Some six months ago, our dog Max, a four-year old Beagle, was a morbidly obese dog and causing problems around our apartment complex due to his issues with house training. Despite our different attempts to get him healthy and to properly train him in all the most basic of dog skills, it was quite evident that we needed to reach out to caring professionals who could help all of us. Ultimately, this meant temporarily placing him in a situation which would help us help him return to the healthy little 8-week puppy we loved with all our hearts. My wife and I, and of course, Max, needed a fresh start to get back on the path toward a healthy lifestyle. I researched the issue and found out about a viable solution, Dancing Creek Farm, a long-term boarding and training located outside of Danville, Virginia. So, we made the difficult decision to hand over the responsibilities of Max’s health and general well-being to Tamara and Dakota and the rest of the Dancing Creek team to provide Max the means of not only shedding his unhealthy weight, but also to go back to the drawing board to relearn how to follow commands and improve his self-control and discipline. I did the communicating with Dancing Creek throughout Max’s stay and saw that Dancing Creek was not just a viable solution, but a godsend for Max. I could see that Tamara and Dakota understood dogs and how to give them the help they needed, whatever that might be. In the four months that Max was at Dancing Creek, the wonderful team of Tamara and Dakota, the owners of Dancing Creek Farm, and their staff, helped Max lose thirty-two pounds and trained him to improve his discipline and self-control. They crafted a diet and exercise plan unique to Max, which surely couldn't have been easy when caring for eighty other dogs. It turned his life around. He's never been happier. We've been back home with Max for a week and see a more confident, better-trained dog who has a new lease on life. This is making a huge difference, not just in Max's life, but in the functioning of our family. We've gotten to know Tamara and Dakota through Max’s journey. We really respect their dedication to the animals and the hard work they put into to the health and well-being of the dogs at Dancing Creek. Tamara and Dakota and Team really care about this work. That really matters. In fact, it makes all the difference. Because of our gratitude, we will certainly be keeping track of all the other dogs at Dancing Creek. In addition, we want to thank the Dancing Creek community. They rallied around Max during his journey and supported him and us. We are so appreciative of the love they showed Max. (I can’t tell you how much we enjoyed the Facebook, IG videos and photos that chronicled Max’s journey.) We are also so excited for Dancing Creek, as they plan to spread their love for dogs with a non-profit for dogs who are of an advanced age. In conclusion, from Tamara and Dakota to the staff who worked so hard, we can never repay what you given Max and our family. It goes without saying that not all aspects of working with dogs is glamorous,as any pet owner knows. The DCF Team has shown that the work they do in this rural southern Virginia community is more to them than work. It's a calling to serve. This calling serves both the dogs and their owners. We thank you and salute you all.#Namaste

My family and friends only use dancing creek farm. I know the owner personally and no one will love and care for your fur babies like she does. Highly recommend.

Wonderful staff! Knowledgeable and friendly!

Due to a series of unfortunate events we were forced to decide whether we to rehome our dog or find a long-term boarding solution. I couldn’t bare losing her, so boarding it was! Deciding to leave your dog in someone else’s care is never an easy decision, but after doing a ton of research on different options I fell in love with Dancing Creek Farms. Tamara’s facility is wonderful and clean with a lot of hard-to-find offerings. It was important to me that our pup got socialization with other dogs and wasn’t kept in a cage. I also wanted to make sure she’d have quality food and one-on-one time. The facility really is impressive, and their mission of providing care and a place for dogs to be during hard times is inspiring. Since our pup was untrained and a bit of a disaster on walks, we added on training classes during to get paws in line, but never did we expect her to make such a transformation! Our girl is also the shyest pup I’ve ever met. It takes a lot of patience for her to open up to you. I was positively delighted when I received videos of her walking beside Sheril (her trainer), sitting for her, and staying! She even became excited for her training sessions and began being a role model for other dogs, never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to see her like that. She was also taught to be off leash, and a few other neat tricks such as stacking treats on her nose and having her wait for the command to drop and eat them. Simply wonderful. We were also fortunate to be able to have Sheril drive up to bring Sadie home and work with us for a few days to ease the transition and make sure we knew how to communicate with her. She took time to work with both my husband and myself separately to correct mistakes and suggest any changes. Since then we have gone on a few walks with Sadie and it’s been great!

We boarded our very large Anatolian shepherd mix for 3 months and got training for anxiety and aggression. It's often difficult to find boarding for dogs of his size (110lbs, very tall, very muscular), and research of the market makes me feel like a lot of trainers would attempt to remove his guarding instinct, or that I'd be priced out of anything I was looking for. Dancing Creek was such an amazing find, and worth driving 6hrs for the stay. They worked with us on pricing and were excited to get a big boy like Gus, and immediately had a training plan in mind to curve his instincts to make them easier to control without diminishing them. Even more, we were so happy to hey were super health conscious and had a plan in mind to help his joints that often get minor strains (normal for big active dogs). We got regular pictures and video training updates throughout his stay. His coat looked so much healthier and fluffier, and he looked so happy performing behaviors in videos. He even made some doggy friends, which he is picky about so we were stoked to see him loosening up. I loved that the staff gave him nick-names "Gus the Bus" which made me feel he was truly loved for his 3 month stay. When I came to pick him up all the staff stopped to tell me how much they loved Gus and that they were sad to see him go. Sheril got to know Gus so well and had his place so advanced that he would even wait for a tennis ball (his life's purpose), and especially strangers he was unsure of. He learned leashless walking, so his recall was super disciplined. But he was still the same goofball who doesn't know his size. His joints were so improved he was galloping after tennis balls like his life depended on it all over again. When had to drive him all the way to California, and his having been trained to relax in "place" eased his anxiety throughout the ride. I'm not sure we would have made it otherwise. It also helped him adjust and relax in hotels and eventually his new home. Learning "Heel" on walks made bringing him around strangers, even confined places like stairs, easy and no longer embarrassing for having a great big loud bark boy. Gus knew to focus on me and ignore anyone he might be afraid of. It's not even been a week since getting him back, and we'll be following up with Sheril for some skype training sessions to make sure we behave around Gus the way we need to for his training to really shine. To keep my gushing on planet Earth, if there was one thing to complain about, its that communication on incidental costs throughout his stay could have been better. I knew to assume things like him needing training tools like an e-collar could come up, but the possibility of purchasing one could have been discussed at price quoting. Tamara is always available by text, anytime, so a single communication mix-up over a 3-month stay is nothing to discount the amazing quality of love and care my dog got at such reasonable prices. 5-stars isn't enough, Dancing Creek is such an amazing gem. I wish Gus was still on the East coast so he could come back!

Just picked up my pup from 2 months on the farm!she came home happy, healthy, and 10lbs lighter!! I can’t recommend DCF enough! I know she had an amazing time there. Best place (for an incredible price) for long term boarding!

Picked up Mischa today from a two+ month stay at DCF. She’s happy and healthy. I can’t thank them enough, I had a long transit period between duty stations, and without DCF I think I would have had to re-home my puppers. They respond to email very quickly, and in my opinion the long term pricing is very reasonable. Would definitely use again if I’m back on the east coast.

Benji had his first boarding this past weekend! Everyone at Dancing Creek farm was so nice and I felt great about leaving him there. When we picked him up he was all groomed and very happy! Definitely would recommend them ! Very attentive to details. Thanks

DCF was a godsend as I had to find a place for my dog rather quickly. The process was smooth and I knew that my dog was getting excellent care. Knowing that he was at DCF alleviated so much worry and I’ll be forever grateful for their excellent attention and care to my fur baby.

Sheril Carr, DCF's trainer is truling amazing. While Charlie, our border collie/greyhound mix, was being boarded at DCF we took advantage of the Dog Training program they offered. Our dog has a very good disposition, however, being extremely energetic, it has been difficult to take him for walks as well as get him to respond to basic behavioral commands. When we picked Charlie up to bring him home we couldn’t believe how much Sheril had taught him and how well he would respond to commands. Sheril is clearly a professional trainer and very skilled at what she does. Moreover, it is obvious she truly loves dogs and has a passion for training them.

WHAT A WORLD of DIFFERENCE! I dropped off "MONSTER" for a 4 month extended stay with training. After working with Sheril Carr, "MONSTER" became a perfect "Gentleman". He is now a completely different dog... His past hobbies were PULL, WHINE, PULL, SPRINT-PULL all the way to the dog park. Now he walks with you, is super chill 24/7 and still loves to play. I can't thank Sheril and the Crew from Dancing Creek Farm enough! -T

Milo, Willow and Red enjoyed their two week adventure at Dancing Creek! They got lots of exercise and attention, and we had peace of mind that they were safe and sound and in good hands!The staff is very caring! We highly recommend Dancing Creek.💕

I left my pup, Teddy, with Dancing Creek Farm over the Thanksgiving holiday week. Communication was great, and Teddy was well-cared for. I highly recommend them!