Rivermist Pet Lodge

I took my toy poodle sometime ago and was charged $ 5 extra for him «not behaving» or «giving groomers hard time» or something like that. I wonder why, because my dog is always told he is very calm during grooming. He also came back with scratches (multiple) on his tummy. The only good thing is that they pointed out he may have ear infection which turns out to be right.

Wow — best experience ever with boarding. When we travel, we have used boarding rarely because of the lack of care and quality especially for the price.
This is hands down the best place. They really took fantastic care of our two dogs. One older Chihuahua and our much younger energetic Beagle mix. Both dogs were healthy and happy after two weeks. The staff is incredibly friendly and caring. Thank you. I would give more than 5 stars but Unilocal doesn’t have that feature.

This place should be 10 stars. My partner and I have a Frenchie, and he is like our kid. We visited a few boarding places in the area and they were horrible compared to Rivermist. The staff here are polite, responsive and — drum roll, please — actually LOVE dogs. Dog people know dog people, and these folks are dog people. Our dog pulls us by the leash INTO Rivermist and, much to our dismay, pouts for a while when we bring him home (of course, he misses his playmates and the wonderful staff!). The facilities are spotless and the fact that they let the animals outside (unlike many other places) makes this place a no-​brainer for anyone in the area. If you truly love your pup, Rivermist is worth every penny.

We recently started bringing our dogs to Rivermist, and we have had nothing but 5 star service in every aspect — we really trust them with our pets. The grounds are huge with plenty of room for the pups to play, there are a ton of options for different packages at different price points and the staff is always gracious and seems to genuinely love having our dog. One thing that really stands out is the sympathy card they sent when one of our dogs recently passed. They really go above and beyond! We will continue to board our dogs there and recommend it to family and friends!

Our kitties, Sam & Noah, have stayed at Rivermist a number of times. They are relaxed when they return from Rivermist, which is a great relief as a pet owner. Sam & Noah thank you (we do too!)

I have left my two dogs at Rivermist multiple times and I have always had a great customer service experience. My dogs have always came back happy as can be. Im not sure if I should be saying this but they even gave them a complimentary bath once when our shepherd got a little too muddy. Usually a charged item. The prices are fair and the staff is very nice. Our dogs are family, and should be treated as such. Rivermist does this for us when we cannot.
I will definitely keep taking our pets there.

They picked my dog Nino up Tuesday am as planned and kept him till Sunday December 1. He is quite old so he had their «senior package» — extra bedding, extra walk and extra TLC. I believe he also had a «roommate» — a feature they offer which I have always liked (my dog is very social). By the time we picked him up on Sunday he’d been fed and bathed and seemed quite happy. My husband thought the whole place looked beautiful and was very efficient. I’ve used them a number of times and have always been pleased. Most importantly, my dog can’t seem to wait to jump into their van and head out there!

Memphis is a 3 yo black tri Australian Shepherd. Memphis participated in «board and train» from July 25 to August 11. His trainer Mike Kitchen of Executive K9 evaluated Memphis prior to his stay. Mike was very encouraged by Memphis’ potential. When I went to pick Memphis up he was very happy and had bonded with Mike. Memphis learned to heal, sit, down and most importantly to me to come. Mike spent an hour training me to use his masterful techniques. I have osteoarthritis in both of my hands so being able to handle a young, athletic and highly intelligent dog is a challenge for me. Mike and the entire staff at Rivermist were sorry that Memphis had to leave. Memphis, my husband Barre’ and I just returned from a long walk where we practiced the skills I learned. Barre’ was pleasantly surprised that Memphis no longer yanks on the leash. We stood 20 to 30 feet apart and took turns getting Memphis to come to us. I am supremely happy with the training results and the improved fitness of my dog Memphis in such a short time. I highly recommend the «board and train» program.

Last weekend, my dog stayed at Rivermist for 3 days, 2 nights. This is the first time we’ve put him anywhere other than with family, so I was a bit hesitant about the whole experience. We chose Rivermist based on the recommendation of a friend. That said, I drove out with my wife well in advance just to check it out for myself.
The property is amazing. I wish they took in people! Not sure how big it is, but it is a lovely wooded setting, with hills and a great old home at the top of one hill. I believe the manager lives in the house. The dogs are in a separate building down the hill a bit.
The process to reserve space was very straightforward. I received a follow-​up phone call within a few minutes of submitting my reservation request on line. The person who contacted me explained everything clearly, including all of the requirements for vaccinations. Although I was immediately worried that I’d need I didn’t need to provide any documentation other than my vets’ name — the staff called the vet directly to get all the details. I then got a confirmation email with additional reminders and info.
I liked the number of options for various levels of service. I got the «active dog» package. Made me feel better that he was going to have extra interaction with people and also other dogs. He gets a couple of walks a day at home, so I wanted to ensure he would have a similar experience while away.
Dropping the dog off was simple and quick. There were two ladies at the front desk — one took my dog from me and the other talked logistics and confirmed my preferences for the options I had chosen. It all happened so fast that I didn’t even say goodbye to my dog… which is good. He didn’t seem to have a care and was very excited to get into the back area. It was only me who was feeling a bit sick at having to leave him. Wasn’t as bad as dropping my first born at nursery school for the first time — but close.
My father picked up my dog 2 days later (had mentioned this at drop off and they noted this in their system saying it was no problem). It all went smoothly apparently. My credit card was on file so there was no complication with payment. My father wasn’t able to get the car /​seat belt harness on the dog. The staff was able to get it on for him. My dog seemed happy and clean. So, it all added to be a great experience. Perhaps I didn’t need to be so anxious about leaving him after all.
The only suggestion I have for Rivermist is to put a directions link to Google Maps on their mobile website. I remembered where it was generally, but was trying to get directions on my phone while on my way to drop off (I was stopped at a light, but yes, I know I shouldn’t). Had to pull over and took a bit to find the address from the mobile version of their website. Maybe it’s easier if I had been on a pc.
We’re headed out for another long weekend next month. We’ll be bringing our dog back again.