Paradise 4 Paws

I had a hard time reaching anyone via the phone to make an appointment, but figured they were either busy playing with the animals or it was cooperate type people in the office which I didn’t want to play a factor in stoping me from signing my dog up. The front desk people were very personable and the tour was a nice bonus. However, as for my dogs overnight stay I was not as impressed. I payed for the web cam app and the dogs were not out as often as I was hoping they would be. When I signed my dog up I was told open play would start between 7 – 8 depending on feeding and on average open play for the large dogs started at 9 via documented by the web cam. This is misleading as I understand needing to feed the animals first, but then don’t say open play starts at 7 if that is when feeding starts. Second, the workers did not interact much with the large dogs. In fact, via web cam I would see workers in the dog play area have dogs walk up to them and they would not even pet them. The workers with the small dog area were much more interactive and the dogs were out for a much longer amount of time. The large dogs were also on average done with open play earlier then I was told. When it came to pick up I was told my dog was sweet and that was it. I had to ask about bathroom, play time interactions, and food intake. They went back to check on food and I was told «there is food left in the bowl so I don’t think she ate much». Not a confident answer and I didn’t get the extra food back. A couple weeks later I needed dog care for 1 day and took my dog to PetSmart where I had a much better experience with a written report at the end and my dog was more tired after 1 day then she was after an overnight at Paradise for Paws.

I boarded my cat here after she flew to O’Hare and the staff was so good at communicating. I can’t recommend them enough. They made me feel really secure in knowing my cat would be fine boarding here, and the location was perfect after her flight. Thanks again, so helpful.

My dog checked out today, and THANK GOD. I have to say that this place completely ignores dogs. They never check in on the dogs during the day because that would be $ 10 more to the service. We honestly sat and watched as dogs did not participate in group play and just sat in their room all day alone with ZERO attention. Don’t fall for that individual play BS. your dog will be ignored ignored ignored. I am shocked they have webcams to prove this fact but folks, watch those webcams. they may be all smiley staffs on the outside, but these people are not animal lovers t all and do not care for your pets. My dog is no longer there, but I am writing as an animal lover alone to show how messed up this place is.

Absolutely loved taking my cat Eli here! I was so worried about boarding him but Paradise 4 Paws made me feel so much better. They gave him lots of attention and love and were nothing but kind to me when I called to check on him (every day). Would definitely recommend this place to anyone. Prices are very reasonable too!

Unfortunately Unilocal does not allow a comment and no stars, so I’m forced into giving them one star. It was our first time boarding our dog and I was nervous. After doing some research we were suckered by paradise. Only reason I say suckered is because from the start paradise captivates you with their sales that includes all indoor facility, webcams, around the clock personnel, pools, and just seemed right. We eventually weeded out other possible places and picked paradise. The morning after we dropped him off it began! We tried looking online at the webcams and they are extremely poor quality. You would think that a place like this can afford to put in something with a better picture. Their suggestion was to use the app because the quality was better, they forgot to include the fact that there is a fee for the app, which is fine 3.00 was no biggie, we are talking about our beloved pet. Then it got worse, on the second day they claimed he had a cough and he had to be isolated. The main reason we picked paradise because he could play with others. I understand they don’t want to risk spreading anything to the rest of the population. I get it! They claimed he had a cough and needed to be checked by vet. The irony here was that we took him to our vet a couple days prior to dropping him off because we wanted to make sure he was healthy. This vet visit was a nice 300 fee on top of regular fees. Again, it’s our beloved pet and we want the best for him. Apparently there is a «special service fee» if they isolate your pet and have to walk him. All these underlying fees are what upset me. If they would just explain in detail what is going to be charged then I can confidently know what I’m getting into. At the end of day they’re a business and I take responsibility for not asking the right questions and doing more research. Don’t get distracted by the bright lights and do your research. I will never again use this place and will fall back to using a smaller more personal business. Thanks for reading.

After researching places to take our dog while we would be away for a week, we took a chance on one of the recommended locations that our vet mentioned. Seeing it online, it looked amazing… in person, it was just okay. We really didn’t want to put out any friends and family for a week, so we went with Paradise 4 Paws near O’Hare. The issues began when we tried to access the webcam… not a great picture… we took the advice of one of the P4P’s workers to download the app because supposedly the video was better… no mention that there was an extra cost associated with that… fine, no big deal… it was a little better. Then, came more issues on Day 2… I received a call that our dog had developed a cough and would be isolated (totally understand this precaution)…they said that they would keep an eye on him, but that he would be moved to a different room closer to the front desk… no webcam there, but we had already paid that fee… and he would be taken outside for breaks… ABSOLUTELY NO MENTION OF THE ADDITIONAL DAILY SERVICE FEE WITH THIS. They called on Day 3 to say that he would be going to the vet because the cough was still there… I was annoyed, but worried about my dog, so I couldn’t really do much else at this point. (By the way, he had just been to our vet for a check-​up and was fine.) After the check up, I got another call and was updated on the extra fees that we had incurred (still no mention of that extra daily service fee for taking him out for breaks)…I guess there goes the savings from the ‘new customer’ discount. Needless to say, we will not leave our dog here in the future. I feel like there ended up being a lot of unnecessary extra fees.

Found you on Unilocal.We were in town and needed a place for our dog to stay while we toured. Everyone was great and our dog had a wonderful time. I love the report card we got. Will definitely use next time we are in town. Buford loved it.

I took and scheduled Mya for a half day visit the Sunday before our trip so we could take the tour and let her get acquainted with the place. The place is nice, with multiple play areas. It is also fairly clean for a place with a lot of pets; staying and playing. We then brought her back for 4 nights in the suite with a camera. The staff was friendly and seemed to care about my dog. She is a big part of our family so that was good to see. The shuttle ride to the airport is a nice bonus. It was great to watch her on a camera during her play times or especially in her room. It brought comfort knowing she seemed happy and enjoyed herself. We brought our own blankets and beds to help with the time she was alone. Check out on June 28^th was easy and it was cool to get a report card about her and her time there. Overall a good experience for Mya and us.

My heart is hurting and I’m filled with frustration. We boarded my three dogs over Memorial Day weekend. My dogs are 15 yrs., 7 yrs and 4 months old. On Sunday, the day we were traveling home, we received an email stating that our young puppy had hurt her paw and was taken to the vet and the email listed the charges we would incur for the transportation to vet and fees. Then we got another email that confirmed that her paw was broken (all 4 toes). The email said she broke the toes because she fell. When we got there to pick her up, the assistant manager said that an employee admitted to having stepped on her! They didn’t charge us the vet expenses. Later that week the manager called and tried to tell us again that she broke her paw by jumping and falling. Eventually, the owner called, apologized and agreed to take full financial responsibility for vet expenses associated with broken paw. He also refunded the money we were charged to board the three dogs. Since then, I’ve needed to make numerous trips to the vet. Twice she broke her splint because she’s an active puppy. Additionally she has to wear a e-​collar (cone) around her head so she can’t chew on the splint-​which doesn’t stop the chewing. (I’m sure it must be hot and itchy.) Further, we need to cover splint in plastic every time she goes outside so her splint doesn’t get wet. Do you realize how often you take a young puppy out?
Even though the owner has agreed to pay for all expenses, I’m still very mad! My more puppy is suffering. She’s in pain and uncomfortable. I can’t imagine how hard she must have been stepped on to have had all her toes broken! I hope they fire the employee so this doesn’t happen to another poor innocent dog. I’ve never boarded here before and won’t ever again. I’m exhausted by the whole ordeal. She’s been in the splint for 3 weeks and may have to be in it up to 6 weeks total.

This place is nice, the facilities are clean and modern, and the doggie bone shaped pool was pretty cute.
I had to dock 2 stars though for customer service because the place messed up pretty bad feeding my dog for 13 days. I specified in the registration to feed 2 scoops with the scoop I provided for breakfast and dinner, and they were giving her 2 whole cups instead. That’s 4 times the amount she was supposed to eat. I had to figure out what happened on my own when they called to say they ran out of food and would be charging $ 2 per cup of their own food.
When I came in to pick up my dog and sorted out the issue with scoops vs cups, they said they wouldn’t charge me for the extra food– how generous. I then asked if they would be compensating anything for the mess up, and he unenthusiastically said «yeah, I guess I do have to comp something» and ended up giving us 4 frozen kongs for free. So they took off $ 12 from our $ 630 bill. Not only this, my dog was backed up from having to switch to the new food so suddenly and didn’t go to #2 for 2 days.
I really want to like this place and use it the next time I need to board my dog, but I don’t know… I just don’t feel happy with it or trust them.

My dogs were boarded early in April. After being there for 2 days, while I was at a conference for work, I get an email stating that, yes the canine influenza was going around, every precaution was being taken to keep it from spreading, no need to pick up the dogs, and ensured the safety of the dogs. After being there for 9 days, 2 days later my dogs started showing symptoms. That being said, they were infected towards the end of their stay, and reading a previous review of another dog that became sick while my dogs were there shows me that precautions were inadequate.
After the test came back positive, I was quick to call P4P to make them aware of the situation so they could take better precautions, the response, «ok». I was not asked who my dogs were, what dates they stayed. This is exactly how outbreaks happen!!! The facility must be responsible for truly taking adequate precautions or close there doors for a bit.
I live 2 hours south, news of canine influenza hadn’t reached my town yet, so I was unaware that this was an issue. My first news was from their email to me. If I had known they had confirmed cases, I would have arranged for my dogs to be picked up. And not knowing they had confirmed cases, my dogs could have easily spread it throughout my town, but being a responsible owner, I kept them isolated from other dogs, and sure enough they were positive.
Shame on you, P4P! I spent over $ 1000 for my dogs to be safe with you, and another $ 1,000 in vet bills.
And just to add a little insult to injury, after arriving on an overnight flight, I get to my car at P4P facility, which had been moved from where I parked it, and the battery was dead — whoever moved the car left the lights on, adding another 2 hours to an overnight trip home was AWESOME! There was no apology by staff, no reparation!
So sad! Bad business.

This place was my absolute favorite for several years. I like the pool and day care activities, and the dogs always seemed to have a good time. Last spring I was down to one dog and had to board him a lot as I had to travel to set up hospice for a family member and then take another trip to arrange the funeral. Then I had a previously scheduled European excursion. Unknown to me, P4P lets the dogs out at night with inadequate supervision. My dog got bit. at night by another dog who had no injuries. This led to an expensive emergency vet visit. P4P did not protect the stitches, so the next day yet another veterinary visit had to be made. I had the workers show me where my dog was when he got bit. The area was quite stinky, a quality I did not notice during previous visits.
I had had such good experiences in the past that I thought I’d be back. The facility is extremely close to the airport and super convenient with parking and rides to the airport. I’ve decided that those amenities are insufficient to offset the reckless nightime practice of letting dogs run free with insufficient supervision.
My dogs now have another place to STAY. There is an animal hospital next to it, which makes any necessary care much simpler. That facility is c;leaner, much better organized, and has a staff that is better connected to the dogs and their needs.
I may try P4P again, but the unfortunate incident that happened last boarding has made me feel much safer boarding my dogs elsewhere.

Had my dog Diesel, who’s a toy Pomarian stay there over the weekend.
That place is like the Four Seasons for pets.
Great service. They make you feel you are leaving your pet in great hands.
They also offer great service to and from airport. Highly recommend.
Diesel can’t wait to go back !
There’s a groupon going on for this pet resort. Great time to get a good deal and check it out.

Cats
I literally cannot say enough good things about Paradise 4 Paws! I have a bit of a special needs cat with some behavioral issues. This was the first time I boarded her and I was very nervous. I boarded both my cats January 20^th to the 28^th 2015. The staff was AMAZING. Megean in particular was phenomenal! She could not have made me feel more comfortable leaving them. She assured me that she personally would keep an eye my special needs kitty and she certainly did. She went so above and beyond, Megean is an absolute asset to the company and they are so lucky to have her. Every time I’d call Megean or one of the other wonderful staff would give such detailed updates. They were honest too, instead of just telling me they’re doing well they told me when my cat was having a difficult time or when they couldn’t get my cat to take her medication. I could see that they genuinely cared. They dealt SO well with my kitties. I asked one day when I called to check on them if it was possible for someone to email me photos of the cats. One of the managers did that for me and just another example of have they go above and beyond not only did she send photos, but made a collage with captions! Everyone at Paradise made my first kitty boarding experience a good one. THANK YOU!
Dogs
My mom also regularly boards her dogs at P4P when out of town. They do a great job with the dogs. Again, you can see how much everyone genuinely cares about the animals when we bring them in the staff recognizes them and knows their names and personalities. This past time the dogs got the executive suite which has an in-​suite webcam that you can access 24 hours a day. It was nice to be able to see them whenever we wanted and not just when they were out in playgroup (which also has a webcam). They were also groomed this last stay and the groomer did a wonderful job!
My one and only negative– I wish so much that cats had a webcam either in the adventure jungle or at least in the presidential bungalow.

I purchased a 4 night groupon for my 6 month old puppy while I was out of town. I did a lot of research about the place and it seemed to be a good place for her. Unfortunately, my impressions changed. The facility seemed ok. I was immediately put off when they said my dog would get to play twice a day and potty 3 times. Anyone with a puppy knows that isn’t enough for them especially over a 4 day span. The cost of additional play time was $ 25 for an extra 20min. Unreasonable considering that is ½ the cost of a night stay. She wasn’t able to do group play because she was too timid but I was told people would go play with her during the day.
When I picked up my dog she smelled like pee all over and her bed was soaked in it, which she doesn’t soil in it at home. I would expect a facility to call and let you know if your dog was soiled and suggest their bathing services. She was visibly thirsty. Two bags of her individually packed food were left over which means she was not fed her usual twice a day.
Wasn’t impressed.

We brought our dog to Paradise 4 Paws for the first time last weekend after normally taking her to PetSmart. Not only did our dog have a great time (we could see it on the webcam), but they did a great job grooming her as well. To top that off, we were able to park there for the weekend, got a ride to O’Hare and they came to pick us up at 9pm on a Sunday in our own vehicle so that we could use the car seat for our 11 month old.
Enjoyed the report card reviewing our pups stay. Overall A+ experience, highly recommended — looking forward to going out of town again and using them.

I had a very negative experience with this «business.» It started out shaky with all of the paperwork to be filled out but I figured that they were just being extremely cautious about what animals they boarded. No one even read the paperwork and when I went to pick up my dogs, there was more forms they gave me that they didn’t have me fill out before I dropped off my dogs! I had to sign them before they would give me my dogs.
Both of my dogs have hip dysplasia and they eat special food which I brought with them however, P4P did not feed them their special food. I know this because I measured out exactly the amount of food they needed for their 9 night stay and when I picked them up, the same amount of food remained in the bag. 1 of my dogs was crying and whining in pain for 2 days after he got home because of P4P not giving him the right food.
When they brought them out to go home after their stay, they were absolutely filthy and very stinky. They are wheat color and when they came out, their paws, legs and sides were nearly black. I had also brought their beds from home so that they were comfortable but the beds were so stinky, I had to throw them out.
I called the main number to voice my concerns and was told that the guest services supervisor would call me however I did not receive a call from anyone until Monday afternoon and it was from the general manager of the Schiller Park location. He apologized and sounded genuinely concerned however he said he would speak with his supervisor and follow up with me and that never happened. I spent nearly $ 950 to board them for 9 days. I thought my dogs would be very well taken care of for this kind of money but I was so wrong. It made me sick to think my dogs were being treated so poorly while I was on vacation having a good time.
IF YOU LOVE YOUR DOGS, DON’T LEAVE THEM AT P4P! They don’t care for your animals properly and don’t follow any instructions you give them for your pets. I would have given them 0 stars but you have to give at least 1.
STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE FOR YOUR ANIMAL’S SAKE!!!

I just used the grooming service and the lady did a wonderful job. My dog is pretty large and has lots of long fur. She still had her winter coat. The groomer was amazing. My dog’s coat looks beautiful, I couldn’t be more pleased. Also my dog has arthritis and the lady was very gentle with her. I’ve gone to other groomers in the past and I’ve picked my dog up and she would be limping in pain from the groomer being to rough on her hind legs, but not when I left this time. I’ll be using the grooming service again.

We discovered Paradise 4 Paws via Groupon. I purchased one night of deluxe boarding to use when both my DH and myself would be busy. I used their website to make an appointment and received a confirmation email along with a very long questionaire that had to be filled and sent back before my dog’s stay.
Well I filled it out and sent it back but never received a confirmation. The morning of, we drive to the Ohare location to drop off my dog. While checking it, the front desk could not find my reservation. They asked if i had selected the correct location. I also had to forward the questionaire again since they didnt seem to have received it. So for 15 – 20 minutes we had to wait to check my dog in.
After that was sorted out, we dropped my dog off and went on our way. Not 5 minutes later did I get an email that they had found my reservation and paperwork and it was on their Midway system. The whole process was irritating, especially if I were on a time crunch.
But the next day, I picked up my dog and received his report card. When we got home, he seemed as if he was completely wore out. I would take a tour of the facilities before we board him again, but aside from the check-​in snafu, I was happy with the service.

This is a story about redemption. Very rarely do we get a second chance in life. But I’m a big believer in giving a business a chance to make things right after a bad experience. In this case, Paradise 4 Paws bent over backwards to make things right.
After a unpleasant first experience with P4P, I decided to give them another chance with my Dog, Duke. They seem a bit over protective with all of the tests and vaccines they require, but when it comes to my Dog, it’s better to be safe than sorry. We boarded my Dog for a day and an half, the result was exactly what I wanted. When we picked up Duke, he was dead tired from playing all day. He literally slept for a day in a half. The sure fire way to know if El Duque had a good time is to judge how tired he is. And he was wiped out. Cudo’s to the people at P4P.
Here’s the bottom line: Like a lot of you, I love it when a story has a happy ending. And this one did. I will not hesitate to use Paradise 4 Paws in the future.