I can no longer support this business which makes me sad because I think the owner is a really good person. I had taken my dogs here for boarding for years, but no longer will. It seems like a lot of extra charges now and one of my dogs got hurt there. I know it was an accident because I witnessed her jump up on the park bench in the front waiting area and her leg went through it because there was no cushion on the bench. I ended up having to pay $200 for my vet to look at it and do x rays. Luckily it wasn't broken, but I feel like a simple precaution could have prevented it. Whenever I would pick up my dogs lately, they would be so nervous and acted like the couldn't wait to get out of there. I'm wondering what is going on there that I don't know about. They would also reek when I got them back, so I doubt there is very much cleaning going on there. I really hope they can improve. read more

Customers beware prior to booking your dogs here. Communication was terrible before, during & at pick up. Picked up Sunday 10/20, on Monday I noticed Lunas ear was puffy & full of fluid. A hematoma I believe. I wouldn't know if anything happened at boarding bc I was given no update at all if she played with any dogs, alone etc. photo of her ear below. She's never had anything like this happen before in 2 years. She is seeing a vet soon today is Tuesday 10/22. I asked for 3 days for an update on my foster dogs whom boarded here and once I did get an update it was snarky from Christy the owner (text below) . I've used boarding facilities before & the facility has always been kind and happy to provide an update every couple days & they are very busy facilities as well. When I picked them up besides Lunas allergy medication nothing was removed from their bags as indicated at drop off, their treat balls for their kennels were still full with the same treats and none from the treat bag had been used. At pick up I was handed both wild excited to see me dogs at the same time & they are both very strong dogs, & before I could get spun around with their leashes thinking I would be provided an update Christy had went back into the office. No greeting of hello, goodbye, zilch. There are many boarding facility's to choose from just do your homework before choosing one especially if you need to leave town for 10 days as I did. Dogs seemed fine at pick up overall. This was the 2nd time they've boarded here (my fosters) and my experience prior was similar retaining to communication. I'm out of town for Christmas from 12/24-12/26 and found another wonderful place in lees summit to board my own dogs & fosters. Thank you Suzanne read more

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Our yellow labs love going to Melissa's for day care or an overnight stay! They enjoy playing with new friends, frisbee Tuesday and playing in the water! Our labs are on the senior side and there's no problem getting their daily medications. read more

Former client - I called 2 weeks ago to inquire on current pricing. It had been some time since my last visit. I left multiple messages. No return. I called Melissa's 2nd chances (sister company) and they explained company was bought out and there are new owners. I gave grace for more time to return my call. I then sent an email requesting information on a booking. Still no response for weeks. Today (10/17/23) I received a "confirmation" of my booking. I was alarmed because I had not booked, nor spoken to anyone. I attempted to call and received a lady that answered. She sounded like she was in a tunnel. She couldn't hear me and hung up. I called a 2nd time, she very ugly stated to me, "I can't hear you." I asked her to hold on so I could switch my phone from car-speaker to headset. She hung up. I called a 3rd time. Same woman answered. I said, "I am trying to get some help." She stated, "It's your phone." I explained, "Noone else has complained about it." (While trying to adjust my phone to accomodate) She then laughed and proceeded to hang up again. I called back a 4th time and got the answering machine. I left a message that I was not happy and I was calling because I had not received a call from weeks ago then all of a sudden a "booking confirmation" appears. She replied with this message: From: Melissa's Menagerie Info@melsmenagerie.com Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2023 12:49:25 PM Subject: October Booking Hello there, I got your voicemail, which by the way had you cutting in and out on it as well, implying it is your phone, and I have cancelled your reservation here. I, also, wanted to let you know that WE did NOT make this reservation. It came over via our website, which only the customers can book. Most people choose to book online anyway so they can reserve according to their needs and update records and such. In the future, you might try being nice when you want something, because you never know what a business is going through. We give our all to care for other people's pets so they don't have to worry about them while they are here. Take care. NEVER again will I do business with this unprofessional company. It's a shame - the "old" Melissa's Minegerie was quite nice. read more

I have used Melissa's Menagerie for my dog's daycare since November, 2022. The new owner, Christy Lincoln, has made it incredibly difficult for me to bring my dog to daycare and refuses to give me a refund of daycare credits I purchased in good faith that I would continue to use Melissa's Menagerie for my dog's daycare needs. I paid for 30 days in advance last September; I always pay in advance so I can have peace of mind that my dog's daycare slot is saved and paid for. There should be no reason to turn me away due to "understaffing" or "too many dogs" because the expectation is that I paid for service and will use the service. Plus, the discount helps save money in the long run. I am not sure if this payment was made before or after the ownership transition. Initially, I was unaware that the business had even changed ownership and I have no idea how long Christy had owned the business before she finally told me that she was the owner, not the new manager. I asked Christy if any changes would be made. She replied that, other than getting all new staff, nothing would change. That didn't last long. Her first change, was dropping half days from 5 hours to 4 hours (and I believe it was an employee who informed me of this change, verbally, as I was dropping off or picking up my dog, not Christy, not in advance, and certainly not in writing). When I told Christy that was not going to work for me due to my work hours, the fact that my availability changes throughout the day, every day, and that I cannot leave my dog all day because she gets way too over stimulated, Christy agreed to keeping my half days to 5 hours. However, she has made additional changes that have made it impossible for me to continue using her business. She never gave advance notice, never communicated in writing, and no choice was ever given to stay or leave for someone who paid in advance (before all of her changes). Her changes include (not necessarily in order): - - No weekend hours (this lasted for a month or more before she finally reopened for weekends) - - No pick up or drop off between 12:00pm and 1:00pm - - Owners are required to "schedule" daycare visits ahead of time To date, I've only used 12 (approximately 24 daycare days) of my 30 credits. Since Christy has changed her operating hours and has even turned me away when I tried to drop off my dog on a Saturday (this was in February and she said it was because I did not "schedule" in advance and Christy was leaving and didn't want to leave my dog with her staff because "you know how she is"), I still have 18 credits left that I'm never going to use because she has made it way too much of a hassle. I finally asked for a refund, saying, "It does not look like I'm going to be coming back since your schedule no longer accommodates my needs; the change in hours open for drop off, the change in days available, and the fact that you need to be there when I bring Harley has just made it entirely inconvenient for me to continue using your business. I would like a refund of my remaining credits." She refused, saying, "We have a very normal schedule and are able to accommodate the majority of our customers' schedules. Showing up whenever you wanted, doesn't work for the small business that we are. We do need notice so that we're prepared for the day/dogs. I also never said I HAD to be there when Harley was there. It was that one saturday I had to leave early and you just showed up without notice or an appt and we were not equipped with enough staff. I have always been nice and accommodating to you and Harley. Despite her behavior, I always welcomed her and did my best to keep you in the loop on how we handled her. We do not give refunds for credits." - - That's a little over $400 she is refusing to give back. - - Other than allowing me to continue with 5 hours for a half day, there have been no accomodations to my needs. - - None of her changes were communicated ahead of time. - - And, apparently, my dog has undesirable behavior (because she is a high energy dog) and Christy's been doing me a favor by allowing her to attend daycare... Even if Christy changed everything back, I definitely DO NOT want to take my dog to a place where she is not wanted. read more

I worked for Melissa for 6 days. The place is ran by 14 and 15 year olds. Melissa does not receive any form of identification from her workers as you are supposed to. The dogs have no grass area and use the bathroom and run around in a concrete room all day. They stay in the kennels on weekends from the time they close at 5, until the time they open the next day. Everything in the business is in disarray. I would never bring my dogs or recommend ANYONE to bring their dogs here. Melissa is hugely disrespectful to her employees and micromanages everything. When I began, I was trained by a 15 year old and was not trained appropriately. Many times during the day, we were just sitting because there was "nothing else to do" or the dogs were napping. Melissa was mad that I decided to quit and never reached out to me to ask why because she doesn't know how to receive criticism or feedback. While working, she proceeded to text another employee about me and expected to me have no reaction to it. She then, of course, proceeded to say that she was going to call the police even though she was not there and was in no danger or harm. I was questioning her disrespectful antics and because she is not used to an adult questioning her, she ran to that cliche defense mechanism. Using the police when you are being questioned from someone about your antics is not the appropriate use for police. Please bring your dogs to a better facility where they will be loved and appropriately cared for because this place is a LAWSUIT WAITING TO HAPPEN!! read more

Be careful bringing your dogs here. It doesn't seem ran well to me. They are left In Kennels 10-14 hours overnight. Seems like Some get no interaction with other dogs and barely with staff. No night staff there. You can't see inside for a reason. Ask lots of questions! read more

DO NOT BRING YOUR DOG HERE! i have an 8 month old dalmatian puppy, he's very playful and melissa's was one of the few places that allowed intact dogs. it was great.. at first.. i started noticing him coming home covered in piss and his nose being rubbed raw as if he'd been kenneled (even though i mentioned to them that he cannot be kenneled due to a nose fracture as a puppy). anyways, covered in piss, raw nose.. whatever. today i picked him up with blood dripping off his mouth; and after a few dozen calls, i finally got an answer... which was answered very rudely and unprofessionally by one of her staff. i was told nothing had happened to him and the most was that "he was making out with a dog earlier". his legs are covered in pee and i had to wipe blood off his mouth. read more

Melissa's Menagerie - punctures - Dog Walkers Near Me - Shawnee, Kansas

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I hate even having to write this but the new owner Christy Lincoln has given me no choice. Ive been a client of Melissas Menagerie for 7+ years and have always received great service. Ive even raised money and supplies numerous times as I appreciate all the hard work they do for animals. Ive Never had a problem until the new Owner (Christy Lincoln) took over. The communication and business practices are dishonest and appalling. I had a pet sitter watch my cats for a couple of weeks while I was away. Honestly, the pet sitters are AMAZING! I had no problem with that service. The problem occurred when I got home and messaged them through the "pet portal". They told me they would call me once the sitter returned my stuff. I waited for awhile and never heard back, I kept writing in the portal but they stopped responding all together. I kept calling the daycare and leaving messages but no one ever picked up or retuned my calls. I then emailed the owner Christy, she said she would get my stuff back ASAP. I didn't hear anything after that, so I kept emailing and calling trying to find out where my stuff was but no one knew. In the meantime, I kept coming up to the daycare (as no one answers the phone) but just kept getting the run around. I finally got an email from Christy saying shes still trying to get ahold of the sitter who last visited my home. She then says "I suggest the next time you need someone to watch your pets, you don't give out your only key".......I have many copies of my physical keys but my complex only gives out 1 fob to access all the gates and garage. So I had no choice but to give out my only fob. So she once again makes it MY fault. After much back and forth, I finally get an email telling me the sitter is dropping off my keys and I can come get them. I say great! I cant come up today but Ill be in tomorrow morning. I get there this morning and theyre not there!!! No communication, no phone call, no email.........I ask the worker there if I can have Christys phone number, she flat out says No. Like how are you going to be a business owner who wont even talk to your own clients? So I write yet another email asking why my stuff isn't there even though she said it was, Christy literally says "You just keep showing up, We never know when youre coming"- Like she literally just told me the day before I could come get them. Again, she gaslights me, making HER mistake, MY fault. Its more than Disappointing, its not good business. Its also not good business to keep blaming the client when all they want to do is to get their stuff back while having clear communication. Honestly, I wasn't even going to write a review even though I was mad, I was going to chalk it up to humans making mistakes and move on. But this last email from Christy was SO unbelievable I just couldn't stay silent. I'm seriously shocked that a business owner conducts themselves like this..... She obviously doesn't care about good relationships with her clients. Ive never in all my years had such interactions with an owner/manager/business. It's so disheartening bc I know the previous owner worked SO hard on her business and personal relationships just for it all to be thrown away by the new owner bc she can't take accountability for her business practices or mistakes. So just be forewarned. And if you do schedule any services, make sure you get her phone number first. Not that she'll give it you, but that should tell you everything you need to know! read more

I can't even explain how awesome Melissa and her little team are - we happened upon this since we got a puppy not long before she opened and have been so pleased. Our puppy is nuts, but Melissa knows how to pair her with other dogs that can hang with her energy throughout the day. We always pick up a happy and exhausted dog at the end of the day, which makes for a peaceful evening and next day at our house. We love checking Facebook during the day and seeing the photos and videos that are posted, updating what's going on at the daycare. Melissa figured out that our pup loves hose water, so we usually get to see a video update of pup playing with water on warm days, which is awesome. It's so evident that the dogs and cats at Melissa's are loved and cared for! We also love that Melissa's takes foster pups from local shelters as this dedication to service speaks so highly of Melissa's character. Hopefully you and your fuzzy family members are as happy with the Menagerie as we have been! read more

Melissa's Menagerie - Happy pup at the Menagerie - Dog Walkers Near Me - Shawnee, Kansas

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My husky came home bathed in urine from the knees down after boarding him for two nights. A day later, we discovered a fresh bite mark on the back of his neck. I would NEVER recommend boarding your pet here. If I could award zero stars, I would. read more

I want to rave about this daycare for a second! Not many places accept pitties or pittie mixes. when I reached out they said of course we do! My daughters dog is still young and needs work(a rescue). She is in school and has no one to watch him. He is so sweet but a trouble maker(humper and just doesn't know personal space). We gave permission for him to just be put in his kennel if he has bad behaviors. I talked to the new owner and she is amazing!! She said we will come up with a plan with Biggie and we don't give up! I can't say enough good things! read more

What a blessing this place has been! To be honest I was skeptical of all 5 star reviews but this place deserves it! Melissa and her staff are wonderful with my dog Cosmo. We've been using their services for months now and Cosmo loves going to see his friends! The only thing I wish this place had was cameras because I'd like to see my fur baby while away, but from how awesome the staff is I can trust that he's in good hands. read more

I came home to find my back door standing open in 42 degree weather, after the pet sitter had been there. The time before that, the clean pee pads were laid over old dried urine. I have used them several times, but these last two times have been awful. Will never use them again. All the owner said was "I'm sorry". Not good enough. read more

No stars. Place smells strongly of urine. Boarded dogs in too small kennels piled 3 high. Dogs looked miserable. Staff rude. Feel bad for any animal there. Was unclean. Repulsive. Rude rude rude. And if rude to people you know that they are rude to dogs. DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS HELLHOLE. read more

Melissa has been a long time friend of mine and has always been so passionate about not just dogs but every animal. She fostered dogs then moved to pet sitting, dog walking and basically anything you could need for your pets. So when I heard she opened her dream business I couldn't wait to support her. Our dog is a 24 pound 3 year old Shib-Inu mix and she plays like she is a 60 pound lab. She has so much energy and drives us mad. I knew if anyone could handle her and wear her out it would be Melissa. We were not disappointed. Daphne came home and went straight to her bed and only got out to crawl in bed with my daughter, she didn't even eat dinner. It is noon the next day and she is still in her bed. I love that when you walk in it is nothing but amazing, loving chaos. The dogs run the show but that is what I want. I want my dog to be excited and to play and just be a dog. If I wanted her locked up or confined I would leave her at home. They get plenty of outdoor time and Melissa is quick to separate anyone not playing nice. They are always being loved and watched closely. Melissa is great about posting pictures and videos on Facebook so you can see what your dog is up to. She is also very quick to reply to messages from worried dog parents like me. Support this local business. Of course your dog needs to have shots up to date and Melissa needs proof and she has a form for you to fill out. Love that my dog is with other vaccinated dogs and safe! read more

I absolutely LOVE Melissa and her team! I have two dogs, one is about as easy as they come... plays well with other dogs, no meds, no health issues. The other, however, is a challenge. He has issues getting along with other dogs when his brother is around (super protective of our family) and has a seizure condition that requires meds three times a day. I am a bit of a mama bear when it comes to my fur babies, and I trust this team so much. I was blown away after the first time my boys stayed there, my socially picky boy even made a new best friend! They were both so happy and exhausted when we picked them up, had been bathed, and you could tell they enjoyed their stay. My GO TO for boarding! I also appreciate that by supporting this business you're also supporting her rescue efforts, which makes choosing Melissa's an absolute no brainer in my book! read more

The team over at the menagerie are about as good as it gets. They're all passionate about all types of pets whether or not it is dogs or cats. I've boarded my dog there a few times and utilized their doggy daycare as well. The facility is a recent build out and is very clean and organized. Check out their social media page too as it is continually updated throughout the day. I love seeing pics of my dog while I'm stuck in the office!! read more

Our dogs LOVE going to Melissa's Menagerie for doggy daycare and for boarding! They just spent 8 days there while we're out of town and came home happy and healthy. While they're there, they get to socialize with other dogs, and with humans. They are supervised constantly and have free access to water throughout the day. I love that we get to see how they're doing - and who they're playing with- through daily photos posted on the FB page. We are huge fans!!! read more

Our rescue dog has been going there for several months now. He loves going and in the pictures we see of him is always so happy and engaged with both staff and other dogs. The staff there I feel love and appreciate our dog as if he were one of their family. We have not had an opportunity to use their boarding services yet but the first time we are in need of boarding services they will be at the top of our list. I do not hesitate to recommend them. read more

Melissa's Menagerie is a great place for doggy daycare! Our dog, Ace, absolutely loves going there and is so well taken care of!! Ben is the best! Highly recommend it. The staff is very loving and engaging with the dogs! read more

I take my foster dogs to help them learn social skills and to overcome any fears they may have both with dogs and people. The staff are all real dog lovers. It is amazing what a difference it makes. Their personalities just blossom, they are l and they come home tired and happy. Their potential adopters love how social and outgoing they are. read more

This place is the best and is the result of a woman following her passion. She isn't just running a business.. she also stepped up to take in neglected animals.. she was the game changer for three wemerieners I was trying to rescue from a life of inbreeding and neglect. She is the real deal. read more

Melissa is the absolute best! We have been clients for over a year now and can't say enough about how wonderful she is. Her service and communication are incredible. Our dogs adore her too! She takes such fantastic care of our dogs and we feel completely at ease going out of town knowing she is there. Our girls love her daycare program too! Getting to see pictures and videos of them playing while we are out of town is terrific! read more

I will never use another boarding facility again! Not only are the prices competitive, this place takes the best care of my dogs. I have one dog that is a little more "difficult" than my other two dogs. He's just a bit more nervous with new situations. The staff handles him like the professionals they are and it works beautifully. Highly recommend for this place for boarding or day care, which the most wonderful way to wear your dogs out and socialize them, too! I love this place and recommend them to EVERYONE! read more

Melissa is awesome. I added a new cat to my home and he was not getting along with the resident cat so I had to keep them separated and do a feeding introduction exercise everyday. It was a little more complicated than just refilling food/water and scooping the litter box so I didn't want to put that on my friends or parents. I knew Melissa was the person. Both cats loved her from her first visit. It was nice to know that they weren't hiding and able to get a some attention time with her when I was gone. I felt a little less guilty for leaving them. I am a little outside of her area but her fee was more that reasonable. read more

We took our dogs here for a weekend while we were out of town, because the place we normally take them was booked up, and based on the reviews we were excited as this is MUCH closer than our normal place. I will say the gentlemen that met us to take our dogs back was very nice, personable and seemed great with our dogs was really the only pro to this review. First off, their pricing was higher than where we typically take them. $140 for two dogs both under 35lbs for two nights. But was willing to pay, because our dogs are our children. Second, we were told that the dogs are really only in their kennel during feedings and night time to sleep. When we came to pick them up no one was at the desk so when we looked inside all the dogs were in their kennel. Third, we were told that the smaller of the dogs had rolled in urine, so they gave her a bath. Which initially We were thankful for, but after leaving we realized she has never once rolled in pee... and for getting a bath and getting them the following day they were both not the best smelling and felt extra greasy. We also noticed on the other dog urine spots on her legs and butt area. Which leads us to believe they were kennelled more than they led us to believe. Lastly, they both had very runny/water like stool for 3 days. One had an accident in her kennel which hasn't happened in over 2 years. And the smaller of the two began to weez and have cold like symptoms which lasted about 2 weeks. Overall, very unimpressed with this establishment, and can't say I agree with the overall rating. I feel like 2 stars is being generous, but the initial guy who met us to take the dogs was what got them the extra "star". read more

We took our dog here for the first time and the team was all really engaged and considerate to our needs. For example, I had concern about him staying in a kennel all night because in his previous boarding they were 100% kennel free and he is at home as well. They provided some alternate options immediately. They also quickly paid attention to which group of dogs was best for him. Overall we will have this place as a backup if other plans don't make it - the commute for us personally was too far for regular visits and the inside of the facility doesn't work well for our nervous doggie because it's pretty intimate and the barking dogs are very loud and intimidating. This is because the inside spaces to play are very quaint and no room to run around and truly play. The team member said they are looking to move to a bigger location and I'm crossing my fingers for that because we really loved the staff! read more

I highly recommend Melissa's menagerie!! my dogs were happy, bathed, worn out after a few days of boarding there. great people that care a lot about the animals. read more

Melissa's Menagerie is awesome! I have boarded my dog and also left her for daycare. She always comes home happy and content. Melissa and her staff take a personal interest in every animal that comes to visit. It's a win-win for all! read more

Melissa's Menagerie is the best company for dog walking. I have 3 dogs, which can be expensive but she is reasonably priced and very trustworthy. I love this company! read more

Melissa's Menagerie is an outstanding doggy daycare, pet boarding and pet sitting company. I would highly recommend her to everyone! She is the best! read more

Melissa is the modern day Snow White. She has such a gift with all kinds of animals. I use her pet sitting services on a regular basis and always come back to a happy and well cared for fur baby. Melissa is professional, compassionate, and I trust her completely. And I LOVE that she has online booking and payments. All of this and she is such a great advocate for rescues. read more

I cannot say enough good things about this place. Melissa has watched my animals at my home and I have boarded my dog at her daycare location for a week, multiple times. Always has gone very smoothly. read more

Melissa started walking my dog about 3 years ago, and shortly thereafter I began hiring her to be my petsitter, too. She's fantastic. She always does what she says she's going to do and comes to my home when she says she will. Now that her daycare and boarding facility is open, I take my dog to her. Melissa's Menagerie is not like other doggy daycares - it's small, which is a huge bonus. Her employees are knowledgeable about dogs and there never seem to be more than 6-10 dogs in any one group, which is great. Melissa and her staff pay attention to which dogs get along well together, which dogs don't like larger dogs or smaller dogs or whatever, and keep them in the appropriate group. Also -- the dogs go outside (with supervision) off and on all day, which is not true of some other daycares. My dog is always tired - in a good way - after coming home. read more