Top Dog Pet Retreat is probably the best kennel around, however, this is my complete and honest review. I have a 1.5 year old Catahoula puppy, who is a rescue. She was born blind in one eye and doesn't take very well to strangers. So naturally, I have a mini heart attack anytime I leave her anywhere.

I had used BloomingPaws for a 1-2 day trip in the past and had a horrible experience. So I began my search for a new kennel well in advance before I needed to travel. I narrowed my selection down to Hacker's Creek and Top Dog.

Hacker's Creek was a larger facility overall, but it seemed slightly more run down. The staff seemed friendly, but were a bit disorganized. It was still a very nice family owned kennel and would likely be my second choice.

When we arrived at Top Dog, Melanie came to greet us and was extremely friendly. She had taken notes from our phone call when I scheduled the tour and knew exactly who I was and what I was most interested in/concerned about. I felt instantly at ease when she gave us the tour. When she found out that we had a Catahoula, she pulled out a dog breed book to look up information about the breed. It was obvious that she cared about the well-being and the happiness of the dogs. On top of that, the facility was well kept and very clean. I couldn't believe her kennel been around so long; it looked brand new. It wasn't as large as some of the other facilities we had looked at, but they only keeping a very manageable number of dogs.

When we dropped off our puppy, she was hesitant around Melanie at first. Melanie was very understanding and knew exactly how to present herself in order to allow my puppy time to warm up to her. By the time we left, my puppy gladly walked with her into back kennel area. When we picked her up, she was visibly happy and had made a new friend with Melanie. Top Dog took great care of my fur baby.

However I rave about Top Dog because they are truly a 5 star kennel. There were so many above and beyond factors:

1. I forgot my puppy's shot records. Rather than have me drive the records back, Melanie offered to call our vet in order to save us the trip.

2. The whole week we were gone it rained. When I got my pup in the car I realized that she smelled like soap. Melanie had given her a bath for us at no charge. Then when we got home, I realized that she even trimmed her nails! Again, no cost.

3. There is a flat rate at Top Dog. We brought our own food, but Melanie noticed that our puppy wasn't eating the first few days. So she gave our pup the no wheat/corn dog food she keeps on hand from T&T and my puppy loved it!

4. I was able to bring pre-made frozen stuffed Kong treats and busy bones for my puppy to have daily. This was also no extra charge and she was happy to do it. (Same goes for any medications your puppy needs during their stay.)

We definitely made the right decision going with Top Dog! It's the only kennel for my puppy!