The Animal Keeper

We have been taking our small dog to the Animal Keeper on a regular basis for several years. Our experience has been extremely good and our little pup is VERY happy going there to see and play with her friends. Even after all this time, when we turn down the street to head to the AK, she recognizes the area and starts getting so excited that she tries to get through the windshield to get there faster! That tells me a lot about her first hand experience there. We just love these guys and know our precious little girl is well looked after there!!!

My two furry babies Rocco and Sophie absolutely love going to the animal keeper in Poway !! All I have to say is «want to go play» and they both going running to the door! They get so excited and can’t wait to go play with their friends! The entire staff is amazing ! So kind, very helpful and always make you feel so welcomed and the dogs are greeted by name every time ! Rocco and Sophie play every two weeks, get regular grooming and board at the animal keeper Poway ! Fantastic place ! I highly recommend the animal keeper Poway ! Thanks you guys for taking amazing care of my furry babies!

We WOOF this place! I have been using Animal Keeper for OVER 10 years! Most recently my Boxer, Capone has been going to Animal Keeper. he LOVESSSSSSS the staff and the yard. Although he doesn’t play much, he just loves the fact that they (the staff) ALL pay attention to him, know his name and know where he likes to be scratched =)
Capone has recently been diagnosed with a heart condition which scares me to leave him, BUT Tom, the Manager and his staff know what to do incase of an emergency as well as they always assure me Capone is in the best hands possible. They know he can’t play, get excited and or be in the yard for a long time… so they give him breaks and LOTS of LOVE!
During any special occasion, Valentines, Christmas, etc, the staff makes CUTE gifts with our dogs photos on them and decorate the lobby! Then after the holiday passes they give us the photos/​gift! My fridge is decorated w/​all of these great photos they took of my boy!
If you need a great place for your best FURend and a staff you can trust, call Tom and he will give you THE BEST Customer Service that you will feel safe leaving your kid there =)

My name is Jake. I’ve been going to day care at this location two days a week for my whole life– 11 years. I even stay for the weekend occasionally. The management and staff is very professional and really gives of themselves to make sure I am cared for and get the attention I like-(getting scratched on the butt) I forget to tell u I am a yellow lab. So it’s all good at the animal Keeper. Come and play I’m there on Tuesday and Friday

We’ve been bringing our miniature schnauzer Maggie to the Animal Keeper in Poway for a year. We take her to day care on Tuesdays and Fridays so she can run around and socialize with other little dogs. We’ve also boarded her there when we go on vacation.
The staff, especially Tom, Adele, Angelea and everybody else are great. When I bring Maggie in she runs up to them tail wagging — glad to see them again. They take great care of her and of us. This is a great place to bring your pet.

The best place around to have your «baby» stay when you can’t be there! The staff is wonderful and loving and the owner is the best! Boarding costs are the lowest that I found after my research on boarding my big puppy (Great Dane) but the attention and care does not reflect the cost. I will turn to them every time and trust them with my «little girl»
Thanks

I’m not sure I can write a review that can even justify how great The Animal Keeper has been for my puppy. I rescued a puppy that had been severely abused (indicated she was used as a bait dog) at some point and wouldn’t even function around other animals. The best decision I could have made for this puppy was taking her to their establishment in hopes to help her fears and social behavior with other animals. Again, cannot come close to expressing how great the staff (every staff member that’s employed here) has cared for her. I take her there at least 3 times a week just because she loves it so much. Extremely grateful to everyone who works at The Animal Keeper!

Animal Keeper is the best!!! I’ve been taking my deaf boxer Snoop there at least 1 – 2 times a week for the past year and a half for doggy day camp and she absolutely loves it. The staff is always great, helpful, and I haven’t had any issues at all. Daycamp is affordable and they have always made room even last minute.

staff is low key and very accommodating
my ‘spirited’ wire haired fox terrier, arthur, loves to play at animal keeper and the schedule for overnight stays are great… i feel very comfortable leaving him there for an extended period :)

I frequently bring in my girl Lacie for doggy daycare, so i figured i should write a review! I know that she absolutely loves it. Right when we pull in the parking lot, she’s raring to go and excited to see the other dogs. Everyone is happy and excited to greet her, and remembers her by name every time.
It really makes me happy to see her happy, because she means the world to me. Since she has borderline separation anxiety, I can’t leave her at home, and I know she’d definitely prefer to spend the day with her doggie best friends. I drop off Lacie maybe once or twice a week, and the prices are very reasonable for a day of play.
A personal friend of mine works there, and she had told me that the gentlemen who were out in the yard that day were especially taken by her, and took pictures of her! (I like to paint her nails, so they stand out against her black fur.) I trust completely that my baby is being very well cared for and watched over during the day.
I love to come by and talk with the staff, and it brings me joy to see the good people that care for my girl. I will be picking her up from daycare later today, and I will miss her in the time being!

Like any other animal parent, we want the best for our little family member! Especially when you leave your dog in the hands of another person that you may not know.
We usually take our little guy, Zeus to another pet boarding center. But, since we were traveling up north, The Animal Keeper came up and was highly recommended.
I called and spoke to Angela, she was extremely helpful and explained everything they needed from me to have Zeus spend the night.
The boarding is just off of Poway Road on the 15, about a couple of miles after you exit. We pull up, with plenty of parking available. From the parking lot you can see the outdoor play area the dogs hang out at. ;-) We walk in and were immediately greeted by Angela and another staff member (I didn’t get her name, but she was extremely nice as well). We filled out some paperwork, since it was his first time there. They gathered all his things for him to spend the night and I requested if it was okay that I be taken on a tour so I know where he will be staying/​playing. Angela was kind enough to show me around.
The facilities are very well kept and organized! The back outdoor area was large and had a couple of pools for the dogs to play in (it is very hot in SD now these days). I was content and knew that Zeus would have a wonderful time.
Fast forward, to when I had to pick up Zeus. They provided me with a report card of how Zeus stay, a detailed receipt of the expenses, and all of his belongings. The minute we got into the car, Zeus was KTFO! Thank you The Animal Keeper for taking care of my little buddy! He will sure be coming back again!
Side note: They charge a $ 2 fee/​day if you bring your OWN dog food. Not sure if that is fair, but they do provide Blue Buffalo for free to feed to your dog. I would think it would be the opposite– I brought his own food since he is on a particular diet.

I really appreciate how The Animal Keeper staff has helped us with our puppy. She is 9 months old now, but we toured many places in San Diego when «Zoey» was 5 or 6 months old because we knew we would need an overnight kennel in the future. We adopted her when she was 4 months old and she is very timid. None of our previous dogs were timid at all, so this is a challenge for us.
First, the Animal Keeper in Poway is VERY clean. We have used plenty of boarding options in the past and this is the best.
Second, the staff are awesome with the animals. Every single one of them truly cares about your pet as well as the owner. We took Zoey in for a half day session of day care so they could see how she does and for her to check it out before we needed boarding. She did not do well at all. She was afraid of everything and everyone. Tom and his staff jumped right on it and did what they needed to do for Zoey to feel comfortable. We decided to take her in multiple times in hopes that she would warm up and join some pups for play. She made some good friends with staff members. Now she is always happy to see them. I cannot begin to describe how much work they put in to make Zoey feel at ease and want to come play with them. Next, they worked to introduce her to other the dogs while she was in boarding for a week. We received daily updates on how she was doing. Today, Zoey enjoys going to the Animal Keeper on occasion for play time during doggie day care. If the staff did not care so much, we would have never been able to socialize our dog. With their help, she has come a long way.
I would recommend the Animal Keeper for your day care or long term boarding needs. They go above and beyond to ensure your pet’s stay is a comfortable experience.

This is year 4 for me and my boy at the Animal Keeper. Iv said it before and I’ll say it again, The Animal Keeper is amazing! The facility is always clean, actually spotless! They keep things very organized and it feels warm and homey. The staff is awesome! Everyone is very professional, friendly, and they are always there if you have a concern or question. When I walk through the front door I always feel like I’m at home, like we are family. I absolutely love taking my boy for daycare during the week for socialization, he always has a blast! And it’s nice to have somewhere to take him for boarding if we are taking a vacation, I definitely have peace of mind when I drop my boy at the Animal Keeper. I know with 100% certainty he will be safe, well cared for, and loved on! I can’t emphasize enough how grateful I am to the Animal Keeper and their staff for all they do. If you’re looking for a doggy daycare, or a boarding facility, I highly recommend the Animal Keeper. You will not be disappointed!

The Animal Keeper is the worst place I have ever taken my pet for boarding. Upon pick up of our yorkie (a day early) she was found to be covered from head to toe in her own feces and urine. This was clearly a huge sign of neglect from the people we entrusted with her care. I have never been so disgusted. When we called to discuss this with them, they acted as if they were aware of the situation, but did nothing about it. I would not recommend this place to anyone!

It is primarily because of Animal Keeper that I am able to keep my pets. I am limited in my mobility and they are always solicitous to meet my needs and best of all, the needs of my dog, Baxter and cat, Dudley. Staff is awesome and management is what everyone wishes management would be everywhere you go. They address you by name, the staff is happy! Yes, they enjoy their job and love the animals! If you need to get away and leave your special pet companions with a loving and pet-​fulfilling environment, go to Animal Keeper in Poway!

I had been using Suzanne as my groomer at a different facility & lost touch when they closed. I happily found her again. When I walked in I was instantly impressed with how clean the facility is. Every one of the staff I encountered was very pleasant and helpful. My dog was a little nervous about the new place but was so happy to see Suzanne when she came out to greet us. He has always been happier to see her then any other groomer we have used and she gets him done in about an hour and he always looks and smells amazing. She is the best groomer I have found in San Diego, so glad we were reuinited.

Animal Keeper (Poway) has been a huge part of my life for more than 11 yrs. I used to drop off my girls to them on my way to work around the corner and pick them up afterwards. They always had big smiles when I came to fetch, I smile too because I know they had fun. Levi was my old brindle who couldn’t play with the regular size dogs because she was too old. Staff put her with the little ones in Tiny Tots camp, I called her Mother Goose.
Knowing they are in excellent care and having a fun day allows me to focus on my work.
All the staff members are very friendly and helpful, they know your pet as well as you and maybe a bit more. They took Moodie to the vet next door for little emergencies while keeping me informed at all times.
My kids get one on one time as well as playtime with other 4 legged friends.
I just had knee replacement surgery and had to send kids to boarding camp for 2 weeks. The manager is so awesome, he gave me a huge discount to help with my bill.
I will ALWAYS use Animal Keeper in Poway even for my kids even though it’s more than 15 miles from me because it’s hard to find a good and reputable kennel and my kids absolutely love them

I am writing this review for the day camp. We took our dog there for about a year (we recently moved) but we had a great experience with The Animal Keeper. They were very nice to our dog and I felt really comfortable with leaving him there (I’m a worried mom). They would give us updates at the end of the day on how our dog did and we were also able to call them to check on him too. The only thing I wish they had was a camera so I can see him play :)
Overall, a great experience and I am really sad to be leaving them!

We had a horrible experience at the Animal Keeper in August 2008. Unfortunately we moved soon after so I didn’t get to post a review, but we just moved back to San Diego so wanted everyone to know about our experience. Went there based on good reviews. Seemed like this would be a good place for dogs. Our dog, 2 years old, is very gentle and non-​aggressive, very well-​behaved. Gets along well with other dogs in parks and at other kennels.
When we came to pick up our dog, we couldn’t believe what we saw. Our lab had huge bites on his neck that were dry blood and multiple red punctures through his fur. The Animal Keeper people acted like they didn’t even have a clue it had happened when we pointed it out. They continued to deny any responsibility and blamed our dog, «he may have had a hot spot and dogs scratch themselves. They claimed it must have just occurred on the day of pick up and did not have have a vet evaluate and treat him. My husband asked to talk with the manager and had to had raise cane for the manager to finally concede and take responsibility. They finally ended up waiving the boarding fee and paying for the vet bill. He was on antibiotics and treated for this vicious attack bites. We were so shaken and upset by this experience. It’s our theory that there was inadequate supervision during the playtime and he must have been attacked by another dog.
i would NEVER use the Animal Keeper again. Be careful if you consider this place. Our dog is our family. We would never take such a known risk ever again. Now we know. We would have understood IF they had taken immediate action to get him treated, IF they had taken responsibility and been more professional about the whole experience.

I’ve been to a few other good dog grooming places, and quite frankly this place has exceeded my expectations when I dropped off my Holly, a pure breed husky for what I’d like to call her «spa day» at The Animal Keeper. Her overall looks including coat has never looked so nice!
Their great, friendly, and knowledgeable staff makes up for the quite-​a-​bit long drive for me from south San Diego. I ultimately recommend the Animal Keeper for your grooming or boarding needs.