FirstBark
Our Labrador pup was at Partners in 2022 for two weeks of boarding and training. I had bad vibes right at the drop off, but I figured that's just how dog trainers are. When I picked up our pup two weeks later he was suffering a number of problems, including extreme weight loss, i…Read full reviewClose full review
Our Labrador pup was at Partners in 2022 for two weeks of boarding and training. I had bad vibes right at the drop off, but I figured that's just how dog trainers are. When I picked up our pup two weeks later he was suffering a number of problems, including extreme weight loss, infections in several of his paws, lesions in his mouth, and a cut above his nose. Since I hadn't seen him in two weeks, the weight loss didn't really hit me until I got him home and my family remarked at how skinny he was. Concerned about his paws and mouth, I took him to our vet for an examination. The first thing they said was, "He weighed 58.5 pounds in August and now he's down to 53... what happened?" In fact, he was at 60 pounds and at the "perfect weight" according to his mobile vet the week before we brought him to Partners. The second thing they saw was the infection he had in all four paws, which was especially bad in the rear. One of his toes was so swollen he could barely walk. I asked the trainers why he was walking weird when I picked him up and they said it was a "trot some of the dogs pick up while training." The vet also found a puncture wound in his mouth. It cost me an additional $300+ for shots and medications due to the injuries our pup received while at Partners. When you bring your dog to a facility that charges $2500 for two weeks of boarding and training, you expect to get them back in the same health you drop them off in. Not having lost over 10% of their body weight. Not with infections in all four paws. Not with puncture wounds in their mouth. And not with an additional $300 vet bill, weeks of putting back on weight, and weeks of medications to heal infections (not to mention the psychological damage done to the dog). I of course immediately brought these to the attention of Partners, and they offered to pay a portion of our vet bill. My complaint is not about how they responded to what happened, it's the fact that it happened at all. I wasn't going to write a review because I don't like writing negative reviews, and also they offered to help with our vet bill. However, after reading the experience of the other Lab owner who had its tail amputated due to "happy tail" at another Partners facility, I feel obligated to let dog owners know about our experience here. If you have a "problem dog" who absolutely requires training to avoid euthanasia, it may be worth the risk to take your dog here. But if you just have a puppy who needs some help with leash training or crate training, or following basic commands, I would look elsewhere.