New England Canine

Hi Alyssa - We sincerely apologize that no one returned your call. We do have our hands full from the time we open to the time we close. We don't say that to offer an excuse, we say it because our leadership staff is usually here after hours getting back to any calls, texts, and emails we receive during the course of the day. During this specific dog's stay, we can assure you that this dog was cared for so far as she would let us do so. She was given her meals daily, as instructed, had plenty of fresh clean water daily, and was safe inside a climate controlled kennel that allowed her individualized outdoor access which is 5 feet by 10 feet long. Given the nature of the owner's circumstances, we agreed to take the dog and were told multiple times that the dog was highly reactive and would likely not allow staff to handle her. So much so that another kennel/place of business wouldn't keep the dog because of the risk/the dog's temperament. The reason we agreed to take care of and board this dog was because we offer a hands-free kennel experience, if necessary. The fact is that it was necessary in this case, even though we wish that were not so. How our hands-free kennel works is that there is a private indoor kennel that is separated by a guillotine door attached to a pull cord, that a staff member pulls to lift the door so the dog can have outdoor access to the private run (the cement run you mentioned). It allows meet all of a dog's needs while keeping them and our staff safe. During the entirety of this canine's stay, she was attempting to bite staff through the gate, and was highly reactive even to staff simply walking by the run trying to sweep, mop, or make meals. As far as her smelling like urine, we do so apologize for that. It is likely that the dog stepped in her urine in the outdoor run, and probably did over the course of the 4 days she was with us. In any other scenario, we would've given a bath, washed her feet, etc. Unfortunately, that was not an option here. Her reactivity was too apparent, and having never met this dog before her boarding, we did not feel comfortable attempting it. It wasn't safe for our staff, and it would have placed an immense amount of stress on the dog. And a dog who is already in a stressed state would likely react in a way that would be detrimental. We cannot allow that to happen, and we hope you understand where we are coming from. Lastly, this was this dog's very first time at our kennel. She has never met our staff, and she has never seen the inside of our kennel. This was an impossible situation for all involved, including the canine, and while we are sorry that you feel uncertain about her lack of care, we feel very confident that we did everything we could have to make her stay comfortable, and keep our staff safe in the process. We do apologize that your experience was not stellar. We feel terrible that your first impression of us was not a good one, and in the future we will strive to communicate better and make sure we address any concerns sooner.