Analyzing 5,890,1035.9M ReviewsFor 16,26616.3K Experts
Google reviewers rate the kennel 4.6 out of 5 based on 80 reviews, with the owner responding to only 1% of feedback. Customers frequently praise the staff for their knowledge, friendly demeanor, and ability to accommodate special needs, while noting ample outdoor space and reasonable pricing. Positive experiences highlight successful socialization, daycare, boarding, and grooming services. However, several low-star reviews criticize recent declines in operational quality, specifically citing medication errors, failure to report illness, and dismissive communication after incidents.
Data from Google, last updated October 25, 2026.
Score per factor (100 = best)Each factor is scored 0–100 on absolute terms (star average, share of 1–2★ reviews, price verdicts…); standing within the category can only raise it, never lower it.. Strongest: momentum and value; weakest: replies to reviews.
Bar = this company · dark tick = category median.
80 Google reviews we collected
Phrases our text analysis found in 52 written reviews
Price verdicts customers left with their Google review
How often each topic comes up in the written reviews
We read 52 written reviews and marked every phrase about these topics. The same colors are highlighted in the reviews.
“A great place for my puppy to learn, play, be with other dogs, and the staff are so friendly and you can tell they love being around dogs.”
“excellent service to board, bath, train and care for our furry family.”
“We started noticing the difference in what it used to be to now more so recently and then had an absolutely awful experience with an employee named Ingrid.”
“I have absolute peace of mind when it comes to leaving my fur baby here and I would recommend to anyone!”
“It's very affordable ($35 for a full day), especially for the amount of time and quality of care and attention they provide your pet.”
“Even though I had not even boarded with them yet, they also had a few dog treat samples to hand out which were nibbled up quite fast.”
“The staff are warm, welcoming, and genuinely treat each dog as their own.”
praise complaint · found by our text analysis, Google review wording unchanged.
Customers hired It's a Dog's Life for 2 kinds of job. Pick one to see what they paid and said.
A great place for my puppy to learn, play, be with other dogs, and the staff are so friendly and you can tell they love being around dogs.
My lab has been coming to It's A Dog's Life since she was 5 months old, and she continues to race through the parking lot and up the steps every time I drop her off, eager to get the day started at her favorite place. She absolutely loves it and comes home happy and exhausted every time she's there. We've boarded…
It’s easy to see why this place consistently gets the Best of Petaluma award! The sure sign of a great boarding place is how our 2 year old lab, Otis, acts when we arrive. He literally is so excited when he realizes where he’s going. We recently returned from a vacation to pick up Otis and could see all the dogs in…
My adolescent dog loves coming to daycare. She can be a bit of a beast so socializing was something she needed and I’m so grateful that it’s a dogs life exists. They know dogs , their behaviors and they will work with your dog , any breed any size , as it should be. The outcome is that they get to have a blast and you get a break and piece of mind.
My family has used It‘s A Dog’s Life for over 10 years. Most recently we required 5 weeks of boarding due to my hospitalization. Karen Dolittle’s team took great care of Aoife and Flash while I recovered and my husband took time to be with me. Two Irish Wolfhounds and Gordon later we still depend upon their…
It’s A Dog’s Life truly prioritizes the health, happiness, and safety of every dog in their care. I bring my pup here regularly, and he absolutely loves it — the socialization and playtime are so good for him! The staff are warm, welcoming, and genuinely treat each dog as their own. I couldn’t recommend their caring philosophy and dedicated team more.
| Job | Reviews | Category typical |
|---|---|---|
| Dog boarding | 6 | — |
| Dog daycare | 4 | — |
4.6 ★★★★★ 80 reviews on Google · rating breakdown
Reviews from Google, shown as published (original wording, unedited).
A great place for my puppy to learn, play, be with other dogs, and the staff are so friendly and you can tell they love being around dogs.
My lab has been coming to It's A Dog's Life since she was 5 months old, and she continues to race through the parking lot and up the steps every time I drop her off, eager to get the day started at her favorite place. She absolutely loves it and comes home happy and exhausted every time she's there. We've boarded her at IADL as well, and always feel reassured that she's in good hands receiving quality care. Shout-outs go to the kind, professional, and friendly staff members who make it happen: Juliana, James, John, Emma, Lauren, Chloe, and Karen -- though I'm sure I've missed a few who work in the yard and help with baths/boarding. Peppa & I greatly appreciate you!
It’s easy to see why this place consistently gets the Best of Petaluma award! The sure sign of a great boarding place is how our 2 year old lab, Otis, acts when we arrive. He literally is so excited when he realizes where he’s going. We recently returned from a vacation to pick up Otis and could see all the dogs in the yard having what looked like a fantastic time! He was returned to us all clean and sweet smelling from his bath with a smile on his face. This place is like his home away from home.
My adolescent dog loves coming to daycare. She can be a bit of a beast so socializing was something she needed and I’m so grateful that it’s a dogs life exists. They know dogs , their behaviors and they will work with your dog , any breed any size , as it should be. The outcome is that they get to have a blast and you get a break and piece of mind.
My family has used It‘s A Dog’s Life for over 10 years. Most recently we required 5 weeks of boarding due to my hospitalization. Karen Dolittle’s team took great care of Aoife and Flash while I recovered and my husband took time to be with me. Two Irish Wolfhounds and Gordon later we still depend upon their excellent service to board, bath, train and care for our furry family. I would give them more stars if I could.
It’s A Dog’s Life truly prioritizes the health, happiness, and safety of every dog in their care. I bring my pup here regularly, and he absolutely loves it — the socialization and playtime are so good for him! The staff are warm, welcoming, and genuinely treat each dog as their own. I couldn’t recommend their caring philosophy and dedicated team more.
It's has the most skilled people. My dog loves it
Great staff, lots of outdoor time for the dogs. Our dog loves it here (boarding and daycare)
Don’t board your dogs here! We scheduled our 2 pitbull mixes over Christmas for 2 nights. They required us to bring them in to get acclimated to the place which is fine. We asked them to not put them with other dogs just because animals can be unpredictable and we just want them to be safe. We told them one of our dogs can be sensitive to sound and she has been reactive in the past. We picked them up from the play day and they told us they were with employee dogs and it went very well. I was happy it went well but they never asked if that’s ok. I brushed it off…. We drop them off again for their Christmas stay and asked them to only let them play with employee dogs since it went very well and NO GROUPS! We come to pick them up after their stay and we find out they have been put in a group without our permission! Luckily everything went fine with that but one of our dogs came back with hives on her neck which we will have to take her to the vet for and my other dog was bleeding from one of his nails being cut too short. The front desk lady refunded me $50 for one of their baths. I called back and asked to talk to the owner James to share my experience and he just told me to sum it up that that’s their specialty integrating dogs, that he would talk to the staff and that he was sorry. He gave me absolutely no resolutions no discount for next time ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
Love these guys! Our dogs go a few times every week and always have a blast.
Analyzing 5,890,1035.9M ReviewsFor 16,26616.3K Experts
