Katie Stewart
Dog parents BEWARE. Everything below occurred during the 1.5 hours we actively watched on camera. We brought our dog in for her intro on 1/21/26 at 3:30 PM, recommended by our trainer. Check-in was wonderful: front desk staff were kind, attentive, and genuinely seemed to love dogs. They pulled up the cameras so we could watch while completing paperwork. Our dog was timid at first but began warming up after about 30 minutes. We were told that during the 4 PM break, dogs would be kenneled no more than 15 minutes. Instead, our dog spent about ¾ of her visit locked in a kennel, crying and begging to be let out. While another trainer fully cleaned their room and had dogs back out promptly, our dog’s trainer delayed cleaning and only spot-mopped visible messes, pushing the mop over pee puddles and putting it back in the bucket. Dirty mop water was never changed. They use one mop for both clean and dirty water, and the buckets appeared not to have been cleaned in some time. Major safety concern: Mop buckets and spray bottles were left within reach of the dogs. Our dog was left alone in the room multiple times, jumping on kennels and sniffing at chemicals and mop water while unattended. After cleaning, all other dogs were released first. Our dog got ~5 minutes of group play, then 2 minutes of attention, and was placed in a kennel in a second room. She was never let out again until we arrived. Other dogs repeatedly approached her kennel wanting to play. She play-bowed, barked, spun in circles, and cried to be let out. She was ignored. At one point, a trainer was on her phone, leaning against the counter, while responsible for supervising multiple dogs. With this level of inattention, a serious fight or injury feels inevitable. Staff knew our dog is a recent rescue from the county shelter and that our main concern was kennels and barking being triggering. That concern became reality because she was kenneled most of the time she was there. When we reported everything, the front desk staff were genuinely upset and stated they had told the trainer multiple times to let our dog out. Based on their reactions, it appears the trainers involved have known issues. Front desk staff also had camera access, yet no manager checked on the trainers or the new dog. We chose to leave rather than wait to speak with the trainer. This facility charges premium prices so dogs aren’t kenneled all day, yet they couldn’t keep our dog out of a kennel for even an hour. After pickup, our dog curled into a ball in the car—behavior we hadn’t seen since the day we brought her home scared from the shelter. She’s normally happy and excited for car rides. A trip to the dog park immediately restored her usual demeanor. They knew we were watching. If this is how dogs are treated when parents are actively monitoring, imagine how dogs are treated when owners are at work. I’m grateful I watched the entire time. Don’t learn this lesson the harder way.
