We had an opportunity to take our son to Las Vegas for his 21st birthday. One of our two dogs is a…read morelittle unpredictable so finding a dogsitter proved to be more difficult than we envisioned. It became obvious that we needed a kennel.
I did a lot of homework and talked to a lot of people who have dogs. Some places were already full up; some I did not get a good vibe from. It was looking bleak. And then I called Montage Pet Lodge.
The vibe was good, the price was more than fair, and they promised to let the dog's room together and they promised to send photos of the dogs while we were gone. The Wife agreed, and we started planning our trip.
On drop off day I loaded one bluetick Coonhound (Opie) and one standard Dachshund (Nathan Jr) and headed for Montage. It was super-easy to find and looked quite organized. Opie, an easy going six-year-old rescue pup was happy to go with whomever and was not a problem. Nathan Junior, however, was not having any of it and fought the staff the whole way. Think what it would be like to drag an innocent man to the electric chair.
It sucked, but the staff assured me that they would have fun, they would be well cared for and that they would use the food we provided. You can pay for them to feed them as well if you want. So, with that, I left to pack the car.
After a day and a half, I called to ask for photos of both dogs. The staff assured me I would have photos by the end of the day. True to their word I was text photos of an insanely happy Opie, and a sad little Nathan Jr. But it was proof of life, and we were happy with that. Nathan never had been away from us so we knew this would be harder on him. But at least he had his big goofy brother with him.
Another day later The Wife wanted another photo. I called again and asked for photos in the mid-morning. It felt like I was being an imposition, the lady on the phone was not sure they could get a picture that day, maybe tomorrow. That set off some alarm bells, like "are the dogs okay?" questions we asked. I was assured they were fine and that they would do their best.
Nothing came in that day. I decided to give them until noon the next day. Nothing arrived, so I called back. Someone different answered and I explained why I was calling. There were apologies and I was told they were out in the yard but as soon as they were back in the kennel I would have photos. About two hours later I received the photos with apologies once again.
That part was not fun, and we were wondering if we made the right decision. The next day we were home and I headed for Montage in the morning to rescue the pups.
In a really smart way to manage flow through the office after I checked them out, I went outside to a covered gated area where you are reunited with your pups. I'm thinking over-excited urination is the reason for this, but whatever it is, it seems smart.
Nathan Jr came into view straining against the leash, trying to run away, but then he saw me and really started to churn them short little legs. He was very excited, and yes, he pee'd. Opie was right behind, happy-go-lucky goofball that he is. He walked up and received some love, he looked me and turned to go back into the kennel. Coonhounds are aloof critters. So, I had one over-excited dog who wanted to go home, and another who wanted back inside.
In the end I received back two very healthy dogs who had been well cared for. I was told that Opie was very protective of Nathan during outside time with other dogs which made me happy.
The photo deal was a little upsetting, but I must point out that Montage makes a point of telling you at drop off that they do not promise photos every day. But you can call to request a photo, and that staff will do their best to get them to you as their schedule allows. Knowing that and seeing that the dogs are well cared for, we will use Montage again.
