(I know this review is very long, but please take a few minutes to read my story and understand why this review is so important to me)
If i was able to give zero or negative stars, i certainly would.
Let me start off this review by saying it has taken me almost a year to sit down and finally be able to put together the words to truly explain why i do not support this business and why i would not recommend you send your pet here. My fiancé and i were new to Austin and had just adopted a loving puppy from the Austin Humane Society. Like most owners, we were interested in having the best training for our puppy Duke and after reading many of the positive reviews here on yelp of Dog School Austin, we decided this would be the perfect place to send our pup. My fiancé and i were flying to New York, where we are both from originally, for our wedding, and signed up Duke for the two week training program. My Husband dropped him off at 1 pm on a Thursday and arrived in New York later that night. Friday morning he receives a call from a member of the staff at Dog School Austin letting him know that our puppy Duke had passed away and they were "sorry." The shock we felt from this news was beyond belief, our 2 and a half month old puppy who had been to the vet for all necessary check ups and vaccinations and had zero signs of any type of sickness, had just suddenly passed away after being at Dog School Austin for ONE NIGHT. This happened just 3 days before our wedding and we were not set to fly back to Texas for another week and a half to deal with this traumatic experience. When asked what happened, all the staff said was "Duke was acting lethargic so we decided to take him to the vet, and on the way to the vet he threw up in the car and passed away before getting there." That was the only information they gave us. It was not our vet that they brought him to, but their own vet they deal privately with. The vet is located minutes down the road which causes me to question how in a mere 3 minute drive a perfectly healthy puppy was able to go from being tired to passing away. When we finally made it back to Texas and went to the vet to finalize all the logistics we were told that Dog School Austin chose to have Duke cremated but the vet was unable to find his ashes. I asked for the documentation of the visit where they brought Duke in and on the paperwork under "Breed" they wrote "Beagle". Duke looked nothing like a beagle, Dog School Austin had his breed information on file with his vet records we submitted upon dropping him off. There were so many missing parts of this story, and Dog School Austin did NOTHING to try and help explain or fill the holes of the story. When trying to arrange with the owner ( Rachel) of Dog School Austin to pick up Dukes belongings we were unable to get a hold of anyone for about 2 weeks. Every time we would call they would say someone was out on a walk or not around that day. We were just two grieving owners trying to pick up our puppy's belongings and not once did i feel any type of sympathy from them regarding the situation, considering my puppy passed away on their watch i would expect something more. All i have to say is, if you love your pet like i loved mine i would HIGHLY recommend finding another place to take your dog. This is something i will carry with me forever and will never be able to find out the full story behind this tragic event. Please Please take my review into account when choosing a place to send your pet. I know its easy to read a few of the "good" reviews and think that you're in for a treat, it's exactly what my husband and i did. Thank you for taking the time to read my review.
P.S Now almost a year later, my husband and i have a new puppy in our lives that we love very much and If you are looking for an amazing place to send your pet for training, boarding, grooming, day care etc. i would HIGHLY recommend Action Pack Day School located in Round Rock. Our Puppy Kylie LOVED to go there, her training results were amazing and more importantly she was the happiest puppy on the block. They are full of the most loving staff and and do everything possible to make your experience the best one yet. read more