Camp Run-A-Mutt Kearny Mesa

I bring my dog Winston here for boarding when I’m out of town. It’s a little pricey and I keep thinking that I’m going to start bringing him somewhere that is cheaper, yet I keep coming back. They take very good care of him and always tell me how much they love him. We also love to watch him on the Mutt Cams when we are gone, and he is always getting attention from the staff. He comes home exhausted and sleeps for days.
One downside is the restrictions on drop-​off times (must be between 6am and 12pm) which can be inconvenient if you have an early or late flight. And as I mentioned, the price (including charging an extra $ 10/​day the week surrounding holidays). Also, I tried to bring him to a different Camp location once and they wouldn’t let me without paying for the trial daycare day again. Seems like if he has never had any issues at one location I should be able to bring him to a different location as well without being charged another $ 25 for the trial.
Yet Winston loves it, they love him… so I keep coming back

our pup buster has been coming to this camp for almost 2 years now and he loves it! we love how we can check on him and watch from the mutt cam and he gets to sleep cage free and cuddle with his dog friends. he always comes home exhausted from playing so much which is another plus for us :) very affordable and we love the staff…5 stars all the way around!

Loved being able to check in on my dog on the live cams while she stayed overnight. The play areas are large with lots to do: lay in the shade, play in the fountain, sniff other dogs. The facility is large and clean. The staff are really friendly and you can tell they really care about the dogs. It feels like they give your dog special attention while there because they give you a report card at the end of the stay that indicates who on their staff interacted with your dog and what your dog enjoyed doing while there, super cute!
However, we started looking for an alternate boarder because of an issue with our dog’s medication during her stay: she takes 1 arthritis pill a day and she was only staying for 1 night, but we we dropped off 2 pills just in case we couldn’t pick her up on time. We wrote out the instruction to only give her 1 pill /​day and also told the staff. When we picked her up after 1 night stay, we didn’t receive any medication back. We assumed the staff had given her all the pills at once, doubling her dose. Since it’s just arthritis medication, she’s fine, but I was concerned that the staff wasn’t following directions for medication. What if it was something she could overdose on and become very sick? Also, these pills are expensive so we can’t waste them on giving her extra doses that she doesn’t need. I sent Camp Run-​A-​Mutt Kearny Mesa an email describing why we started looking for an alternate boarder and the manager, Analiese, called and emailed me the same day. She explained that after looking into the issue, they found he extra pill! It had been portioned out with the food when we dropped off our dog for boarding. I’m impressed with Analiese’s rapid response and thorough investigation of the issue. I retrieved the extra pill and food, and all is well! I highly recommend them!

This place is great! I board my dog here a few times a year and she loves it. They are great with her and take excellent care of her.

My 3 year old Lab/​Shepard mix and I are new to the area. I have been looking for places to take him for the day to play/​hang out while I had a busy day. I found Camp Run A Mutt and I LOVE THIS PLACE! Upon walking in, Otis and I were greeted, I introduced him to Erika and she was very excited to meet him. After the temperament test, he was welcome to spend the remainder of the day with them. I brought him back to get groomed, and the groomer was super friendly as well. I love that i can go online and check yp on my dog using the webcams. Erika is very helpful when it came to feeding times and what Otis does and doesn’t like to eat. I will recommend Camp Run-​A-​Mutt 100% of the time. This place is amazing.

I have a 10 year old bullmastiff and new to the area. I heard about this locations great reviews, so I thought what’s the heck let’s give it a try. When I walked in I was greeted with lots os smiles and felt very welcomed. My dog got temperament tested and once that was done he was good to go. I liked that I could check up on him online and he had a great time. Good part is he was able to socialize with all kinds of dogs while I did errands. When I took him there the next day they remembered him and now he’s gonna get groomed with Otho while he’s at daycare! What a sweet deal! Couldn’t ask for a better location! Erica is so helpful and so caring for the dogs there! Otho was also very pleasant to meet and I know he will Be great grooming magnum!

This is the most awesome place ever! Our dog, Sancho, loves the super clean facilities and the amazing staff here. Thank you so much Annette and everyone!!!

Love love this place! So organized and professional! The temperament test reassured me that they had dogs that were compatible. I took my hyperactive adolescent male boxer, Duke, for day care and a 5 day overnight stay. both experiences were 5 star. I really like the mutt cams too! I bought a 20 pack and we will be back! Thank you!

I’ve been taking my dog here since he was 4 months old (he’s now 2 ½). I have to say that this place is a great place to take your dog when you don’t have time to take him to the dog park or walk him. At least that’s why we use their services. If we can’t exercise our dog and we have to leave for a long time, then we take him to doggie daycare. You do have to be aware that like all daycare places, (even human baby daycare places) things can happen. The people working here and monitoring the dogs cannot possibly control how a dog may react to certain stimuli. That being said, all staff members show a lot of care and attention to all dogs and I’ve only had an incident once where I didn’t like how a dog was playing with my pooch, I believe the incident was addressed internally. Everyone has always been very friendly and even though I don’t take my dog every day, or even every week, they always recognize him and greet him by his name. My dog loves this place by the way! and at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. So I’ll give you some pro’s and cons:
Pros:
1) Friendly and knowledgeable staff
2) Hours of operation: They open at 6 am and close pretty late, I believe at 9 PM
3) Days: They work 7 days a week which is helpful, specially on weekends
4) They only accept dogs that have passed personality test
5) They turn away dogs who are not well socialized
6) Location
7) They have half-​day rates
Cons:
1) Dogs are usually not given breaks unless you call and as for your pet to take a break so if you leave them all day then they’re exhausted for like 2 days.
2) Dogs stink when you pick them up because you know, they’re dogs.
Also, a lot of the negative reviews on this page are from parents who do not understand that their dog does not «fit» in this type environment. As a pet parent, I don’t want my dog to be around other dogs that «just like to play rough» because guess what? I don’t like your dog bitting my dog! If your dog can’t behave, don’t take him to the park, don’t take him to doggy daycare, don’t take him to the beach PLEASE! Spend some time training your dog, you don’t even have to spend money, there is this thing called the internet!!!

My husband and I love this place. We have 2 male Cocker Spaniels (ages 8 and 3) and have been taking them for years. Here’s a couple of things we love about this place:
1.) Location. They are right off the I-​163 Freeway. We live off of the I-​15 and it’s very convenient for us when we travel (on the way to the airport) and for daycare (I work in Downtown).
2.) Muttcams. When we are out of town, I always worry about our boys. Specifically, the older one since he isn’t as «social» as the younger one. The ability to watch them on the muttcams gives my husband and I a sense of comfort.
3.) Boarding services. Our older dog is on medication (daily), so he’s a «special» one. He has meds that need to be given in the morning and in the evening. He also needs eye drops daily. I provide the medication (in a pill case) and have had no issues with the team at CRAM giving him his meds. I also provide their food (my dog has allergies and can only eat a specific type of kibble) and they have no issues with that either.
4.) Grooming services. I’m not sure if this is a new thing but I love it. So we hadn’t boarded our dogs at CRAM in about 2 years or so. We just boarded them in April 2016 and opted for the grooming services. It was great picking up our dogs after 4 days of boarding and they came home to us «so fresh and so clean». The groomers did a great job. We opted for the package with ear cleaning and anal gland release… and they definitely did it! We are pretty picky about our groomers (we’ve been using the same groomer with all the dogs we’ve had for over 20 years), so finding another grooming option was great.
5.) Report Cards (when boarding): It was nice to have a nicely and brief written report of how the boys did when boarded. It was funny to hear some of the feedback because it was definitely accurate with their personalities.
We look forward to continuing our relationship with CRAM. Thanks again for doing such a great job with our boys.

Camp Run A Mutt in Kearny Mesa is incredible! I’ve been taking my dog here for two years now and he loves it. They all know his name right when we walk in the door, even if I’ve never met the staff member before. They’re very organized and accommodating to every need — they’ve even sent me text messages and photos of my pup so that I don’t worry while I’m at work or out of town. I couldn’t be more impressed with this staff!

Per Unilocal,a 2 star review is a «Meh, I’ve experienced better» and that is fitting for my thoughts on Camp Run-​A-​Mutt. We have had our dog in daycare since he was old enough to go. I’d say roughly once a week since he was old enough (and properly vaccinated) to do. It is/​was very important for my wife and I to have a well socialized dog.
Prior to moving to San Diego we took him to Paws Pet Resort in Orange County, again, this was almost weekly. I believe he was put on «time out» or what we jokingly called «isolated confinement» a handful of times. Apart from being a puppy, he happens to be a high energy dog, not to mention he is on the large side at 90 or so pounds. So he had his «moments» but he was always a favorite of Paws. The staff, the «crew» he ran with (consisting of 2 Huskies, a German Shepherd, and another large mutt), loved him. In addition we had boarded him at Rebel Ranch with a certified dog trainer who used to train military and police dogs. Her comment when we picked him up was «I don’t know what you are doing to socialize him but he is amazing with other dogs». Always rave reviews, no issues.
Upon moving to San Diego we were searching for a doggy day care for our kid. We came across Camp Run-​A-​Mutt and decided to go in for a temperament test. He met everyone, was slowly introduced to dogs, then went in to «general population» with the other dogs and passed with flying colors. We even got a report card at the end of his first day saying how well he did. So we started taking him in once ever week or so (maybe every other week) and everything was fine. Then one day I was at work and received a phone call saying he had a rough morning and was isolated, they requested I come get him — giant pain to leave work, but that’s not the point. So I leave work, and go pick him up. I ask what happened and the story I got was «He wanted to play with dogs that didn’t want to play with him. He’s not picking up on the cues from the other dogs» (paraphrasing). I ask if he was aggressive, the answer «No, but other dogs were showing signs of getting aggressive with him.» Okay, so let’s discuss that point before moving on. He was *not* being aggressive, this is key I think. My dog has lived a very sheltered life and doesn’t really understand aggression. He’s been charged by dogs on 4 separate occasions and nothing, no biting, no growling, just a look of complete confusion. The other part is that other dogs were showing signs of being aggressive with him, yet my dog is the problem? My dog is being playful, at a doggy day care of all places, who’d have thought? (sarcasm). Then lets get to the «he’s not picking up on cues», again he’s lived a sheltered life. We specifically have kept him away from aggression because his breed is known to be aggressive and have been told by many trainers to specifically keep him away from it the first couple of years of his life (mission accomplished by the way). I was also of the understanding that you the camp had multiple people monitoring the dogs, how about trying to redirect him? It might take multiple attempts, but its far from impossible, he is a dog after all. They also mentioned he wasn’t responding to his name, fair point, his recall is something he is just now getting decent at. But that environment is not conducive to recall. And I’m not sure that it matters, but on most days, there was a dog there with the same name. I was told that he needed to go home and that if his behavior continued they would have to reevaluate his participation at Camp Run-​A-​Mutt. So I paid for a half day (which is complete nonsense by the way) and took him home. I instantly reached out to a well regarded trainer in San Diego and had her come out to the house for a session and again, she remarked that he was fine, well behaved, and coached him (and us) up on his recall.
We decided shortly after that we would not be returning to Camp Run-​A-​Mutt. It’s unfortunate that one bad experience completely ruined it for us. I don’t think it is a bad place, I’m fairly confident the issue was with the staff on hand on that particular day (or their moods on that particular day). Since that day our dog has met several dogs, played with several dogs, with zero issues. For a 90 pound dog, you’d be shocked how well he plays with 20 pound dogs. We’ve looked in to getting him a buddy and we took him to an adoption event with many German shepherds around (high energy breed) and they commented «he was the most well behaved dogs we have ever had at one of their events». I’m not arguing my dog is perfect, far from it. But I feel Camp Run-A-Mutt’s staff really dropped the ball here. My dog has still shown zero signs of aggression yet they punish him, I think the situation could have been handled a lot better.
This review is meant to be constructive and honest so people can make an informed opinion.

My husband and I absolutely love this place for our miniature dachshund puppy, Scout! As a first time dog owner, I was a little fearful of leaving my puppy at a daycare knowing that dogs several times the size of my own would be interacting with Scout. I knew I wanted my puppy to be social and well behaved around other dogs and that daycare was the easiest option since both my husband and I work during the day. I am so glad I heard of this place through my family and don’t regret my decision at all!
I took Scout here shortly before he was six months old. They will start you off with a temperament test to ensure that your dog is compatible with the fellow campers. If you have a tiny dog that is playful, friendly, and social. this is the perfect place for you! Scout initially began daycare when he was just under 10 pounds and we’ve never had problems with him interacting with bigger dogs.
Camp Run a Mutt (CRAM) has two yards, the small yard for smaller and low energy dogs and the big yard for bigger breeds and high energy dogs. My little Scout surprisingly can have high energy for a dachshund but the small yard has ample space for a 12 pound puppy to run marathons! I also love that CRAM allows dog parents access to their muttcams online so that you can view the activities of all dogs in both yards.
You get discounts on services if you buy their packages, write a review, refer a friend, or attend one of their open house events and spin for prizes including a free day of play or 10−20% off package services. If you have more than one dog, I believe they discount 10% on the second set of services.
I wouldn’t hesitate to bring your dog into any of these locations! They’re a great franchise and they care for their dogs!

Our dog has been here a couple of times (we bought a 10 day package a few months back and used all of it!) and this place is FANTASTIC. We mostly use the daycare, but I believe that we had her sleepover once.
I LOVE being able to see her over the webcams. She’s the long-​legged white fluff that follows all of the people around and always stands on her back two legs to see (if anyone was interested in who that cutie is). I remember one time I couldn’t see her on the camera, so I called and they brought her into view — I know, I know, that’s some pretty overprotective dog-​mommy stuff. Feel free to call and check up on your dog; the staff are always so friendly! I had a really bad experience with another daycare, in which the staff members insisted that she peed on herself constantly out of fear and isolated her from the other dogs without telling me. When I brought Sadie to CRAM and asked the staff if they ever saw her behave the same way, I was told a clear, concise no. It really made me question what the heck was going on with the other place. They have great hours — wish they were 24hrs though! — and just are amazing at what they do. We’re in really good hands here. I trust them out of all the other doggie daycares in SD, and I’ve tried a few. I can’t wait to try the other locations.

My mini poodle, Domino is family and after I rescued him… I wanted him to have the BEST life! So, it was important to me that while I transition back to full time work-​He was/​is well looked after, and engaged! Domino LOVES Camp Run A Mutt and when I go to work I am not worried about him… I know he is well looked after! I did a detailed check on all services in San Diego for this kind of business idea and I fell in love with their tidiness, attention to detail, the friendliness of staff and they made my transition and Domino’s as easy as could be! We are members for life! Highly suggest you look into the programs and rates for yourself! Also, the Groomer at this location is AMAZING! And we needed one for my poodle rescue!

Be a customer of this place for two years and I LOVE every location of camp run a mutt especially Kearny Mesa. This is a bigger location, all the staffs are friendly, professional and well priced. You can tell they truly care about your baby. By the time my pup hit the car he instantly pass out. A tire dog is a happy dog, I’m a regular brings him in every other week, and will continue support camp run a mutt:-))))

A+! My pup Avery has been a camper at Camp Run A Mutt Kearny Mesa for 2 years now and we could not have had a better experience with them at every turn. All the staff are passionate, fun, loving dog people. Avery is greeted by name and can never hold back his excitement to get to go play all day. The staff is always so great at keeping me updated on how Avery’s day was, who he played with or which staffer he followed around for belly rubs all day. I love that I can watch him on the webcam from work — my coworkers are used to walking by and checking in on the doggy day care fun. Avery loves to run around in the water feature and take naps in the shade. He comes home from his day care days and sleeps like a baby with a big smile on his face.
I rescued Avery from Southern California Golden Retriever Rescue and as a first time on my own dog owner i was thrilled to find such a fabulous doggy day care to help take the best care of my fur-​child. The facility is clean, the staff is knowledgeable and always super friendly. They really go the extra mile to make the doggy daycare experience positive for the dogs and their humans. I’ll never forget the first Valentine’s day Avery was at day care for, when I picked him up I the staff has a paw-​made valentine’s card for me. So adorable!
The care that my dog receives is great and the customer service is awesome — you will not regret joining the CRAM family!

So, even before Colby became a part of our family, I was looking for cage free boarding options around town. Believe me when I say, this is the best place for your dog. Colby has been to a couple of other daycare centers — even to one as far as Escondido. This is the only place she is excited and happy to go to. Her reaction is all that I need to assure me she is well cared for.
Besides her demeanor in response to CRAM, the staff is pretty exceptional. From the moment I walked in the door I felt welcome. Lexxi conducted the temperament testing — thank you! Aliya is super busy but always stops to give you a smile and take care of you whether it’s checking you in or out. (Also, I happened to be at CRAM when one of the owners was there, and he kindly introduced himself and spoke to me. I believe his name was Eric? He was probably there to conduct some behind-​the-​scenes business, but he actually stopped and shook my hand to recognize me as a client. Only someone who cares about the quality of service they are providing would make such an effort.)
I have also used their groomer, Ashlee, and when she is not available there is someone else who I would give a shoutout to if only I knew their name (sorry!). Regardless, both of them are fantastic. I love knowing that when Colby is getting a bath, ears cleaned, and nails trimmed, that all of these things are definitely getting done and done well.

My two Boxers were groomed by Ashlee. She was fantastic! They smell great and are so soft. I would not hesitate at all to return to Ashlee for my dogs needs, and will recommend her to anyone/​everyone!
I love this Camp Runamutt. My dogs can play and come back home clean.
Thanks Ashlee.

This review is long overdue. The staff, the facility and the services are top notch. I am THRILLED to know they’re now open on Sundays. I work all over San Diego and have utilized several daycare facilities including 24 Dog Daycare (Miramar), Dog Dayz of California (Oceanside), The Animal Keeper (Oceanside), Dog Spot (Oceanside) and Camp-​Run-​A-​Mutt (Kearny Mesa, San Marcos and South Bay Los Angeles). CRAM Kearny Mesa is my absolute favorite. Staff and service-​wise they’re neck and neck with my second favorite: DogSpot. It is their large, super clean and amazing facility that really takes them to another level.
Della, my now 10 month old chocolate lab, is an energetic bundle of puppy power. She loves CRAM and has loved it ever since her first time back in May. I know she’s a handful and incredibly demanding — not once have they complained about her behavior (yes, other facilities have complained about that insanely high pitched bark of hers and her anxious behavior when left alone). Believe me, Della is trained daily and I tirelessly work on all her bad habits. It’s nice that they understand that after all, she’s a puppy. I can only speak for their daycare and boarding services but as far as those go, a perfect 10.