Paws Inn the Woods
Paws Inn the Woods is a dog boarding and care facility located in Grafton, Ohio, known for its clean and well-kept grounds and attentive staff. The facility emphasizes personalized care, accommodating special needs and schedules. It features wheelchair accessible parking, reflecting some level of accessibility accommodation. However, there have been serious concerns raised about kennel management and safety, particularly regarding the handling of blankets and toys in kennels, which has affected some dogs’ well-being. Owners have expressed mixed experiences, highlighting both trust and caution.
Reviews
DO NOT BOARD YOUR DOG AT PAWS INN THE WOODS, GRAFTON OHIO
My dog died because of the carelessness and complacency of the kennel staff at Paws Inn the Woods.
My retired working dog has been boarded periodically at this kennel for years. He was never allowed to have blankets or toys in the kennel for his safety. This past stay, they put not one but multiple blankets in his kennel and admitted to having zero accountability of blankets or toys in general. They do not pay attention to how many blankets they put in and certainly do not pay attention if any become missing. Not even two days after having him home, I noticed he wasn’t acting normal. He was trying to vomit and was struggling to poop. We took him to the Vet immediately, where they found he had a serious obstruction in his digestive tract. They performed emergency surgery and removed the material, which ended up being nearly a whole quilted blanket. Tragically, he ended up dying shortly after surgery due to the severity of the surgery’s impact on his system. This was a healthy 8 year old GSD living out his retirement after years of service to this country which was tragically cut short due to a completely preventable incident.
When I spoke to the owner of the kennel, she told me three things that broke our hearts even more.
1. She insisted this kind of thing has never happened before at her kennel. Which, after many years of working in pet and working dog kennels and professionally handling and training dogs, I know is not true. Dogs eating things is a very common thing in a kennel environment, which is why it is so important that the staff monitor and keep accountability of exactly what is put in each dog’s kennel, if anything.
2. She said she had no idea how or when it happened. When I spoke to the kennel staff, they were immediately defensive and straight up told me they put not one, but multiple blankets in the kennel and had no idea one was missing because they don’t count them. They said they don’t have time for that.
3. The worst thing the owner told me was that she had no intentions of changing the way she ran her kennel and said she wouldn’t lie to me and say she would, just to make us feel better. She was unbelievably unempathetic and offered us nothing in the way of an apology or anything.
It is also important to note that while I had this conversation with the owner at the kennel just days after the loss of our dog, I witnessed another dog in an outside run tearing apart the stuffed dog bed that was in the kennel with him. When I pointed it out to her, she said “Oh he does that all the time, he doesn’t eat it.” She did NOTHING to stop the incident as I literally witnessed the dog pull mouthful after mouthful of stuffing out.
For the safety and well-being of your beloved dog, I strongly discourage using this facility to board your pet. The owner and two staff members are lazy, and complacent. Keeping track of what goes in each kennel and making sure it comes out should be a priority at every kennel, among other important things that keep the dogs healthy and safe. For my dog, that lack of attention to detail cost him his life. I am speaking out to hopefully save other dogs from the same fate.
Loved this place in the past, under new ownership, different kind of vibe there now.
My dogs stay here frequently. The attention given to them is wonderful. They follow any written requests and or instructions I have given. The owner has been a multiple dog owner for many many years and really pays attention to how dogs are cared for. Beautiful grounds as well. Would never go anywhere else.
No hesitation to call Ms.June, Denise or Kyle to take care of my dog while I am away. I’ve called spur of the moment and they have extended their hours to care for Gia. They love her and she absolutely loves them. When I was diagnosed with cancer Ms. June told me “if I EVER needed them to care for her so I could get better they would take her for me”. Cane Corso breeds are hard to “rehome”, God forbid, something happens to me. Since that day, I have not worried about what would happen to my dog if something happened to me. I don’t k ow about other pet owners but, knowing my dog, whom I know they love, has a sanctuary to go to sure brought me peace of mind. They even took excellent care of her when I had to board her with a knee injury. Her “limp” was better when I picked her up.
TWO PAWS UP! My Pups love Paws Inn the Woods! They were super accommodating and flexible with my vacation dates. The facility is very clean and well kept. I was nervous the first time but Kaylee and Rob made me feel like I was leaving the dogs with close friends. June was also super sweet and helpful. Going on trips is a reality again thanks to having a reliable/trustworthy place for Frank and Boo to relax at. Thank you to all of the amazing staff!!!