We recently had to go away for the weekend and so we needed to find a place to board our puppy. We don't really know many people in the area who have pets, and so we were left to find a location on our own. Cuddy Canine and Feline is located next door to our veterinarian's office (and is owned by them) and so we thought it was an ideal choice. They are certified by the American Board and Kennel Association (ABKA). The prices were reasonable (we paid $17/night). They also offer grooming services, but we have not tried that, so I can't comment on it.
The brochure and the information online sounds very appealing. It states that the dogs are walked three times per day, that their kennels are cleaned twice a day, and that they are fed Hill's Science Diet products, which is what we feed our dog anyway. We thought it sounded great and I worried that she would be treated so well that she might not even want to come home with us. That definitely wasn't the case.
When we went to pick up our puppy, she just wasn't herself. She had lost 4 pounds and was very jumpy and anxious. I guess that those things are to be expected when you leave a puppy for the first time. What was more disturbing was that her eyes were very red and had a cloudy-mucousy looking film in them. No one mentioned anything about this to us even though it was blatantly obvious and all they said when we picked her up was that she had been "fun to play with." (I'm sure they say that to everyone)
The next day, they did call to check on her and see how she was doing. This is a personal touch that the veterinarian's office offers as well and that I really liked. I mentioned what her eyes looked like when we picked her up and told them that we had been concerned, but that she seemed to be doing better and they just said, "Oh really..." and that was it.
I am not saying that this is a bad place to take your dog. It may just be that our puppy doesn't handle being left. We have been very pleased with the veterinarian and so I find it hard to believe that they didn't take good care of her, but the situation with her eyes did make me a little nervous. I am hoping we don't have to board her anywhere again for a long time, but if we do have to, we will try someplace else first.
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