The Grateful Dog

The Grateful Dog is the best doggie day care, without question. We love that they have both indoor and outdoor space, everyone there is super friendly, and most importantly, they truly love and take individual interest in EACH of the dogs. We looked into a place in Marin, as my wife works there, and they actually charge you extra to play with your dog — not our kind of place. We also boarded our Bearded Collie, Clyde, with them while my wife had our first daughter a week ago, and they were angels. We could not be happier, and Clyde absolutely loves the Grateful Dog.
–Roger

Before I started looking for a new dog, I researched all the daycare and boarding options in San Francisco. The times I traveled out of town or if I couldn’t take my dog to work, I needed to know my dog was having fun, would be fed at the right times and close to home. I’ve found the people at Grateful Dog to be caring and responsible. They were more flexible to accommodate my schedule than others I researched and I appreciated the positive reviews from other dog owners.
That was 4 years ago and my dog has grown up with the people at Grateful Dog. It’s been a good partnership that I’m happy to recommend to anyone with a dog in SF.

There’s no other place in San Francisco that I’d take my dog and I’ve tried most. What really impressed me about Grateful Dog was that their staff truly cares about my wishes (and I can be quite demanding). My dog is not easy, but their staff goes out of their way to make sure that she is given all of the attention that she needs and deserves, and they communicate with me throughout the day through email and Instagram and photos. With a busy work schedule this piece of mind is everything to me. We love the weekly report cards, keep up the good work!

We are neighbors to The Grateful Dog, and it has been just the greatest pleasure to have them near us. They are kind, sensitive and caring, and they have helped us on numerous occasions even though they really didn’t have to. Whether it is keeping keys or packages, they have gone out of their way to be great neighbors. They are also so caring with the dogs — I see folks coming in and out all the time, where the dogs are excitedly trying to enter the space, and as soon as their humans barely open the door, they rush in. They are also tail-​waggingly happy on their way out. Humans + dogs seem pleased all around! And as neighbors, we really could not have asked for more. We are blessed to have them live next to us, they make our time here on Lombard Street so much better! Thank you so so much, Ernie + Grateful Dog Team!

I came across the Grateful Dog from the positive reviews and tried them out almost 2 years ago. I judge a place based on my dog’s reaction and since that first day, Gretzky basically drags me back to the door any chance he gets; even when we’re just walking by. Not only is my dog pooped when we get home, but he’s happy when I pick him up. The staff sent me photos when I left on a long vacation which was so nice of them! I also did puppy training classes here and had a great experience. I’m moving across the country and already wishing there was a Grateful dog on the east coast.

The ONLY decent thing that you could do now is accept responsibility for your actions. Instead, you have chosen to lie. Saying that this tragedy «could not have been avoided» is a lie. You left the front door propped open while you were loading supplies from your car — simultaneously, another careless member of your staff opened the pen door. Those negligent acts resulted in providing our dog with a path out of the pen and out the the front door. He was killed by a car shortly thereafter.

This was my dog’s 3^rd time being here and will also be the last. I have a 14 months old cattle dog mix who seems to have more energy everyday, he does come home pretty tired after and is ready to take a long nap. However as far as the staff goes… they are NOT friendly, at least not from my experience. I dropped my dog off this morning around 10am and the guy who came to get my dog didn’t say one word to me, I said good morning to him and told him my dog’s name… he acted like he didn’t hear me, just grabbed my dog’s leash and went it. When I picked my dog up around 4, the girl who was there didn’t even bother to come out to greet me, she poked her head out from behind the gate and asked if she could help me, I told her I was picking up my dog, and of course with all the dogs barking like crazy she couldn’t hear what I said, so I had to yell at her over and over… finally I just stopped and waited for her to get the common sense to quiet the dogs. Sadly this was not the first time it happened, all 3 times my dog has been there they never told me how my dog did, if he got into a fight with anyone, and whenever I called to see how he was doing they were always very short with me, I hate feeling like I’m asking them to do me a favor when this is their job… all the people I have interacted with there seem to care less about their jobs, and I don’t want people like that to take care my dog.

Love this place!!!
I’ve been bringing my dog here for about 4 to 5 months now, and definitely recommend to anyone looking for a doggy day care. All the staff here is super friendly and really nice to my over hyper dog. My dog gets super excited when I drop him off every time and you can tell the staff loves him.

The grateful dog has been a lifesaver several times! I’ve brought my dog in last minute on a few occasions, and they’ve always been able to accommodate him. They’re great about accepting bully breed dogs, (which there are often biases against). The staff is kind and my pup always comes back exhausted — which is no small feat.

Sharon and her staff at the Grateful Dog rate 10 stars from us. When we moved to SF several years ago, we struggled to find a decent daycare for Ben, our rescue Tibetan Terrier. He was anxious meeting new dogs despite a special training class and didn’t want me to leave him anywhere. However, he immediately liked coming to the Grateful Dog. Although we recently left SF, we still bring him there when we can. He gets so excited as we enter Lombard from the bridge and announces his arrival with happy barks. We are very happy Sharon and her staff have helped Ben and provided training advice even before they had classes. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for your care.

Our big rhodesian ridgeback LOVES this place! She drags us there every time. They take great care of her and is excited whenever she goes there. I really like how they mix big and small dogs bc our pup has learned how to play with smaller dogs.
Highly recommend!

My dog Orelia is the love of my life; and I wouldn’t even think of boarding her anywhere except The Grateful Dog. I started a new job last year that requires me to travel 50−60% of the time. The Grateful Dog has become Orelia’s second home; and they take amazing care of her.
Thanks to all the awesome people at TGD… Sharon, Ernie, Karla and team. Orelia loves you and so do I! ;-)

One of the hardest parts about relocating to a new city is finding a trusted place to take care of our dog, Sammy. Sammy is a rescue and immediately thinks that all dogs are his friends but he does not easily trust people. Sharon and her staff have earned Sammy’s trust and affection with their patient and nurturing ways. Sammy eagerly goes to «camp» at The Grateful Dog and we feel confident that Sharon and her staff are taking care of Sammy so that we can enjoy our time away without worries. Definitely a five star experience!
Marty & Ginny D.
San Francisco

How I love The Grateful Dog. Let me count the ways!!!
Firstly it takes a special person who can put up with my Cookie. While at home she is quiet and independent, when she’s not with me she gets needy and yappy (oh so yappy). Groomers have turned her away because they can’t deal. Not Sharon and her staff. They accept Cookie for the crazy needy ball of fur she is and even try to teach me ways to control it.
The hours are also really great for a working person and if I get stuck in a meeting or need extra care Sharon is great about helping out as long as I let her know in advance.

Zoe has been with grateful dog since she was a puppy, and we know it is always a place she looks forward to going to. Like welcoming home! We have appreciated so much the care and attention they give to her, and always update important details in her development. Our work schedules can be challenging, and always they have accommodated the needs to make things easier for us, with so much kindness. We are yes, grateful!

Sharon is so nice and welcoming. She is very accommodating and always gives me updates on how my puppy Stella has been doing at her camp. They even ask what training items you would like them to work on with your dog while under their care! They also walk the dogs in groups of two so that the dogs are very controlled and safe on their daily walks! I am so happy to have found a place where I feel comfortable knowing my puppy is safe and cared for. Thank you Sharon!

I love this facility, but more importantly my dog does. My dog drags me in the door when we are walking down Lombard even after she was boarded here for a week and bathed multiple times. That is love.
I have nothing but praise for and trust in Sharon and the staff. Everyone is so nice and helpful and honestly cares about the dogs.
I am so happy I found Grateful dog!

They were so accommodating with taking our dog last min for daycare, and took great care of her! We would definitely use them again when we visit the city in the future!

This is an extremely late review as I just now realized I wrote up a draft a year and half ago and never got around to finishing it! I am now deleting my long-​winded review in favor of just the important stuff.
1. The staff is great. Always friendly, helpful, and as accommodating as they can be to work with your schedule. Once I landed in SFO an hour after closing and they were willing to let me swing by anyway and pick up my babies from boarding.
2. My two Yorkies always seem happy when I drop them off and when I pick them up. While my dogs do love everyone they see, they are not so happy-​go-​lucky as to be indifferent about who watches them when I have to travel. I’ve boarded them in more than a couple places where it’s obvious they’re ready to get the heck outta there and this isn’t one of those places. I’m guessing having someone there overnight helps alot.
3. They take the dogs out on scheduled walks rather than letting them just roam around the facility for however many days you leave them there. Being crate-​free, although not unique in SF, is also a huge plus.
So why only 4 stars? I’m not sure if I just caught them at a confusing period of time or what but they unexpectedly changed boarding prices on me twice (in a span of 7 weeks) without warning. When I first used them in Aug 2011, they quoted me $ 70/​night for my 2 dogs together. Coming from Atlanta where boarding my 2 dogs (with a combined weight of 13lbs) only cost me $ 50/​night, I thought this was a bit pricy but worth it considering the extra hours of care overnight. When I boarded them again 3 weeks later, I assumed it was the same pricing only to be billed $ 80/​night when I went to pick them up. Changes in pricing are fine, I would just like to be notified when I drop them off or call to make a reservation so I can evaluate other options if need be. 4 weeks after that, I boarded them again and was then charged $ 85/​night.
I have since moved to Michigan but I used them a few more times before I left and was charged somewhere between $ 75-​$ 85/​night each time. While I would recommend them, and I’m sure they’ve worked out the pricing kinks, I wish I would have had a smoother experience with them overall. If, or rather when, I move back to the Bay Area though, I wouldn’t hesitate to take my dogs there again.

To sum up why I am giving The Grateful Dog 1 star in a sentence, our puppy, Biscuit, was killed while under their care. If there were zero stars, or negative stars or blacklists, that is where I’d place The Grateful Dog. The purpose of this organization is, essentially, to keep your dog alive while he or she is under their care and they failed at this.
Biscuit was to be with them from Friday to Sunday, my wife called every day while out of town to check on her because she was worried about having her stay at a larger boarding facility rather than in someone’s home. Despite telling her they would send pictures throughout Biscuit’s stay, they never did. When she called, they would simply say, «She’s ok. She’s not really eating, but she seems fine.» We had a bad feeling about the place all along, but once we were out of the state there wasn’t much we could do about it other than calling regularly.
On Sunday they called and told us that Biscuit had gotten away from the staff member who was walking her and other dogs near Lombard Street, she was hit by a car and did not make it. If you have a pet, then you can imagine how horrific it was to receive this call as I was on my way to pick up our 6 month old puppy we thought would be in our family for the next 10+ years. How someone could walk a nervous puppy near Lombard Street and not have a lock-​tight grip on her leash is beyond me. I’m told the person who was walking her was placed on suspension.
Since the accident we’ve been dealing with the company’s insurance who has told us we will be compensated based solely on the «worth» of our puppy’s breed. Given that she was a terrier mix rescue, it’s doubtful that The Grateful Dog will be affected much in any way. The money they give to us is really beside the point, I would simply encourage people to board their dogs with in-​home boarders who are well-​trained and diligent in their care.