The first time I brought my dog for a boarding experience here, it was absolutely wonderful. I…read moreinteracted with a young woman who was absolutely lovely to talk to, very kind and clearly cares a lot about the dogs. At the end of the stay, my dog came home exhausted and happy, and I got to see some awesome pictures of his stay.
The second time I brought my dog here a few months later, I was met by Michelle, the owner (she hadn't been there the first time when I dropped off, or during the temperament test). I will admit that I made a couple of mistakes here -- I was 15 minutes later than my anticipated drop-off time (but still within the drop-off window), and while I had seen an email from her when I booked my reservation, I missed the line at the bottom of the email with the link for my confirmation, and so I missed the info that was included through that link about how to prepare his food. This is entirely my mistake, I dropped the ball there by being distracted so I missed some important information that I should've known in advance.
However, when I arrived with my dog, Michelle was clearly very irritated with me from the get-go. I apologized for being late, and tried to hand her my dog's food (I had put his meals in individual ziplock bags trying to make it easier, and put these inside a plastic container with his name and instructions written on it). Michelle scolded me for bringing a container and said she couldn't accept it; she took the ziplocks out and then scolded me for not writing his name on each bag, for separating out his food when they could have done it, for "bringing rawhide treats" even when I clarified that they were completely rawhide-free (she still refused to take them), for bringing his daily medication in his pill bottle (I had used an old pill bottle of his so it would have his name and dose on it, but she kept telling me she "couldn't be responsible for getting it back to me" even though I told her that was perfectly fine), etc etc. No matter how many times I tried to apologize and own up to my novice mistakes, she just kept circling and circling with her complaints.
Now, I'll admit that I'm pretty sensitive and anxiously attached to my dog, and I was so shocked that I began to tear up as she continued to scold me (this feels so strange to write as a grown woman!). Michelle either didn't take a breath to notice or else just didn't care. I completely and wholeheartedly understand that she is running a serious business here, and takes the health and safety of our dogs very seriously which is why she has these rules. I am GLAD they have these rules. However, after I apologized the first 10-15 times and told her I understood, that I hadn't been told any of this the first time my dog boarded there so I didn't realize; I would expect her to ease up. I myself work as a manager at a preschool center, so a somewhat similar field, and I cannot IMAGINE ever talking to a parent/client the way she spoke to me. After she took my dog from me mid-scolding and left me standing at the door shocked and without getting to say goodbye before my first real time being away from my dog, I ended up sitting in my car for another 10 minutes just trying to compose myself.
To top it off, my boyfriend was the one picking my dog up the next afternoon; he was coming directly from working in NYC, and was worried about traffic, so around 4:45 he called on his way to let her know his ETA was 5:45 but wanted to let her know JUST in case traffic pushed it past 6:00; Michelle told him firmly "You can get here anytime between 5 and 6." This feels like a pretty rude reaction to someone who is calling you well in advance as a precaution. In the end he did arrive around 5:45, but was reprimanded for not having our dog's leash (since he was coming from out of state, I'd think it's pretty obvious why that happened, but thankfully our dog is small enough to be carried).
Happy Dog Pet Resort is excellent with dogs. The other staff that I met were friendly, kind, and compassionate. My dog was very happy there. Unfortunately, it's the owner Michelle that completely soured the experience for me and has left me looking for a new daycare center. I can't justify leaving my favorite being on the planet again with someone that could be so cold and compassionless.
