Dog-a-holics

This place would be better if they allowed you to pay per day

Easily the best dog daycare in Chicago. Fair pricing, friendly & caring staff, open cage environment.
We’ve taken our dog here for daycare and boarding for three years now. 0 complaints.
Simply the best!

I’ve been meaning to write this review for years. but I’ve been «busy» like most people, and I hope it’s compelling enough that it’s the first review I’ve ever taken the time to write!
Dogaholics is hands down the best daycare facility in the city. our 80-​lb rescue mix Wolfgang first started attending daycare in the summer of 2013. he was a frisky 6-​month-​old that was not trained in the least. handlers Christine, nick, ferrone and others took it upon themselves to get the basics down and teach Wolfi some manners.
as a neurotic first time dog mom, I would call for updates and Brian, the manager, would kindly and patiently talk me through their policies and procedures (what they do when it’s –10 degrees out, disciplining, grooming, minor injuries, etc) and follow up with an email days later checking back in. each day we get a hand written note telling us what Wolfi did that day, who he played with, if any incidents or accidents occurred (Wolfi was a troublemaker during his 1-​year adolescent phase!!), which no other facility does I don’t think.
the owner Candace is a lovely, genuine woman who loves dogs, and the staff is incredibly passionate. we had a heartbreaking situation on our hands when Wolfi bit a stranger when I was 8 months pregnant. it was traumatizing and I was a hormonal wreck. we got numerous phone calls and emails from staffers (and even an offer to adopt him from one of the handlers!!) and we felt truly supported.
the trainer named Jordan (an Aussie) that they recommend is a dog whisperer and gave us great advice about how to deal with wolfi’s anxiety. he-​and everyone at DAH-​was a godsend. now Wolfi is doing awesome, and we are so glad we decided to keep him in our family. it’s been an emotional roller coaster but we are seeing steady improvement.
thank you to everyone at Dogaholics for taking such great care of Wolfi-there’s no better indication that we have a happy pup than his crazy tail wagging and jumping whenever his ride, Nick, arrives to take him to daycare.

I just moved out of Dog-​a-​holics service area and my greyhound and I are pretty much heart-​sick over it. We used their day-​care and boarding services for two years and always knew our dog was in good hands. On her last day at day-​care, the whole dog-​a-​holics crew signed a super sweet card letting us know how much they loved taking care of our girl. Such a great place!

Stopped in this place leaving Deleece restaurant on a Sunday! Such a move little shop with beautiful and unique items for dogs. It isn’t a large store for the size, the selection is really great! I loved the fact that they has doggie treats and water outside for the pooches, which is always a plus for me. Check them out.

Nice people, and great to have both an indoor & outdoor play space! They seem to really keep an eye on dog group behavior, too, which is always helpful!

Review for the Daycare services:
My dog has been attending daycare at Dog-​a-​holics for almost 4 months now. He goes for the full day 1 – 2 times a week. The staff is very friendly, intelligent, and proactive in the dogs day. I enjoyed walking in and seeing that they knew all the dogs names and seemed to pay close attention to their interactions. Judging by my dogs excitement when we pull up to the storefront, I think things are going well!
My only «complaint» is price but it is comparable to any other dog daycare in the city.

I took my 6 month old goldendoodle here to get her first «adult» haircut and I thought the result was a joke! The cut was all uneven on the sides of her body and the front legs were cut completely short with tufts of long hair left in some spots. She did have some knots when I took her in and those were gone when I picked her up, at the price of looking ridiculous. I have no experience with dog haircuts but I guarantee I could have done a better job. I was rushed to pay as my dog was coming out so I could barely get a good look at her until I got home. I thought about bringing her back but if they can’t do it right the first time, what would change with the second time? Even with the 15% off being a first time customer, it was still close to $ 70. Biggest waste of money!

This is for the groomer specifically. I moved into the neighborhood about 6 months ago and was thrilled to have a groomer so closeby. First off, my dog is a 15 pound boston/​shih tzu mix and is the sweetest girl however she does not like getting her nails trimmed. After telling the groomer this at our first appointment, I pick up Penny (my dog) and am told that she ripped her nail trying to get out of the muzzle so hard. Not sure why they didn’t stop before it got to that point but whatever.
I’ve taken her in for grooming since without getting her nails trimmed and it’s so-​so… nothing special and a little pricey but super convenient for someone without a car. Well I took her in today just for a nail trim and said she may just need one person to hold her while she’s muzzled so the groomer can trim the nails. I’m essentially told by the groomer that my dog won’t let her touch her nails and we’re shown the door with no apology.
I never got a very nice/​welcoming vibe from this chick in the first place but now she has sealed the deal… never going back.

We were traveling through Chicago on a cross country trip and our Scotty was over due for a haircut. I am always a bit nervous about his haircuts because he has gotten a couple of bad hair cuts along with some bad experiences with the groomers in the past. And anyone who knows Scotties knows they are not the most easy going dogs. They did an amazing job though! One of his best haircuts! If they can do such a great job on a cantankerous and grumpy Scotty I highly recommend them to take care of your dogs! Thanks guys!!! Sir Hartigan looks so handsome!:)

This place is horrible. I had my dog groomed here, and they cut her paw, but NEVER told me. The next day, it was bloody and she needed stitches. When I called them to inquire as to why they didn’t tell me, they said oh they noticed a hot spot, but no big deal. I was lied to and their manager was completely useless. I will never return there again and I hope no one else takes their pet here. They should not be in business.

Well sad to say I will never bring my dog back here again. I have been coming here for years not often but at least over 10x the last 2 times were for the grooming (which i liked the groomer) unfortunately for the one girl who was working the front desk and made the groomer now lose what could have been a good client. Anyways to get to the story i had an appointment for my dog to be groomed today at 1130am i happened to be in the area and at 10:20 am brought my dog in and asked if he could do 1 hour of playtime before his grooming the girl at the desk at this time said of course it would be no problem and that it would cost 8 extra. At 12:20 i got a call that Brody was ready so i went to pick him up immediately as i walked in a new snotty girl was at the front and said Brody was no longer allowed to play there because he lunged at a dog (which first off i have a boxer) he’s never once showed aggressiveness toward anything but i get it sometimes things happen. But i think it could have been dealt better with. Then when i go to check out she tells me some bs price and i ask for a breakdown 65 for grooming and 16 for dog play. I let her know the girl said it was 8 and she tries to tell me i dropped him off 2 hours prior which i did not so with a snotty attitude she tells me fine. This girl should realize not to act like a snotty brat when you work with people. So now i will never step foot in there again and i will also let all my neighbors who go there as well!

This review is for the grooming experience at this location, which we could not have been happier with! We have a 6 month old golden doodle who was due for his first hair cut. We were worried about getting him groomed because he is pretty squirmy at this age and we also didn’t want him buzzed like some other golden doodles we’ve seen. We expressed these concerns to the groomer, and she assured us he would be fine. We picked him up about an hour and a half after we dropped him off, and he was perfect! He didn’t seem traumatized at all and had a super cute haircut — a trim, not a buzz, just like we asked. I would definitely recommend Dog-​a-​holics for getting your golden doodle trimmed just right!

While on a road trip from New York to California, I dropped my dog off for daycare here in order to attend a game at Wrigley and do some basic sightseeing in Chicago. They are a tad bit expensive, but they are extremely thorough. The dog handler’s questions were on point and he took time to explain his methods for handling dogs and certain behaviors. They do not engage in any sort of negative reinforcement which is very important to me. I had full confidence that they’d take great care of my dog. It was worth the money!

This review is for their dog walking services only. I called to set up an in-​home visit to sign paperwork, ask necessary questions, show them how to get in, etc. This all went fine and I was happy with how quickly I could get an appointment for this visit.
We started walks the following Monday. In the many forms they had me fill out during the home visit, I indicated I needed walks Monday-​Thursday between 11:30 am and 1:30 pm (they require a 2-​hour window).
The first day came and went, no complaints. They left a note with information about how the walk went, etc.
The second day, my husband come home to no note. We called, concerned, since, without a note, I really have no assurance anyone actually came. They assured us someone came at 10:30 but just «forgot» to leave a note. First, 10:30 is an hour sooner than we requested (they had written down that we told them between 11 and 1, so 10:30 was only a «little» early. In my view, a half hour early when I am required to give a 2 hour window is still too early, regardless). We didn’t get any information about who the walker was, what he did on his walk, etc, and, to be perfectly honestly, we were skeptical anyone came at all.
The third day, I took a picture of exactly how I left the leash, poop bags, treats, etc. on the table so we could compare how we found those items at the end of the day. I got home from work that day to a dog that was losing his mind. Sure enough, I compared the picture I had taken in the morning to the way the relevant items were left on the table, and they weren’t moved an inch. I called and left a message indicating that it did not appear my dog had received a walk that day and I expected a call back with an explanation.
I did receive a call back about an hour or so later. They admitted that my dog did not receive a walk, that there are a mix-​up since there are two dogs with the same name. They offered me my next walk for free and apologized. I understand that mistakes happen, but the fact that we are unsure if walk #2 really did happen, walk #3 definitely didn’t, and their systems are so poor that they can’t keep two dogs with the same name straight, we had to take our business elsewhere.
I was really excited about finding this company, as I liked the idea of it being our «one stop shop» for all things dog-​related (e.g. boarding, grooming, daycare, walks), but now I am focusing on business providers that do one thing really well. The peace of mind knowing my dog is actually not being left alone all day is worth it.

This review is the for the daycare and dog walking shop, NOT the retail boutique.
My wife and I moved to Chicago about 6 months ago from the suburbs of NJ so we were worried that our two dogs would not adjust well to city living. ironically, the one we were worried about is fine and the more social of the two is having a nervous breakdown. Dog-​a-​holics to the rescue!
We work from home and while our girls have company all day, we are at work so going for daytime walks is hard. Tara our regular dog walker is fantastic and the girls love her! We also appreciate the flexibility these folks give us when we need an evening walk or dinner feed as they always seem to be able to accommodate our hectic schedule.
This past week showed me how aces they are when I changed the schedule on them by moving a walk from Friday to Thursday. They came both days, realized they did that and gave us the Friday walk for free. That was unnecessary but much appreciated.
And since it was Valentine’s Day, our girls got treat bags with a tennis ball and cookies. Our Pit /​Boxer mix has commandeered both tennis balls as her, making our Weimaraner sad… Poor dog… They also gave us gifts for Christmas /​Hanukkah which the girls also loved. What a nice thing to do.
We have now gone to doggie daycare twice and so far, so good. Remember — our dogs are suburban dogs and not used to other dogs but the staff is always present, does a nice job of integrating new dogs int the pack and making sure the dogs are set up for success. Our girls can be a bit «nippy» with others they don’t know but so far, no incidents. Yea!
We are so lucky to have Dog-​a-​holics in our area as it makes living in the city with two big dogs much easier. Our next test will be to stay away overnight and have the girls babysat by someone from the shop. This is a big test and here’s to hoping they pass! But if whoever watches them is as friendly as the rest of the crew at Dog-​a-​Holics, I’m sure they’ll be just fine.

I’ve never used Dog-​A-​Holics for Day Care, but this is my go to place for Grooming. First, a little background– I feel like there are not enough words for me to describe how insane my dog is. She’s a 1 year old Golden Retriever, about 65 lbs. She wants to be on your lap at all times, even if you are standing. She jumps, 4 legs off the ground, and can reach your face. She’s crazy. I would rather do anything– ANYTHING, than have to try to give her a hair cut. We keep her cut pretty short, which means she’s in there fairly regularly. The groomer, who’s name is escaping me, always does a great job. Several reasons why–
1. I appreciate her personality. Upon my arrival, I try to make some stupid apologetic joke about «her favorite customer» or «sorry in advance»! She laughs and rolls her eyes at me, and always says «oh Joey,» with a kind slight dread in her eyes.
2. She does such a great job. As I mentioned, we keep the pooch short– but not buzzed. Tough look to master– not too short, not to shaggy… but she always looks great. Never a random line of extra short buzz, which shocks me, given how hard it must be to have her sit still while grooming her.
3. I have tried a few other groomers in the area, and I haven’t been as happy as with Dog-​A-​Holics. Their prices are all comparable, too.
4. The place itself is great. Friendly staff, happy pooches, local feel, just an overall nice establishment.
If you’re looking for a groomer, I would absolutely recommend Dog-​A-​Holics.

I’ve worked at a lot of dog care facilities in the city, from neighborhood no-​frills to luxury facilities with therapy pools and treadmills.
As someone who worked for Dog-​A-​Holics, I can say that this place is top notch. They truly care for your mutts and really communicate with owners on how your dogs are doing. They cater to all kinds of needs, from dog walking on holidays to transportation services to and from daycare. You won’t find nihilist dog handlers or dangerous facilities here. It’s grown exponentially, but the staff still treats every dog like their own and makes sure your dog is happy, healthy and safe.
Plus, Kathy, the groomer, is phenomenal. Your dog will never look better. Keep an eye out for daycare specials as well for grooming.

This is the daycare center. Their dog supply store and bakery is across the street.
As a daycare center, the dogs inside always look happy and well-​tended. We haven’t left our babies here, but we have brought them for playtime on the back patio.
As with the store across the street, the people here are very friendly and easy to work with.

This is for the groomers and day care store. I’ll make it short and sweet:
Pros:
Did a great job
Quick Pickup time — 2 hrs for 2 dogs
Was easy to make an appointment for the next day
Cons:
Prices aren’t very clear
Wish they’d do bows or a treat or something
$ 106 for 2 dogs under 10lbs each seems like a lot to me
I’ll go back again for a good job, but I might shop around for more reasonable prices for such small dogs.