About

A Lifetime With Dogs

Dog boarder in San Francisco's Excelsior District. Specializing in senior dogs with years of hands-on rescue experience. Certified through Top Dog SF with 20+ hours of professional training, pet CPR certified, and insured.

Excelsior Paws started because dogs that need extra love — seniors, the anxious, the special-needs — deserve someone who actually knows what they're doing.

Megan Dickey, owner of Excelsior Paws dog boarding

Megan Dickey, owner of Excelsior Paws.

The Story

Dogs have been part of my life as long as I can remember. I grew up with poodles, and as a teenager I started fostering senior dogs through local rescue organizations, eventually adopting a few of the seniors I couldn't let go.

Today, my two dachshund-chihuahua mixes share our home in San Francisco's Excelsior District — a dog-centric place where couches, beds, and the fenced backyard are all dog-friendly. Pet stairs throughout so our seniors don't have to jump.

Excelsior Paws is the natural extension of that life: family-style boarding for dogs in San Francisco, with a real specialty in seniors and dogs who need extra patience. The 14-year-old on three meds. The dog who needs a calm home routine. Those are my dogs.

I have years of hands-on experience with dogs of every age, size, and temperament, and I'm fully committed to providing safe, attentive care. That includes 20+ hours of professional dog-care training through Top Dog SF.

The owner's two dachshund-chihuahua mixes in the Excelsior backyardBernese mountain dog boarder and small dog on the back stoop in the Excelsior
Credentials

Training & Certifications

Top Dog SF Training

Certified graduate with 20+ hours of professional training through Top Dog SF.

I got Cat and Dog First Aid and CPR certified at ProPetHero.com

Pet CPR & First Aid Certified

Certified in Cat and Dog First Aid and CPR through ProPetHero.

What I Believe

Dogs are family

Not guests. Not customers. Family. That's how they're treated here.

Home, not a kennel

Couches, beds, the fenced backyard — everywhere is dog-friendly.

Specialized care

Senior dogs, special needs, and dogs who do best one-on-one.

Trained & insured

Professional dog-care training, pet CPR certification, and general liability insurance.

Ready to meet?

Request boarding dates or just reach out — I'd love to hear about your dog.