Bobbi Colorado’s Canine Camp

I recently dropped the dogs off at Bobbi’s for an extended labor day trip. In the past we have boarded at a vet’s office, which I feel never gave our dogs the attention they deserved (i.e. probably sitting in a kennel all day long) and did not want to subject our dogs to this type of confinement for over a week. I’m glad I found Bobbi Colorado’s Canine Camp as it was off of 290 towards the hill country. I love how secluded it is (far from the road) and that there are people on the site ²⁴⁄₇. I also love that they don’t discriminate against Pit Bulls or intact dogs as one of our dogs has not been spayed (it’s difficult to find a boarder/​day camp in town that allows intact dogs.) You can tell that everyone there really cares about dogs no matter what form they come in. They ask that you fax their records a week ahead of time, to ensure that all shots are up to date. They also administer medication without any extra fees (one of our dogs has allergies and needs fish oil, etc.) They took the time to ask us about our dogs and decided to keep them together in the kennel to reduce anxiety. I don’t see how anyone can give this place bad reviews, but i’ve read fleas, etc. We gave our dogs Frontline a couple days before we boarded them and paid for baths before we picked them up. I do not see any fleas, etc. Honestly, the dogs are being boarded in the hill country amongst other animals and dogs, so fleas are a risk but any responsible pet owner should be prepared before/​after boarding to deal with fleas. One of our dogs did not eat for a few days as another review had touched upon, but this was to be expected as she only eats during particular times of day/​in particular rooms and more than likely this was due to separation anxiety. The people who work here are professionals and I’m sure would have informed me if they thought there was any risk involved as well as the vet that I had on file for her. The Groupon was amazing if you’re a first time boarder, and the rates are very reasonable. You can expect to pay 20 – 25 per dog at a vet so $ 56 a night for two dogs was great especially due to the amount of exercise and attention they get. I would definitely recommend Bobbi Colorado’s and will be using them again!

We’ve been boarding our dogs here for 3 years or so. They are reasonably priced, but they run Groupon deals often which make it a steal.
There are a few things that I especially love about this place. They allow outside play time for your dog. They socialize your dog with other dogs if you want. Your dog doesn’t have to be fixed which is not the case at most places.
I would advise that you make reservations in advance as they do fill up.

Update on my 9mo old lab, AND my other dog that was there. My lab got xrays which were inconclusive so now we are going to a specialist. He is still limping fairly severely for a month now after getting back from this kennel. We have spent a total of $ 420 on pain meds and images for him. He may need surgery. We don’t know yet. My other dog got fleas from Bobbi Colorado. She is on Sentinel (a monthly heartworm/​flea birth control) so I was in denial for so long that she actually had them. Granted it was a very mild infestation – thankfully due to her heartworm/​flea preventative-​which doesn’t kill fleas on contact but rather just keeps them from breeding. I learned that if you would like to take your dog to Bobbi Colorado, which is infested with fleas, they need to be on something stronger like Trifexis (an instant flea killer). So if you’d like to jack up your dog with even more chemicals and risk them getting injured, go to this kennel :) Oh and now that’s a total of $ 530 dollars with the visit/​flea meds.

The 2^nd time our dog came home with fleas, we noticed a raw and partially scabbed spot on the end of her tail — where she had obviously been gnawing at the fleas. Due to the location of the spot (tip of the tail) it would constantly break open when she hit her tail against anything. We ended up spending hundreds of dollars on vet bills to shave, inspect, apply ointment, and return for many follow ups to ensure the wound would heal and we would not need to crop her tail. Our dog had to wear a cone while we were at work, and we to had to apply a hard plastic shield over her tail to ensure the area was kept clean and dry. Long story short — the cleanliness of this facility leaves a lot to be desired — and could end up causing harm and financial strain on you and your pets. We have been thrilled with the care our dog receives across the street at Happy Mailman. The staff there, especially David, is fantastic!

My dog Sophie absolutely loves it her. So much so, that she literally does not want to leave and is barely interested in me whenever I pick her up! Also she must have a good time because she’s asleep in the back seat by the time my car gets out of their drive.

Hands down my new favorite dog boarding facility! My dogs decided to get into a bottle of Aleve before we left for our trip to South Padre and even after a vet visit and blood work I was beyond worried about leaving them. They assured me that they would keep an eye on our kiddos and take them to the vet if needed. The second day I got a missed call and voice mail to call them back. With my heart in my throat I called and they simply just wanted to call me with an update that the dogs were doing great, just one little episode of vomiting from one of them. Everyone was so sweet and understanding plus the pups were exhausted when we got home. It felt so good knowing they were being well taken care of and had a close eye on them.

My husband and I leave our two Newfoundlands here anytime we’re going out of town and cannot say enough good things about it. They’ve stayed anywhere from a weekend to a 12 day marathon vacation and we’ve been pleased each and every time.
Our older dog is a typical large, stubborn male Newfoundland and he was definitely not welcome at another «snooty» boarding facility in ATX. We get the complete opposite experience here. Everyone at Bobbi Colorado’s knows him by name and actually seems to be glad to see him. If you have a large breed dog, know that they will be loved here and the staff knows exactly how to handle them.
One of my favorite things about Bobbi Colorado’s is their willingness to accommodate particular needs of dogs — this is not a one-​size-​fits-​all place. They’ve accommodated our request that our Newfie puppy not be allowed to play with other dogs until she’s full-​grown, and limited both of our dogs’ playtime in the ATX heat.
Honestly, our dogs are thrilled when we pull up to Bobbie Colorado’s and I don’t think they’re happy to leave. We love having a place we can leave our dogs when we’re on vacation without one ounce of worry that they won’t be taken care of at least as well (probably better!) than they are at home.

I can’t believe I’ve never written a review of this place — I’ve taken my two dogs here multiple times and have always been super happy! The first few times I boarded them was at the vet — they came back stressed and miserable, so I set out to find a better option. Stumbled across this place via Groupon and have not gone anywhere else since!
My dogs don’t love the kennel, but I have to travel sometimes and they have to deal. They always come back happy and calm. They keep them together which I think does a lot for their mental state, and the staff is really caring. They also have drop off/​pickup times 7 days a week which is really convenient, I hate being home without my furballs.

I chose Bobbi Colorado’s Canine Camp because they don’t discriminate against pit bulls (or any type of dog for that matter) and at $ 31 per night, I found their rates to be very fair. The $ 31 per night covers supervised play groups (or individual walks if your dog does not do well in a group setting), medicine administration, and food (though I brought my dog’s own food due to his sensitive tummy). Finally, a place with no bs extra charges or fees!
I was very impressed by the staff. When checking in my dog, we had a good conversation about what type of playgroup would best suit my dog (in his case calm older doggies) and his special medical needs. As a mom of a special needs doggie, I get super nervous when I have to leave him for more than a day, but I felt good about leaving my dog in their care. The first night he was there he had a seizure, and the staff called to notify me right away. I really appreciated their promptness and honesty, even though it wasn’t the news I wanted to hear. They even followed up again the next day to let me know that he was still doing fine, had not had any more seizures, and he was eating well/​no diarrhea!
When I picked up my dog, he seemed to be in exceptionally good spirits (though he is always a pretty happy boy). I think he had a good time! These people seemed to love my dog, and my dog loves them. We will definitely be back. I recommend Bobbi Colorado’s Canine Camp to all my friends and all Unilocalers :)
Tips for a good stay at Bobbi Colorado’s:
1. make sure your dog has good flea preventative– in case you’ve been living in a bubble, news alert: fleas are BAD in Texas. Texas fleas are even resistant to common preventatives like advantix! If your dog comes home with fleas it is not Bobbi Colorado’s fault, it’s YOUR fault for not providing your dog with adequate protection. Talk to your vet about using an effective flea preventative like trifexis.
2. I recommend sending food in individual serving baggies labeled with your dog’s name. That’s what I did, and it seemed to work well. Suddenly switching foods can really mess with a dog’s tummy, and on top of being in a new/​stressful environment, this is no bueno.
3. Don’t send your dog with any precious or valuable toys or bedding– just like you wouldn’t send a kid with anything valuable to camp. It’s natural for a dog to destroy or urinate on something they normally wouldn’t when they are nervous or in a new setting.
4. Either pay for a bath (they are reasonably priced!) or plan on bathing your dog first thing when you get home. Since dogs have lots of outdoor play time they will probably come home dirty. This is a GOOD thing. It means they had fun at camp– not that the facilities are old or dirty :)

I have two reviews for Bobbi’s: one for the boarding and one for the dog training. I will discuss about the boarding first.
I could not be happier with Bobbi Colorado’s Canine Camp. I adopted my dog, Scout, from APA! about a year ago. She’s a lab mix, and she has some behavioral issues like fear aggression, leash aggression, and sometimes she does not play well with other dogs.
I found Bobbi’s on Groupon in late September, and I’m thankful I did. Bobbi’s is much less expensive than other boarding facilities I had taken Scout to, yet I felt it was a much better value! There are several huge yards for the dogs to exercise and play in, and for a reasonable fee you can request a nail trim or bath. The bath was definitely worth the extra fee, as Scout would play so much she’d get really dirty. Plus the shampoo they use smells wonderful!
The first thing that really blew me away was during her first visit in mid-​October. Scout was very scared upon arriving, and Bobbi’s placed her in a playpen by herself immediately. Julia, one of Bobbi’s employees, then sat in the pen with Scout for nearly two hours until Scout calmed down and began to trust her. I couldn’t believe the dedication to my dog. They really were doing everything they could to make her feel comfortable.
Bobbi’s is also great at creating small playgroups that are compatible with your dog and their personality/​behavior. Scout is not the best with other dogs, but Bobbi’s made sure to find some pups that she was compatible with. I usually call about halfway through my trips to check up on her, and I always got a quick response with how happy she was or a new puppy friend she had made. It made me so happy to see that she was doing so well.
After a few visits, Scout began approaching the employees on her own, giving them kisses and allowing them to hug and pet her. She grew quite attached to a few employees, and she even allowed the male employees to approach her (she is pretty scared of all males). Needless to say, her social improvement was immense.
I always felt that Bobbi’s was up front with me as to her progress, how she was feeling, or anything related to her stay at all. I trust them fully and can’t thank Bobbi’s enough for the transformation in my pup.
As for training, if I could award more stars, I would. Catherine Muffat is absolutely amazing. Her month-​long board-​and-​train program was a lifesaver for me. Scout’s behavioral issues were greater than I can describe; to put things in perspective she would lunge at people/​dogs from across the street, bark and bare her teeth, and wouldn’t allow anyone into the house without an hour long introduction. I have grown up with dogs and helped train family dogs, but I had never had experience with an aggressive dog like Scout. Scout also pulled incessantly on the leash. Catherine transformed her.
Before I even committed to the program, Catherine met with me and explained the training program. We discussed Scout’s issues and how her training might help her. However, Catherine did say that her training wouldn’t be a final solution for a dog with Scout’s issues, but that ultimately it would provide Scout with the tools to become more confident. In gaining more confidence, the hope was that she would become less aggressive. Catherine was very upfront with me with her expectations about the outcome, and I was very thankful for that.
Catherine kept Scout in training a little over the four weeks, and she gave me the extra time for free. Scout was a changed pup when I picked her up in late April. She heals, understands and listens to simple commands, and she is more confident. She rarely barks at other people/​dogs, and she is quick to calm down. I can even have people over to our home now with the proper precautions (muzzle and lots of hot dogs). When I picked Scout up, Catherine walked me through the commands, gave me advice on how to continue, and had me schedule two follow-​up appointments.
Catherine also offers two follow-​up appointments for FREE, one in-​home and one in the park. Given Scout’s unique issues, we had a follow-​up in home and also one at Bobbi’s to reintroduce my boyfriend with Catherine present. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THESE APPOINTMENTS!
If you’re worried about the price, Bobbi’s will work with you and even offer a payment plan if you can’t afford the price outright. Don’t let the price deter you, especially since the 1200 is a lot less than most other dog training programs.
We have since relocated to downtown San Diego, a far cry from the quiet neighborhood we lived in in Austin. Scout has adjusted beautifully. She can walk downtown and pass by strangers with absolutely no reaction.
I know now that taking Scout to Bobbi’s was the BEST thing I could have done. I am much happier, and Scout is a happier pup because of it.
Do yourself a favor and take your pups to Bobbi’s. Thanks Bobbi Colorado’s and Catherine! You are all the BEST!

I love this place — and so do my dogs. If you’re expecting a doggy spa, then look elsewhere. This is down-​home, rural playtime. My dogs get out of the car and never look back at me. They are boarded and penned separately, but both do well with other dogs and I get great feedback about their visits. I feel very confident and comfortable about leaving them both here. Despite the fact that they’re outdoors playing, etc., they never send my dogs home filthy, nor their beds. Good people; good place; good dog.

We have been taking our dogs there for about 6 months now and we love it! The staff is always very friendly and accommodating. One of our dogs did the month-​long training camp with Catherine and she did an amazing job. We had just rescued our dog and he needed some work — she not only did a wonderful job training him, she also showed him a lot of love. They regularly post pictures on their Facebook page so we’re able to see pic’s of our dogs playing when they’re there. When our dog finished the training camp, they made a little video showing us everything he’d learned. It was awesome.

Let me first say that I am not one to write reviews– ever. Mostly because I usually am pretty satisfied and not overly critical of businesses.
We took our Weimaraner there for a 6 night stay while we were on vacation. They asked if we wanted to bring our own food and for her feeding schedule, which we gave them. Our dog has been boarded multiples times and has never had an issue with the separation, kenneling or eating. Our pup drank a lot of lake water two weeks before her stay so she had just finished taking some de-​worming medicine, but she had been 100% and back to normal for several days before we took her to the kennel (we wouldn’t have boarded her If she hadn’t been) with that backstory, here’s the reasons we are unhappy…
1. We called half way through her stay to see how she was doing and whoever answered the phone had no idea what dog we were talking about. I described the breed, what she looked like, her name– nothing. His response was, «Sorry, there’s lots of dogs here.» Which led to the next issue…
2. When we picked her up her bag of food was basically full. I’d say ¾ full from what it was when we dropped it off. I called a couple days later because since we picked up our dog she was so sick. Lethargic, vomiting, diarrhea, skiddish, wouldn’t come to us when we called her– it’s like she was a different dog. So I called the place to talk to someone more in depth. When I asked about the food and if she didn’t get fed HER food the managers response was, «Oh yes, that very well could have happened. We had a lot of dogs here and sometimes it’s hard to keep track of whose food is whose.» They should know how sick a dog can get in a stressful environment eating different food then their own.
3. We took our dog to the vet because she had blood in her stools, and the manager at Bobbi Colorado’s said any vet bills that proved it was an issue at the kennel, they would cover. The Dr. agreed that the anxiety she obviously experienced there due to not getting her regular diet caused stress induced colitis. Our dog also had developed an anxiety lick, or hot spot on a paw which they failed to notice at the kennel. Let me emphasize, we have a VERY socialized, friendly dog who has been boarded multiple times with no issues. None. Ever.
4. When I called back to Bobbi Colorado’s and they spoke to the employee who primarily cared for her he assured his management that he fed her three times a day and that she chose not to eat a lot of her food. We have a Weimaraner– she’d eat all day if we let her. She has never had an issue eating at any kennel we’ve ever taken her to. From this point on they became incredibly defensive and revoked the offer to pay any vet bills, but did offer us a free stay in the future.
5. Any quality kennel should call the owner if their dog is refusing to eat, which I told the manager. She informed me that it’s very common for dogs not to want to eat while they’re boarded, and that she in fact has several dogs that hadn’t eaten in days! Our dog had lost seven pounds from the time we took her in to when we went to the vet. It’s not okay. I also was not happy that they didn’t even notice that half her paw had been licked raw due to anxiety! Which later on the kennel owners told us was the equivalent to a child coming back from a park with scratched knees. The vet saw it and instantly pointed out an anxiety lick. (Again, she’s never done that before…)
After a few phone calls with the owner– they finally agreed to pay for some of the vet bills. Although they made it very clear that they believed they did nothing wrong (and they never really apologized to us).
I believe that these are nice people and it seems that many people have had good experiences at this kennel, but coming from someone who personally works with elevated customer service issues daily, I’m far from happy with this place. We surely wont be taking our dog back there and I wouldn’t recommend chancing a stay there for anyone else.
My wife and I are 25, college graduates and working here in Austin (For some context behind the authors…).
UPDATE TO THE ABOVE REVIEW:
Here we are five months later with recent updates to our experience. We received in the mail a letter from Bobbi Colorado owners asking us to remove our above review; because we were being too unreasonable. We understand we don’t know the full experience of what happened to our dog (we weren’t there) and we understand that there’s two sides to every story. We wanted to share our experience because I would have wanted to know the same from someone else. At the end of the day we experienced little/​no positive customer service, but we were instead belittled and told we needed «more life experience» to become more tolerable and understanding. Luckily– our sweet pup is back to her normal happy healthy self!

My dog Basil has gone here twice and seems to love it! The people who work there are super friendly and it’s apparent that they love dogs.
Basil has returned from Canine Camp both times acting like a new dog. I think it’s because she’s getting socialized with other dogs and she’s exercising a ton when she’s there. Next time she seems lonely or starts to act up, I’m dropping her off at Camp for a few nights (regardless of if I’m on vacation or not).
Also, love the fact that for a little extra, they’d wash her and clip her nails for us.
As of early Sept ’13 the fee is $ 28 a night, but they’re increasing it to $ 31 a night in the coming weeks. It’s only their 2^nd price increase in 12 years, so it seems reasonable.

I’ve been going to drop off my Golden & Shih-​poo here for a year now and so far I haven’t been disappointed.
Five Stars all around for this canine camp!
First 5 Star — I love how I can call just a day before and they will take my pups, they have availability and as soon as I mention their names, they go «oh, the Golden & the little shih-​poo», so needless to say, they know who my babies are.
2^nd 5 Star — everyone is so nice! I have had no problems with customer service, I feel the good ol’ southern hospitality for me & my pooches.
3^rd 5 Star — It’s cheaper than almost every place out there! There’s one half a mile from them and it was at least 10 bucks more!
4^th 5 Star — My pooches are always so happy when I pick them up.
I can go on forever but yeah, I give them two thumbs up!

We had our friend’s dog two weeks training (including boarding) at this place. The dog (60 lbs) was too wild to walk on leash (even for a grown-​up man!) since he has never been trained on leash. After training, he has a completely different personality. He can heel (still learning but it is way much better than before), sit and wait for us without tightened by a leash outside. He is much calmer than before and we feel like they draw the best out of him by training.
We are very happy about the training place and people. People there were very kind and flexible. Making money is not their primary concern. All they want to do is doing the best job so that dogs would be properly (and positively!!) trained and become a enjoyable company. And their prices for training or boarding is much better than other dog-​hotel places with less exercise time… so why chose other ones?

Our dog has been here twice now for boarding and it has been a good experience both times. I like that they are pretty flexible – you can drop off or pick up M-​F 8 – 5:30 and on S-​S as well, though those times are different. We went to a different kennel where the pick up and drop off times were really specific and had a much smaller window. My dog always seems happy when I pick him up. I like that the owner lives on the property and I like that she was there when we were there, greeting clients and playing with the boarders. I like that they video the dogs for their FB page though I admit I have not gone on there to look (I rarely use FB). Overall, we are happy with this place and would happily use them again.

I really like leaving my two dogs at Bobbi’s because they get socialized and well excersiced. It’s like leaving your kids at camp. They get to run around most of the day and roll around in the dirt which my pups seem to really enjoy. So for the overall pup experience I would give it 5 stars.
The only negative, which is very annoying to me, is their small window of time for pick up and drop offs. I travel a lot for work and have had to find alternative care for them because for example you can only drop off on Sundays from 2−5pm. Or if your flight lands at 6pm on Tuesday then you can’t pick them up because you can only pick up until 5:30. I wish they were able to take a certain amount of dogs by appointment only as long as it was made a week in advance or something to that effect.

My yellow Lab, Ivan the Terrrible, went to Bobbi Colorado’s Canine Camp for training, since he was getting hard to control. Carol took him through her month-​long training, and it made a big difference! The first morning I took him out to practice on a leash, he actually ignored a family of deer that was observing. That is amazing to me, since he previously would have taken off without a backward glance.
Thanks to Carol and the rest of the Canine Camp crew for such a good boarding and training experience!

Yaaaaaaaaay!!!
Okay, I’ll be more specific, because people probably want details, especially when it comes to leaving their dog in the care of strangers. My dog Delilah is decidedly strange and anti-​social, so I’m always concerned about leaving her new places. Usually when we drop her off anywhere, whether it’s the vet, the groomer’s, any boarding place, etc., she comes back to us in a very sullen mood and we can tell she hasn’t had a good time. However, when we picked her up from Bobbi Colorado’s, she was very spritely and energetic, and she even whimpered a little bit as we were leaving — she didn’t want to leave! So cute.
They have a Facebook page where they post videos of the dogs playing, so it was a nice treat to get to see what she was up to while we were away (yes, I’m one of those kinds of people). I called to check on her a few times (only three times, and we were gone for 11 days, tried not to hover too much), and they knew her by name and knew exactly how she was doing.
I should add that Delilah incurred a minor injury (broken toenail) before we dropped her off, so we had her e-​collar on when we arrived. They took great care of her and made sure she was all healed up before they removed it.
She has even been slightly more well-​behaved since she got back, and she’s playing better with other dogs.
:)