After hearing mixed reviews about doggy day camps and training centers near me, on the recommendation of a friend I took my dog to Markim Pet Resort. Before you are allowed to have your dog in the day camp (which was described to me as fun preschool for dogs), your dog needs an evaluation. Ours was today. I dropped him at the "Doggy Valet" which is literally a drive up booth where the handler then just takes him off to play. They return them to the car exhausted and happy.

I was kind of nervous as to whether or not he'd pass since we'd only had him a week, but they were great with him. They identified that he prefers to eat on his own. He came to us underweight so I'm sure he was frighteningly thin when he arrived at the rescue center. It's probably linked.

But here's the deal - now I have confirmation that my dog does well with dogs of all sizes and am confident I can take him to the dog park, etc. I would strongly advise that you send your new dog to Markim for an evaluation - let the pros help. They have training classes, a swimming pool and all sorts of stuff. It's am impressive facility. And if you buy the package of Camp Run A Muck sessions, your evaluation is free.

So for the days when you are going to be gone all day, bring your dog here. They have a great time, come home exhausted and it's win-win.

There are good and bad aspects to this place. I boarded my cat here for 2 weeks. I chose a particular cube for her, which included a pet door so that she could go to her private terrace outside to get some fresh air. I thought that this was brilliant. I also brought my own food for her, since she was on a weight-loss diet at the time. However, when I returned to pick her up, she was in a different cube than the one I had chosen. They also returned more than half of her food to me -- apparently, they had been feeding her their food at times too. Poor communication, I would imagine -- not everyone working there knew that my cat should have been eating special food. Good thing she was only on a diet, and not allergic to something! You would think they could get it right!