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Review content:
This is the first time I'm writing a review on City Search. I don't normally do this, but I had such a unique experience with the owner of Pampered Pet Resort this morning that I felt compelled to let others know...
I saw their ad in the local paper, so I decided to swing by and see what the place is like. (I've done this at 3 other nearby pet boarding facilities this week.)
Well, it's not really a business with employees, but rather a family who lives in the house in front and keeps the dogs in the kennel behind their home. I have NO problem with this. I actually like this kind of set-up and visited another place like this yesterday.
It was 11AM on a Thursday (non-holiday) when I called and asked if I could swing by to see what the place was like. (There's a sign at the top of the driveway that reads ""By appointment only."") I was told by the gentleman owner on the phone that he was in the house and no one would be ""down there"" (at the kennel) until between 4 and 5 so to call back then.
That immediately gave me the impression that a) they only have a few people on staff and b) they might not spend as much time with the dogs during the day as other places. Perhaps he MEANT that the best person to give me a tour wouldn't be back until between 4 and 5. But that's not what he said. He did say no one was there at the moment besides the groomers.
So when I paused, he started spouting out ""facts"" about their business - how many years they've been doing this, how many ""doggies"" they have space for (20-something?, I can't remember), etc etc. He was very matter-of-fact as he was running through what seemed like a long list of tedious details to him.
Honestly,, it seemed like this curmudgeony 'ol man didn't much like dogs OR having to care for them, because his attitude was like, ""your precious DOGGIE will be in good hands, just trust me.""
He kept using the word ""doggie"" in a talk-down-to-me kind of voice. As if I (and others who pay to leave their dogs with pet sitters) are rich people who spoil their pets when in fact they're just ""animals"" to him. That's exactly the ATTITUDE I was hearing as he was talking. It was so off-putting!
Finally, I asked a question that is very important to me when leaving my dog at a new facility: ""Do all the dogs go out together? If so, how many people are with the dogs at that time?""
He said, ""Well, there are 3 of us who work here, but usually there's just 1 of down there at a time. And no, we're not always with the dogs when they're out doing their thing and playing together."" (not a direct quote, but the jist of it)
He asked something like, ""Why, does your doggie have issues?""
I said, ""No. I just want to know how many people are with the dogs at all times."" In my opinion, one person with up to 20-something dogs at a time isn't exactly the type of set-up I'm after -- for safety reasons. You never know which dogs are going to get along and which ones aren't. Add to that the fact that he said someone's NOT always with the dogs while they're out ""doing their thing""... that just doesn't seem like a very professional business practice, if you ask me.
Needless to say, my dog won't be staying there. I sincerely hope that others who leave leave their dogs there DO have better experiences than I had. Perhaps the other 2 (of the 3 employees) have a better attitude about dogs and dog owners than the one I spoke with.
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