Moonshadow Kennels

Pros:
–Flexibility. Moonshadow Kennels is pretty flexible with regards to if you have extenuating circumstances (different pick-​up time, last minute decision to opt into the doggy bath, etc.) and you keep them updated. My boyfriend and I were unable to drop off our pup within their office hours, and they were accommodating, allowing us to drop off at a slightly later time. Morning office hours from 8 AM-​12 PM, afternoon office hours 3 PM-​5 PM.
–Pet happiness. Our pup likes to be around other dogs, and I believe Moonshadow Kennels schedules a time where all the boarded dogs are able to mingle and interact. They seem to individualize dog care as well, because they allow you to bring your own dog’s food and items for their stay. They also understand if your dog is currently taking medications (like ointments for ear infections, etc.) or if you specify that you don’t want your dog mingling with other dogs due to behavioral issues.
–Standards. I liked that Moonshadow Kennels required us to provide proof of vaccinations, including kennel cough and rabies. It showed me that they were willing to be strict with owners to ensure the safety of their boarded dogs.
Cons:
–Unclear stipulations. Unlike human hotels where the prices of boarding are based on per nightly stay, the price of $ 24 per day is actually based on the time of 3 PM, if I remember correctly. Example: If your dog stays two nights, but you pick them up after 3 PM on the third day (since their afternoon office hours start at 3 PM), then they charge you for the third night anyway. We didn’t know that until the day we picked up our pup during afternoon hours, and we were charged for an extra night. It was a bit frustrating because it seemed our dog liked his stay and we wanted to be happy with their service, but we couldn’t get them to refund us that extra $ 24, even though they didn’t clearly make sure we understood this stipulation before boarding our pup. The information is not offered online, so we had no way of knowing. I don’t remember it being on the contract we signed for our pup to stay there either. It didn’t seem fair.
–No tour. I am very protective of my pup. I wished they would have offered to take me around behind their reception desk area to see the actual kennel my pup was going to be boarded in. I would have liked to see the area the dogs were going to mingle in as well, if it wasn’t the fenced area outside that I could see. I guess this is just something I’m particular about, since I’m sure there are other boarding places that don’t offer to take an owner back.
–Slightly expensive. I feel like most places board dogs for about $ 15 – 20 a night, but I don’t know if other boarders include doggy day care (the mingle time) with their prices, so this bullet point is just a slight nit-​pick.
Overall: I would use this kennel again for boarding services, but I would make sure my schedule allowed for pick-​up in the morning to avoid the cost of an extra night. I think that fiasco was what really brought my review down from a 4 – 5 star experience.

I have used Moonshadow for years. while Leah and PJ were owners. I loved the personal touch that the family displayed when we would bring our dog there.
About a year ago they sold the kennel to a husband and wife team who I’ve never met. In addition a manager who I was introduced to once and have never seen her since. I was told she would be there everyday making herself available. Guess one has to make an appointment have a conversation with Jessica just to see if shes really is on the premises.
I get the impression that the staff runs the kennel and wonder just what they do besides clean and take the dogs to there «areas», I’ve never seen playtime nor have I ever seen them out of the runs.
There is no communication between pet owners and owner of the kennel. I recently found out that they raised their prices without even considering letting people who use their services frequently, not even a flyer indicating they were going to do it. they raised the price $ 4.00. Truthfully, I think that’s a lot to raise it all at once. I believe they could of done it gradually, but I guess this is due to new renovations their doing to the kennel.
It’s a shame the personal touch is gone and they’ve become just a typical kennel where dogs bring in their financial wealth.
I am rather sad that this has taken place. I am hoping it will change, otherwise I will be looking elsewhere. I would love to keep bringing my pet there but I’m concerned about what kind of care he is really getting especially at their increased rate.
Is it all about money? Please don’t let that be the case.:(

Moonshadow is consistently 5-​star. I’ve boarded my dog there at least a dozen times over the last 4 years. In fact, we drive from Columbia to Charleston when we fly so we can use the services of Moonshadow. We have nothing comparable in Columbia
I was at the kennel when one of their dog-​loving workers was throwing a ball and my hog and about 4 others were chasing it and playing and getting great exercise. I picked up my dog, a small Lab, and he has done little but sleep since getting back from «camp.» He’s happily exhausted and smells clean and fresh
I read a negative review that involved the former owners but I have to admit I never noticed a problem with family feuds. And I did note that there are a number of exceptional reviews on Google so I feel this one negative review is an outlier.

I board my dog here every time I travel and can’t get a sitter. They really do love animals here and every member of the staff seems to really love their jobs.
The owners are a hubby wife pair and are very personable. The dogs have a lot of outdoor run and play time which is what my dog needs since she’s an Australian cattle dog.
I always just give them my giant tub of food and its never come back looking robbed. I always bring my dogs bed too for that familiar piece of home and it always comes back looking normal.
The prices are about 20 bucks a day which is super fair. Located out in the country side of johns island this is the best place to let your dog run free on their own vacation.

I will begin this review by saying that we have boarded our dog before at Planet Bark in Mt. Pleasant before they closed. Since then, we have had the great fortune of good friends that would dog-​sit for us. Unfortunately, they were out of town this time, so my husband searched and found Moonshadow through people on Facebook and was told that they were fabulous. Um, no. As the one star succinctly states, Methinks not.
My husband and I immediately had a bad feeling about this place when we dropped our pup off. The owners, a husband and wife team, made it quite clear why spouses should never work together. The wife by herself is not a very happy person. She seemed to have been dragged into this business because it was obvious she hated every minute of it. Her attitude was the absolute worst: Not a friendly bone in her body, had a constant scowl and was just downright bitter. A question was snootily answered by the most false of grins which quickly changed back to a miserable glare. Next, the husband came out and screamed at her because she did something wrong. He later apologized to us, but at that point the impression was already made (psst, it wasn’t a good one). He was also very gruff, but a bit more personable than the wife.
What led us to leave our dog here? It was last minute and thought, perhaps we should give them the benefit of the doubt. After all, this place had good reviews from people in our neighborhood.
When we went to pick up our pup (which was an hour later than our scheduled pickup time) he wasn’t ready yet (we asked to have him bathed). No problem — it happens. What did irritate me was that they could not tell us how he behaved the whole time he was there. It was a very generic, «He did well. He ate well» description spoken from the unemotional lips of the wife. Coming from good (and busier) kennels whose employees gave great detail on his daily romps (VIP Pet Resort in Orlando is awesome!), this was very annoying and quite frankly, unacceptable. He came out panting like crazy (sure, he was happy to see us) but it did not cease the whole way home. When we finally arrived, he went straight to his water bowl. After about a minute of lapping, we let him outside where he peed, and I am not kidding here, for about 45 seconds. He also pooped three times within 5 hours, one poop being about 10 minutes later from the first. Big poops. My poor pup was full of poop! Did they not let him out all night or morning??? I also forgot to mention that his muzzle was matted down with soap, so I had to wet/​wipe down his face to get it all off. What the hell???
One more thing– my husband made a bet that we would get an empty food bin instead of one that had leftovers (isn’t that awful?). I banked that we would get his leftover kibble because there was NO POSSIBLE WAY he would have, or could have, eaten all of what we provided. We over-​measured the amount on purpose. Sure enough, it was empty. So, if you read that they «provide top quality food and treats for your dog», your welcome. I didn’t want to believe it. I couldn’t, but it happened, So I have to believe that they keep all the leftover food. To my surprise, my husband did not question them when he was handed the huge, empty container. He simply told me, «We won’t come back… ever».

I’ll preface this review by saying that I have never boarded my dog before. When we recently moved to Charleston, we set out to find reliable dog care in the event that we had to go out of town. I presented to my new friend a stack of business cards I had gathered and she easily picked Moonshadow’s and said, «Go here.»
I called the owners (PJ and Lea) to chat and PJ was so nice and informative. He does NOT breed discriminate, which is hard to come by anymore. He’s knowledgeable about breeds and individual temperaments. The following week, my dog and I toured the kennel and were offered the chance to come to daycare so my dog could get a feel for the place. The kennel is immaculately clean and the kennels themselves are well ventilated and have central a/​c.
Brandy (who I affectionately have dubbed, «Miss Brandy» to my dog) seems to be my dog’s «person» while boarding and at daycare. I called Lea to check on my dog the first day of boarding and got a full report on how well she was doing, who she played with, and what her schedule that afternoon looked like.
I picked my dog up when I got back into town. It was very obvious she’d had a good time. All you need to take for your dog is her food, if she needs a special diet. Moonshadow provides everything– beds, toys, bowls, treats. They are incredibly reasonable, price-​wise, considering the dogs are playing a good 6 hours a day.
Two thumbs up for our first boarding and daycare experience!