“I’ve been very happy with the day care and boarding from Blue Dog Boarding (including the training from Potomac Dog School). Adele loves playing with her dog friends there, and she becomes attached to some of the people working there. I’m able to watch her on the cameras, and she always looks happy and healthy. I boarded both her and my cat at Blue Dog for 10 days. I watched Adele on the camera during her playtime, and Janet and the Blue Dog employees let Adele and her cat-sister, Ophelia, spend time together away from the other dogs–they even walked Ophelia in her stroller when they walked Adele! When I picked them up, they were calm, well fed, and clean enough that I waited a week before they got their regular baths! Thank you, Blue Dog!”
-Erin H., Silver Spring, MD 6/25/2012
“I’ve been taking my dog here regularly (2-3x a week) for daycare for 2 years–since she was a puppy. Or maybe I should say she’s been taking me. She loves this place. She hops out of the car tail wagging and goes straight to the front door. And then she hardly gives me a second glance when a staff member leads her to the play area.
I love this place because I don’t have to worry when I’m at work or away for the day. I know my dog is playing or relaxing or just enjoying time with a pack. And I know that when I pick her up and take her home all she is going to to do is sleep. That means I can go out, run errands, or just have a night off from dog walking duties. It’s great.
I really like the facility because it has an outside play/bathroom area and a large indoor space–enough to have separate play areas for large and small dogs. They also have the web cams and grooming on site. Their grooming w/ daycare package is a great deal.
I have really come to rely and trust the owners and staff. They are friendly and accommodating and they love dogs. So, they know that my dog’s welfare is my biggest concern. My dog has always been returned to me in good spirits with no injuries or issues. And she has always wanted to go back for more.
The negative review below strikes me as kind of shady. I don’t have an agenda beyond making sure my dog is in a clean, safe, secure place to play and hang out for the day. For me, that place is Blue Dog. I highly recommend trying it out. It works for me because it’s convenient to my home and work, the staff is attentive and accommodating, there is an outside area (my dog loves being outside), and the prices are very competitive.”
-Kelly N., North Bethesda, Maryland 6/18/2012
“I’ve been taking my dog to this place for daycare for over a year. I also took a 2 week vacation last July and felt comfortable enough to leave him there. It was nice being in Europe and getting to see my dog with the web cams they have. It made me feel a alot more relieved. I’ve never had a problem with this place. They used to be called Potomac Day School but changed their name recently. The greeters are also very friendly and attentive. They noticed that my dog (he’s a bigger yellow lab mix) started pacing a bit (and he is older) so they placed him with the smaller dogs and I could see him on the camera actually napping! I was very happy with that. The only complaint I have is that it is a bit far from where I live but my dog very much enjoys the ride. I’m sorry that I read some bad reviews – but this was not my experience in the past year.”
-Katalin Z., Silver Spring 6/18/2012
“We first went to Potomac Dog School/Blue Dog Boarding in the Summer of 2011 in order to train our dogs to walk better on a leash while we were away visiting family. We left our two dogs with PDS for a week and when we returned our dogs were able to obediently walk on leash and obey several commands. We spent an hour at pick-up going over their newly learned talents with the trainer and have since kept up the routine whenever we take our dogs out.
Since then, we have used BDB on several occasions to give our dogs a little vacation of their own when we are out of town. The dogs love their time at BDB and are always happy to return!”
-Brad E., Germantown, Maryland 6/12/2012
“I am a bit surprised at all the bad comments, for both Potomac Dog School and Blue Dog Boarding. Janet the owner runs both a training program and a boarding daycare and they were both under the Potomac Dog School umbrella, and are now separated between Potomac for Training and Blue Dog for Boarding/Daycare.
I have gone to training with my puppy there in 2010 every Saturday for 6 weeks and it was great. And I have also been using them for boarding, from a couple of days to 2 whole weeks, and never had any issues, I would phone to check on the dog, or look at the webcams. There is always someone there, day and night, you can choose between cageless, semi cageless and cage boarding, to suit your dog’s needs.
I hate leaving my dog, anywhere, cause I love her so much, but whenever I do (last time was October 2011 when I had my baby), I have always been very satisfied. The first time we left our dog, we provided her food, but Janet said she wasn’t eating, so she gave my dog her chicken based house food, and my dog ate. A facility that doesn’t care wouldn’t have bothered.
The facility has a lot of faithful clients, it always has a big crowd of dogs running around. If you’re worried, don’t take the words of the reviews for it, go check it out, which one should do anyway I believe! Go anytime from 7am to 7pm and check it out. I am looking at the webcam right now, and all you see is dogs playing!!”
-Caroline M., Silver Spring, Maryland 6/12/2012
“We love Blue Dog! Our sensitive and lovable english bulldog Violet goes happily to board at Blue Dog nearly every month and comes home happy and clearly a little reluctant to come home each time. I used our local vet to board Violet when we first moved home to the area and each time she came home with some sickness and clearly unhappy. When I approached Blue Dog with Violet’s special needs (she needs to be with people all the time) the owner happily offered Vi a situation that made sure Violet was happy and content. On another occasion, Violet became ill and I cannot say enough about the care she received while at Blue Dog. Blue Dog rushed her to get the best care and she even stayed with the owner until her condition was stabilized. This is a place that truly loves animals and cares about their well-being. I recommend it without hesitation to any pet owner.”
-Barbara Z., Bethesda, MD 6/5/2012
“Our dog is adopted; she was dog aggressive. Janet did a great job socializing her. It is wonderful to see our baby enjoy playing with the other dogs now. We take her there in spite of the half hour drive because we know she will be safe and have fun at the same time. The employees are friendly and it is obvious they love the animals – our dog runs up to them whenever we drop her off. I would definitely recommend this place!”
-Michele Z., Bethesda, Maryland 6/4/2012
“Great establishment! They take great care of all the dogs. You can really tell that they care and it shows. The staff is TOP NOTCH! They go the extra mile at every turn. Anytime we need anything specific for our dog, they are happy to accommodate. I would recommend Blue Dog Boarding to everyone!!”
-Kevin M., Clarksburg, Maryland 5/30/2012
“Janet and her team at Blue Dog are amazing! They get to know and love each and every dog while providing a clean and safe environment. My Westie is always happy to see her friends at daycare. I especially like being able to check on my dog using the webcam when I am away. You will not be disappointed!”
-Laurie H., Rockville, MD 5/29/2012
Blue Dog Was an amazing experience for my small dog Milly!! She was able to play all day long and enjoyed the socialization with other dogs and with other people. I think this helped make her the all around good puppy that she is. She loved going to Daycare every day and was happy and healthy. Excellent services.
S Hinman, Bethesda, MD 8/11/2015
2017 Nextdoor Neighborhood Favorite
