Local Pet Boarding Business Not Being Truthful With Customers
 

The Village Paw Spa on Rolling Acres Rd has been mentioned on this forum before. A member wrote about how her dog came home after a two week stay at their facility with swollen and infected paws.

I'm sad to say I worked for the owners for a brief amount of time eairlier this year and I wish I would have read that certain post before becoming employed there. Yes, the owner, Nancy Herrin, has been in the pet grooming/boarding business for 40+ yrs, but she is not running her facility like she makes her customers believe.

First of all, if you choose not to bring your own dog food for your pet, the owners tell you that 2 types of food will be provided (Purina and Nutrina). This is not true. The owner does not buy and provide this food. When a pet has not finished his dry food (dog food that has been paid for and brought in by other customers) at the end of the day, it is dumped into a large container in the kitchen and is used for other dogs. This is very dangerous! Bacteria is spread from one dogs mouth to another. This can cause upset stomach, diarrhea and vomiting.

Second, Customers are told that dogs are fed twice a day. This is not true. The dogs are fed once a day, in the morning. If they finish their food quickly they do not recieve anything else until the next morning. They are given a few treats at the end of the night, but in my opinion this is still unexceptable.

Third, Medication such as Benadrly, Imodium, Ibprophen, Vitamin C and Colloidal Silver (an immune booster) are often administered to a dog and the owner is not notified. If a dog has diarrhea, Nancy will give him Imodium, which is very understandable, but the owner of the dog should be notified of such, which is not the case.

Nancy has often given benadryl to dogs who are "barkers" or who make quite a bit of noise, to calm them down and make them drowsy. To me, this is very wrong.

Dogs are not taken out front to play in the grass. They are taken out behind the kennel where there is no grass or shade. The ground in the back is covered in small rocks.

Nancy and her daughter Tammy, have frequent verbal arguments inside the facility, in front of the dogs and employees. There are very unkind words and raised voices said between one another and cussing on almost every occasion. This makes for a very hostile and uncomfortable enviroment for the dogs :(

Please take this all into consideration when choosing a boarding facility for your beloved pets. Thank you for reading this.

doggie spa
 

Wow I hope this gets around...this is totally unacceptable...i am appauled at this place..you just never know what goes on behind the closed door once you leave your pets/kids somewhere that you think they will be safe and cared for.
Thanks for opening some eyes here..i have often wondered about that place..at least i know where not to go....pass it on...:rant-rave:

Good information for pet owners to know. I had heard parts of this is the past and chose NOT to use them to board my pet. Instead, we used Park Heights Animal Care Center on 441 in Fruitland Park.

You never know what goes on behind the scenes but we did have a billing problem with Park Heights that others should be aware of, and maybe unauthorized treatment for our pet.

We boarded our cat for one week (7 days) and asked that she be given a pedicure during her stay. We took her in on a Saturday morning and picked her up the following Saturday morning at, according to my credit card receipt, 08:45:51, or shortly after they opened at 8:30 AM. Of course they required me to pay the bill before the gave me my cat (normal procedure and I have no problem with that). I paid the bill in full - 7 days boarding for a feline and a pedicure - with my credit card. Approximately one month later I got a bill in the mail that charged me $13.50 for a "Int. Parasite Exam - Centifug" supposedly administered on the DAY I PICKED HER UP (I think NOT)! Additionally, I never asked for not authorized such an exam and, as any reputable facility will do, they checked the records for my cat to make sure she was current on shots and vaccines (she was - through my regular vet). We actually had to supply copies of that paperwork, which is probably a good thing.

To add insult to injury - and to me, this smacks of pure price gouging - they also added $4 to their bill for a "Statement Handling Fee".

Needless to say, I immediately called them over their bogus bill and got a promise to reverse the charges. It has not been long enough yet to see if that actually happened but,. if it didn't, I will be going next to at least the BBB and maybe other agencies. I wonder how many people pay the additional charges without question?

everybody that reads post on totv should use Bedtime Trails Pet Hotel I always take my cat and dog there and have been for about two years. There have been many posts on how great they are. Why would anybody go any where else. Most people do because they are to cheap to pay what is a fair cost.
drd

Pet Paradise
 

I wish we could get someone to start a Pet Paradise here. We used their facility in St. Augustine and loved the care our dog received. Everything was visible.. no behind the scenes care and there were web cams everywhere. Also Camp Bow Wow in Naples was a fabulous place.
I was less than impressed with the one on Rolling Acres. My husband and I toured the facility before leaving our dog for the day - and then chose not to because we both had bad vibes.
Our beloved wheaten died last year and we have hesitated bringing another dog into our life here in TV because of the lack of good boarding and day care facilities. If anyone has good recommendations, I'll be the first to add another furkid back into our life.

i never consider opinions of former or present disgruntled employees. for obvious reasons.

Rockyisle - Bedtime Tails is an excellent place to board a pet. I would never hesitate to recommend them. It's beautiful. Go and check it out (I'll bet there will be another furkid in your life). Check out previous threads on Bedtime Tails and read the high reviews.

red tail -- I agree that disgruntled employees should be take with a very large grain of salt but should not necessarily be discounted out of hand. In this case, there are several other stories that basically back up the OP's comments. Definitely not a place I would want to leave a beloved pet.

I usually refer to that as a block of salt. You know like farmers use for their cows.

I think Coffee Girl has provided several examples
 

which would give pause to any animal lover...and I am grateful whether she is disgruntled, angry, or sad. Ultimately, it is up to me to be the ombudsperson for my animal's welfare and safety. Insider "tips" have
often been the way many criminals are caught.

To my knowledge, no, laws, licensure or oversight are necessary to open a Boarding facility for animals in Florida. (Note: I have not checked on this recently, and in Florida it can be different County to County). Plus, if there
are standards, there have to be people to check...and animals generally fall low on that totem pole.

Sooo, this should be considered, perhaps, a cautionary tale (tail), but one
worth the thought of Border Beware. It raises a huge yellow flag for me
in any search I might make of the facility or any other, and I appreciate the heads up.

I agree with Red. Definitely not a place I would consider for my Pets. I read the post with "disgruntled employee" in mind. And then I reread the post. Coffee Girl has gone to the trouble of providing a lot of information, examples and details that ring true with me.

Earlier this year there was a post regarding The Village Paw Spa where I posted my observations after touring the facility in early 2007 when we first moved to the area. I stated that I wondered if the dogs were drugged as none of them barked when we came walking through. According to Coffee Girl it would appear I was correct. She may be a former employee, but I believe she's telling us the truth and trying to protect our pets. FYI, here's my original post:



03-18-2011, 07:48 PM
English Ivy
Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2007
Posts: 263
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When we first moved to the area we arranged tours/inspections of several boarding facilities, so when the time came for us to be out of town we'd have a good place to leave our dog.

Village Paw Spa creeped me out. As we walked through, the dogs looked at us from their individual pens but did not bark or get excited. It was totally quiet. That's just not normal in a kennel environment when people walk through. Hopefully I am wrong, but it almost seemed as if the dogs were slightly sedated. They just stood there and looked at us.

Needless to say, did not ever consider leaving our dog there.

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:clap2:

I am a cat owner. I love dogs too. I didn't know that arguing in front of a dog upset them. It doesn't bother cats.

:1rotfl:

Bill :wave:

It doesn't bother yours Gracie? My cats will cover their ears and go "meow meow meow meow meow meow meow......" (Interpertation: "la la la la la la la......")

http://actubuzz.fr/wp-content/upload...10-4_00000.jpg

My friends had a yellow Lab. If they argued, their Lab would hide in the bathtub and shiver. Dogs are often super sensitive to their owners' emotions. I think cats are too, but they don't care!

Sorry for the hijack, back to Village Paw Spa.

GracieGirl

Dogs feed off of our emotions. So do cats, but dogs show it more. If a human is upset or angry, the dog will know it. Dogs have feelings and emotions too. Ever heard someone say that dogs can sense fear? Well, dogs can sense when you are fearful, angry, sad, happy, etc.
You dont think that dogs can become stressed? Why dont you go to your nearest pet supermarket and look in the vitamin section of the store. You will find a slew of anti-anxiety pills, spray, collars and seriums. Dogs and all animals can become stressed, and yelling and arguing in front of them can be one cause of this. No, stress will not effect all animals in the same way, but I have enough respect for my pets to not do anything that could possibly stress them out.

Village Paw Spa was great for my dogs
 

I recently boarded my 2 chihuahuas at this facility for 14 days. They were returned to me in fine condition; they were very happy to see me. They also ran between me and the owners with much enthusiasm .
I was a bit leery about boarding them there after reading a negative posting, but my friend, who regularly boards her 2 dogs there (at least 3 x yearly) said they were clean, friendly and her dogs were happy to go there... MY dogs seemed to agree with her assessment, and so do I.

There have been too many complaints about this facility; something's wrong and I would never allow my pet to board there. The fact that this is your first post is suspect in IMHO.

Take the good with the bad
 

I think it's VERY important for people to give others a heads up with it comes to poor business practice. Especially if it involves animals or children. Would you rather experience this first hand with your pet? I think this poster has done many a big favor. Not only are the animals being mistreated but people are being ripped off. I, for one, want to hear the good with the bad so I can come to my own conclusions. I believe this poster 100% and that she is looking out for the well being of animals. In general, people who post negative reviews about other businesses, are just trying to warn others so they don't make the same mistake.

You have dogs dear?

What kind of dogs do you have?

3 years of good experience with Village Paw Spa
 

I care deeply about my dogs and have owned (and occasionally boarded) dogs all my life. I have used Village Paw Spa since moving here in 2008. My dogs are happy to go there and have always returned to me in good health.

I do know how devastating it can be when something happens to a pet during boarding, but let's be fair to a local business that is trying to provide a needed service. (I am not a new poster and have no stake in this business.)

I don't own any pets. I grew up with a dog named Butch and he was part Collie and part Shepard. A nice dog. I've become allergic to pet hair and pet dander so I have no pets. My daughter has a hound dog named Copper and she is an adult and doesn't live with me. I go to the Mall every day to walk and go into the pet store and look at the puppies. They are all so cute that I have all I can do not to take one home, but I know I can't have one. That's my story!

I'm so sorry to hear that. My husband was allergic to dogs. There are dogs that don't affect allergies. My husband and I had a Malti-Poo. You might want to look into the non allergic dogs.

Then you'd have to say the same thing for the OP. It was their first post too! Just say'n!

An alternative option
 

Please feel free to check out our website, The VILLAGE SITTER. We come and take care of your pet in your home. No worries about your pet being stressed since they remain in their familiar setting and no worries about illnesses or fleas being brought home from a kennel atmosphere. We are Village residents who love animals like they were our own.

There's a facility back where I came from in upstate NY that uses webcams. Thought people would like to see this and just mayby it will give some local facilities an idea! Best to view during daylight.

http://www.petlodges.com/web/index.p...pper&Itemid=77

That was my first reaction to this thread, that I would never board my dogs there. Yet I have two friends who've boarded dogs there. One has used the facility several times, very successfully. I'm told the kennel offers regular tours. I think I'll go have a look for myself.

I disagree!

When you go for the tour, ask if you can see the "back" where I was told the dogs are put for their outside time, but that I was not allowed to see. They also said that the dogs are rotated so they get to go out every couple hours, yet when I was there no dogs were out and they had a full house! I peeked out the window and saw the back yard.....all stones, no grass and runs that are in the direct sun. The front looks nice, but I would not want my dog to be put out back!
A 24/7 webcam showing the inside as well as the back would assure owners that their pets are being cared for!

well, now it's not my first posting
 

My dogs have been boarded there 3 times so far this year, and will be again over Thanksgiving. No problems, Happy dogs, happy owner.

Then why bring up this old thread??? It's all negative comments and is only bringing her business down.

I agree Gerryann.

I agree. It is suspicious.

Duffysmom was responding to a person, not the OP, who had only posted TWICE ever and both were in support of this pet care.

Duffysmom is someone I have learned to trust as someone who loves animals.

How can you tell if a pet facility is competently, reliably, honestly, caringly, lovingly, professionally taking care of your beloved animals while you are away? (Sorry for any words that weren't spelled or used correctly.)

It's one thing to tour the facility and listen to the spiel of the owner/caretakers. It's another thing what actually goes on while the pet is in their care. How do you know, for a fact, what goes on behind closed doors?

I wish I wish I WISH someone would open a Camp Bow Wow here. We've used them in three different cities, and they are the best in the business. Plus they don't allow non-neutered dogs, which solves a lot of aggression problems.

That said, there is a new place, Pet Lodge and Spa, in Leesburg that seems to be run well. I can only speak for the day care, but it's a very calm facility due to the fact that the rooms have half walls. In another place we were using, the walls were chain link fencing. The dogs in the different areas could see each other, and the barking and aggression was nerve racking. We walked in there one day to find our dog backed into a corner by two other dogs. And nobody policing this. (We could see through a window into the play area.) Our large dog is well socialized and confident, but is not one to enter a fray, and will shut down and turn the other way around aggressive dogs. We discovered that there was an employee there who would take him into the kitchen with her while working to get him out of the room. I appreciated that but decided this wasn't the place for our peace-loving, quiet guy.

The indoor play areas at Pet Lodge are roomier, and the outdoor area is covered in artificial "dog grass," which in our dog's case cuts down on the skin allergies he can get from the Florida grasses and dirt. We've liked the place so far.

You can't tell for sure, brightspot, and that's why the places with cams are preferable to us. Also, you can judge by how your dog reacts to the place the second time he goes there, and also by how he reacts when you get him home. At Camp Bow Wow, for example, our dog came home acting like he never left home. At another place (in another city), he came home and moped for three days, didn't want to get in the car for a while after.

Why do any of you think you have the right to be judge and jury regarding the OP's 1st post? Regardless of whether it's valid or not, isn't the point.

I read the post as an eye opener and heads up. I thank the OP for bringing boarding animal abuse to our attention. I hope that all of you with animals will be more cognizant when boarding your animals, wherever.

However, it's one thing to tour a facility and listen to the spiel of the caretakers. It's another thing what actually goes on behind closed doors. As a retired teacher, I heard that same phrase about my children and their family. It's so true.

If nothing else, think about your animals and what they might be experiencing in any facility while you are away. It's not always as it seems. Sadly, you'll never know because your animals can't talk.