We took our elderly dog, Bella, to Sterling Pet Lodge for a 5-day stay just before Christmas, and were lucky she came out alive. She walked in, clean and dry, and had to be carried out, caked in her own urine and feces.
One reason we selected this kennel is that the website says "We specialize in difficult pets, and dogs and cats with medical conditions so there is no need to worry about finding a safe place with professionals that can address your pets needs! We also do not charge for administering medications or special diets! Our staff has vet tech experience as well as experience with difficult dogs and cats."
We told the intake person that Bella has a degenerative spinal condition that makes her prone to falling, and asked to leave the harness that we use to stabilize her back end. The intake person said that they didn't need it; they had their own system.
Apparently Bella fell some time during her stay, and her "caretakers" didn't bother to help her up or clean her off. She just lay in her own waste for days, and now has deep pressure sores all over one side of her body. We've taken Bella to her regular vet twice in the last week for antibiotics and to have all the infected skin areas shaved. The vet will not recommend this location again -- and of course we will never bring Bella or any other animal there.
When we wrote an email asking why the facility hadn't called us or called her vet when things went wrong, the owner threatened to ruin our reputation online if we wrote a negative review. Oh well... read more