Thurston Pets Project

Boarding your dog and/or cat in Thurston County

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Sooner or later, we all might find ourselves in need of the services of a dog or cat boarding service. Maybe you’re flying somewhere or traveling someplace where it is unfortunately not practical to bring our companions with us. Both of us are fortunate to have either family or friends to help us out in watching our pets – but this may not always be the case. Luckily, we live in an area with an abundance of boarding services to choose from. 

We are going to mention several Dog and Cat Boarders.  We won’t add a lot of information on each one because there are several and if we forgot to add anyone that does dog or cat boarding, our apologies, please email us, and we will mention you in next week’s column. 

This is a list of Cat Boarders:  

Kitty Komfort Inn

Kitty Komfort Inn is located above Kitty Klinic veterinary hospital.  You can board your cat, ferret, bird, rabbit, rodent or exotic small pet in a “dog free” environment.  Amenities include 4x4x8 themed rooms, 16” tiled heated windowsills, fountains with filtered water, hammock beds, low and high shelves, an access ramp, and a bird’s eye view of the great outdoors.  They feature individual venting of each suite, customized care to be as “home-like” as possible, on-site veterinary care and supervision, twice daily room service, tender loving care by trained staff, grooming, massage, and extra-large litter boxes.  All surfaces are sanitized between pets and boarders only interact with other family members.  Located at 4411 Lacey Boulevard, Lacey, 98503, contact: 360-456-5603,  KittyKlinic98503@yahoo.com 

Cats Pajamas

The Cats Pajamas is a cat-only boarding facility located in Olympia.  They offer luxury cat boarding with lots of love and attention.  Whether you are looking to board for one night or extended stay, the cats will enjoy daily visits into cat atrium and daily brushouts.  The owners are on site and have been in business since 2014.  You can follow them on Facebook.  The address is 424 Mett Street NE, Olympia, 98516.  You can contact them on 360-915-4612. 

PNW Cat Boarding

The business is for indoor cats only.  We don’t have a lot of information about this business, but they are located at 525 Steilacoom Ct. SE, Lacey, 98513.  Their contact number is 360-422-0027. 

Northwind Pet Care Center

If you go down to dog boarders, you will see all the contact information and about the accommodations, but they also provide cat boarding.  Feline friends enjoy a separate room from all other pets.  They get to spend time out of their kennel and have access to a completely enclosed outside area. 

The following are for dogs

Little Paws Boarding

Little Paws Boarding is for small toy breeds or mixed small dogs 20 pounds approximately and of the toy breed heritage only.  They cater to extra small dogs and OLD dogs.  They are not suited for over-active dogs or those needing lots of mental stimulation.  The indoor pens are 4x4 feet with a dog door to a private outside area; this is 6x4 feet, which is completely covered and secure.  The inside area has heated floors and outlets for extra heat if needed.  During the summer, it has air conditioning.  The owners of Little Paws Boarding are Jim and Betty Clemen.  They were established in 2007.  Julie has been involved in purebred dogs since 1976, showing AKC 40 years and has bred Pomeranians for over 35 years.  They are located at 7828 Diagonal Road SE, Olympia, 98501. Contact:  360-701-3230 Office@LittlePawsBoarding.com      

Friendly Grove Resort & Spa for Dogs

Besides dog boarding, they also have doggy daycare, canine spa, and grooming services.  Their goal is to provide a great experience your pet will want to return to. They were established in 2005 and are located on 28 wooded acres.  Family-owned and operated with over 20 years of experience. They have nine indoor/outdoor suites with radiant heat flooring, day camp, and more.  There are two day camp areas both indoor and outdoor, one for tweeny guests, and one for medium to large guests.   They refrain from using any pesticides on the property while striving to embrace eco-friendly landscaping and business practices.  All their Pet Care Technicians are Pet First Aid & CPR certified.   

They are located at 2901 Friendly Grove Road NE, Olympia, 98506; Contact: 360-352-1322. Click here for their website.

Classy Canine Country Club

Classy Canine offers both boarding and daycare. (And they've been a loyal and consistent sponsor of The JOLT, too!)

Classy Canine's building is small, so access is limited.  Reservations are required for boarding.  Classy Canine’s small team look forward to serving you and your furry four-legged family members.  There is solid rain protection in two yards.  When downpours or windstorms occur, dogs will be brought in under cover for safety or rotated in and out of the boarding area.  In warm weather, sunshade sails, sprinklers and misters are used.  Cooling fans and heat are on appropriately.  There are weight limits in place; about 10 to 90 pounds.  This is because larger dogs won’t be comfortable in the boarding areas. 

It is a highly active environment where dogs do run fast and play hard; they cater to high-energy adults and teenagers, so seniors typically don’t handle the high-energy atmosphere well.  The goal is for happy dogs to have fun while burning off energy. If your pet is new to Classy Canine or has never stayed in a boarding facility, a great way to help them adjust is to bring them in for daycare two or three times prior to their vacation.   Located at 706 Tumwater Boulevard SE, Tumwater, 98501. Contact: 360-943-2275, classydogs@fastmail.com

Northwind Pet Care Center

At Northwind Pet Care Center, they know our pets are part of the family.  Whether they come for a day or spend a whole vacation, they offer first-class pet boarding, doggie daycare, and grooming on the 15-acre campus.  You can customize your pet’s stay with social or private playtime in one of the large play yards equipped with ForeverLawn K9 Grass, pool time, TLC sessions, and more!  Northwind has been here since 1991 and offers several options for overnight boarding. If your pet has special needs, such as a personalized diet, administering medications, or giving a bath before heading home, they can take care of that too.  Indoor/outdoor runs have a climate-controlled indoor space with doggie doors to accommodate both large and small pets.  The indoor runs allow guests to spend most of their day out playing but have their own private suite inside to take naps, eat and sleep overnight.  There are many more accommodations, so you need to check out their website (info@northwindpcc.com, They are located at 9902 Yelm Hwy SE, Olympia, Washington 98513 

Contact :  360-456-5631 

Precious Paws Day Care and Boarding

Precious Paws is a family-run business.  They are a smaller facility, meaning more time to spend with each guest.  Dogs have a fenced area to play and are only kenneled at night and when being fed. It looks like they also do dog breeding and adoption so there isn’t much information on the boarding itself.   

They are located at 12720 Brooks Street SW, Olympia, Washington 98512.  Contact: 360-754-7297. 

Lead Me On Ursula’s Boarding and Training

What makes Lead Me On unique is that your dog will never be treated as just another dog.  They focus on making your dog feel at home and comfortable.  They will talk to your dog throughout the day and include them in their human activities on their farm.  Finding the perfect balance between your dog’s level of comfort and privacy is their priority.  Lead Me On offers spaces ranging from comfy open-faced kennels to maximum-level privacy suites for those that enjoy spending time alone.  They practice extreme cleanliness and safety precautions, air conditioning/heated floors, high air quality and fire detection system. 

Located at 7400 Meridian Road SE, Olympia, 98513.  Contact: 360-878-8407, leadmeoninc@gmail.com

Dogwoods Canine Play & Stay

Dogwoods offers daycare, boarding, and grooming services.  The motto is “Where your dogs will love to play and want to stay”.  Dogwoods was voted Best of South Sound in 2022.  Dogwood associates are carefully vetted and trained to understand dog behavior to maintain a calm and happy play space.  Increased staffing and facility-wide cameras mean close and constant monitoring of your precious pet. The hotel is customized to you and your best friend's needs.  Dogwoods offers a variety of boarding options. Located at 5706 Keating Road NW, Olympia, 98502. Contact Information:  Call 360-866-7290, staff.dogwoods@gmail.com,   

Rover.com

Rover.com is a worldwide network of 5-star pet sitters, dog walkers and boarding. They don’t have a facility, but they offer in-home pet sitting, they will board your dog in their private home, dog walking and other services for Thurston County residents. They are vetted very carefully.  To get more information, check out its website.

There is so much more information, so please check out websites so you will be prepared with prices, rules, hours of operation, and so forth. We advise anyone looking into boarding, book out ahead if you can because they fill up very quickly.  We know from past experiences that most of these prefer reservations to come to the facility.  Always check with family or friends who may have used a service before so you can find out what their experience was like. We hope if you do have an interest at some time in boarding your family pet that some of this information helps.  

Paws for Thoughts

“All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. For after all, he was only human. He wasn’t a dog.”

~ Charles M. Schulz

Thom Donitz and Trish Lynn are neighbors and close friends who share their love of animals and wildlife. Trish and Thom are residents of Tumwater. Contact them at  pets@theJOLTnews.com.

Comments

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  • mmillaard

    Good information but Precious Paws closed a couple of yeara ago. We used to take our dog there and she loved it.

    Wednesday, November 20 Report this

  • KatAshe

    I can highly recommend Kitty Komfort Inn at the Kitty Klinic. I’ve used them since before the dedicated boarding facility was constructed. One of my cats is on every other day allergy meds while the other is on twice a day meds for a thyroid condition. I particularly like the individual enclosed rooms, some large enough for a bonded pair.

    The boarding attendants are the best. Lastly, for me, it’s comforting to know is one of my cats should become ill, they are already at a veterinary facility..

    Thursday, November 21 Report this

  • Joy Johnston

    Classy Canine is the absolute best! They understand dogs and their need for rowdy fun. Our dog always comes home from boarding (one day or longer) super happy and utterly exhausted. We are so grateful that Classy Canine gives dogs love and lets them seriously play. :)

    Thursday, November 21 Report this

  • GinnyAnn

    My cats love Cat's Pajamas. They room together and have play time together. I don't feel so guilty leaving my kitties when I go on vacation when I know they're being well cared for and getting personalized attention.

    Thursday, November 21 Report this