This place is poorly run and should not be in business. They are dangerous to their own employees and your pets.
I got a call from Petsuites yesterday, two hours after dropping off my dog. They said she attacked two dogs and bit a staff member, puncturing her wrist. My dog has never bitten anyone or signaled that she would, even when in extreme pain rehabbing a fractured femur. No incidents were reported during her behavior evaluation and first four-night stay at this facility three weeks prior, although my dog did come home with some unexplained fresh scabs. And my dog never got in a fight in a couple dozen group play visits over 4 years at her prior boarding facility on the other side of town. My dog is a sweet, snuggly pit mix. Unfortunately bite allegations can be a death sentence for dogs that look like her. So I canceled my flight and rushed back to the facility.
On the way I asked to speak to the general manager. She was busy, so I waited on hold for 30 minutes during the drive. The story changed dramatically by the time I arrived.
The GM said:
My dog and a female husky were chasing each other around the play yard.
A male malamute stepped in and collided with my dog.
My dog began biting the malamute.
The sole staff member present among 25 loose dogs ran over and scruffed the malamute
Eventually other staff members arrived and separated the dogs. None of the three dogs involved in the altercation were bleeding or had injuries of any kind according to the GM. My dog does not.
The staff member who scruffed the malamute had bite marks on her fingers and a deep wound on her wrist. The report says she could not see who bit her, but that it must have been my dog because it is not possible for a malamute to bite while scruffed. No mention of the female husky or the 23 other dogs present.
Scruffing an adult dog, by itself, is a painful and ineffective means of control, particularly for a dog the size of a malamute. During a fight. With 24 other dogs present. My first thought was the employee surprised and hurt the malamute by scruffing him during a tense moment, and he snapped at her reflexively. The GM assured me that is impossible. A dog cannot bite a person who is scruffing them.
I asked the GM if she trains employees to break up fights by scruffing dogs with bare hands by themselves. She began rattling off all the tools available to employees to break up dog fights, saying each may be used depending on specific circumstances. I asked again. She said scruffing a dog is a reasonable and effective method of breaking up a dog fight, and it's up to the employee's discretion.
The GM then explained to me that none of this is really a big deal - it just means all three dogs must switch to private play (at greater cost).
I asked to see the surveillance tape of the play room. The GM did not know whether she was allowed to let me see the footage, but promised to get back to me (she has not). She said you can't really see what happened on the tape anyway. I asked for a copy of the incident report. She was initially reluctant, but agree to share a redacted copy. I waited in the lobby for 20 minutes as she manually redacted the report with a sharpie and white-out. She removed the injured employee's name - fair enough. She also redacted the names of every one of her bosses from the report header. She had previously promised to ask her boss to call me (no calls yet). I guess she was worried I might call first.
I don't think my dog bit anyone, dog or human. The incident reports says no one saw any dog bite the employee. Not the surveillance cameras, not even the injured employee herself. The employee assumed it was my dog, and the only reason given is that she was scruffing a malamute when she thinks the injury occurred. That makes no sense. Why was she scruffing the malamute anyway? According to the incident report my dog was the aggressor. If it's because a malamute was attacking a dog half his size (my 60 lb pit mix) what chance would a petite female human have to hold back a Malamute by the scruff? Was there even a dog fight to break up? According to the GM none of the 3 dogs involved were bleeding or injured in any way.
Any trained dog handler knows not to break up a dog fight with your bare hands. Any trained dog handler can distinguish rough play from violence.
Turns out my concern about a probably false bite report being filed for my little girl was overblown. The GM told me they don't actually report bites to the city. I asked how they get around state law requiring all animal bites be reported. She said it's just not their policy to "call the cops on dogs". I asked if this is the first time an employee has been bitten. She said it's the 6th time since opening up in December 2021 (5 dog, one cat), and none have been reported to the city. Then she clarified it's really only 4 dog bites - she doesn't count a (subsequently euthanized) behavior rehab project their trainer took on. read more