Cats, Dogs & Peace of Mind

This place was a godsend for me and my partner when over the May break a few years ago we couldn't find anyone staying in London who could sit our flat cats while we were on holiday.

I think the idea of kennels is fine for dogs, but cats are more lone wolf than the actual ancestor of the wolf... so this was the perfect solution.

The first time we booked with them Louise the founder came round to meet us and the cats, answer any questions we had, and allay any fears.

You then choose the number of visits and what sort of time (morning/evening) you have your pet 'sat', or dog walked, fed etc.

They spend a good amount of time with your pet, playing with it, feeding it, making sure there are no problems. They even water your plants and leave a little diary so you know how your cat/dog/a.n.other has been while you've been away.

We even came home to a pint of milk.

I honestly can't praise this company enough, I really can't. Absolutely trustworthy and worth every single penny!!!

Louise did a fabulous job grooming our shih tzu Maltese! It was so convenient having a mobile grooming van. Giggles had a great time and received a lovely haircut! I definitely will book again.

I came to have a look at the facility before deciding to leave my dog here, and indeed booked my dog in a couple of times there was no real assessment of the dog done. I also found the atmosphere in the facility to be odd, and not at all like I saw on the You Tube video
My dog was also incredibly nervous about entering the second time and she had to be dragged across the car park she is usually a very social dog and is great in new public situations for example is allowed in most of the pubs in the area as she is social, so I was concerned at that. She was also not very tired on her return, which she usualy is after a long walk.
I also heard one of the staff members screaming at the dogs before I came in which stopped as soon as I entered, and was very concerned to see a couple of dogs in small cage as this seems to go against the ethos of the place. My image before using the service was a wide open space where they could run freely, the reality just didn't add up.
I would agree with the earlier comment that the place was freezing. When I asked how she had been, I was just told fine. I expected not exactly a school report, but something along the lines of she was great, she played with Dogs A & B, shes had three walks round the block and a long run to wherever, would have made me feel more at ease.
There was something not quite right about the place, so given my dog's reaction and my gut feeling, I did the sensible thing and recruited a private walker instead who was recommended by my vet, which had turned out to be a much better solution.

Don't know what I would do without CDPOM to look after my two cats when I'm away. So much better than boarding, CDPOM allows your pets to stay in the comfort of their own home. The carers are reliable, trustworthy and clearly are animal lovers!

I just moved to London from NYC and was so lucky to find Louise! Let's just say my dog has some emotional issues...and Louise has been so good to him and really seems to 'get him'. She's very reliable and has been really helpful with suggestions for parks and vets, etc. which is extremely welcome in a new city. Can't say enough good things!

Hi everyone, I'm a Doggie Day Crèche owner, I think I'm the only commercial one in South London. I just wanted to comment on a few things. Firstly, please dont be put off by a cold centre! I get very cold in my centre but the Dogs are all panting after a game of ball and it is unacceptable to place a Dog is a warm building when they are playing SO much. Smaller/ less insulated pooches should were a cost/ jumper and have a blanket they can use at nap times. If i put my heating on all Day, the labs and fluffy Dogs at my creche would melt! A lady mentioned the barking, cages etc. Firstly, I must say, they may have done nothing wrong BUT if your Dog was shaking and timid, she should have either been refused Day Care or given special attention to make her more at ease, not every Dog is suited to Day Care and I have had to turn away clients as I can see there Dog is not happy. As for barking, it will happen at any centre and you can NOT prevent it/ stop it. When people arrive to collect Dogs, particularly new clients, the Dpgs are not only curious but protective. Trust me, the Dogs that do not bark at home can be extremely vocal in that environment. As for screaming, it doesn't splve anything. I will shout loudly if I need to stop a Dog in his tracks immediately (about to eat poop, playing to rough fro afar etc) but Dogs should not be intimidated. I cannot comment on the services as I have never used them. I'm sure that they do not do anything bad to Dogs and as another Day Care owner, I understand how frustrating it must be to CDPOM to have such negative reviews but they may be very well deservedI cannot comment on that. I just wanted to explain a few points. Day Care is not for the timid or unsocilaised Dog, as it's not for aggressive or very old Dogs. Always listen to your Dog. Ask any owner at my crèche and they will tell you they let their Dogs of the lead at the top of the yard in the morning to avoid being dragged down the Day Care because they love it! I've had one Dog had to be pushed in the door, saying that, he had already been a client for a year but had been off for a whole month with a skin condition so had got a bit attached to Mum! :-) I hope you ALL are happy with whatever Day Care provider you choose. In my experience, if your Dog cannot wait to get there, is tiered when they come home and other owners are happy with the service and you get on with the owner and staff then you are in the right place. Dog Day Cares should be safe, welcoming and always put your Dog first. Overcrowding is not acceptable nor is overpricing..whatch out for it!! Do not be taken advantage of just because they know you love your pet! Trust your Instincs always. Wishing CDPOM good luck and all the Doggie owners.xx

I tried their dog day care service earlier this year, as I needed a place to leave my dog while I was going to be away later this year, and had heard about them so decided to give them a trial. At first all was good, turned up on the first day and was met by the lady who owns it, and while I thought she seemed a bit strict, I thought that goes with the territory. I noticed it was very cold on there, but as it was first thing in the morning, assumed it would get warmer as the day went on. When I came to collect my dog she seemed very timid, and I was also concerned she seemed a bit wet. I was informed by the rather surly man who was quite aggressive and patronising that I was worrying too much. I was a bit concerned he was completely ignoring the barking going on, but thought he probably got used to it being there all the time. The second time I had to drag the dog across the car park, she just didn't want to go in. There was no sign of the lady owner, just two staff who didn't seem that comfortable. I had to really push the dog in there. I returned slightly earlier than planned to collect her, and was surprised to see a number of the dogs in cages behind the counter, a couple of others fastened to the wall, and mine shaking and one of the minders screaming at the dogs when they barked.. After I paid, got her outside, she was wet again and still trembling. Got her in the car, and she had an accident for the first time ever- I took this as a sign and she hasn't been back since. I'm not sure what really happened but there was certainly no evidence, on my visits of the loving caring atmosphere claimed on the website, which is a shame,as I for one would have loved to have used this service regularly luckily I advertised locally, and found a sitter, who my dogs love. Morale of the story if something seems too good to be true, it generallly is.

I searched for many weeks for a reliable service to look after my three dogs, Diesel, Milo and Charlie a couple of times a week. The dogs passed their initial assessment approximately 12 weeks ago, and initially the service was great the dogs appeared happy there, and all appeared well.There started to be ripples in the service the week commencing the 24th October 2011, when my partner collected the invoice that, according to the invoice itself, was payable within 7 days. On the 27th October I received a rather strange email stating that the invoice was overdue, and that if I didn't pay I would essentially taking the food out of the mouths of the staff that would be walking my pets.The text is below, and obviously I've removed names, and commercially sensitive information.Further to my email sent on Monday I note that according to our records there is still an amount outstanding on your account.Our terms are currently 7 days from date of invoice because we have to pay the people who deliver the service that you have benefited from.They are due to receive their wages tomorrow so prompt payment from you would be greatly appreciated today.Please find attached a statement showing what is still owed.You can pay:- Electronically by BACs to CDPOM's bank account at. Please quote your account number as the reference- Securely & safely via Paypal by going toclicking on Pay Online in the menu and following the instructions. You don't need a Paypal account to do this.- By giving the details of any of the major credit/debit cards over the phone by ringing the office on or and speaking to .- By cashHowever, from now on we require customers at point of booking to provide us with details of either a valid credit or debit card.This will guarantee the service each customer requests. NB Under the new arrangement we will not be able to guarantee the service requested without these card details.You will still be invoiced as usual and the card will only be used to pay any outstanding bill if payment has not been made within CDPOM's 7-day term by whatever means.So that you can rest assured that there will be no problems booking any of our services please provide us with your credit or debit card details by completing the form below and either posting it or delivering it to us at CDPOM World, or by faxing it to our secure office onCard Type (please specify) e.g. Visa, MasterCard, Amex etc:Card No:Expiry Date:Issue no (Switch):Security (CVT) Digits the last three next to your signature:Account Holder Name as it appears on the card:If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me or X or by phone on the office number XWe look forward to looking after your pets and your home in the future.Yours sincerelyThis was from 'Roger' the company secretary. I replied advising that the invoice had only been issued 3 days earlier, and received the following responseThank you for your email.Sorry for the confusion. You were not meant to receive this REMINDER email as X told me that you were due to settle the bill tomorrow.It must have been highlighted and sent in error for which I apologise.We look forward to seeing Milo, Diesel & Charlie tomorrow.Best regardsThis made me slightly uneasy, the bill was paid without any issue the following day to Roger who had sent the email the previous day,The following week there didn't appear to be an issue, the following week the dogs were booked in on Monday 31st October, which went without incident. At the time of check in I advised the staff that I wasn't sure whether I wanted the dogs watched on Thursday 3rd or Friday 4th November. I was advised that this wasn't an issue and either day would be fine.I turned up on Thursday 3rd November only to be told that I hadn't booked in the dogs, that there would be an extra charge payable. This isn't mentioned in their terms and conditions anywhere, so consequently I left, peace of mind shattered. This turned out to be another 'error'. My morning ruined by this, I ended up cancelling the meetings I had booked, and was faced with the real quandary about how I was going to have my dogs looked after. This was solved when CDPOM came and collected the dogs which I collected later on. My initial reaction was to never leave the dogs in their care. I was persuaded by the founder and manager that this was a one off incident. Like an idiot I agreed. The latest invoice was presented on 7th November and paid at that stage.The dogs were booked in on the 7th and 10th November I was not presented with any invoice at all on collection on the 10th.The dogs were booked in on the 14th and 17th November. I was presented with an invoice on the 14th to cover the 7th, 10th, 14th and 17th. I didn't have my card on me, and as the terms stated were 7 days presumed that it wouldn't be an issue to pay when I collected the dogs on the 21st. I noticed that one of the staff seemed particularly annoyed about this the other seemed fine.I dropped the dogs off on the 21st November