I have never been more disappointed with a business.
About six months ago, I decided to try this doggy daycare after hearing great things about it from people at MADACC. Since I'm new to the downtown area, the location seemed perfect between work and school.
The staff were welcoming, asked thorough questions, and I quickly scheduled an evaluation for my dog, Scooby. On the first evaluation day, I was told to come back later because there were no dogs he was "meshing with." It seemed a little odd, but I didn't think much of it.
The next day, Scooby returned excited and ready to play. During the evaluation, he grabbed a slip leash that a staff member was wearing around her body and tugged on it. Based on that incident alone, they denied him and told me to return after he had "more training."
As someone who has worked in a dog daycare myself, I found that reasoning questionable. Wearing slip leads around your body can create safety risks regardless of how well-trained a dog is. Additionally, I had recently invested over $2,000 in a board-and-train program that Scooby completed successfully. Being told he needed more training felt dismissive and unfair. Nevertheless, I accepted their decision and moved on.
Fast forward to today. Scooby has continued his training and has made significant progress. Unfortunately, he has since developed occasional patellar luxation. Multiple veterinarians have evaluated him and cleared him for normal activities. They have also advised that if his knee slips out, it can be safely placed back into position and have not recommended surgery at this time.
When I brought Scooby back for reevaluation, I was completely transparent about his condition. What made the experience even more frustrating was that I waited over 15 minutes before a staff member even came out to interact with him. After that wait, only a short amount of time was spent discussing his condition before I was told they could not evaluate or accept him because of the possibility of his knee dislocating during play. It felt as though the decision had already been made before he was given a fair chance.
At this point, it feels like every time I have brought Scooby in, a new reason has been found to deny him. First it was a leash-tugging incident, then it was his medical condition. As someone with experience working in dog daycare environments, I understand that safety is important. However, every daycare environment has inherent risks that must be managed. The facility itself uses portable crates lined along the walls of the play areas, and staff members wear and handle equipment around dogs. Those are operational risks that come with running any daycare. It was difficult to understand why Scooby was repeatedly singled out when risk management is a normal part of the job.
Meanwhile, Scooby regularly attends another daycare and boarding facility in my hometown without issue, frequents dog parks, and has interacted successfully with dogs and people of all ages. Even complete strangers have been comfortable interacting with him and helping him when his knee occasionally slips.
I understand businesses must make decisions they believe are best for their staff and facility. However, after two separate attempts, two completely different reasons for denial, and a reevaluation that never truly felt like an evaluation at all, I am left feeling frustrated and unwelcome. I hate to play the breed discrimination card but he is a large American bully boxer breed with cropped ears.
I genuinely wanted this facility to work out because of its convenient location and the positive things I had heard beforehand. Unfortunately, my experience has been the opposite. I will be taking my business elsewhere. read more