Safe Journey Dog Boarding

This place has saved my bacon. My dog doesn't do well in her crate and needs a daycare where she can meander as she pleases. She clearly feels way more comfortable here than at any other the other spots we’ve tried. Staff are so good with her and all her quirks! I moved to Vancouver but keep driving across the bridge for daycare / boarding because this place is worth it!

Our dog Jadie absolutely loves Safe Journey! She goes running in every time, ready to play. I take her 1.5 days a week. I believe she’s been going here for close to 4 years now. Michaela and Julia are amazing and Craig, the owner, is so nice. Definitely worth the money. $30 for full day, $20 for half day.

Something feels off about this place. When I first dropped off my dog, I already sensed some red flags. The facility itself smelled strongly of urine, and they don’t allow in-person tours. Instead, they offer only a brief glimpse through cameras on their computer (not accessible to the dog owners), explaining that tours would disrupt the dogs. I’ve used other boarding facilities that allow tours without issue and/or allow owners to access the cameras to check in on their dogs. Nonetheless, I chose to ignore my gut feeling and give this place a try anyway. When I picked my dog up, that uneasy feeling returned immediately. He smelled strongly of urine and was completely exhausted and out of it. Not in the normal “played all day” way, but in a way that suggested he hadn’t been able to rest and had been under prolonged stress. As mentioned above, we’ve used other boarding facilities before, and while dogs usually come home tired, this felt noticeably different. There were smaller details that added to the overall sense that something wasn’t right. I provided extra pre-portioned food—more than required based on two meals per day—strictly as a backup in case of an unexpected delay in pickup. Yet all of it was used, and no explanation was given for why the additional food was necessary. Taken together, this experience left me wishing I had trusted my initial instincts. I don’t feel comfortable leaving my dog here again.

My dog has been a client at Safe Journey for about a year now he gives this place a 10/10!!! Every day he’s excited to go in and spend some time playing with friends in a cage free environment. Not only is this an highly affordable choice for daycare & boarding, but the staff is also amazing and the dogs LOVE it!!! I don’t know what my dog would do without his Safe Journey time.

I had a lot of faith in this place, but unfortunately I will no longer be a returning client. A few weeks ago, I brought my rescue dog in for a weekend stay and received great feedback from the staff. Because she’s a rescue, I’ve been working hard on socialization, and I genuinely thought this would be a safe and supportive environment for her. This past weekend, I brought her in for daycare (Saturday 2/7). At drop-off, I specifically let staff know that she had not eaten much that day and provided a bowl of food so she could be fed during her stay. When I picked her up almost 9 hours later, I had to ask for the bowl back and initially the staff member didn’t know what I was referring to. She then told me that she had forgotten to feed my dog entirely. Naturally, this was extremely concerning and disappointing. I called to speak with the manager, hoping for accountability or reassurance, but was instead met with a dismissive and defensive response. I was told “it happens sometimes” and that they would be better next time. When I expressed that I wasn’t confident there would be a next time because this felt serious, the response was essentially, “OK, what do you want us to do?” There was no apology that felt sincere, no acknowledgment of the seriousness of forgetting a basic care instruction, and no attempt to offer a refund, credit, or any effort to rebuild trust. When I pay for daycare services, I expect my dog’s basic needs, including feeding when explicitly requested, to be met. The fact that this happened after nearly 9 hours raises concerns not only for my dog, but for others as well. I also understand that staffing may be limited, but if one person is responsible for too many dogs, that’s an operational issue that needs to be addressed to ensure proper care and safety. I truly wanted this to work, but based on this experience and how it was handled afterward, I cannot recommend returning.