Thanks to everyone who responded with kennel recommendations – here is what you said:

We have used the Pet Cozy Inn Resort in Plum in the past and they were wonderful. We have a chihuahua and they took great care of him. Good luck!

I've had very good experiences with the Cozy Inn in the Murrysville/Plum area. It's a bit of a drive and they are little pricey, but they do treat the dogs very well. I've been taking mine there for 7 years now. Their website with all the info is http://www.cozyinnpetresort.com.

Hands down the best kennel in the area is the Cozy Care Comfort Inn (it’s not a kennel, it’s a resort! – they state). When we left our two medium-sized dogs there they came back like they’d had a better vacation than we had. They went out 8-10 times a day to play with other dogs, got swimming lessons, got a free massage before going home, and we got a ‘report card’ where the staff made notes about what each pet was doing at different points in their ‘vacation.’ You can also (we did) supply them with a disposable camera and they will take photos of your pet’s stay. Believe it or not, at least at the time we used them, a year or so ago, they were cheaper than some of the regular kennels. They claim to be Feng-Shui-friendly, if that’s important to you, and I just can’t say enough about them. They offer free tours of the facility and are very strict about assuring all the pets are healthy, etc. before they accept them so you don’t have to worry about them coming home with kennel cough. The only drawback we had was that they are outside of the city in Plum (I think it took us 35 minutes from Highland Park).

Cozy Inn in Plum is supposed to be amazing.

Stay very far away from the Golden Bone, they are not nice.

We take our dog to Camp Bow Wow. They have a location in the South and are opening one in the North. We really like it there. Our friends take their dog to Cozy Inn in the East, and they really like it their, too. Good luck!

Our "hyper" dog likes Camp Bow Wow off 279 south Crafton exit. It's a little more $$ but the dogs run and play all day and (most fun) there's a web cam to check on them!

We take our 2 year old dog to Camp Bow Wow in Greentree. It is on the way to the airport. They group the dogs according to size and they get to run around together. Our dog loves it. They sleep in their own "cabins" at night. They have a webcam so you can see your dog while you are away if you have computer access. their website is www.campbowwowpgh.com. You'd have to bring your dog for an interview to make sure he is ok w/ other dogs.

My friend highly recommends Brizes (http://www.brizeskennel.com/) They're all the way out by Elizabeth but she said they're just fabulous. I've only ever boarded my pooch once and we used Rosedale Kennels (associated with the Animal Rescue League). He didn't have a great experience, but I think that was more about the fact that he was a shelter dog and hadn't been with us that long than about the kennel itself!

We have used both Brize's Kennels - http://www.brizeskennel.com - (located down off of 51, at the very southern tip of allegheny county) and Misty Pines - http://www.mistypinesdogpark.com - (right by the wexford exit for I-79) several times and have been happy with both of them. They seem give the dog lots of attention - we usually do the standard stay, and then add on one playtime or walk period per day - both places have kennel staff that spend some time with the dogs in addition to the add-on playtimes. Our austrailian cattle dog loves both places, and gets super-excited and happy when we take him to drop him off. I would recommend you have your dog groomed on the day you pick him up - Syd comes home smelling like "kennel" (very very doggie) from either place without it.

We use Airy Pines near Murrysville. They do a nice job.

We have had success with our Pug, who is notoriously finicky, at The Golden Bone, off Penn in Point Breeze/Homestead.

Golden Bone 412 661 7001 is excellent and very close by on Washington Blvd at Hamilton. If you don't mind a drive there are a few others that offer green space and I could get those numbers. But my dogs thrive at golden bone and i've been pleased. Especially a short stay I'm sure you'll like them.

We use the golden bone

For just a couple of days, I'd recommend the Golden Bone, in East Liberty, at the corner of Hamilton Ave. and Washington Blvd. They're handy and are nice folks, although I must admit it's been several years since we used them.

We use the Golden Bone on Hamilton Ave. for our retriever and chow-retriever mix, and have used it in the past for an elderly cocker spaniel and a cat. Especially for shorter stays, it has served us well. (For long stays, it may be nice to have more room for exercise and free playing). One challenge: they charge extra for a Sunday check out.

I always use Petsmart Hotel in Monroeville and have been very satisfied.

We use English Acres in Cranberry for our boxer/American Bulldog mixes. They don't lock the dogs up in crates, they have indoor and outdoor play areas, and mostly the dogs just run around so much that they sleep the rest of the time. My dogs love it, and really loved it when they were that age. The biggest side effect is that they usually sleep for excessive amounts for several days after a stay. We have been going for 4 and a half years and love it. Contact info at:

http://englishacres.net/ The downside is that you have to do a 45 minute drive to get there from Highland Park.