Fitdog Sports Club

We absolutely love FitDog! We’ve used their daycare regularly for a few months now. Our pooches are happy to go and are happy when they’re picked up. The staff is warm and friendly. They have cameras on both the small and large dog areas so you can check on the dogs during the day.
They are great at grooming too. My long haired mutt has been bathed there and seems to smell yummy for days afterwards!

Stay away from Fitdog. My dog has gone to Fitdog for daycare for more than a year, and she had been very happy there. I’m sad that she will not be going back, but I no longer think that Fitdog is safe. My dog was bitten on 2 consecutive visits.
After the first bite, I called to speak to the manager. He and I were both distressed to find that he didn’t know about the incident. He said that he would look into it and call me back. Three days later I still hadn’t heard from him, so I called again. He and I discussed what had happened, and he assured me that he would talk to the staff members to make sure my dog was safe during her next visit.
On the afternoon of my dog’s next visit, I received a call to tell me that my she’d suffered a serious bite on her leg. The staff member who called me had no knowledge of the incident the week before or of the manager’s plan, which he had claimed would keep my dog safe. When I called the manager the next day (he didn’t bother to call me), he apologized and stressed that neither incident was my dog’s fault and that they had some new inexperienced staff and «chaos» (his word) due to lots of dogs and lots of new dogs during the holidays. I did not find this explanation reassuring. A week and many antibiotics later, my dog is getting better, but I would never send her or any dog there. It is a dangerous place.

I hate leaving my dog, Elwood, for any amount of time. But due to my work I have to when I travel or for daycare. Mr. Wood, as he’s affectionately called there, can’t wait to get inside. Not only does he love his buddies, but the staff are like his second family.

FitDog forgot to walk my 4-​month old puppy. They didn’t notice until I called them when I got home from work at 6:30pm, after my puppy had been home alone for 9 hours. I then decided to hire a reliable dog walker and went to get my house key back and they told me they couldn’t find it after rummaging around in a drawer of loose keys for 15 minutes. The key is still lost and they haven’t taken any initiative to apologize. I certainly will NOT be returning to FitDog.

My dog goes to day care here 5 days a week and I love how they treat her. My She comes back tired and happy and although she hates separating from me in the mornings, she runs and jumps out of the car to get into Firdog. The staff is always nice and Terrance is the best. They give me occasional report cards and take proactive steps to remind clients about flea control, heat wave issues, etc. Love FitDog. Thank you for taking such good care of my little one.

This is a long review, but one that I hope will help others make an informed decision about what Fitdog offers and/​or help current customers be aware of they’re paying for and what to watch for. I’m sure that many others have chosen this place due to proximity and a flashy website.
Overview: All of their services are extremely overpriced for what they have to offer, and their policies and staff leave something to be desired. I have used them for boarding ($ 69/​nt for large dogs), daycare (indoor only and $ 15 more for full day over other local options) and excursions (see details below) and all ended up being problematic for me and my dog. Having used dog daycares in Ohio, Seattle, Denver and now LA, I have never seen a place so afraid of dogs actually having a good time. After my last run-​in with them at daycare (see below), I am DONE! It is not worth the cost for the tiny space and the lack of actual play options. If you go to
you can see the cameras and that the dogs are rarely actually playing.
The big sell for me was that they do beach excursions, which was my main interest for my dog, with the occasional day care or boarding. One weekend I had to board there last minute and because of my dog’s size, he was forced to stay in one the suites, which is a whopping $ 69/​night as it is the only thing he would fit in there. Unfortunately, because we were new in town we had no other options.
Excursions: After the first time boarding, I asked if we could get my dog set up for beach trips, which became an entire process. They told me that my dog had to do an assessment first on one of their off-​leash hikes so that they could be sure that he would respond to the person who leads the beach trips (who is also their «Principal Trainer») since it is off-​leash. As such, I assumed that they would be working with my dog off-​leash on response, fitting in with the group etc. It’s important to note that each assessment is $ 40. So, after his first assessment, they told me that the trip leader thought my dog was acting nervous and weird, and I asked to either talk to the trainer myself or to have someone expand for me. Then they said it was just a car issue, and he was fine on the hike, and that he would have to do another assessment. So he did a 2^nd assessment, and they said he would require a 3^rd assessment. Then they finally told me that on both occasions of his «assessments» he was on-​leash. Yes, on-​leash! He — as a new dog who is not used to walking with 5 other dogs off-​leash — was made to go on 2 hikes with 5 – 6 other dogs off-​leash while he was kept on-​leash. I promise that they would have had better luck with just letting him off. Of course that’s not going to go well. And still nobody could tell me what the specific issues were and why he wasn’t allowed to 1. attempt off-​leash and 2. attempt a beach trip. So, I asked them to follow-​up with the trip leader again and to call or email me; I never heard back. I asked if we could set up some training with the trainer to address whatever issues they thought were a problem, and I was told that the trainer really only does the in-​house intensive 2 week training; they don’t really do just training sessions for particular issues. Needless to say, I never got to talk to the trip leader/​trainer. So since then, I have only used them for the occasional daycare. Until that went south too.
Daycare: My husband dropped my dog off for a ½ day of daycare (5 hrs total) at 9:45 am, to be picked up by approx. 3 pm. I noticed at about 1:45 pm that he hadn’t been on the camera for a while and at 2:30 called to ask where he was. When I called to ask why he wasn’t «on the yard,» they told me it was because they had a lot of big, rowdy dogs and they were rotating them. I asked if he could at least spend the last 15 minutes or so on the yard, and they said they would see what they could do — it didn’t happen. I called my husband and told him what was going on and that he needed to get there by 3 at the latest and that our dog had been in a kennel for the last hour (of the 5 that he was there). When he arrived at 3:10 they charged him for a full day of daycare, which is $ 42 — FOR 5 HOURS! I understand he was late, and should have been there at 3 at the latest, BUT he said they were incredibly rude when he got there and I am sure that this was out of spite for my calling to ask why I was paying for my dog to be kenneled. If he were there for a full day, I would understand a break, but he spent 20% of his time there in a kennel, and I was paying for that ($ 8.40/hr to be in a kennel)! He could have been at home comfortable in his bed for free! The worst part is that their rate is $ 10/​hr, which still would have been better than charging an additional $ 12 for an extra 15 – 30 minutes. On top of that, I have never seen dogs actually playing on the yard; they lay around. This last move was a direct slap in the face and I AM DONE!

I have been boarding my dog here since we moved to Santa Monica a year ago, and he loves it! It’s obviously nerve-​wracking leaving your pampered pooch in someone else’s care, but from the moment we visited Fitdog (they meet the dog for an introductory session and give you a tour of the facilities before they accept them) I was impressed with all their staff’s professionalism, attention to detail, and obvious love for the animals they look after.
It’s great that you can check in on your dog throughout the day via the webcams to see them running around in the yard, and cute little touches such as the report they give you on how your dog ate, what they did etc. at the end of the stay are much appreciated! I also always book my hound in for a groom on his final day so he comes back looking (and smelling!) great — and given how he passes out on the sofa pretty much immediately I can tell he’s been getting lots of exercise and having fun with his four-​legged Fitdog friends all through his stay! Can’t recommend highly enough!

The FitDog staff watched Rocky during the Venice Art Walk. He loved them and it was so obvious that the staff members genuinely care about their charges. I have a great dog walker, but will definitely consider FitDog for boarding needs!

The only thing that had me hesitating between a four and five star review is the price. I haven’t taken my dog to any other daycare, so I can’t do a side by side comparison as far as service and price. Instead I’m going to go with the experience I’ve had, which I find completely worth the tag.
I have been taking my high energy, occasionally skittish, weirdo 95 lb party animal to Fit Dog for just over a year now. I don’t trust him with a lot of people, because I consider his behavior to be a little unpredictable. But I always know that he’s in good hands at Fit Dog, because they’ve taken the time to get to know his personality.
Some people complain that the dogs don’t get enough time out on the yard and are crated too frequently. Personally, I like to know that the staff is responsible enough to give time-​outs to dogs that are creating problems (my own included). Even though they offer upgrades like cushy dog treats, baths, pedicures, webcams, dog yoga (whatever it is they do) the dogs are still treated like DOGS. Dogs need breaks, need exercise and attention, and sometimes need a little crate time.
At first I thought the report cards were silly, but I find myself really excited to read each one. They basically amount to «your dog had a great time and we all love him, here are the names of dogs he played with today» but it’s an adorable extra touch.
I also used Jeff, their trainer, for the three week bootcamp to get him more confident and both of us a little less codependent. Jeff kept true to his promise of training both myself and the dog, and we’re both the better for it. Even though the Fit Dog has to promote those services, they all say they can tell the difference in his behavior since the training.
In short: I have used Fit Dog for hikes, boarding (up to five days), general daycare, and training. Even though there was a fair amount of sticker shock the first time I boarded, everything else has been worth it and more.

This place is montana’s home away from home. They take AMAZING care of him, we are SO happy with every single staff member there. Andrea the owner is rad, the place is incredibly clean and we LOVE IT. Three years strong as a member here!

If you’re reading this, you are probably deciding whether or not to bring your dog to Fitdog Sports Club. Well, hopefully my review will help make your decision an easy one.
Fitdog Sport Club is AWESOME! After doing thorough research on doggy day cares on the Westside, I decided to bring my dog here and I am so happy that I did. FSC takes such great care of my dog and gives him the personal attention that he needs. On top of the 5 star dog care, their customer service is stellar! The staff goes over and beyond their duties to make sure BOTH you and your dog are happy. Each and every staff member walks around with a smile and you can tell that they all love what they do. My dog runs in with a wagging tail every morning and can’t wait to spend his days at FSC. On top of all of this, I can board him, groom him and/​or send him on a hike. FSC is a one-​stop shop and I couldn’t imagine my dog going anywhere else.
I’m one happy mama! Thank you for everything Fitdog Sport Club!

Took my 1 year old dog there for a few visits. They have a camera you can watch and my dog was rarely to be seen. They told me he was getting the other dogs riled up and need a lot of time outs. I was paying for them to keep him in a kennel, he was never tired when he came home.
My dog’s now at Wags club. Less expensive much better staff and my dog actually plays and comes home tired.
Take your money elsewhere. This place is a sham

Ok, it’s way overdue that I write a review for this amazing place.
I’m actually going to lead with something that happened today. If you scroll down, you’ll see a review written not long ago about the groomer shaving a dog when they weren’t supposed to. That exact same thing happened to Bernie today. He was just in need of a trim.
But here’s the deal. They acknowledged right away that it was a mistake, and they’re working to fix what’s going on. I won’t be charged for the groom, and they genuinely apologized. What’s done is done, and I can’t really do anything about it, so I can’t really be mad about it, given all the other positives they have going on. It doesn’t diminish the excellent care he receives for daycare and boarding. His fur will grow back. He’ll probably be more comfortable in Joshua Tree this weekend. :) Given they know the issue and they’re working on it I don’t think it’ll be a problem moving forward. He’s been groomed here before and never had a problem. In the end they handled the issue really well which makes all the difference.
Anyway, on to the positives! Bernie is basically obsessed with this place. I moved here about a year and a half ago on a temporary relocation for work. I came here on my own without knowing a lot of people, and my first priority after unpacking boxes was to find the best daycare possible, anticipating long work hours with no one else to really look after him. I had narrowed my list before leaving Minneapolis, and immediately fell in love with this place for many reasons. It’s clean. Bernie receives personal/​individual attention. They know him and his behavior/​quirks. I came from a place that would allow him to just play and wrestle for 9 hours without giving him a break… not good. The fact that they do this shows they know a great deal about dog behavior. Anyway… they know when to give him breaks for food and naps and when to let him wrestle with some of his best buds like Potato and Tommy and Rufus. AND he gets a walk every time he’s there which is included in the cost. Really nice.
I board him there too and he sleeps in a nice suite. Fitdog has always been really open and transparent about giving tours, showing me around, etc so I know exactly where Bernie stays.
Above all it’s so fun to see how much Bernie is loved there, and how much he loves being there. It’s a mutual love! He walks in starts wagging his tail immediately, tries to steal a treat from the retail area, then runs over to one of the reps to give them a ‘hug.’ :) They obviously care a great deal about Bernie and keeping up a top notch facility, and I greatly appreciate that.
I’m actually finished with my work relocation in April and will be reluctantly leaving Fitdog. I wish I could bring this place to MN with me!
I highly, HIGHLY recommend Fitdog!

TLDR: I left explicit instructions with the groomer not to shave my dog (In capital letters DO NOT SHAVE) and reiterated the instructions in person, and when I came to pick her up she had been shaved anyway. This has happened to other people as well. Below is a copy of the letter I sent to FitDog.
My instructions:
Other Request /​Message: Olive will be dropped off for daycare in the morning, then we’d like her to be groomed (ultimate spa treatment). She needs a haircut and nail trim, but please DO NOT SHAVE. Cut her hair about an inch or so all around. We’d like her to be ready for pick up by 4pm. Thanks!
The response I received:
Hello Steve,
We have Olive set for daycare on the 15^th with an ultimate spa for pickup at 4pm, I noted on her reservation to take off one inch all around and do no shave her along with the nail trim.
Thank you,
–Team Fitdog
_​_​_​_​_​_​
I am writing to express my extreme disappointment in the experience I had with your grooming service. As you can see from the attached email we were painstakingly clear about our wish not to have Olive shaved by your groomer, and that our wishes were acknowledged and agreed to by your staff. The reason we were so clear about this is that we had had a similar experience in the past at FitDog, and did not want to run the risk of a repeat bad experience.
You can understand my disbelief and real anger when I picked Olive up and found that despite very clear instruction your groomer had gone against my wishes and shaved Olive all the way down. This is wrong on so many levels and extremely disrespectful and hurtful to my family and me.
I am not sure if the groomer who made this very poor decision to disregard my wishes is the same one who has gone rogue in the past, but I would strongly encourage you to discontinue his/​her employment. The employee who was in charge of checkout last night seemed to indicate that this was not an isolated incident.
The last time this happened we were told by the groomer that Olive’s coat was matted and that brushing her out properly would be too stressful. This is simply not the case, we have had Olive groomed multiple times by other groomers, and while it may take more time (which I am happy to pay for), it is not overly stressful for her. We had brushed her out on Sunday 4 days prior to her grooming and she was not overly matted. Your groomer is lazy and has some kind of weird issue with authority.
Even if we had a difference of opinion over the correct way to proceed, the right thing to do would have been to call me or my wife and ask for permission to shave her, or to do nothing at all. This is why we explicitly said in the instructions — DO NOT SHAVE.
The success of your business — caring for the community’s pets — requires an extremely high measure of trust from your customers to be successful. If you are willing to so cavalierly break that trust in such an overt way, what other shortcuts are you taking that could similarly endanger the welfare of our pets? You have lost my trust.
I was told at checkout that the cost of the grooming would be refunded to me — it does not appear that the charge has been reversed as of now. Under the circumstances this is the least you can do. If you do not reverse the charge I intend to dispute it. Unfortunately you can’t return my dogs coat, which she will have to spend the rest of the winter, including a trip to the mountains, without.
Needless to say you have lost me permanently as a customer.

Me and my dog (Brooklyn) have just past 4 years of going to Fitdog Sports Club. I don’t know what I would do without them.
I just saw that E.S. had a problem with fleas and after taking my dog to Fitdog over 600 times including beach and hiking excursions and overnights I have had 1 flea in the entire time (I think it was a beach day and I forgot to give him his flea medication for a couple of weeks). I can’t imagine what E.S. could have done that would have had that kind of infestation.
I have also had the pleasure of dealing with the owner on hundreds of occasions and I could understand them defend the work that they do at Fitdog, but she has always been very reasonable and willing to make things right. Early on they had hired a groomer that was not good. I let them know how I felt and they wound up getting a great groomer.
If you are looking for a daycare or people to take care of your dogs they don’t make them more compassionate and caring than Fitdog.
I am a real customer and I would be happy to talk to any prospective new customers about our experiences. Just tell them that you want to talk to Brooklyn’s dad and they can coordinate a call or email exchange.
I just realized that I have been writing a review about once a year. I will keep this tradition up.

We’ve been dropping our golden Harvey off for daycare and long weekends for the past year and we couldn’t be more happy with his care.
The staff recognizes him immediately and is so welcoming. Harvey runs straight towards the playroom doors with no hesitation. He’s a year and a half old pup with lots of energy and daycare saves our lives. He comes home happy, exhausted and freshly bathed when we request it.
When we dropped him for his first weekend away from home they called us when he went on a hunger strike to ask what they could do to help. They were so accommodating considering his major food allergies and he pulled through.
We especially appreciate the daily report cards that helps us know who he’s hanging out with and his bathroom status. Nice touch

I’ve been using FitDog for almost four years now and I can’t say enough good things about it — my golden retriever just adores it. Staff is unfailingly kind and wonderful, especially Terrence, the club manager. And the recent addition of the Pet Taxi is a godsend — no more scrambling to find someone to pick up /​drop off my dog when I have an early morning or late evening flight. FitDog is definitely expensive, but I think you get what you pay for and the generous hours (7am to 9pm every day) and great people there make it worthwhile in my view. My dog always comes home happy, healthy and exhausted — the hallmark of a great day or stay!

HORRIBLE. My dog came back INFESTED W FLEAS!!! One and done. Will NEVER come back to fitdogsportsclub. I like to think I am respectful and give people the benefit if the doubt, but the owner was BEYOND RUDE and very unprofessional.
I understand fleas are a common problem and we live in a flea prone area but the way they handled the situation was pretty outrageous.
After landing from international travel, I picked my dog up at closing time and she was noticeably itchy and would not settle down. By 2 am I was jet-​lagged and awakew fleas crawling and jumping all over us.
After SEVERAL HUNDRED DOLLARS in vet and groomers, I promptly called to alert fitdogsportsclub that my dog had come home w fleas and they said they would call me back to discuss.
I had to call back every day for 4 days before the owner finally returned my call. I first simply tried to alert her that get facility had become compromised w fleas but she was in total denial.
She insisted her facility was flea free and that my dog never showed any signs if fleas. Ludicrous. She then tried to say my dog had fleas all along and they we’re her fleas. So which is it, my dog never had fleas or had fleas the whole time.
I tried to tell her that I was a first time customer, I had spent over $ 500 to board her and then had paid that much in vet/​groomers bills. She was uninterested in resolving the issue and in complete denial. I told her the conversation was over, promptly called American Express to dispute the charge (armed w evidence– vet/​groomers bills and a medical release I signed at fitdogsportsclub allowing my dog to be treated for any medical condition necessary). Amex agreed my case was solid and I DID NOT PAY A DIME!

I don’t have kids yet, so my dog is essentially my kiddo. Being an abused rescue, she is fickle with strangers so I have to take that into account with a significant amount of my day to day life.
I recently moved to L.A. and I have to travel a lot for work. I looked into a few pet day cares and easily chose FitDog. The guys and girls are great. They take great care of my dog and often exceed my expectations when I come to pick my dog up.
This place is clean, they offer multiple accommodations for your pets, provide you with a report card on your dog’s behavior and interactions with others, decent rates on boarding and grooming and even have a program to take your dog to the beach or trail running.
I don’t need to look into any other options for pet care!

I made a Unilocal account just to put this out there on the internet, since Fit Dog Sports Club is, in essence, scamming me out of my hard-​earned money.
They have a webcam that I watch my 9 month old dog on at work. Unfortunately, I only see my dog on the camera about 10% of the time. It has been on my computer for 4 hours now, and my dog is nowhere in sight.
This has been happening for the past month or so, so I decided to speak up about it with a staff member (3 actually). They said that my dog was getting all of the other dogs too «rowdy», so they circulate my dog in the yard for one hour, and out of the yard for one hour. Essentially, I am paying a full day’s worth of daycare for my dog to only be in the yard for half the day. Now, this is not a good way to run business, but I understand that I have a happy-​go-​lucky puppy that just wants to play with everyone, and that sometimes he could use a break, since he doesn’t know how to give himself one. I have worked in daycares myself and know how a yard needs to be controlled.
However, like I said, I have been on the webcam for 4 hours and have not seen my dog one time. When I confronted the staff, I asked them to please give me a call whenever he is being too rambunctious and needs to be taken out of the yard, so i am at least aware of when he is not playing. As a customer who takes him there at least 3 times a week, I deserve to know when my dog is in the yard and in timeout.
My dog has been back there 5 times since then, and I have not received one phone call telling me he was pulled from the yard. I was pretty much laughed at when I spoke to the staff members asking them to call me when he was pulled out of the yard, like I do not have the right to know when my dog is being a pain.
I do not make a substantial amount of money, but like most dogowners will say, I will spend all of my money for the right care for my dog, and eat ramen for every meal. Well, Fit Dog Sports Club definitely takes advantage of that. At least $ 3,000 into that place in 3 months, and they don’t have the decency to tell me that my dog is not even playing in the yard because he is energetic? Why don’t you get more than one staff member into each yard so that there is more supervision to allow the dogs to play? The money you are sucking out of my wallet could definitely pay for another employee or two.
To all current Fit Dog Sports Club clients: look at the webcams online. You will likely see your dog laying on the ground, looking bored out of their mind, because the staff members restrict play. If you see a dog playing in the yard, take a few extra seconds to watch, because that playgroup will be immediately broken up. Yet if your dog is being humped, the staff member will watch and let it happen (how most fights end up happening in a daycare setting by the way).
This business is disrespectful, and will not take responsibility for it.
*A note: I have given this place 3 months worth of opportunities, and have continuously had the above experience, so this is not a one-​time thing. It is a business structure that shouldn’t work for anyone, ESPECIALLLLY when their four-​legged children are involved.