Pet Services in Watertown

John Edwards founded The Well Fed Dog several years ago after falling in love with a raggedy lab mix named Sasha. When John and his wife adopted Sasha, she was 6 months old, underweight, underfed, and riddled with fleabites, but the family was determined to nurse the small pup back to health. During the process, John discovered Sasha had a chicken allergy, and so he had to carefully read the labels on the dog food they were buying her. What he discovered disgusted him—many foods were composed of animal byproducts, synthetic vitamins, and other ingredients unfit to feed a cherished member of the family, no matter their species. And so John began to craft his own recipes for dog food, using careful research and advice from veterinarians, fellow pet owners, and even professional chefs.

Featured in the Boston Globe and national Natural Dog magazine, The Well Fed Dog and its recipes include real meats, such as lamb, salmon, and beef, and vegetables including sweet potatoes, carrots, pumpkin, and celery, and the products can now be found in many stores. All of the handpicked ingredients are also human grade, perishable, and packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and omega-3 fatty acids. The food is slow-cooked then frozen before being divided into small batches to help with quality control and is packed into cooler bags for safe keeping. To keep pets happy between meals, The Well Fed Dog also sells special treats that dogs love, such as deer and moose antlers, smoked-beef marrowbones, and pictures of cats wearing humiliating hats.

A Tails Readers’ Choice Award winner, Tail Waggerz accommodates canines with a 7,500-square-foot pet daycare facility, cage-free boarding, and grooming services. The caretakers devote their indoor and outdoor spaces to keeping guests stimulated with social games of fetch, hide-and-seek, and Texas hold'em. Dogs are invited for crate-free boarding after a personality analysis to make sure they'll get along with other dogs. Seven nights a week, caretakers sleep in the same room as four-legged guests that curl up on pillows or futons.

At A Fox & Hounds Pet Care, four-legged friends lap up first-rate treatment from a team of dedicated, nurturing pup professionals. Tailored to each pet's needs, services range from full-time daycare and overnight lodging to training programs for dogs both young and old. Inside, furry visitors bound across 6,000 square feet of climate-controlled, cage-free space, and outdoors, the large, fenced-in play yard's special pet grass allows for quick drainage and prevents pooches from tunneling out and running away to the frisbee factory. The day care's special-needs areas can also accommodate animals that are shy or recovering from injuries.

While still learning how to walk on their own, Legacy Stables owners Michael Murphy and Elizabeth Vaughan Murphy began learning how to ride horses. The two both grew up around horses, and they apply their lifelong knowledge of horseback riding with students during training and lessons in saddle-seat, hunter-seat, Western, and driving styles. During lessons, students are introduced to the stable's fleet of morgan horses, which are known to be one of the oldest and most versatile breeds in North America. The compassionate instructors lead lessons for both beginner and advanced riders, as well as small children who learn basic steering and methods of riding a horse without training wheels.

Frank and Jen Allen, along with their canine companion, Buddy, strive to provide a nurturing home away from home for pets while families are away at work or on vacation. Pups romp freely around a fenced outdoor yard with other fuzzy friends before heading indoors, where spotless accommodations inspire restful dreams of taking over the postal service. Petopia Doggie Day Care also provides expert grooming services, delivering dogs and cats back to owners with a pleasant new-car smell.

Nestled on 55 acres brimming with evergreen trees and verdant fields, Integrity Equestrian Center's facilities cater to equestrians' every need, hosting activities ranging from lessons and camps to dressage competitions. Inside the main barn, the team of school horses whinnies in anticipation of rides across the wood-chipped trails or romps in the indoor arenas or outdoor ring, equipped with gates and fences for the age-old English sport of horse limbo. Whether helping advanced riders further their hunter-jumper skills or introducing beginners to the basics of horsemanship, the ranch's instructors—all experienced riders themselves—create a fun and positive learning environment during private or group lessons.