Camp Ruff Ruff 174 Sand Lane, Staten Island, NY 10305

"I can't say enough good things about Vinny. We boarded our then 1 year old Golden retriever with him last summer for two weeks and he took care of her as if she was his own. He went out of his way to keep us fully informed on how she was doing and gave us peace of mind knowing our little girl was in good and loving hands. He also went above and beyond to patiently explain to us some of her negative behaviors. He came his family are the best."

"I've had a wonderful experience with Vinny and Camp Ruff Ruff. He was great at explaining my dog's behavioral quirks to me and helping me figure out how to work on things, plus my dog loved him immediately. I felt very comfortable leaving my dog with him when I had to take a trip and Vinny and his wife were kind enough to send me pictures and updates so I could see how he was doing. I will definitely be using them again in the future!"

"Vinny has taken great care of my two English bull terriers while I have been stationed in NY for three years. Bullet is a 9 year old who suffered from abuse before I rescued him. Echo is a 4 year old who is deaf and incredibly high energy. Vinny has had such a calming effect on Echo. I can almost see how Echo thinks before jumping on people, stops when I signal to him, trying to decipher what I want him to do, and trying hard to be obedient. I know that this is all because of Vinny's interaction with him. It makes me work harder at communicating with both pups so they understand.I am a Coast Guard officer and constantly have to travel for work (with very short notice) out of state. Vinny was always incredibly flexible with accommodating my pups. They absolutely loved being campers at Camp Ruff Ruff and hanging with the other campers as well as Mickey.I always had boarding for my dogs at Veterinary Hospitals because my dogs demand such attention, they are very high energy, they have special diet needs, one is deaf and one is an escape artists who runs away the second he senses freedom. Once I saw Vinny's interactions with them and understood how knowledgeable he was, I trusted him 100%. I trust no one else with my dogs. Just Vinny and his crew!They always treated my pups like family! Now we are getting transferred to Portland, OR and the boys will miss their best buddy for sure. I know I will never find anyone who will care for them the same way when I'm away.Honest and trustworthy: Vinny was kind enough to walk my dogs as well. He had a key to my place and I never had an ounce of worry at all about my place, my belongings or my dogs. On the contrary, he always made me aware of any issues. One example was when my carbon monoxide detectors where alarming.No rating scale has enough stars to convey how much Vinny cares about animals. He took care of my pups thru Bullet's ear surgery and Echo's constant knee troubles. Always updating me on how they were doing while I was away. Vinny and his crew are true professionals. They are honest folks who love animals and do this out of love for dogs, not money.I will continue to recommend Vinny to all my Coast Guard friends who get stationed in the area. Camp Ruff Ruff is the best!"

"I had booked a trip to Nashville and was looking for a new sitter to watch my dog. I wanted someone who understood dogs (and not just loved them) and actually boarded dogs as part of their profession. The fact that Vinny is also a dog trainer and understands all things "dog" really helped me feel comfortable leaving Gunner with him and his family. Vinny sent me pictures and updates frequently and I knew Gunner was in good hands. What started out as a 4 day vacation wound up being longer due to the blizzard that hit NYC. I was a little stressed about the storm because it meant extra boarding cost and having to figure out when I got back if I would be able to dig my car out to pick him up. Vinny put me as ease. He told me he would give me a blizzard discount and even offered to drive Gunner to my apt if I wasn't able to pick him up when. It all worked out in the end and needless to say I wouldn't hesitate to use Camp Ruff Ruff again in the future. Thank you for taking good care of my pup. Gunner is looking forward to his next stay!"

"My husband and I relocated to New York from Georgia. For the 2014 Holiday Season, we had to find a kennel for Sunshine, our fear-aggressive, 3-year-old American Eskimo. Previous kennels we had visited required Sunshine to be put through a "stress test." This usually meant a staring contest and then waving hands in front of her face. She failed all of these tests. I tried to explain to kennel owners that Sunshine was fully capable of behaving well given the correct approach. For example, she had successfully stayed in a kennel in Georgia. However, we could not find a good fit and thought about canceling our trip. That's when we found Vinny and Camp Ruff Ruff. Vinny drove to our home to meet Sunshine for the first time. Because he knew exactly how to read and interact with a fear-aggressive dog, Sunshine became comfortable with him immediately. Vinny then suggested a carefully orchestrated meeting with Mickey (a permanent Ruff Ruff camper!) to see how Sunshine handled being around another dog. Vinny gave me guidance throughout this second meeting on how to read Sunshine, and the meeting was a success! To ensure the best possible situation for Sunshine, Vinny suggested one overnight stay at Camp Ruff Ruff before the 11-day trip. The brief stay was also a success. I should point out that in the past, some trainers have expressed doubt that Sunshine would ever be able to be in the presence of strange humans and dogs. Vinny and Camp Ruff Ruff proved that with the right combination of expertise and patience, it was possible for a fear-aggressive dog like Sunshine to live peacefully in a cage-less kennel with humans and dogs!! Needless to say, we were able to make our holiday trip after all. Vinny sent photo updates of Sunshine and we felt completely at ease knowing she was in the best possible care. Sunshine came home with noticeably more confidence and even listened to commands better. Thank you, Camp Ruff Ruff, for taking such amazing care of our girl!!"