We used this place the year before after reading favorable reviews and it went well, so we were pretty confident in boarding our pets there again, even though there had been a change in ownership. This time the experience was much different. Obviously, there is typically some anxiety as your pets are out of their natural surroundings and among strange people and and many other dogs, and you are are fully dependent on the facility staff to care for them. You never really know for sure what is going on when you're not there, regardless of what they may tell you over the phone, and expect them to call you or, if necessary, to contact your Vet if there are any significant problems. You try and pick the best facility and have no choice but to trust the facility staff.
We brought the dogs' Perla beds, which are high-backed plastic containers, as well as the pads that go in them. All were cleaned beforehand. We got the OK to bring them last year, so we just brought them again this time around. The dogs love them and provide them a comfortable and familiar place where they feel more secure. We also brought their favorite treats (Costco-brand dog biscuits) and asked that they be given each one a day in the evening as is their routine. We threw in extras just in case we were somehow delayed by weather or other cause in returning home from our trip. Upon dropping off our pets, the new receptionist seemed to spend an inordinate amount of time and energy hard-selling additional services, making us feel like we were not looking out for the best interest of our pets otherwise, and seemed annoyed when I asked specifics.
We arrived for pick-up a day prior to our estimated pick-up date. We called less than an hour before picking them up. The same receptionist did not seemed pleased and we felt like we were making her life difficult because we picked them one day early. The dogs were highly excited, which was not that surprising. But this time we were shocked at the amount of weight they had both lost (they were not overweight when they were dropped off--we closely monitor their food intake and weight at home), as well as their stressed condition. We expect some level of stress, as they are in an environment much different than what they are used to, which includes a fenced-in back yard and limited exposure to other people and animals. That said, we were alarmed at how much weight they had lost in 2 weeks, and the amount they seemed stressed, much more so than the previous year.
Furthermore, when their beds and pads were brought out, they were spotless, without even a single dog hair or smudge on them. I mentioned that they looked like they had not been used while smiling, and the receptionist stated rudely in front of other other customers and staff that they had "just been washed." Then she stared coldly and repeated this three more times in rapid succession in a condescending manner. At this point I wanted to ask her how the pads could have been washed and dried when we were not even due to pick them up until the next day, or even how in the minutes between our call and arriving at the facility. However, we didn't see any positive outcome in discussing anything further with her and couldn't get our pets out their fast enough. Additionally, they did not bring out what should have been extra dog biscuits, but this wasn't a concern, other than to wonder later whether the dogs received them as we had requested.
I later called the owner to help us understand why the dogs had lost so much weight, whether the beds had actually been used, and the unprofessional behavior of the receptionist. She admitted the pads weren't used in recent days because one of the dogs had soiled it. We are not sure if the Perla beds the pads were supposed to be in were used at all. She did apologize for the receptionist's behavior. Needless to say, we will be looking elsewhere for boarding services. The facility's condescending responses to the review speaks for itself. read more