Sunny Acres Pet Resort

Had a BAD experience here. My dog came back missing a tooth! And nothing was explained to me when I called to check on them. The only thing I got was, «I’m sorry we should have explained things to you when you called.»
Really…
Will never use them again.

Called today to get my dogs nails clipped, they told me to come right in! The service was quick and excellent, I will definitely be back.
Anna Hurt

Never had anything but wonderful experiences with Sunny Acres. The staff are incredibly kind, helpful, and accommodating. The day care program has been a wonderful way to get my high-​energy dog lots of exercise, and staff even e-​mailed me photos of my dogs while I was on vacation. Would not board my pets anywhere else.

Everyone there was very nice when I dropped my puppy off a few months ago. I left him a big bag of food and made it VERY clear he is to be fed twice a day and to fill his bowl up. (they have their own bowls they fill to the line only once a day and they are snack size but I brought my own it was about 2x that size) my mother picked him up since I would be getting home after they closed. When I saw him I almost cried. He had lost so much weight he looked anorexic. The first thing I did was pour him some food. After watching him swallow it whole and freak out, it was very clear they were starving him. I called almost every day to check on him and it was always he’s doing good. I cried when I fed him for the first time. I swear on my life. He had lost so much I felt so sad and mad and upset. Please do not trust this place with your pets. I have no reason to lie. I would never take my pet here. If I couldn’t find another place I would cancel my trip
In response to sunny acres:
Exactly. Why would anyone take the time to post a bad review about a business that hasn’t done anything wrong? Why would I make my private information and address public? I do not use my last name simply because I don’t need people looking me up on social sites or even bothering attempting to contact me after mistreating me or my animals. The reason I waited is because I am now going out of town and looking for a new place to put my animals in, after asking for opinions on Facebook, I ironically was given a warning about you guys and it reminded me that I never took the time to make one. It kind of blows my mind that you would come back with a response such as «fake post» goes to show the character of the people working there.

I would give zero stars if I could. This place was extremely insensitive and rude about returning the $ 50 deposit to my mom after the unexpected death of my father. We have been using Sunny Acres for almost 20 years but after the way we were treated by someone in management we will NEVER come back. They insisted on a 7 day cancellation policy after we explained the circumstances. Obviously zero compassion and it felt like a slap in the face during an extremely difficult time. I’d recommend any kennel but this one.

I’ve been taking my dog to Sunny Acres since she was a puppy. She absolutely loves going to SA & is so excited the minute we pull in the parking lot. Great staff! The dog handlers know her by name & I can tell she loves being with them by her reaction. Caroline is a breath of fresh air, always smiles & very helpful. Five years later she goes once a week for a good day of play & fun!

We boarded our rat terrier, border collie/​bulldog mix, and plott hound during the week of Fourth of July, and we couldn’t have been happier with the service — from the website information to the initial call of questions and then reservation to drop-​off and pick-​up. We had all three room together and paid extra for outdoor time. Cha-​ching, right? Actually, no. The prices are so much more affordable at Sunny Acres than at other boarding facilities I researched. So affordable that we decided to add grooming and nail trim for all three. Also at pick-​up I was given a verbal and printed recap of the dogs’ behavior and activities during the week. We’ll definitely use Sunny Acres again for boarding.

I was very confused about the pay system, despite the website and asking questions over the phone. After paying my deposit and checking her in, I discovered I could only afford one bathroom break a day. When I came back, the receptionist had mis-​quoted the price, and it turned out to be even more expensive than I expected. To their credit, the manager was very understanding of my complaints. She explained that they have a lot of service fees so that customers can mix and match. She refunded the difference, and I wanted to like them for this consideration. But several health incidents were not acceptable for me:
1. Ticks
2. Diarrhea
3. Respiratory infection
The manager explained that Durham woodsy area and not much can be done about ticks … but they also gave her a bath the last day and the did not notice the ticks. And I did let them use a different dog-​food — stress and food changes can cause diarrhea, BUT this has not happened to my dog boarding in the past. The manager said not to worry because they cleaned mess in the dog rooms daily. but no wonder there is so much mess if dogs often get sick and some only let out once a day!
Finally, the day after I picked her up, she came down with a severe case of reverse sneezing. If you haven’t seen this before, it’s horrifying … I thought she was choking and panicked. But the vet tells me that she has a respiratory infection. Although she’s vaccinated against bortedella, there are other viruses that can be spread. She was in a private ‘room’ except once a day when she was supposed to have an individual play break. I had specifically asked for individual bc she is intimidated by other dogs. For this to happen, there were either cleanness issues with the handlers, or just too many dogs/​activities for them to manage on a holiday weekend.

we were @ Sunny Acres daily for 6 months visiting our dog who was quarantined there after the neighbors cat bit his butt & hind leg.
the staff & owner were great to us and did as good a job with Puddy as could be expected given the nature of his quarantine and our inability to interact with him the way we would like.
facilities were clean and all dogs/​cats are well taken care of… and, again, we were there everyday seeing dog/​cats/​staff and how they all interact.
could the facilities be nicer? … probably. I could imagine a fresh coat of paint here or there or updated web pages/​cam, etc… but the most important pieces are in place and working very hard to make sure your pet’s time there is enjoyable… and for that I’m thankful and can only say great things.

Honestly, I can only review as grooming for my cat.
She is an exotic Persian who happens to be really divalicious, however I have a lot of trouble brushing her, you can guess why but the divalicious comes into play. So of course I have to get her shaved at least once a year because of the mats.
This is the only place I go and for good reason, they take great care of Lily and get the job done quickly with no stress to her, I drop her off and in a couple of hours I pick her up. No muss, no fuss and lily is always happy after a hair cut. LOL

I’m so shocked by some of the reviews here that I have to wonder if we’re talking about the same place. Our dog has been going to day camp at Sunny Acres 3 times a week for a year and we have never had any problem or concern at all. I have no complaints with the care he receives or with the staff with whom I interact. The owner is onsite all day, every day, and given the way the dog bounds out of the car and greets the ‘yard staff’ I feel confident he is happy and treated well. I don’t know what the reviewer who mentioned turnover is talking about since the office staff, groomer, and several yard staff have been there the entire year we’ve been going. Also, our dog is in a large pen with other dogs all day and I have never had any problem with him being injured. I can’t recommend Sunny Acres highly enough.
Update: This review was written in July 2012. Everything still holds true in January 2013.
Update August 2014: All remains the same…
Update July 2015: All remains the same, after 3 years. We are very happy with the care our dog receives from Sunny Acres staff.

Day campers may be okay, but DO NOT BOARD your animal here. The treatment of boarded animals can be inhumane and hinges on how much $$$$ you pay. For heaven’s sake, tour the area where your pet will be boarded and ask how often your pet will be let out of its cage. This business has an extremely high employee-​turnover rate. Please do your homework before boarding your pet here.

We live in Charlotte, but spend a lot of time in Durham. My dog loves Sunny Acres! He’s done the whole experience — day camp, boarding, grooming. Everyone there has been friendly and professional. They go out of their way to get to know the dogs, what their personalities and temperaments are, what they like and don’t like. They seem to be very careful to appropriately group dogs together by size and behavior — no extroverted, bouncy Lab puppies in the same place as shy, timid Yorkies! There have been times when I’ve had to bring him to day camp on short notice, cancel or short notice, or board him on short notice. They’ve always been very understanding and have had no problems meeting our needs.

the people are great. Boarded my dog here multiple times. the weird thing is the pricing. I did one of the «cards» and never had any idea how it was calculated or how much i had left. Weird charges about extra hours or walks or day care + boarding made me feel like I was just tossing dollars towards making my dog happy. I spent a lot it turned out — but my dog was happy. But still — the weekend schedule never works in terms of drop off and pick up — where I would like to be able to drop off sat am and pick up sunday evening but never quite figured out a way to do it where it wasn’t seriously expensive. But it is truly my favorite option for long term or for day care… but for a few days it seems to be added-​on expenses that make it out of reach for my measly income.