Best Friends Pet Care

I am a frequent customer at Best Friends and my little guy Max absolutely loves going to daycare and staying overnight. I feel so comfortable leaving him there knowing he is getting the best care that is possible while I am away. Such an affordable stress free way to make sure your pet has everything they need while you are otherwise involved in other matters. The fact that the vet clinic is attached is even better in case of an emergency. I will continue to use these facilities and really appreciate this service. Thank you!

We are so glad we learned about Best Friends Pet Care, both doggie day care and over night, oh, and bath…
It has been the best case scenario for both us and our dog.
What is even better is feeling that the staff is well educated in understanding dogs and loves our dog. Clean, well run environment, meeting special needs of each pet. Our dog was 6 months when we first brought her. We gained a peace of mind from the very beginning with Best Friends Pet Care.

The staff is amazing. They took great care of my cat and during her stay, sent me an email and picture of her (on her behalf)…what a cute idea. When I checked out they applied the first night free because it was her first stay as well as a military discount without me even asking. I watched as they cared for every pet that walked through the door. Not the fanciest place in the world, but the concern they have for my animal trumps everything.

Thanks for the response, Morgan B. Again, my issue isn’t with the business’ choice of rules and restrictions. It’s your wording and explanation to another Unilocaler. You claimed that Pit Bulls have jaws that lock, which is a dated myth. Any professional that deals with the breed should know this. And if you do in fact work with local Pit Bull rescues, you should also know this. Please be a bit more professional and educated when choosing your words.

Our 17 ½ year old dog stayed here the past 2 weekends, it was her first time boarding ever in her life. We were very nervous at first due to this, but felt comfortable leaving her at Best Friends, and really liked the service we received. The staff was friendly. We also really liked the fact that a photo of our dog was emailed to us during her stay each weekend. I would definitely board our dog here again in the future if needed.

Ridiculous place. They have a policy that won’t allow Pitbull mix in the day camp. Great job in helping to spread the discrimination against this breed.

My Vet highly recommended the groomer, and after 3 bad experiences taking my pooch of 9 months to other groomers I was eager to check them out. Amazing! My shih tzu mix who is normally chill usually is eager to run out the door lol, this time she was jumping to get Mika’s (the groomer) attention! Mika joked that was b/​c she gave her a massage. Pepper was happy, and was groomed according to what was discussed, skin sensitivities and all (which didn’t happen at another groomer who decided they knew what she needed). We’ll be back!

Just this past weekend I took my doggie to them because I was heading south of the border. I really liked their service. The staff was friendly and helpful. They took my doggie even though I had no reservations. Two thumbs up to them for that.
The place looked clean but never saw the back where the dogs stay. I think that for first timers they should offer a tour of the facility. I liked that they e-​mail me a picture of my baby girl. I was missing her and the picture was a nice touch. Their prices are very reasonable.
They verify that dogs have all their vaccines in order. Which is nice. My only concern is that there is one vaccine that they require every six months, Hmm a vaccine that needs to be given every six months sounds like a little bit too much for me. I’ll have to run that one by my vet. Because if I remember correctly, I was told those shots are once per year.
I had my dog groomed while it stayed there. They did a good job but I do have a complain about it. But just to be fair, this is a problem not unique to this place but to all the places I’ve taken my dog for grooming. They clip the nails but don’t file them. That leaves sharp edges that can scratch you easily. But again, this problem is not unique to this place. So I always have tot take make pooch home and file her nails wins motorized nail mail grinder I bough. I round off all the rough and sharp edges. It’s doesn’t take me long. I can’t understand why no groomer does this.

Our English Bulldog loves going here! She is always so excited to be dropped off here and can hardly wait to run to the back while we fill out her paper work. When we pick her up she has so much energy and looks so happy, we know that they play with her and treat her well during her stay. They also e-​mail us pictures that we love to see when we have to be away from her and do not up-​charge for holidays and always have the same rates. Overall, we love bringing her here when we have to leave town and would recommend it to anybody!

This place is great! I was taking Fred (my puppy) to another doggy day care but having issues with his poop eating… yeah his a poop eater. I decided to try out Best Friends because it was closer to my work. When I got there the staff was very friendly and took the time to give me a tour. The place was very clean and well maintained. She addressed all my concerns regarding my puppy’s poop eating issue. My other concern was that I wasn’t sure how much longer I wanted to keep Fred in daycare. The staff member told me that if I purchase the 20 daycare package and decide at the end of the year that I no longer needed to take Fred to daycare that they would refund me the difference of my remaining package.
I started taking Fred about 2 times a week and I was always very happy with the staff and service. He stop having issues with the poop eating. They always greeted us with a smile and knew us by name. After about 4 months I stop taking Fred because he finally passed the crazy puppy phase. I called Best Friend and they refunded me the difference of my reminding package. Overall this place rocks!!!

Cats! Yes, they groom cats. Many places in San Diego do not offer this service, so I was stoked. I love my cats & they are our best friend-​so I love the name of this place.
One of my cats, Boo, is long haired & I rarely see him groom himself. Boo gets those dingleberries & we usually have to chase him around the house to clean him & this is no fun for either of us. Our solution was to try to trim him around that area, but we again end up chasing him around the house, trimming in increments & then vacuuming after the episode. Boo also gets gnarly cat matts on his belly/​pits & we cut them out but it ends up looking like a 17 year-​olds facial hair. Both of these are time consuming, no fun & produce very temporary results. (Gross part over)
Boo loves to be brushed, so we do that every other day. We tried to shave him, but he wasn’t a fan of that effort & it didn’t work at all. So we needed an expert! Long to short. (hair & review)
Schedule an appointment: I was timid & had a lot of (odd) questions. When speaking to staff on phone, she had all the answers, patient & pleasant: Fax us Boo’s latest vet recs indicating he’s up to date with shots; Drop Boo off when convenient to you in the AM (we dropped off around 8a-​groomers come in at 8a); We let Boo adjust to the new atmosphere; After Boo’s adjusted, we wash, clean ears, clip nails, & groom to the cut you want-​or the cut most fitting for the job (all optional services); We call you when Boo’s ready for pickup (they called around noon). Estimate=$ 60.00
Boo got a kitty salon experience! AND he came back with a report card indicating how he responded to the experience. It was so cute. They shaved his belly shorter than the rest to prevent the matts– brilliant! Total cost: $ 60.00
After the experience, I was contacted via email to provide feedback; which I did. (I love surveys, customer feedback – hence, Unilocal!) Best Friends actually called me back to discuss my comments, which many, many businesses do not. I was very busy that week & didn’t return the call. The following week, they actually called again to follow up; which I was glad because I did want to discuss my experience, but was too busy to make the call.
We will go back! I haven’t had my cats boarded there while on vacation. Luckily, I know a few people that watch them. But if I needed the service, the first place I would turn to is Best Friends.

I leave my little Scully here for Day Camp as often as I can, because I hate to leave her home alone. She seems to love it. She’s always happy to go see her friends, and is happy when I pick her up. The staff has always been really nice. On Halloween they dressed her up and took a picture, which was *hilarious*, and gave me a doggy cupcake for her. Scully loves chasing the other dogs around, and the rates are affordable for me. I definitely recommend Best Friends.

I was in a bind to find a place for my dog to go while we went out of town all day. I called Best Friends literally 5 minutes before they closed and was able to give them my dogs info in order to drop her off first thing in the morning.
This was my first time boarding my precious pup and she and I felt very comfortable there. I got an email with a pic of her from her day!
Best part, I called the next morning and asked for her to have a bath before I picked her up they were able to do that for me last minute. My girl came home and slept all day so I know she enjoyed herself. We will definitely be back!
Thanks again!

Kristen your response is not adequate and perhaps your facility needs better management. My review stands as is and I would never bring my dog back no matter how desperate I am. Your employees consulted with management prior to taking my dog and even went as far as accepting her when we checked in. I don’t think it’s a communication problem I think it’s a management problem. I would hate to see how badly this place is run behind the scenes when customers are not present.
PS If you are still on the fence about bringing your pet to Best Friends I would suggest that you look at the reviews that Unilocal conveniently hides for businesses that are willing to pay for advertising.

Eh… I can’t complain. This review is strictly for their boarding.
This place isn’t at the top of my list, but it certainly isn’t at my bottom as either. It’s convenient for me and the staff is friendly (though there are a couple of borderline incompetent workers). I’ve taken my dog to other boarding facilities where his tail is under and he’s shivering when I pick him up, but this place can’t be all that bad since his tail is always wagging upward when I get him.
There are a couple others boarding places near the Kearny Mesa area, but have a ridiculous wait list. If you’re in a bind or want to avoid hassles of booking months in advance… Best friends is 3-​star worthy.

This weekend was the first time I dropped off my boy Romeo. I was so impressed with the whole process. Not only do they check for immunization records but 6 month fecal tests. The thoroughness that they go through is amazing. The best part for me was, I received a message with a picture of Romeo having fun with the other dogs. That made my DAY!!! No one had ever done that before!!! The other great thing was, they provide the option to groom him before you pick him up. It doesn’t get better than this!!! We will be back for sure!

I’ve read the owner’s comments, and my review still stands. However, my impression on this business has become even less favorable after this exchange. I did not feel that the fact that we were 30 minutes late was relevant to my experience, but since the owner is using this as leverage for their defense, this will be addressed.
We were stuck in traffic driving from Los Angeles to San Diego, so in my panic that we would not make it in time to Best Friends Pet Care before closing, I called to see if they would be flexible in taking us in a little late. I asked for 6:15pm; I was offered 6:30.
The moment that the facility agreed to stay behind, is the moment we became their customer. The argument that those who come in within business hours would get preferential treatment is distasteful, especially when it would appear that special arrangements were made to ensure our satisfaction from the beginning. In short, we were offered great service, but Best Friends fell short in follow-​through.
I was not expecting a «grand tour» of the facility, however sarcastically that phrase was used in the response. Be that as it may, any offer to show us around the facility, or any assurance that we had chosen the right place for our pet, would have helped us give the benefit of the doubt and believe that, when our dog came out distressed and reeking of vomit, the facility must have done all they could for my pet.
The response also did not address the lack of customer service the morning after, or the stink on my pet’s coat upon arrival. If the assertion that we were 30 minutes late is the facility’s only concern and only defense, then perhaps Best Friends is not suited for the business of customer service. I have met and worked with many businesses that care deeply about pets, and Best Friends was not one of them.

we liked that they had the first night off deal and we boarded our pet for one night only to pick her up the next afternoon. The only thing is we also got grooming. It was efficient to book it online but the total charge was $ 42 for shampooing/​trimming her nails and a cut. The cut is not clean at all for a paid job. It’s jagged, and still covers most of her face and you see random tufts around her legs, tail and body, and they didn’t even bother with the ears and there’s a small spot above her nose with just skin.
I know they tried and the report card is fine. It seemed busy when we went because it was the 4^th of July sow e’ll see.

The front desk folks greet you with smiles, and the first time I came in they showed me where the play area was and introduced me to the friendly person who watches over the dogs. First visit is free, so it’s worth a visit to see if your dog enjoys it. I’ve taken my dog here a number of times, but she doesn’t seem to be worn out afterwards, so I give this place 3 stars. I’ve heard other patrons make similar remarks as well. I know my dog gets a lot of play time in, so I still would bring my dog to this place for socialization. Their day play price is less than many other day care facilities I’ve looked into too. Each time I pick my dog up, I get a little report card with names of other dogs she played with and check marks on activities she did that day.
They have a monthly calendar with $ 5 off baths and special photo days. The calendar is posted on their Facebook page. The photos are fun — they sometimes dress up your dog.
When boarding, they email you a cute message and photo of your dog while you are away. A nice touch.

Day Camp & Grooming:
I was in need of a doggie day care facility after a move to a new neighborhood. My dog likes to have play time with other dogs rather than stay home by himself during the week. I was also having some remodeling done, and was required to have the dog out of the house.
Although nervous at first, my fearful rescue dog seemed to adjust quickly to the new day camp. With his fear of strangers I was somewhat worried, but I was told after the first few visits he has warmed up well with the others and now feels a part of the pack. He also warmed up to the employees which makes his mother (me) happy.
After a few weeks, I decided to try the grooming services for his bath and haircut. I didn’t know what to expect but was very pleasantly surprised by the customer service and the great job that was done.
They also have plans to open an indoor small dog play area. Can’t wait!
One star is missing for two reasons:
— The outdoor yard is less grass and more dirt. Although I like to think my male dog is quite manly, he does have white hair that seems to collect dust.
— The hours are 8am — 6pm. This makes drop off and pick up a bit difficult to be gone for a full day of «9 to 5» work.