Pork Chop's Way

Neo (and we) love Elly, Rick and the entire PCW staff. Thank you for all you do for our big boy!

Reviewed on Facebook

My dog has been going to Pork Chop's for years.  Elly is a miracle worker with anxious dogs; my dog (a rescue) was terrified of pretty much everything - loud noises, people, etc.  Under Elly's care he has found his confidence and come out of his shell.  There are plenty of normal dogs here too of course.  This is a safe place where your dog will get LOTS of exercise and socialization. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I've taken my dog, ruckus, here a few times with absolutely no issues. The facility is great, with several fenced in acres and several more acres for off the leash walks. It's a doggy paradise. My overactive pup comes back exhausted, which is a good thing, and has a bit of training while he is there. Elly sends photos throughout the whole visit to keep me posted as to how my dog is doing. This place was strongly recommended to me and I would recommend it to anyone. Compared to 99% of the local boarding places, Elly's place is the best. I drive well over an hour to bring my dog to her and will continue to do so. Ruckus gets excited to hear he is going to Elly's, there's something to be said about that. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

We have been clients of Pork Chop's way for over four years. Our dog has been with the team at PCW since he was a pup and he (as do we) think of them as an extension of our family.  There is great piece of mind knowing that he is treated with such great care while in daycare or boarding.  And the fact that he can be outside playing in a grassy, secure, fenced environment rather than in a concrete playroom is such a bonus!  I can't recommend this place, or these people, enough. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I have already rated Pork Chop's Way, but I wanted to once again now that my husband and I have moved away from Maryland and have not had the luxury of having Ellie near us. We now live in Washington and after 7 months of researching all over the state we have not found anything like Pork Chop's Way. We eventually had to settle on a day care that is generally okay, and does treat our Siberian Husky very well, but we will never board with them so luckily we have family near us. However this place still in no way compares to the love and compassion Ellie gives each and every one of the dogs she watches. We most likely won't find ourselves living in Maryland ever again, but when we move to New Jersey in a few years we will no doubt make the trip down to Maryland, no matter how out of the way it may be, to use Ellie's boarding services again. She has helped form Shadow into a wonderful loving carefree dog and we will be forever grateful for her. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I've taken my dog, ruckus, here a few times with absolutely no issues. The facility is great, with several fenced in acres and several more acres for off the leash walks. It's a doggy paradise. My overactive pup comes back exhausted, which is a good thing, and has a bit of training while he is there. Elly sends photos throughout the whole visit to keep me posted as to how my dog is doing. This place was strongly recommended to me and I would recommend it to anyone. Compared to 99% of the local boarding places, Elly's place is the best. I drive well over an hour to bring my dog to her and will continue to do so. Ruckus gets excited to hear he is going to Elly's, there's something to be said about that. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

So far PCWs is really good!Our 3 year-old Canaan rescue dog loves Elly and is happy to go to Elly's place in her van -that was about two months after she had already been there once for a whole week. She comes home better behaved and well tired, and Elly sends me pictures once in a while, in which I see my dog hiking with other dogs, or freely resting inside the house also next to other dogs.The second time she came back with a scratch close to her eye, and Elly told me she was treating it with antibacterial ointment. I guess dogs can have bad chemistry with other dogs and I can not blame Elly if my dog got into a small fight, or perhaps she cut herself on the hike... I will not know exactly what happened, but I have seen my dog in bad chemistry situations before and she does react quickly to defend herself, even with me tightly holding the leash, sometimes there are encounters that can not be prevented/anticipated. All in all, I think the PCWs experience for my dog is positive and my dog seems to love it there. More...

Reviewed on Google Maps

I boarded my dog Otis with Pork Chop's Way for a weekend in October. I (and Otis) interacted with both Elly and Andrew. Both were fantastic. Great communication, personable, and most importantly, Otis really like them both. First, Elly gave me a tour, answered all of my questions, and got to me know my dog. Next, I got a few updates throughout the weekend, and finally when I picked my pooch up, he was happy and exhausted which is the best data point possible.I will definitely use Elly again, and I'm certain when I pull up to her house, Otis will excitedly jump out of the car. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Elly is great! Every time we bring shadow over to play he comes home happy and tired. I absolutely love that they don't crate and he gets all the playing time he wants. Don't hurt your dog by taking him/her to a place like petsmart where they sit in a tiny crate all day We wouldn't take him any place else! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I am a huge yelp researcher/stalker but have never written a review until now, as I have never felt more strongly about a business and provider as I do about Pork Chops Way and Elly Rivera. From the time we brought our Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy (Neo) home, Elly has been an invaluable provider of guidance in training and raising a puppy the right way. Neo has hiked daily and periodically boarded with Elly for the last two years. Because of her, he is a well behaved, well exercised, 120 lb dog who LOVES his Elly.  Her daily hikes are worth their weight in gold- not only will your dog get 10 times the exercise he/she will at doggie day care (for an equivalent cost), he/she will learn commands and be socialized with a variety of dogs of all shapes, sizes and temperaments. This is critically important to a dog's development... did I mention we have a 120 lb dog :) Our Neo loves Elly-- and we think she is pretty great too! More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We are so thankful to have been referred to Elly at Pork Chop's Way. Elly truly is the dog whisperer. We have taken advantage of many of the services Elly offers: board and train, basic boarding, and doggy day care. We have a very energetic puppy and Elly has helped to train our puppy and family. She has been patient with our many questions and provided us with such great tips that our 3 year old is able to help with the training. Elly's training tips are sound and effective, and she has such a command of the puppy's attention that is amazing. After our puppy has gone on a hike or swim (Elly taught her to swim!) or spent the night at Elly's, she is exhausted and happy. We feel good about leaving our puppy with Elly because she re-enforces her training, provides her with the opportunity to socialize with other dogs, and showers the puppy with affection. It is clear that our puppy knows and loves Elly too. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Elly Rivera is the best she takes the dogs out for incredible hikes and they come home exhausted and happy. As a bonus being with Elly every day is a training exercise what a bonus. This experience has made my life much easier!" She knows everything about dogs More...

Reviewed on Yelp

Elly at Pork Chop's Way has been a gift to us as first time dog owners. We got our dog from a rescue about six years ago, and we really did not have a clue about being dog "parents. " He came to us with a lot of fears and anxieties about other dogs. Our visions of bringing him to play with the dogs of our friends or to a dog park quickly fell away as we realized that he could not handle it. This dog, so sweet to us, became aggressive when other dogs approached him.Going on walks started to become an anxious experience for me and just no fun. Because of this, we also didn't feel comfortable leaving him with anyone who had a dog when we went away.We tried one trainer, and it did not do anything. I was starting to feel really sad that our guy would not ever be able to play with other dogs. Then we found Elly, and our dog's whole world changed. She boarded him for two weeks as an intensive training experience. We were nervous, but Elly kept in touch and kept us informed. The first time she sent a video of his playing with other dogs I cried. Elly now takes our dog on weekly hikes with other dogs and he does great. She also boards him when we go away, and is the only person outside of friends or family who we would trust in that way. We never see him so excited as when her van arrives. And when i see him get into the van with his new "friends i feel so proud of him and so very grateful to Elly. . We feel 100% confident in her. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I have a Vizsla puppy that requires a lot of exercise and was recommended to Elly by another owner who spoke so highly of her. Boy am I glad I listened and called. Other than myself, Elly is the only one who can tire my dog out and the fact that she comes back a little better trained every time doesn't hurt. I would not think of using anyone else - ver highly recommended. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

I also have a super hyper Jack Russell who's still a puppy. I have spent a lot of time looking for a doggy daycare, but have read so many horrid reviews that put me off trying any out. I went through a 6-week training program with another dog trainer, and it was an absolute waste of money. So I went searching for another trainer and came across Elly's website. When I saw she had a doggy day camp in her home, I figured I'd try it out.Unlike other daycare facilities, there are only a small group of dogs at Porkchop's way, so you can be sure your dog will get some individual attention and get to play with other dogs without getting too overwhelmed. In addition, there is a doggy door so the dogs have access to the fenced in yard to run around and go to the bathroom. Best of all, Elly is very flexible. My pup was not neutered when I first started taking him for day camp and boarding, and she was the only person that was willing to still take him. . Elly also emails pictures of my pup to me which makes it a lot easier to be apart from him. My dog is also a super picky eater, and sometimes has to be hand-fed, but Elly has no problem feeding him. He comes home happy and tired.  Best of all, the other trainer labeled my dog as essentially "untrainable" because of his breed, but Elly has reassured me that is not the case. More...

Reviewed on Yelp

We adopted a psychotic JRT from the MoCo shelter in 10/10, and made the first step of our life with her making sure we got her the best training possible. After poring over countless websites, brochures from the vet's office, and friends' recommendations, we happened upon Pork Chop's Way. Elly, the owner, was knowledgeable and generous with her time on the consultation call, and she invited us over to her house for a meet-and-greet. After we arrived and exchanged pleasantries, Elly went right to work. Keeping a close eye on how our pup responded to a variety of stimuli (mainly, how she was reacting to being part of an unfamiliar pack), she explained different behavioral traits about the JRT (much of what we'd researched prior to the adoption), and set out a coursework for the training (which was something that we hadn't been able to successfully cull through ourselves). After watching our little girl run around the backyard (100% fenced-in), we decided to go with Elly. She impressed us with her knowledge and passion, and we really loved the idea of cage-free boarding. It made sense for us to have the person who trained her be the person who would watch over her when we were away.*Fast forward to 6/12*Not only did the training go very, very well, but our pup goes on off-leash hikes and stays with Elly when we're out of town . Training: 5 stars (We can communicate with our JRT effectively now!)Hiking: 5 stars (The off-leash hiking is the best way we've found for her to get exercise AND socialization.) Boarding: 5 stars (No worries about your dog making a mess in its crate and having to wait 8 hours until someone comes around to clean up - there are no crates!) More...

Reviewed on Yelp

My dog loves the hikes....

Reviewed on Google Maps