We went to Tonawanda Creature Comforts because our usual boarding options were all booked. After our experience, we definitely understand why they have vacancies when all other dog boarding facilities are fully booked.
Drop-off: (30-35mins) We waited several minutes to be acknowledged even though there was nobody ahead of us. The receptionist couldn't find our reservation, accused us of trying to board our dog without a reservation on a busy holiday, but turns out, she was looking for the wrong name... She was quite abrasive, NEVER apologized for the accusation or took ownership for what happened or even treated us with any human decency.
We had to fill out paperwork (that was already done online), regarding all of the extra charges vs. basic care. When I spoke with a representative on the phone at booking, she said that he will get social time with a worker free of charge because he is staying multiple nights. I tried clarifying this with the receptionist, once I could get her attention, because she was ignoring us, chatting with a coworker instead. She very coldly said that unless we pay extra, dogs get 5 quick pee walks a day and are in their runs the rest of the time alone and literally didn't care at all about our concerns or make any attempt to reassure us. Our dog is 50lbs and almost 12yrs old and just needs a couple fetch tosses and some pets to make his heart happy, not a whole 20 mins for $25 or whatever the money-grab rate is, especially since I had called to ask about this. Social interactions of any kind are an extra charge, including doggy daycare, which has been included in the boarding at EVERY other place EXCEPT here, where they charge extra for your dog to do anything besides eat, sleep, and poop! You also have to pay extra for photos or videos to know how he is doing while there. All other boarding places post pictures on their socials or have live streams available at no cost! At Creature Comforts you have to pay extra to know how your dog is being treated and for them to get any attention at all, even though they charge more than almost any boarding facility around at $47/day!
We with a very nervous feeling but did buy him a chew treat to have while there, so he would have something to do between pee walks and feedings, but when we picked him up the entire treat was given back to us, untouched! When we asked about it he said "the dog must have been too distracted to eat it". We know our dog and he loves other boarding facilities and is always down for a chew treat, so we think they never gave it to him because he devoured it as soon as we gave it to him!
Pick-up: (30ish mins) was just as bad as drop off! We called ahead to pick up our dog an hour early, due to snow, and they said no problem (because they're always so nice on the phone...when they pick up). There was one person cashing out and one person waiting ahead of us. We waited nearly 15 minutes before we were acknowledged and taken care of. The receptionist greeted us with "Next!" as if we were in line at a bank (and the way they charge extra for every little thing here it is clear money is all they care about, cuz nobody cared about the people or MOST OF ALL THE DOGS)!
They tried billing for a 4 day-stay (drop-off Weds morning, pick-up Sat at 10am), and we had to justify that our dog only stayed 3 days. The manager involved herself, even though we had figured it out, and she double checked the paperwork (which was partly missing again) to ensure that we were telling the truth. The receptionist, thankfully, remembered us from drop-off, so he was able to verify the length of stay, since the paperwork had been transferred over "incorrectly".
After paying, we had to wait nearly 15 more minutes for them to get our dog. Two more customers were taken before us!! One came to drop-off, but because our dog is reactive to other dogs, that dog was taken back first. Meanwhile another customer came to pickup two dogs. Our receptionist was going to make us wait AGAIN but the manager told him to go get our dog first, since we were there first!
ALL front desk employees looked miserable, like they hated their jobs, and seemed clueless on what they were doing, often asking the same question several times! These employees ranged in age upper 20s to late 40s/early 50s, so they should definitely know how to have a job and treat customers! There were many employees walking around aimlessly, yet we were waiting as though we were invisible. It shouldn't have taken over half an hour, both times, because they certainly weren't understaffed!
Overall, our dog looked healthy when we got him back, but he is definitely happy to be home and we will NEVER bring him back to "Creature Comforts Pet Resort" again! read more