I don't know where to begin. I'll start by saying that my dog is indeed "the one who failed the test today." At least that is how she is referred to by the Dogtown (Uptown) District Manager, Susan.
This morning I dropped my dog off for her first time at doggie daycare. My initial concerns: I did not receive a confirmation call, which they said would happen. I was not given a tour or short orientation, which they said would happen. We walked in at 7:45 AM and I was in my car by 7:50. I was surprised by how quickly my dog was whooshed away from me our first time being there. "So is she just good to go?" I asked through the gate as they performed the initial temperament eval., which she apparently passed. I was told to pick my dog up somewhere between 4-12 hours. I then casually watched her on the live webcam for the next few hours while I was at work. She seemed fine. I received a voicemail at Noon saying, "Maia is not going to pass the evaluation. She's being aggressive with the other dogs. She's been fighting a lot. It's not going to work out." 10 min. later, I rushed in asking, "What happened?" I received the same vague response. "Can I see the webcam footage?" "No."
This is my first dog. We adopted her from STAF last May. According to the shelter, she did swimmingly with other dogs. We put her through obedience training, have regularly taken her to dog parks, on hikes, etc. She's been around other dogs. HOWEVER, my full-time job is working with students. Nothing irks me more than when a parent chooses to only see their child through rose-colored glasses. I love my dog but my dog is not perfect.
Nevertheless, I was still shocked. I was confused and flustered--having to immediately and unexpectedly leave work. I was desperately looking for more info. I wanted to better understand the situation. What happened? What should I do? If I knew my dog to be aggressive I wouldn't have taken her there.
Kayla at the front desk didn't seem to have the slightest idea of how to handle any kind of unfavorable situation. She couldn't seem to explain dog behavior or what could have been the cause of this particular aggression. She looked at me like a deer in headlights. Another woman began to intervene. She immediately became hasty and defensive. "What is the problem? The safety of all dogs is our priority. I'm not sure what you're expecting." I assured them that I wholeheartedly understand that safety is the priority. But God forbid I expect more of an explanation, to know what exactly happened or a mere ounce of empathy. "I'm sorry your dog didn't pass. I don't know what you want me to do."
Afterwards, I called my former dog trainer, Mike Dixon/Tri-State Canine Obedience (highly recommend). He told me that: Some dogs do well at dog parks and don't do well in doggie daycare. Some dogs respond negatively to confined and overcrowded spaces. Maia had separation anxiety when we first rescued her and that could have played a role as this was the first time being left alone in a new place. All of this is invaluable, insightful information. He was able to give me a whole slew of useful recommendations to help me learn more and become a better dog owner.
Again, I understand the priority of doggie daycare is safety. If my dog was aggressive I'm glad she was taken out. My only goal was for this to be a beneficial experience. Maia now has a bleeding cut under her left eye and scratch marks under her paws. She's a dog. Incidents happen. I just wish to have seen or been told what exactly happened and why. But after taking a closer look at the Waiver Agreement, it is eye-opening to see how much liability you actually sign away. The 20 boxes you initial basically say: "We the handlers at Dogtown are not responsible for anything that happens to them while in our care."
I later called to get the names of who I spoke with when I picked up my dog. After immediately being passed off, I was greeted with, "Why do you need to know who is working? Who is this?" I told her that my dog, Maia, was there and involved in an incident. "Oh, the one who failed the test today? I'm not giving you that info." When I asked why not she told me her name was Susan and hung up.
It seems like this has happened a lot at Dogtown. To be defensive, uncompassionate and dismissive tells me that these two people, Kayla and Susan, do not have enough quality or professional experience working with people or dogs for that matter. My remaining questions: Why isn't there any kind of first-time orientation for the dog owners? Why are we not allowed to see the webcam tapes when an incident occurs? Who was monitoring this particular incident? Why couldn't that person tell me what happened in detail?
Simply put, Dogtown is unprofessional and overcrowded, doesn't appear to be monitored by trained professionals, has poor customer service and a severe lack of interpersonal skills. If you and your dogs want to to be treated with empathy and respect, do not take them here! read more