We started using their services in the fall of 2001, and had the owner walking our dogs twice a day 5 days a week, plus additional walks when necessary. In the spring of 2014 we had to discontinue our services with PPP because of the following reasons:
* Up until the end of 2013, our family worked outside the house 8:00am - 6:00pm.
* Beginning 1/1/2014, I worked from home Monday, Wednesday and Fridays but kept PPP as our walker for those days also, 2 visits per day.
* Gradually over time, the visits that were originally supposed to be each 30 minutes got shorter and shorter; but I did not mention it to Ms. Gambardella.
* One day on a day that I was supposed to be at work, my car was in the shop being serviced, and I was upstairs in my home office. I came downstairs and she was letting my dogs out the back door; and I startled her as I walked into the room where she was. She didn't know I was home.
* About a month later on June 4th I was browsing the security reports from our home security system. I started to see that what she was doing was (on the days that I worked outside the house):
o She would come in the front door
o Shut off the alarm system
o Go to the back door, open it and let the dogs out the back yard
o Close the back door
o Set the alarm back to On.
o Open the front door, and leave
o Close the door behind her
o All of this was done in about 3-7 minutes.
* I confronted the owner when she arrived on 6/4 to walk the dogs, and she told me that it was just the prior day 6/3. According to the reports (which I still have copies of on my personal laptop) it was done this way 7 times just in the month of May. Unfortunately the security report only go back 30 days.
Our family was completely blown away by this, considering we were expecting 2 thirty minute walks each day, even on the days that I was home. After 13 years of service, I am just beside myself that she was doing this. I cannot say how long she had been doing this, for all I know she could have been doing it every single day for the past 13 years that we were not at home to observe. Our oldest dog now, who is 6 became slightly overweight and since we have hired a great pet walking company she has gone back to her healthy weight.
I am bringing this to your attention, because this is not only corrupt but it is also cruelty to our pets. Our dogs must have been so excited to see her and think they were going for a walk, only to be let out to relieve themselves for 3-7 minutest tops.
PLEASE NOTE: Ms. Gambardella the owner also operates out of the Stoneham Animal Hospital as the resident pet groomer.
If you are recommending a dog walker or pet sitting service, I would strongly advise not to recommend PPP read more
