Recently, based on the recommendation of a good friend who had done business with this establishment several years ago, I boarded my nearly three-year-old English Setter there for two weeks in August of 2015 while away on vacation. I thought the fee was slightly above average but not unreasonable and I paid extra for the "playtime" as I wanted him to have extra time to run and, hopefully, have some human interaction. He is an affectionate dog, young, but relatively well-mannered and he loves people. I keep him clean and brushed, walk him often and I love him very much and want him to be well looked after when I have to leave him in the care of others.
Making reservations, providing necessary information and getting things taken care of over the phone was fine. Dropping him off was good. Staff were very pleasant and courteous. He walked off enthusiastically with a kennel worker and we thought all would be well- NOT SO MUCH!!
When we went to the kennel to collect him, all of his toys, his bed and his remaining food were ready which was great. We collected those items and put them in the car, returning for him shortly thereafter. He was beside himself with joy to see us and sang and chattered and talked to express his delight. We were happy to see him as wel!
The policy of this kennel is that your dog will receive a free bath if they stay over a week so he was eligible for this and we thought it would help with the often unpleasant odor of a dog who returns from the kennel. We were told he had been bathed that morning. We paid our several hundred dollar bill and were on our way.
The car is a bit of a confined space and he was in the rear passenger seat of an SUV. He didn't smell clean at all. He didn't feel clean either- as if he either wasn't bathed at all or perhaps he was just hosed down and allowed to dry. I will never know.
Then, less than a mile from the kennel, the car smelled terrible. At first, we thought he had gas- which animals certainly can have, often at extremely inopportune times! I turned around to check on him and he was vomiting all over the back seat. Had he just vomited his breakfast, it would have been fairly easy to clean, but along with breakfast, he vomited feces (believe me, I know the smell!) and some water. It was a huge and disgusting mess and we pulled over, got him out of the vehicle and rolled up the seat covers, found a refuse bin and disposed of them as they were too nasty to salvage. As well, we had some cleaning supplies in the car and managed to clean what we could that was on the floor, door and seats. As well, I spent nearly an hour and a half combing large knots from his fur once we were home.
Upon arriving home, further cleaning was done to the car, the dog slept for most of the day and I phoned the kennel to let them know what had happened. The woman who answered the phone was both apologetic and sympathetic, but clearly not in a position to do more than share concerns with a supervisor. I asked that someone call me during business hours and someone did contact me.
When I shared my concerns I was told I could bring the dog back and they would bathe him again if I liked. It is a 45 minute drive, so that is not a practical option for me. When I shared the information about the vomiting of feces I was told they had to be his own (that is probably true as they have individual kennel runs) and that they clean feces from the runs twice daily. I was told they were sorry for the bad experience and that it was unfortunate. There was no mention of a partial refund or a credit of any sort for another visit, which we had contemplated booking.
I would have to say I was not at all pleased with my dog's care and even less pleased with the response I received when the kennel manager phoned to discuss the situation with me. Not only will I not be returning to this place of business, but I will share with friends who board their pets, my dissatisfaction with this establishment. Perhaps it was once a reputable business but I would not consider it so any longer. read more
