The Grove Luxury Dog Boarding
The Grove, Whittington Hurst, Lichfield,
Staffordshire WS13 8QN

Contact: Lindsay & Rob Mallaber
Phone: 01543 433114

The Grove Luxury Dog Boarding
Customer Testimonials

11 to 20 of 30 Customer Testimonials

2nd May 2011

Hattie and Douglas

This was the first time since having our two little Border Terriers that we were to leave them for a short break. We checked 'The Grove' out before booking them in and quite honestly could not fault Rob and Lindsay's set up. We were met by Lindsay who showed us around (with Hattie and Douglas of course), she explained in detail their day to day routine of the 'hands on'care of the dogs ensuring they are kept occupied and given plenty of exercise. We left them in the knowledge that our two dogs were in safe caring hands. On return the dogs were happy and in excellent condition. We could not recommend The Grove enough to anyone who like us had our reservations about leaving our dogs in kennels, we consider The Grove to be a 5 star hotel for dogs, not kennels! Thank you to Rob and Lindsay and we will be seeing you again soon.

by Tracy Walters, Staffordshire

20th Feb 2011

Barney's First Boarding experience at the tender age of 11!!!

Barney is our mad Westie, we have had him since a he was 12 weeks old; he is my baby, now 11 and for all his life he has only ever stayed with family, however, a change in family circumstances meant this was not possible this year. I was very apprehensive about leaving him at kennels.

I have to say that my perception of 'kennels' was not good. Barney likes his luxury and he couldn't just be left anywhere, he also has a tendancy to be a little tempramental! If we were off enjoying ourselves on holiday I needed to know that he would be cared for by people who would look after him just as we would. The Grove do that and more!!

We paid a visit last October and I was overwhelmed by the quality of these accomodations. Spacious rooms, with both a bedroom and playroom, with underfloor heating, beautiful grounds for exercise, and most of all really friendly and lovely owners; Rob and Lindsay.

My apprehension about boarding Barney was compounded as he is diabetic and has dry eye so I needed to know that his insulin and eye drops could be given to him; Rob had absolutley no problem with this at all. Also, Barney can have a tendancy to be a bit 'grumpy' and 'snarly' at times (well he is getting on a bit!!) so I needed to make sure that they knew this and were well prepared.

We have Barney booked in for 20 nights in April, but we recently had cause for him to stay for a weekend and I can truthfully say that Barney had a fantastic time!!

The room Barney was in was all ready when we arrived; water bowl, bed complete with pillow and duvet, and a towel with a welcoming dog biscuit!! We had taken Barney's own bedding and toys, everything to make it seem like home and this wasn't a problem at all, in fact it was encouraged.

As I was so worried how he would be I couldn;t bring myself to call that same evening, instead i left it until after 'breakfast time' the following morning. Barney had settled well Rob advised and calling to check in on him was not a problem.

When we collected Barney we entered the room and he was clearly pleased to see Lindsay (which was lovely to see) and then he spotted us! He seemed settled and content and Lindsay told us that he had settled really well and was not at all grumpy like he can be!! Apparently it must be just us he's grumpy with!!!

I'm so glad we found The Grove. Now, Barney gets a luxury holiday when we do, and I know that he is being well looked after.

Thank you Rob and Lindsay and all at The Grove� Barney will be back soon� hope he's just as good for you next time!

by Lynn Smith, West Midlands

27th Jan 2011

Ruby's Excellent Adventure.

Our 2 year old labradoodle Ruby enjoyed a weeks rest and relaxation in November 2010 whilst we toiled away in sunny Tenerife. Rob and Lindsays' kennels are by far the most excellent we have seen. Their web site is factual and gives a true reflection that is more than realised when you have the pleasure of visiting in real life! The rooms are very clean and generous in size, walking and play areas are also well above the norm' and left me feeling strangely jealous of Ruby's future holiday pad! We had complete peace of mind regarding the care of our "lil' girl" and highly recommend The Grove. Rob and Lindsay are caring friendly dog loving people and Ruby is looking forward to her next holiday already.

by David Carp, Staffordshire

24th Jan 2011

ALFIE AND MILLY'S FIRST HOLIDAY

In October 2010 we were looking for somewhere for our two dogs to stay for a couple of nights. At this time Milly was only 4 months old so we knew we wanted somewhere where they would both be well cared for. We had used all of the usual local kennels with some good and some not so good experiences, but from the moment we arrived at The Grove we knew we had found THE place. The rooms are very clean, warm and cosy and we were all made so welcome by Rob and Lindsey. Alfie and Milly stayed for two nights and when we collected them they were really settled and had obviously been very well cared for. We would definately recommend The Grove and will be happy to leave our "kids" there again.

by Steve Beckett, Staffordshire

23rd Jan 2011

A big thank you from Annie!

I have not had Annie from a puppy, so I do not know her past, but I do know that she spent a little time in the RSPCA and that she can be very nervous of strangers. She is a very caring, cuddly dog and has a lovely temprement but when she feels stressed often people are a little scared of her as she is quite big (Dogue de bordeaux) and has a big, deep bark! She stopped one night in a kennels in Cheltenham and she wouldn't eat or let anyone near her. I picked he up early as she was so stressed. At the Grove, it is such a relaxing environment and everyone is so friendly there that she soon fitted in. It really is home from home, I would recommend it to anyone. She loved the walks and playing ball and they get so much attention, I couldn't of asked for anymore. I would not hesitate in letting Annie stay at this 'Doggie hotel' again!

by Joanna Hallifield, Staffordshire

6th Dec 2010

Max loved staying with Rob and Lynsey

WOW the Grove kennels are fantastic our dog max has never been in kennels before so we were a bit worried about leaving him, the owners quickly reasured us and showed us around and helped us settle Max in to his luxury kennel. I left feeling confident he was in safe hands. Max enjoyed being arround other dogs and quickly learned to socialise which he has found difficult before and he loved the freedom he got running around the farm. Rob and LynseyS daughter Eleanor took a shine to max and max took a shine to her so along with extra cuddles THANKYOU Eleanor!!! and lots of attention and even home made cookies he had the time of his life we have booked him in already for our next holiday. We invited Rob and Lynsey out for dinner with us to say a big thankyou Max was so excited to see them when they arrved at our house and jumped straight on Lynseys lap which is a fantastic reasurance of how well they looked after him and bonded. He has even been better behaved on his walks so all in all i highly recomend these kennels. Mr and Mrs Pearce and Maximus the jack russel xxx THANKYOU X

by Nicky Pearce, Staffordshire

9th Nov 2010

I can not rate highly enough !!!!!

If you have ever been wary of leaving your dog whilst going away then you can stop now. The Grove was excellent in every way and worth every penny. I had just moved to the area and was worrying about where to leave Jenny, my Cocker Spaniel. After looking at a number of kennels and getting very demoralised I came across this one, Rob showed us around, (Jenny included in the tour), what struck me was how warm and very clean the area was, none of the usual pee smell that seems to hang around other kennels, there were individual gardens, fabulous walking fields, and additional woodland walks if you wanted them. I immediately booked Jenny in. On collecting Jenny she was the best I have ever seen her from a kennel return, she didn't smell, was content and you could see she had had time spent with her as she was running from my husband, myself and back to Rob and Lindsay. A big big thank you, and I will definitely be using you again, thats if you haven't booked out from all these positive reviews ;-)

by Dawn Lowe, Warwickshire

2nd May 2011

A great experience :-)

I left our dog at the Grove with Lindsay and Rob for the weekend and they were fantastic. They were welcoming and provided plenty of information about how Monty would be looked after and where he would stay. Monty was lively and happy on collecting him and has clearly enjoyed his stay. we will definitely use them again and will recommend to anyone. An overall very good experience. Thank you :-)

by Esther Pinto, Shropshire

29th Oct 2010

It really IS as good as it looks!

This place is exactly what it say's 'on the tin', a first class establishment. It is very new, in fact still a work in progress, there is a huge indoor 'play barn' and 'dog pool' currently under construction. The dog's accomodation is fantastic, large airy and spotlessly clean! What also struck us was how quiet the dogs staying there were, as we walked in some came to their doors to see who was arriving (but no barking!) others were happily sleeping or eating a treat, quite different to most other 'kennels' we have seen. Our dog Luca had the pleasure of staying here from the 22 October 2010 - 27 October 2010 and was happy and contented when we collected him. Luca is a very active dog so the fact that free running and lovely walks are frequently given was of primary importance. Also being a Dalmatian he just loves human contact, and at this 'hotel' the dogs are given a great deal of attention with in room play and cuddle times. Which all helped to ensure he settle well. We have already booked Luca in for a second residential stay and also a day of 'doggy day care' when we have a day out at Crufts 2011. We would have no hesitation in recommending the Grove and the only problem we can see in the future is that once this gem of a place is discvovered there will be no vacancies!!

by Sara Green, Somerset

27th Oct 2010

The Grove Luxury Dog Hotel

We were very worried about leaving our puppy in a kennel for the first time. However, she had a fantastic stay at The Grove. We do not hesitate to recommend it and I'm sure she will be excited to visit again. Many thanks.

by Paula Mafham, Staffordshire