DOGGIE DAYS: MY DOG CAME HOME INJURED, WITH AN INFECTED WOUND. THE OWNER'S RESPONSE WAS JUST AS…read moreDISTURBING.
If you love your dog, please read this before deciding to leave them at Doggie Days.
On October 14, 2026, I dropped off my champion-line, AKC-registered European Doberman, Mika, at Doggie Days for boarding while I was out of the country. On October 22, I picked her up. What followed has been one of the most disturbing experiences I've had dealing with a business entrusted with the care of an animal I love.
I paid Doggie Days to look after Mika while I was away. I understood that dogs play, that dogs can have disagreements, and that injuries can happen even when animals are being supervised appropriately. I am not upset simply because my dog got injured. I am furious about the circumstances surrounding that injury, the apparent failure to obtain timely medical attention, the fact that nobody informed me when I picked her up, and the owner's appalling response when I tried to resolve the situation.
Let me explain exactly what happened.
OCTOBER 14-22: I TRUSTED DOGGIE DAYS WITH MY DOG
I left Mika at Doggie Days on October 14, trusting the facility to provide appropriate supervision and care throughout her stay.
I had also authorized up to $5,000 in emergency veterinary expenses without requiring the facility to contact me first. I was traveling internationally, and I wanted to ensure that if Mika needed emergency medical attention, the facility could obtain it without waiting for me to answer a phone call.
I made that authorization specifically to protect my dog.
On October 22, I picked Mika up. Nobody informed me that she had sustained an injury. Nobody alerted me to a puncture wound. Nobody told me that she needed veterinary attention.
I left the facility with my dog, believing I was simply taking her home after her stay.
It was only after I had left that I discovered a deep puncture wound in her back, with pus oozing from it.
I immediately became concerned and took her to the veterinarian.
My veterinarian confirmed that the wound had been present for more than 24 hours.
Think about what that means.
This was not a fresh scratch that happened moments before pickup. This was a puncture wound that had been present long enough for the condition to deteriorate and pus to develop, according to my veterinarian.
I cannot tell you precisely when the injury occurred or what happened to Mika while I was away. I can tell you that I discovered the wound myself after leaving Doggie Days, that my veterinarian confirmed it had been present for more than 24 hours, and that nobody disclosed the injury to me when I picked her up.
How does a dog sustain a puncture wound, have it go more than 24 hours without the medical attention she needed, and then get returned to her owner without the injury being disclosed?
Where was the supervision? Where were the daily observations? Where was the appropriate response to an injured animal?
And why, when I had already authorized up to $5,000 in emergency veterinary expenses, was I left to discover the problem myself?
The initial veterinary visit cost me over $70, and the total veterinary expenses I am seeking to resolve are approximately $250.
I understand that dogs can get bitten while playing. I understand that accidents happen.
What I cannot understand is how an injury can go unaddressed for long enough to become infected, while the owner who entrusted the facility with that dog's care is not even informed when picking her up.
THE PHYSICAL INJURY ISN'T MY ONLY CONCERN
Since returning home from Doggie Days, Mika has started cowering around other dogs during our walks.
This is concerning behavior, and it has left me worried about what she experienced while she was under the facility's supervision.
I cannot prove what caused this behavioral change, and I will not pretend to know exactly what happened while I was away. But I know my dog, I can observe how she is behaving now, and I am deeply concerned about the possibility that this experience has affected her sense of security around other dogs.
Dogs cannot tell us what happened to them. They cannot explain whether another dog frightened them, whether an interaction became aggressive, or whether something occurred that left them feeling unsafe.
That is why we entrust them to people who are supposed to supervise and care for them responsibly.
I sent Mika to Doggie Days expecting to pick up my dog after a boarding stay. Instead, I came home dealing with a puncture wound that my veterinarian confirmed had been present for more than 24 hours, veterinary expenses, and troubling changes in my dog's behavior.
This is not the experience I paid for, and it is certainly not the standard of care I expected.
NEVADA LAW: A SIGNED WAIVER DOES NOT ERASE EVERY RESPONSIBILITY
I know that someone will inevitably say that I signed a boarding agreement and accepted the risks associated with leaving my dog at a daycare facility.
Yes, I signed the contract
