Four Paws Hilton

I was searching for a pet boarding service for my new puppy when I came across the «5 star» reviews of Four Paws Hilton. I was horrified to see this, and had to write my review.
My review is certainly for a stay long ago (2010), but is definitely relevant to the unsuspecting pet owner who is considering using this facility.
We had left our 11 yr old AKC registered GSD at the kennel when we went out of the country for a 5-​day holiday in April 2010. She had stayed there previously for a couple days, and had no issues; so we thought we were keeping our baby safe. She was a large but well trained and usually well behaved dog.
However, this time, as soon as we landed in our destination, we received a call saying that our dog «ran away». There was no explanation as to why, and all we were told was that they would look into the SPCA and other dog pounds. I was frantic, but could not get return tickets until the day before our planned return. When we finally came back to Fresno, and enquired at the front desk, we were shown photographs of the open gate (no damage to indicate a breakout), and shown around the facility. The man at the desk told us that there were reports that a young boy in the neighborhood was walking with a large black dog with rope around the neck; however, they had no further information. There was no mention of any effort to find our dog. After arguing, they did refund our money, but no apologies were given, and certainly made no effort to help us locate our dog. I spent many many hours posting lost dog signs, driving around the neighborhood, posting ads on craiglist lost page, and driving to every pound in the city weekly. I finally stopped looking in 2011 for my sanity.
Therefore in my opinion, no caring pet owner should even consider this place worth visiting. If you love your pet enough to board them, I strongly recommend that you look elsewhere. The extra money you spend elsewhere is really worth it.

My Mastiff loves coming here whenever we need to leave town. He gets so excited when we pull up in the parking lot! The other review pretty much sums up the nature of this wonderful place. The other thing I love about sending my dog here is they «usually» offer grooming services which I take advantage of prior to picking him up & bringing him home. Leaving our dog at Four Paws Hilton gives us complete PEACE of mind & we’re all able to enjoy our time away.

I started using Four Paws Hilton about 6 years ago after 2 horrible experiences with Elaine’s.
I love this place. It is cageless boarding, in that the dogs are not in individual kennels but are grouped according to temperament. They are able to play and frolic with each other. There are general pens for the dogs, some indoors and some outdoors. The dogs are fed individually and toys are not allowed to prevent conflict.
Joe, the owner, is a master with the dogs. He knows how to group them and how to keep them from mayhem. He’ll want you to bring your dog in beforehand for a ½ day, no charge, so he can get to know it and see its temperament. You provide your own food for the dog during its stay.
Now, this isn’t your typical pet boarding. It doesn’t look like a fancy hotel when you go in, and some people are uncomfortable with that. But my dogs have always been very well cared for while there. One one occasion, one of my dogs twisted her paw a little while romping around. Joe brought her to the vet to make sure there wasn’t a problem. She was totally fine and he didn’t even charge me for the vet visit.
I occasionally need to leave town for an extended period, like 6 weeks. I couldn’t imagine leaving my dogs in boarding where they are stuck in a cage all day with one walk or short playtime. At Four Paws, my dogs play all day long and are super happy when I return.
I will say that if your dog is on the nervous side, or has strong medical needs, this might not be the best place. You won’t be able to send your dog with his favorite blankie, and it probably won’t work out to have your dog’s gourmet treats administered at 3:15pm each day like at home. It really is just a fun puppy romper house with a loving, knowledgeable owner whose been doing this for decades.
The prices are great and he is more lenient with drop-​offs and pickup times than most places. He can also accommodate late requests for boarding better than most. I heard they have a new water activity section now too. Can’t wait for my pups to play in that!