Just FUR Kids PlayGround

This review is probably going to be half a review for Just FUR Kids PlayGround, and half about how much I love my dog. If you know me this should be expected. Rita is my long haired black and tan miniature dachshund. I got her as a teeny tiny two pound puppy, and in my eyes that is how I will always see her. She sleeps under the covers with her head on the pillow like a human and drinks from a water glass (with ice). She is bossy and stomps her feet when she doesn’t get her way. She can differentiate the sound of the cheese drawer from the sound of the vegetable drawer from three rooms away. She is very important to me. For the first four years of her life I was either able to travel with her, or my brother was able to take her when I went on trips. My brother moved back home to New York and I already had a trip booked to Tennessee. I started frantically researching what I could do with Rita. The cabin I booked said no pets, but I considered sneaking her in. I considered begging my dad to come down to Florida for the week and take off work and be with her (he wasn’t thrilled with that option and told me to send her on a plane and he would get her at the airport). I thought about those dogsitter websites, but really you just don’t know how that’s going to go. I looked into some area vets that offered boarding and cage free doggie day cares. Nothing really clicked with me. Reviews were always mixed and I know at the end of the day at all those places the staff goes home. Rita would be alone for the night and that bothers me enough that I wouldn’t enjoy my vacation as much as I should. Thank god I found Shai and Just FUR Kids!
I contacted Shai back in September with my predicament. She explained to me her business model. She runs a doggie daycare with the option of overnight boarding out of her home. She only accepts small dogs and has one of her own. Unlike those dog sitter websites her business is an insured LLC. She explained to me that she has a doggie play room and a fenced in backyard, and that the dogs are never caged, and that they essentially have free reign in her home. They are free to play with the other dogs, or hang out with her and watch tv. It sounded like exactly what I needed so I decided to start Rita by doing a few daycare sessions. I dropped Rita off for her first day and Shai gave me a tour of the house explaining all the safety features including gates and locks and fences so that a dog escaping is not an concern. She also mentioned that she is pretty much always home, but on the occasion that she runs out her home is also monitored by video so she can keep track of things. She had me provide contact info, emergency contact info, and vet info, so I felt completely secure. I picked Rita up from her first day of daycare and I was pleased to find that she had done quite well. I continued to bring her in for daycare about once a week leading up to my trip. Rita always comes home happy and tired from playing, and she would be excited to go on the mornings I would tell her it was daycare day.
Finally after numerous trial daycare runs it was time for Rita’s overnight stay. Shai gave me a list of things to remember to bring for Rita and I packed her bag and dropped her off on Saturday morning. I was pretty sad, but I knew she was in good hands and that if I acted upset she would be upset, so I held it together. I enjoyed my first day of vacation and at the end of the day got a lovely text message from Shai with pictures of Rita assuring me how well she was doing (one picture she was even all cozy in bed in the covers). The rest of the trip I continued to get detailed updates, but it seemed Rita was doing great without me the whole time. When my five night trip was over I picked up Rita and she was thrilled to see me, but also seemed completely content. There was really no sign that she was bothered at all that she had been away from home (and me) for a few nights. It was such a relief and made my vacation so much more enjoyable than if she had been at a kennel.
I highly recommend Just FUR Kids to anyone looking for small dog boarding and daycare. I have noticed an improvement in Rita’s behavior since she had been having the social time around other dogs and will continue to bring her here even though my trip is over. This is just such an amazing business model and Shai essentially gets to be a stay at home dog mom (I’m pretty jealous). Pricing is incredibly reasonable and this service is priceless for the peace of mind. I now have a place I know Rita can go and be as comfortable as she is at home and I can travel and enjoy vacations without any worries.