Camp Run-a-Pup

We have taken our puppy to Camp Run a Pup for stays ranging from one day to ten days and he loves it. We tried Camp on the recommendation of our dog trainer, who spoke very highly of Katybeth. Our dog stayed there for the first time when we went out of town for an extended trip. She was great, very easy to deal with, posted pictures on Facebook and, most importantly, our dog loved Camp. The next time I took him there to stay overnight, he couldn’t jump out of the car fast enough to greet Katybeth. Her son Cole is great with our dog too. While it’s a little bit out of the way for us, it is well worth the extra drive to take our dog someplace that he loves and we feel comfortable with.

Maks, our now seven year old Vizsla almost doesn’t know the world without Katy. That means we’ve been going back to this professional pet spoiler for almost seven years now. Katy runs the business out of her house which is a big plus — your dog spends his time in a house-​with-​the-​backyard atmosphere instead of a sterile prison box of a pet hotels elsewhere. She keeps the number of dogs down to a reasonable few and she is flexible to the point of abuse — I feel the guilt of any numbers of times we had to extend Maks’ stay for a day or two (or four months one difficult year) or change our plans midstream — and having Katy accommodate both our needs as well as our pets.
At this point we view Katy and her family more as extended part of our family. When Maks goes to her he is really going to his «other family».
I wish there are more business owners like Katy. If you have a dog that you consider as a part of your family, take my advice from a guy who has given Katy repeat business for over 300 weeks: drop off your pup with Katy. You will enjoy the experience as much as your pup. As a former business owner I know there is only one clear sign of a successful business and that’s repeat customers — and we are one happy and quite repeating customer.
For those of you who are new to dog ownership and pet boarding concepts: we were very nervous when we started using Katy — I remember worrying about «what happens to Maks when we drop him off» and remember watching Maks get super excited when he sees her and coming much tired when we pick him up. This initially sealed the deal for us, but over the years we learned to appreciate how Katy runs her business and used to wonder what on earth we would do if she decided to close her business — for her service to both our pet and us is without match. Little did we know that we would be the ones to move away and now wonder how we will find the new Katy where we are going.
Remember: this professional pet spoiler doesn’t offer pet pickups but offers almost any other dog service know to mankind. Our favorite happens to be the pawdicure :) Look at her website for more info and ignore how cheap her pricing is — she doesn’t know she is giving away value that’s pennies on the dollar.

I’ve been using Camp Run-​a-​Pup services for over five years (gosh, has it been that long?) and I wish there were even more than five stars I could give.
Katybeth, the owner, along with her family (son Cole and husband, Joe) is wonderful. I began using Camp Run-​a-​Pup when my son’s beagle was just a puppy. He loved being at Camp, and Katybeth would always have wonderful stories and photos to give us that made my son feel much better about leaving behind his dog when we went away.
My family now has three dogs, and Camp Run-​a-​Pup has made the two additions to our dog family (golden retrievers) both feel very welcome.
I could go on and on, but rest assured, when your dog is here your dog will be loved and well looked after. Our dogs love going to camp, and the dogs really become part of the Camp Run-​a-​Pup family when they are there. Our beagle, Joey, has become quite spoiled with going to camp. He also does not like crates particularly well, and has managed to worm his way into the guest bedroom of the family home come night time. The goldens, on the other hand, love their crates. So, you see, the camp really looks after your dog’s individual needs and habits.
We live in Evanston and we have had no trouble getting to and from Camp Run-​a-​Pup. Not just that, but often Katybeth will be happy to have drop off or pick up service. They also provide grooming, along with all the love and care that your dog can handle.
Again, Five Stars Plus Plus Plus!!!

Camp Run-​a-​Pup is located on the west side of the city, about 30 minutes from the northside and about 20 minutes from O’Hare. So, unless you live out there, or you’re willing to make the trek, it’s pretty far. And that’s 30 minutes on a traffic-​light commute.
The service is run out of the owner’s home, which made me feel more comfortable. Katybeth, the owner, has a couple dogs herself, and yours is treated like family during his/​her stay. About a month ago, Wrigley stayed for a couple nights while I went to Madison, and he had a blast.
Pros:
— Very flexible for drop-​off & pick-​up times, unlike most dog-​sitting services. Really, if you make the plan with them, you can do it almost any time that’s mutually agreed upon.
— Like I said, the business is run out of their home, so it’s not the sterile atmosphere you find in most kennels.
Cons:
— If you’re on a tight timeline, it’s pretty far west, so you’ll have to plan for it.
— They don’t have a pick-​up/​drop-​off service available.
— I found out Wrigley doesn’t really care for crates anymore. They were never a problem as a puppy, but I guess he barked a LOT when he was put into one during his stay there. So, if your dog likes to roam free, he/​she might have a problem with this place.