Laurel Oak Farm Dog Kennel 16219 Youngblood Road, Charlotte, NC 28278

"Beautifully maintained kennel. The staff are all very professional, kind and courteous. I never worry when my girl stays at Laurel Oak. I call it her five-star resort and spa."

"My pups Zane and Zariah have gone to doggie daycare here for a few years. Not once have we questioned the care received."

"I love Laurel Oak. All the staff here is so nice and helpful. My dog Beanie is a handful but they are so patient. They truly love the dogs here. Danielle has always been so great with me and Beanie and I just really appreciate all the staff. Such a great place for boarding and doggie daycare. Update: it's been a year and each time I call they're booked. I can never make a reservation with boarding or day care making it very inconvenient so I finally found another place that is just as amazing! I take my dog to planet pup. It's a little bit of a drive but my dog is well loved and he loves it."

"This facility uses electric shock bark collars on dogs without informing owners. How do I know this? They left one on my dog when I came for pick up. They did not inform me of the problem before using the collar, during its use, or after they deemed it necessary so that I could make an informed decision about my dog returning. Which compounds the horribleness of this entire situation. Read on if you still need more information: I dropped off my dogs on a Sunday morning. I came for pickup about 6 PM on a Monday. At that point they left the bark collar on my boy and sent it home with us. I was not able to return it until Thursday evening and during that time, no one called to inform me or to inquire about the device. We’re lucky we even noticed it, given how fluffy our dog is and how tightly they had to strap it on to get skin contact, we might have missed it for days. My dog is not a habitual or constant barker. Meaning that he was barking because he was afraid or anxious. Which is exactly when training experts say NOT to use a bark collar, as it can (and did, in this case) make your dog fearful. So Laurel Oak Farm decided to use this collar, not for my dog’s benefit, but for their own - being so close to a neighborhood, they’ve got to control the barking somehow. Then, after deciding it was necessary, they DIDN’T INFORM ME. And continued to not inform me even after pickup. Had I known my dog was stressed and barking, or was being forced to wear a bark collar, my emergency pickup person would have gone to get the dogs immediately. Had I been informed at pickup, I could have made an informed decision about whether this was a good environment and whether my dogs should return given that they are (a) stressed and anxious (b) allegedly causing a problem and (c) not being treated in a manner I would want. I was not given that courtesy. Instead I found out by accident. I did my research on the collar. I wanted to be sure of what it was before I got upset. It truly is an electronic shock collar, activated by a dog barking. It is not supposed to be left on more than 12 hours. It should be moved around every 1-2 hours to avoid leaving sores on the dog. Given the fact that it was forgotten on my dog, I doubt he received the proper oversight. I’m guessing here (since again, no one had the decency to inform me), but I figure they put it on him at night, to protect themselves from being a nuisance to the neighborhood they set themselves up in, and given that we picked him up at 6 PM I’d say it’s a safe bet it was on longer than 12 hours. Know that when you use this facility, they have hidden in their waiver a consent to the use of “bark collars” on habitual or constant barkers. Note that this does not mention what type of bark collars will be utilized by Laurel Oak Farm. No, they will not be using a more humane citronella collar on your dog. No, they will not be using an ultrasonic bark collar. they will be using an electronic shock bark collar. So what they are doing might be legal. Or rather, might be something you can’t sue them for. I strive for a higher standard in where I leave my pets when I’m away. Again, my dog is not a habitual or constant barker, so I never thought this would be an issue. And I was never informed that it was one. Maybe you’re okay with electronic shock collars. I still think you shouldn’t be okay with a policy that would allow one to be left on a scared dog for an entire day and not inform the owner of any issues. I still think you shouldn’t be okay with a policy that literally causes terror in dogs. I hope that this review will help inform people of what’s going on here, and hopefully get a policy change at this facility. This shouldn’t be happening to any more dogs. This is unacceptable - I’ve already told them this, if you tell them too, if you agree with me, maybe something will change."

"We love taking our boys to Laurel Oak and they love going there! The facility is super clean, there is a ton of outside space, and the staff is full of super friendly dog-lovers! We were always hesitant to take our pups somewhere to stay the night or play for the day but we have 100% confidence they will be well taken care of with tons of supervision. We have been taking our guys here for a while now - everything from week long stays to day care visits - and they come back every time clean, happy and completely exhausted. Recently started using their groomer as well and she has done a great job! Even came home today with awesome bow ties!!"