Camp Bow Wow has some positives and some negatives. Will I take my dogs back? I don't know - I'll really have to think about it.
Positives:
1) they appear to truly care about the animals
2) the facility is clean
3) there are a variety of kennel sizes
4) there are both indoor and outdoor play areas.
5) the owner, Bert, is very responsive - after a horrible phone conversation with the manager, David, Bert called immediately.
Negatives:
1) I feel this is a negative, but it may not be to everyone. The drop-off and pick-up times on Sundays are in the morning and afternoon with a break from 10:00 - 4:00. I wasn't aware that this meant the dogs spent the 6 hours in their kennel. I own two large dogs who have never been separated, so I chose the largest open kennel that could fit two cots. There was very little room left to move around. I was under the impression that the only time they would be in there was at night to sleep. Had I known this; I would have chosen a different option.
2) If a dog consistently "escapes" the play area when the door is open to let other dogs in, the dog is placed back in their kennel. My largest dog - 123 lbs and 4 years old wanted to investigate the facility and didn't respond to the water spray bottle used by the staff to keep the dogs back from the door. I was told this happened all the time - daily. Yes, a water bottle is a tool they use to manage the dogs. Effective with some, not effective with all. I was not informed that this was an issue with my dog until my horrible conversation with David.
3) The play areas are small and they put a lot of dogs together. There isn't much "play space or rest space", just enough for walking around. You can check out the webcam on the Camp Bow Wow website or app. Not all Camp Bow Wows have the same play space square footage.
4) I don't know any of the staff other than having met the owner and spoken to one of the managers, David, on the phone. I called after picking up my pets and had a horrible, very upsetting conversation with him. Training on how to handle an upset customer would be extremely beneficial. He is the reason I may not go back. Bert, the owner, called me shortly after my conversation with David and did his best. He did apologize for the situation, but it may not be enough.
a) I felt they had not provided my one dogs all of her medication because she came home with 3 days of pills left. I know I packed an extra day - is it possible I packed more; I don't know. What I do know is that David was rude and defensive. They had a process that was followed and I was wrong. He told me that if I left a review, people would think that they couldn't take care of animals on medication.
b) He accused me of "calling constantly and that nothing they did would have been good enough for me." I called three times, twice on Sunday to ask about why the dogs weren't in the play yard (I was disconnected and had to call back) and the third time on Monday to ask why my 4-year-old big dog wasn't in the play yard.
c) That's when I learned that he "escaped all the time" and that since he didn't want to be in the play yard, and "the staff couldn't handle him", they put him in his kennel. He told me if I mentioned in my review how my large dog was managed, people would think they couldn't handle big dogs. I was never told there was an issue - even when I picked him up. That's my concern, not that they put him back in his kennel - that they didn't tell me. If he isn't comfortable in the play area, I need to know that so that I can make informed decisions in the future. read more
