Pooches Playhouse - Winnipeg

For a while, we enjoyed our time here. Our dog got play time, he seemed to enjoy himself, and seemed excited to go there. Over time our dog began to act fearful as we pulled into the lot. He began resisting entering the facility. Our dog seemed to love all the staff but the owner (Cory). Cory always seemed to be in a bitter mood and was never pleasant when we came to drop off our dog. He seemed irritated, like "oh boy here comes another damn dog." It made us uneasy at first but had good experiences in the past so we continued to give it a chance. One day we came to pick our dog up but needed to wait a couple minutes outside for someone else. Once it was our turn, I went inside and I heard the ending of a loud long howl and then Cory yelling at the dog to "SHUT UP!!" which was followed by a loud "YELP!" Cory came out of the dog area and asked who I was here to pick up. I said I was picking up [my dog] and then he responded with "ah he must have seen you through the window, no wonder he was howling". I didn't think much of it at the time and I took my dog home. The rest of the evening my dog was stressed, panting a lot, unable to settle, very needy, constantly rubbing his face in my neck (which he does after a fearful experience), pacing, just a hot mess. The next day we had to take him for another half-day at Pooches. Greeting us was again the owner. We asked if they thought anything had happened the other day (maybe with another dog or something) and they said they didn't think so. During this interaction our dog was standing at the door trying to go back outside with his tail between his legs (which was strange because usually he is excited to see whichever staff is working and happily follows them through the gate). Later that day when we picked him up he again acted needy, unable to settle, stressed etc just like the time before. We reached out to them and explained our concerns to them. They said "Some breeds are super dramatic when nothing is even happening. You can just bring him back, I am sure it will be fine." They brushed off our concerns despite us expressing how abnormal this was for our dog to act. We no longer felt safe bringing our dog here so we moved over to Barklodge (which our dog has really enjoyed so far). They complimented his ability to howl and praised him for it, as opposed to yelling at him to shut up. Before bringing him to Barklodge we expressed our concerns from Pooches. They cared a lot (instead of damage control) and we made an action plan together (haven't needed it yet as he isn't afraid of their staff). 2 stars instead of 1 because the other staff are VERY nice and friendly. The other girls are super nice and treat our dog with so much love and respect. Unfortunately the owner is not the same. You can tell how bitter he is based on his responses to the other negative Google reviews here. He discredits them and calls them all liars. Proves my point pretty well I'd say. In conclusion, I would say Pooches is great as long as the owner isn't working that day!

Very professional, courteous and our puppy loved it. They post videos and pictures so you can see how your dog reacted to the experience.

I took my dog there a few times. He always came home scared. I was worried about so many dogs in one space. I was worried about the mix of large and small dogs. I worried about the mix of high energy and timid dogs. I ended up going to another doggie daycare in the area. I loves that NOTHING was hidden from view. Everything was open for all to see. And big/high energy dogs were separated from small/low energies dogs. They even assessed temperament before allowing us to stay for the day. It broke my heart to hear of the tragic event that led to the lost of two beloved pets. All my fears about this place were realized, which compelled me to write this post. Even worse was how it appears it was handled. Do your homework, ask questions trust your gut.

Pooches playhouse is one of the best dog daycares in town. I always feel safe and comfortable leaving my dog there knowing he is in good hands. My dog copper Is a pretty active beagle and he spends the next whole day sleeping after visiting daycare which is a huge plus! The staff is always friendly and accommodating. I've been sending copper to this daycare for almost five years once a week and will continue to do so for many years to come!

Owner is deleting negative reviews mentioning that their gross negligence recently resulted in two small dogs losing their lives after being attacked by a large dog that had shown aggression towards them in the past. Look at the reviews on Indeed from people who used to work there - the employee to dog ratio is ridiculous and conditions are unsafe and unsanitary. No dog daycare should run like this. For more information check out @tangoandrocky on instagram.

We love Pooches Playhouse! A very reliable dog daycare In the transcona/kildonan area. Our dog is always very excited when he realizes where we are going when we are close by in the car, and he is always tired when we pick him up! The staff is friendly and know our dog by name! They go the extra mile with birthday photoshoots, giving owners treats like macarons on their anniversary (wow!) and posting videos of the dogs on their instagram story throughout the day so we can check in. Highly recommended!

Very nice and accommodating staff! They know each dog by name which is pretty awesome!!! My dog is always happy after a fun day at pooches. They’re social media is always updated so you can watch how your dog is spending the day. We really like it here!

The last time I brought my dog to this facility, big dogs and little dogs were not separated. As an owner with a large dog who likes to play rough, this makes me very nervous. Would hate for a small dog to get trampled or caught up between two big dogs. The staff seemed fairly annoyed when picking my dog up at the end of the day. Although my dog loves playing with other dogs, she did not seem happy to go back. We have since switched facilities and she is much happier to enter the other building.