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Smilin Dogs Doggy daycare, boarding, and outdoor play at our Dog Ranch that will put a smile on your dog's face! Smilin Dogs offers a tremendously fun environment for your dog to enjoy while you are at work or out of town. We form personal relationships with our four legged clients and work hard to ensure their comfort, safety and happiness while under our care.

And we work with our human clients to ensure you have peace of mind, knowing that your beloved friend is in the best of hands. My puppy loves coming here, he doesn't even want to get in the car to go home.
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Smilin Dogs was founded in 2000, at first offering only our Dog Ranch visits. In 2009 we added our current facility in San Carlos which offers daycare, group style boarding and chauffeur service. Ashley is a bay area native that grew up in San Mateo County. Starting as a daycare handler in 2015, she has worked at Smilin Dogs as a hiker, chauffeur driver, office person, and a team leader. In addition to her work at Smilin Dogs, she is currently working on completing her bachelors in graphic design at San Francisco State University.
This is an ideal service for medium to large high energy dogs that need regular exercise and socialization in a fun, dog friendly and safe environment. Your dog will enjoy this alternative to doggie day care as s/he gets fresh cool air, sunlight, exploration, and freedom in a natural environment. As they run, s/he will have friends to play and interact with.
Our loving dog handlers are well trained in pack management to make sure that everyone has a fun time. We provide a daily program that provides stimulation, socialization, exercise and rest for your dog so that s/he comes home tired but not stressed. With loads of fun and plenty of affection, it's no wonder our 4-legged clients can't wait to come through the door.
Boarding takes place at our 17,500 square foot daycare facility. Dogs stay in groups 24/7 and have the freedom to mingle and play or sleep, inside or out, day and night. This is an alternative to traditional dog kennels where dogs are typically kenneled alone for much of the day and night. As opposed to pet sitting, where your pet may only get an hour or two of human attention each day, your dog will enjoy canine and human contact throughout their stay.Boarding dogs have the option to stay in our daycare facility or go on an expedition to our dog ranch during the day.
Reviews (24)
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Laleh S.
Apr 29, 2022
All thumbs up! My dog Dario LOVED his weekly daily stays at the Smilin Dogs. Staff are extremely courteous and genuinely caring. Their facility is extremely clean and despite all the dogs that they serve daily you will always be enjoying their welcoming and clean atmosphere accompanied by the gracious smile of staff members who manage the front desk.

They also have a super convenient service where dogs will be picked up and dropped off at your residence if need be. All in all they are pros in handling dogs. I highly recommend them. Unfortunately we had to move to the city and this is one of the places I miss the most. I have tried several dog sitting services and have to yet find a place that matches their quality of service. Dario misses his friends and his loving extended family at the Smilin dogs (so do I)!

I wish everyone continued prosperity and success and much health! Hopefully we will drop by one of these days just to say hi! Thanks for your years of continuous care and support of Dario. Laleh Shahideh
Jennifer Wisnom
Apr 26, 2022
I am very happy at Smilin Dogs! I have two dogs that go for daycare and/or overnight. They can't wait to get in the door which says a lot to me.if my dogs don't like a place they let me know!
Sarah Bridges
Apr 11, 2022
Love this place! The pup had fun playing with other fur babies. The staff are sweet, informative and sent the boy home with a report card of how he was throughout his stay!
Sulav Regmi
Mar 11, 2022
They are very friendly and also seem to love dogs very much in general. My dog loves it there.
Kris Streitzkern
Mar 10, 2022
My son is a wonderful chauffeur and Xander loves the day care
Avary L.
Oct 02, 2021
Today was my pups first day of daycare and I was very impressed. Lucy was shy and didn't want to go in at first, but the handlers were very nice and used treats to guide her inside. It was very reassuring to see their caring attitude towards Lucy. I also really appreciated the positive reinforcement aspect. During the tour, the facility was very clean and did not smell "doggy" at all.

All my interactions with the employees (in person and over the phone) have been very positive. I was really nervous about dropping my pup off, but after everything, I feel completely comfortable and at ease with leaving Lucy in their care.
Michael Clarke
Jul 19, 2021
These guys are great period. Don't know how we'd make it through trips with peace of mind without them.
Laura B.
Jul 14, 2021
We brought our dog here quite a few times over the last few months. The last 2 times he was there for the weekend, he came home sick. The first time he was sick he came home throwing up and coughing. He threw up for a couple days and finally threw up a large rag or piece of blanket he had eaten while he was there. I called and told them and they said they would make sure next time he didn't have a blanket in his bed.

The second time he came home sick after another weekend there he was coughing and pooped pieces of a rag or blanket for days, so obviously they didn't care to address the issue after they said they would from the last time. When we first started taking our dog the owner called and said to call him if we had any questions or concerns so I did ask to speak to him after this second time of coming home sick.

The owner claimed it was typical dog cold and because our dog wasn't sleeping enough and told me if I was concerned I should take him to the vet! Obviously the rag had nothing to do with a cold! I told him I was calling just to express my concern since this has now happened twice in a row (coughing and throwing up/pooping rags) and he told me if I was concerned to take my dog to the vet.

He then proceeded to ask me if he should just send the final bill and remove him from their system! The owner obviously doesn't care to fix or clean the facility to make the situation better and only cares about the money so we will not be bringing our dog back. I don't recommend this place at all.
Andy H.
May 28, 2021
Nice staff but overly restrictive policies, very expensive, and take on too many dogs at once.
Alison B.
Apr 24, 2021
My puppy lives coming here, he doesn't even want to get in the car to go home. The people who work here are friendly and they love dogs. This is a great way to socialize your dog and get them some exercise when you have a busy day.
Maki I.
Dec 29, 2020
I can't speak highly enough of Smilin Dogs - they are such an amazing group of folks caring for pups! I decided to adopt a pup right before the pandemic started, and really none of us anticipated multiple lockdowns during this year, right!? Smilin Dogs has been open during the pandemic (ensuring proper safety protocols and operations in-line with county and state procedures), which has been such a lifesaver.

Our pup always comes home tired and often sleeping through the next day as well. Her daycare days are spent with all her pup friends with various fun activities throughout the day. We have noticed tremendous growth in her socialization skills (with dogs and humans). They also put on special seasonal events, such as, photos with Santa or summer pupsicle days!

These events always come with digital photos for the humans to keep. The staff here is phenomenal - they all truly love dogs and will care for your pup as if their own. Highly recommend if you're looking for a fabulous doggy day care or boarding facility! We will hopefully try out their hikes soon!
Herrman Taraporewalla
Dec 05, 2020
Smilin Dogs has been simply amazing. Our maltipoo was very shy of other dogs and wouldn't interact much. Everyone at Smilin Dogs has gone out of their way to help him get comfortable with other dogs and have constantly provided us with updates.
Jonathan Small
Apr 05, 2020
Clean, well staffed, and well laid out with large areas separating the different sized dogs. Our pup seems to like going, and I think I'd be happy there if I were a dog.
Elizabeth G.
Jan 04, 2020
We've been taking our dog to Smilin Dogs for almost 4 years now. I went back to work a year and a half ago and what would have been a super stressful time was made a lot easier with my knowing Odin would be spending a few days a week at Smilin Dogs. Odin goes twice a week to daycare and once a week for hikes to Pascadero. He always comes home tired and happy.

The staff is incredibly friendly and have a sincere love for all of the dogs. The low staff turnover is a testament of "happy staff leads to happy dogs which leads to happy customers"!
Kevin Simon
May 08, 2019
I tried many doggy daycares before landing on this one. I've now used them for years and their service and care is unmatched. They do charge a little more for it :
Justin Gerber
Jul 08, 2018
The pups love going here! Nice staff as well. Only take cash or check and need to work on their billing systems though.
Karen J.
May 20, 2018
We love Smilin Dogs. My dogs have been hiking and boarding there for many years. The pick-up and drop-off service from our home is very convenient for us. Our dog is always so happy to see the Smilin Dogs staff and go on a hike. He's jumping up and down and wagging his tail when they arrive. We had an opportunity to do the hike ourselves last month.

What a lovely, challenging hike up and down hills over grassy, wooded and open terrain with views of the ocean. No wonder they come home tired. The off leash hiking and boarding also gives my dogs practice socializing with other dogs.
Amy S.
May 15, 2018
Really like this dog daycare service. We use the hike for the day service and it's a huge help. They pick up and drop off from our house. Our dog always returns tired and content. They have a big space for the dogs to go offleash with this service which is super helpful for my active golden retriever. They are very responsible about taking well socialized dogs and they use radios to keep track of them on their fenced in property. There's really no other service like this and it's a good value. I highly recommend Smilin' Dogs!
Jarrad Wilson
Jan 03, 2018
After moving up the Peninsula, we needed to find a doggy daycare. I was initially bummed by this task because we loved our old place. After finding Smilin Dogs, any/all concerns were erased! They're very thorough, beginning with the evaluation. Staff is fantastic, very responsive (email and phone) and organized. Most importantly, my dog loves it here. He is so excited to go in the morning and comes home tired.
Ron G.
Sep 27, 2017
Kevin is the best! A real dog whisperer, right here in San Carlos. Highly recommended. Your doggies will thank you.
Molly N.
Jun 30, 2016
Time for an update. We have been customers of Smilin' Dogs for more than 4 years now and I can't imagine life without them. Our dog is overcome with excitement as soon as she so much hears the van. That tells me all I need to know. We get the same reaction when we pull into the parking lot to board her. What my dog doesn't know, is that their customer service is phenomenal.

They are flexible and accommodating every single time. And yes, we've been with them long enough to experience a bite (to my dog). They were quick to inform, honest in their communication and compassionate in their follow-up. We LOVE Smilin' Dogs and think you will too.
Joellen M.
Oct 17, 2015
My Hammie seems to love this place! When the doorbell rings on pick up mornings, his tail starts wagging and he does that little shake (that my friend insists is a dog's way of "grooming" and getting gussied up). Then, the same dog who has a panic attack if he loses sight of me at the dog park happily trots off with the chauffeur, and eagerly hops into the van.

I love watching this from the window! The drivers are always so nice, and they treat Hammie as lovingly as I do. Hammie has been on a regular daycare and hiking schedule twice per week for a few months, and we couldn't be happier. He's always exhausted when he gets home, and I have noticed that he is much better than he used to be at interacting with other dogs at the dog park. I only wish they had some sort of webcam streaming so we pet parents could peek in on the fun! I absolutely would pay extra for that.
Sue F.
Nov 15, 2014
Thank you for that update, that I've just seen. However, I still don't understand why you would turn down boarding Dex (one more lucrative customer) just because I haven't had him hiked monthly. It's not as if he takes too long to get used to being there!
Courtney Power
May 21, 2014
Smilin Dogs is awesome - our dog goes 3 days a week for doggy day care. He's super people shy, and the staff are all fantastic about making him feel comfortable as they get him back into his favorite place on earth, the big dog room. We've boarded him there for a 10 day stretch and he was happy and healthy at the end of the vacation. We have done a basic training course there and found the