FirstBark
BEWARE! Even if you have been long time clients, as we have, be sure you understand how the business may have changed over time, without your knowledge. When we originally met Rachel and toured the facility in 2021, we felt comfortable with her training methods and the facilit…Read full reviewClose full review
BEWARE! Even if you have been long time clients, as we have, be sure you understand how the business may have changed over time, without your knowledge. When we originally met Rachel and toured the facility in 2021, we felt comfortable with her training methods and the facility. For our dog that had never taken to crate training, we were thrilled to find a boarding scenario where he could sleep “wherever he likes ~ floor, sofa, etc.”. The only mention of crates being used was if they were requested / needed due to dog’s preference, nature, etc. We were never shown any area on our tour of the facility that had crates. Our dog attended day school regularly twice a month, and boarded many times over the last few years. During this time, we have watched the business grow, employees added (and rate increases). NEVER has anyone notified us that, along with these changes, the experience we thought we were getting for our dog has also changed. Our dog had always been thrilled to go to his “play dates” and “sleep away camp” and returned seemingly happy and healthy. However, over the last year to year and 1/2 we started noticing that he would always return with GI distress. Over time, and process of elimination, our vet began to suspect this was due to stress. After he returned from his most recent boarding, with not only the same GI distress, but also lack of appetite (highly unusual), seemingly afraid to eat and a bit timid around me (also highly unusual), we began asking questions, and were quite honestly SHOCKED when we finally got the answers. Apparently, as we were told by the manager who was brought on in late 2022, it had been policy since she was there that ALL dogs are CRATED, not only at night, but also any time during the day that they are not on the yard. Further, we were told that due to stomach issues on his last stay, as was policy, he was likely WITHHELD food (despite being told when I texted my concern at pick up and questioned his eating habits during his stay “that he happily ate all his meals”). We were never notified during his stay that he was sick. The daily “report cards” are a joke and contain no information specific to your dog. It was never discussed with us how he should be treated for his stomach issues, and this was the first indication we had that our dog was being CRATED ever, despite the completely different information we were given when we toured the facility. We were so upset by all of this and felt like we had been completely deceived and lied to. We asked our neighbors (previous Dogsmith clients) and found out that they, too, had had a similar experience when their dog regularly returned sick and seemed to not want to go. When asked, they were eventually shown a “tiny room full of crates with fans and no ventilation”. In reading other reviews, you will see that, while older reviews praise Rachel and her training techniques, the very few more recent reviews paint a very different picture of the facility / boarding practices. Clearly, this is not the same business that was “sold” to us several years ago and there was never any information shared with us regarding changes to what we were told. Further, there is no way to directly reach a human in an emergency or otherwise. Several times I have arrived during off hours, but for a SCHEDULED pick up, and have not been able to reach anyone by ringing the bell, texting or calling. My questions about his last boarding were not fully addressed because my only option for communication was via text. When I texted to request a call with Rachel about the above situation, I got no response to two texts (or even acknowledgement of receipt) until 12 hours later and then it was a call from the manager, not Rachel. We would never want anyone to feel how this experience has made us feel. We feel deceived and lied to, along with extreme guilt to know that we have been putting our dog in a situation causing him stress to the point of sickness. Ask the questions, especially as businesses grow and change!