 1÷3÷16.

I took my 3-​year old Boxer for the trial and he was in a happy state when I walked him out. I’d never taken him to the doggie day care before. Since he got along fine with the rest of the pack during the trial period (he is of submissive nature), I had no hesitation of leaving him there for a full day.
I was happy to learn how the dogs are managed and how they use the pack hierarchy with them. The people working there are loving towards the dogs.

This review is for the daycare and pet taxi service. It’s convenient to set up the pet taxi and get the dogs squared away. The day care always goes well. Some staff are better with the dogs than others but all in all good stuff

This is a review for their daycare, boarding, and pet taxi services (I haven’t used their grooming services — yet).
As others have mentioned, it can be a bit hard to spot DPnCC when you’re driving in as they’re kind of in a back corner off the main road. However, once you know where they are, I find them to be easily located, and it has the added bonus of being a bigger facility than some I’ve seen.
Our pup loves going to daycare and is always happy and tired when I get him back at the end of the day. They always post pictures and videos on their Facebook page, and I spend more time than I should while at work going through photos looking for him! Their prices are reasonable — in fact, I think they were the cheapest of the daycares I looked at in the area by a dollar or two, and they offer memberships and packages that get you further discounts.
When you first sign up, they do a trial day to make sure your pup fits in with the pack, which is basically a free full day of daycare. They’ll also give you a tour of the facility, etc., and they feed and give medications with no additional charge, which is great for those days when Fido refuses to eat his breakfast.
We recently boarded our dog for the first time, just for one night, and that also seemed to go well. They crate the dogs in a big room so the dogs can look at/​hear each other, but the crates don’t touch, and even our dog, who hates his crate at home, seemed to like this set-​up, since he spent the whole night in his crate with no incident. If your dog just can’t handle a crate, they also have «zones» with little cots where your dog can sleep alone without a crate.
Another service they offer, which I love, is their pet taxi service. It’s super convenient and definitely helps out on those days when schedules just won’t fall into place. In my opinion, it’s reasonably priced, and it’s a service that a lot of places don’t offer.
My only complaint — and this is really very minor — is that I wish we would get a «report card» like other places do. The staff is always more than happy to give a verbal report, but having to ask them makes me feel like a helicopter pet parent. Our dog is a rescue and has only been with us since September, so especially as he’s still settling into our family, I like to have all the information I can get about how he’s doing. I did ask them once why they don’t do report cards and they said that doing them for so many dogs would take time away from actually taking care of the dogs, and they’d rather verbally answer any specific questions we have about how our dog did. While I understand this policy, I don’t often have specific questions — I just want to know how our dog did in general — so it would be nice if they allowed us to request report cards. (Once our dog has been with us for longer, I expect I’ll become less helicopter-y…haha.)
Our dog was a rescue through Homeward Trails Animal Rescue, with whom DPnCC also partners! It’s great to know that we’re using a company that gives back — they board many HTAR dogs and cats there (including ours before we got him).

My wife brought our Yorkie to get groomed here and mentioned that if there are tough spots with matted hair they can shave them out. They proceeded to shave him completely and got way too close in multiple areas leaving him with OPEN CUTS and lacerations. (Posting pictures to show). STAY AWAY! He has been miserable ever since the visit and is in pain when walking. If I could take legal action, I would. DO NOT USE THIS GROOMER!
Edit (10 days since): he has developed new scabs and rough spots over the week that weren’t visible before but clearly are cuts as a result of this grooming. He has been shaking and eating less since his visit. Avoid this place at all costs and please speak up if this has happened to your pet.

My dog loves it here… Great to get her energy out and they remember her name which I appreciate! :)

Really great staff. Love that they are supportive of Homeward Trails Animal Rescue, another great organization. My dog uses their daycare and dog walker services, and occasionally will get a nail trim for my pup. The location is tucked away behind all the shops and took me a second to find my first visit, you can’t see it from the road. They also have a good selection of toys, leashes and food to buy.

I’d give them zero stars if it was an option. Seriously, spent 2days trying to get my poodle groomed. They need groomers that know what to do and how to do it. Wish I could upload a picture of the dog I picked up after their second try. Never again!

I had taken my dogs here multiple times. They never seems too excited when I picked them up and their toe nails always seemed longer then when I dropped the off. I would always mention clipping their toe nails, but guess that was too much to handle. It wasn’t until we were out of town one weekend and I got them groomed by someone in the area that I realized my dogs will NEVER go back to Dog Paws. One of my dogs toe nail was so over grown it was growing back into its paw. Unexceptionable! Be aware!!!

Located in a corner of Seminary Rd in Bailey’s Crossing. Can be missed if you do not read the signs.
This seems like a great location for pet grooming — interiors are clean, doesn’t smell (of pets or the strong deodorizing odor after a pet has been groomed) and is plenty large to sit down. They have a lot of products for your pet, which you can purchase in case you are lazy to go to the pet store.
We scheduled an appointment for our shih-​tzu and we had a decent experience. A member of the team consulted with us for 15 minutes (since we were new). He asked us how we wanted our dog groomed (usually we just get the puppy hair-​cut) and gave us options of hair styles, and shampoos, which we found great: personalized service ++. He also acquainted himself with our dog, specially because our dog has some anxiety in a new surrounding. He mentioned that he would rather do it early on then just putting a muzzle or strapping the dog while grooming: care and concern for our dog ++.
Our dog had some matting and hence we had to go short on the cut, which is where we had some problems. We found some abrasions (from the clipper) on his neck and ear, and while I understand the short hair-​cut was necessary, I was a little put back by this: injury free –. But overall, we received our dog back in one piece :), with a nice little scarf on, he was not traumatized (like he has been at a few other groomers), and enough detail was put into the cut (his backside, nails etc.): attention to detail ++.
I will be returning here again with a cautious approach to give them another try, as we will not be needing another short hair cut (atleast for the time being). Price IMO is decent — we paid $ 65 + $ 10 (which included shower, cut, nail clipping, glands, ears, teeth brushing), but it depends on the size of the dog.
I would have given this place 4 or 5 stars, but am currently giving it 3 stars (actually 3.5 stars) because of the abrasions on our dog during the cut. Will update the review once we give this place another try.

Dog Paws and Cat Claws is a wonderful business and an outstanding member of the local community. Dog Paws and Cat Claws partners with Homeward Trails, hosting pet adoption events and adoption space. Dog Paws is a important participant in the local pet community. They have a wide range of services including behaviorists who can help work dogs. Every time I have gone, there is always great energy.

I love this place and am so glad my friend referred me to them.
I foster dogs from a great rescue organization and some of them can be leash aggressive so was never sure if they would be good in an open setting. Luckily, they will do a one day trial for day care to see if your dog will be okay. An added plus for those that foster is the trial daycare session is free. :) Daycare is great for me for those days when I know I am going to be out after work or gone most of the day on a weekend. Plus, if you can’t pick up or drop off your dog, you can order pet taxi. The staff do take pictures of the dogs so you can try to search the night of to see if your dog is in the pictures.
I used to have another dog walker but he unfortunately wasn’t reliable so I decided to use them for my dog walking. I always know when they are coming since they email to confirm and if I have to cancel I can cancel until 9AM the morning of. If you need a regular walking schedule their price is cheaper for that.
I’ve gotten my foster’s nails clipped while she was at daycare and they did a good job.
With the new loyalty app from Loyal Blocks, I got a free bag of treats today.
The staff is super friendly, knew who my foster dog was after just a couple visits, and very quick with responding to emails!

I was referred to DPnCC by a dog trainer who I brought in to help with my skittish dog.
I was worried he wouldn’t pass the evaluation, but they took care to introduce him slowly and he did just fine. He is always totally happy to get dropped off for boarding, and completely exhausted when he gets back! Staff is friendly and responsive by email, which is also a big plus.

This place is wonderful. The staff is always very friendly — after my second visit to drop my dog off at daycare they knew who I was and who my dog was without even asking. Their prices aren’t bad (actually among the cheapest of daycares I have found) at $ 33/​day (cheaper if you buy a package deal). On slow days, I have also found that they will run specials for day care. I also appreciate the fact that the day care portion of the facility is open from 0630 – 1930 (7:30pm) at night which means I can take my time picking my dog up.
The staff is excellent with the dogs and pretty experienced, as DPNCC will partner with Homeward Trails Rescue and house some of their dogs there. I actually adopted a HT dog who stayed at DPNCC for 2 weeks before I could take him and my dog was happy, healthy (and tired) when he finally came home to me. I still bring my dog to DPNCC if I am going to work late and he is always excited when we pull up to the building and exhausted when he leaves.
As a nice touch, the staff always take a ton of pictures of the dogs every day and posts that on FB. Its always enjoyable searching through the pics for a glimpse of your dog.
DPNCC also has a loyalty app now which gives people rewards like discounts on food, etc.

This place was great with my border collie Millie. She was a rescue and was skunked prior to our ownership. Kelly, the groomer was so awesome with her. She got a wonderful bath and she was so patient. Millie fell in love and it was cheaper than Petco. I felt the care was much better and Millie was calmer when I picked her up. I was so happy. I would recommend Kelly especially…

This review is strictly for Dog Grooming. We had an A-​OK experience here with our super anxious rescue dog. The staff was incredibly friendly and we were able to call Saturday and make an appointment early Sunday morning!
Pros:
— Kelly and the receptionist were very friendly!
— Grooming was completed in just 1.5 hours
Cons:
— This place was definitely the priciest place we found. $ 70 for grooming which should include the works — bath, haircut, ears, nail clipping, glands etc… but they were unable to clean his ears (he was too squeamy) and they ended up having to shave him because he had so many knots. (our bad for not brushing him daily like we should)
–We left $ 80 total (with tip) but it would have been nice to have been given a discount since they were unable to clean his ears.
— His shave job was a bit uneven so we had to make some tweaks when we got home
— Located in kind of a ghetto area… hard to find
— The groomer had already left when we came to pick up our dog so we didn’t get a chance to talk to ask her any questions

I’ve taken my dog here the past two years and also had a walker from them. My dog seems to really enjoy going there and always comes home exhausted. He is always so excited to be dropped off. Once had to switch walkers based on feedback from people in my apartment, but they were accommodating. Overall very happy especially with walker Brandi. The staff seem nice and they have always done an excellent job in fulfilling last minute requests and have never made a fuss when I needed to cancel or reschedule though late fees may apply. Also appreciate the taxi service and the fact that they changed their hours to open at 6:30 AM which makes it easier to get to work on time.
The only thing I would say is that they don’t necessarily have many perks for customer loyalty. My sister takes her dog to another place that regularly gives her free days for being a recurring customer and also has cameras and gives funny report cards. It’d be nice if they had more regular perks available, but they treat the dogs well so I’m happy enough to take my dog there.

My first visit was today and I must say I was HIGHLY disappointed. I recently relocated to Alexandria and needed to get my 2-​year-​old, 28lbs, cocker spaniel-​mix groomed. A friend initially told me that this was a great place and the Unilocal!Reviews reflected this as well so I felt comfortable making an appointment.
The appointment process was over the phone and very easy. I was told if I wanted to have her evaluated for Doggy Day Care I could and it happens every hour on Saturday. I scheduled an appointment. Upon arrival, the front office staff was friendly and attentive. I proceeded to process all my paperwork while my dog went back for evaluation. It was downhill from there…
An employee comes out to the front with my dog and she looks terrified. I was told, with an attitude, that my dog was snapping at all the dogs and was not fit for their environment. I was in total shock! I was then asked if I take her to Dog Parks to which I said no. I was told, «Well she needs to because she needs be socialized.»
First and foremost, statistics will show how dangerous dog parks may be. I’ve heard stories of dogs getting sick, dogs getting bit, and advised by my vet that dog parks account for a high number of vet visits due to the irresponsibility of pet owners to get canine vaccines and routine exams. So you can imagine, how upset I would be at this «non-​solicited advice.»
I informed the staff that my dog has been to Doggy Day Care before and could call the vet at that moment and confirm she has never had any issues. The previous vet separated the dogs based on weight and she fits right in. It has to be a process. As this conversation continues, other dog owners come in with their dogs and my dog is sniffing and interacting just fine. I show them this interaction. When that occurs, I am FINALLY told, «We don’t separate our dogs. We put her in with about 40 big dogs.» Well what in the you-​know-​what would you think happen if you walked into a room full of giants and left alone?! She was scared!
Since I needed to have my dog groomed, I allowed her to stay for her grooming appointment. They said she would attempt to socialize her with other smaller dogs to see how she reacts. I stated if she is stressed to crate her. I call after 30 minutes and low and behold, she is fine socializing with dogs her size. I pick her up from her appointment and she is stressed. I will not return.
I would NOT recommend this place if you have a small dog and would like them to socialize with other smaller dogs first before being thrown in a high-​energy pack. My dog has NEVER had a bad experience with her previous doggy daycare/​grooming facility until today. Never again…

I brought my super nervous, very anxious (but dog friendly) Pointer to DPNCC for doggie daycare back in January 2013 for the 6 months that we were planning to be in the DC area. We didn’t think just one walk a day would be sufficient for him, especially since we’re in a temp 1 bedroom apartment– so we decided to take him to the DPNCC in Bailey’s Crossroads.
From day 1, I was super impressed with the staff at DPNCC. The staff was extremely professional and willing to work with his shy and nervous personality. There was always someone at the front of the shop to greet him with friendly excitement and take him back into «the zone» to play. Over time, he became more and more comfortable with the staff and now he even started howling/​screaming when we get close because he’s so excited to play all day. He always comes home tired and happy.
The rates seem on par with other doggie daycare places in the area. And for peace of mind, care and attention– its well worth it. They also have a groomer which we used just for bathing in the winter time and the rates also seemed about normal for the area.
The only problem we had was during winter when our dog came home a few times with some respiratory and bacterial issues. Maybe its just normal daycare germ issues I’m not sure, but after March everything seemed to calm down and he hasn’t been sick since.
I would recommend DPNCC to anybody looking for all day pet care or some extra stimulation for their pets.

I love this place, as a foster for homeward trails I know that this place is a really good excellent quality service business. They may be a small business but its fantastic with the dogs & cats under their care. All the dogs there have fun and come home tired from playing all day long. The staff there is also amazing. They are very nice and respectful, not only that but they remember the dog and its owner. When ever I go to pick up my foster dog, they know exactly who I’m getting without me telling them.
The prices are more than reasonable for the service and treatment the little pups get. I would 100% recommend this place for anyone in the area that’s looking for doggie day care, even overnight. Specially if you have a Facebook, they always upload pictures of all the doggies playing.

My dog stayed here for a 5-​night boarding package on 2 separate occassions. He absolutely LOVED it both times, and doesn’t even look back to say «bye» when I drop him off *sniffle*…
The personnel here are wonderful and really care about creating a safe but fun doggie environment. It’s really just a nice big room full of other dogs, so I don’t get it, but my dog sure does! Then again, I’m just a silly human who doesn’t understand the pleasures of sniffing butts, rolling around, and licking things. ;-)
Anyway, this is the only place I’ll go from now on whenever I need short or long term boarding. When I picked up my dog this last time, I got a happy surprise when he was neatly bathed, groomed and clipped (I just paid for an exit bath). DPnCC groomers did such a good job, I almost thought I was picking up the wrong dog!