Some of you are probably familiar with my pooch. That's her in the signature. Here are a couple of other pics: I know some hornfans folks have met her and/or played with her. She's a little spastic sometimes, but a good run tends to settle her down. She loves other dogs. She loves people. She loves everything, pretty much, except being away from us. She's extremely well-socialized with other dogs and has never had any aggression problems or any other weirdness around dogs or people. She also needs a lot of exercise, so we try to take her to doggy daycare every now and then to tire her out. Happy Mailman has been our primary doggy daycare provider for nearly 2 years (right about when they opened). We've also used Taurus. Well, a couple of months back, we took her to the Happy Mailman in Austin for boarding, while we went on a ski trip. So she stayed a few nights. She had stayed before, with minor problems. Bathroom problems. Runny stool for a couple/few days, etc. Sort of gross, but we figured that's just part of the game. The same had happened at Taurus. This time was different. She got back with bite marks on her. She also went from an incredibly gregarious and outgoing dog around other dogs to a standoffish and defensive dog around other dogs (although she's just now getting back to normal). Hmm. We didn't dwell on it too much, and although she still seems to avoid other dogs and otherwise act much more defensive when they come near her, we didn't hold it against Happy Mailman. A fight could happen anywhere. There had to be some isolated incident, we figured. Well, okay, so we decided to give Happy Mailman another shot. It was this past weekend, and my wife's sister was getting married. Last week, we were getting a new floor and a new air conditioning system (actually two of them). Lots was happening at our house. We were incredibly busy, but we called to make the boarding reservation. We asked what time we could bring her in on Saturday and were told "after 9." Okay. So I show up to drop off the little gal at around noon. Rejected. There's a window from 9-10 in the morning. And we missed the window. And they were sticklers about it, even though they had told us, simply, "after 9." Okay. Great. It left us in an INCREDIBLE bind. Normally, we'd just look up the dropoff times on the internet, but there was absolutely no reason to think "after 9" was not accurate information. And because they had conveyed incomplete information on the phone (and because there was room for our dog), surely they'd make an exception. Wrong. Surely, they'd accommodate us in some other way. Wrong. The minor illnesses were strike one. The bite marks were strike two. This incident was a double play to end the inning. Happy Mailman lost a customer, AND we're getting back money that we had paid in advance for daycare sessions. Moreover, whether it's the bite marks or behavioral changes or leaving someone in a bind at a critical time, I would hope you might think twice about using Happy Mailman. It's not as happy as advertised. These are the consequences of poor customer service and policies that are 1) not clearly communicated or 2) not bendable for a loyal customer. Ultimately, we scrambled and figured out a way to make everything work, although the timing was thrown off considerably and we did miss some of the all-important set-up helping-hand face-time beforehand. The entire weekend could have very well been a disaster, because, unlike with a cat, you can't just leave a dog by itself for a weekend. And finding some other way to board a dog at the very last second is not the easiest thing in the world.
F that place then. I always feel like a real prick when I board our dogs, almost to the point that it takes away from my enjoyment on vacation. The wife and I went to NYC for 3 nights earlier in the month, and instead of boarding, we asked one of our most trusted friends to housesit. She took them on long walks, they got to sleep in their own beds, no displacement freakout. It was a huge load off my shoulders on our trip, knowing where the dogs were, and who was taking care of them. It worked out well for both humans and mutts, and we'll certainly do this next time we leave town.
That really sucks. My dogs have a hard enough time when we board them, but the red flag would go up if their behavior around other dogs started to change. I've never heard of Happy Mailman before. Have you tried DogBoys? They have over 10 acres and several separate play areas, as well as a hiking trail, a pond, and an agility course. They're good about separating the dogs based on size and play style. They're kind of a drive (up in Pflugerville) but it's worth it for me because there is so much space and so many activities. They sleep for 2 days after they come home.
For you San Antone area folks, this is the place to take your dogs, and know they're in good hands: The Russell Inn
I am looking into boarding my pup even though I don't want to. I had heard of this company and was going to look into them. I don't think I will now. I know I won't. Thank you. Whicks, yours is one I was to research. Your post carries clout, ty as well.
GB, other than maybe location, what made you choose them in the first place and why do they get your recommendation. I don't think you are the type to loosely fix your name on a recommendation so I am curious what sets them apart from others.
That is a really good question because they are pretty far from where we live. All of these might be avail at other kennels, I could not say for sure. The most important is that my dog seems to come home happy which has not been our experience at some kennels. 1. The price, while not the best in town is quite fair and when we had 2 dogs they let them stay in the same kennel for a minimal upcharge (like $3/day) 2. The "kennel" is really just a big climate controlled room (garage) with chicken wire type fences around the dog's spaces, but my dogs seem to like that better and I feel better about the high ceilings in this room. It feels more "open" than the average kennel and that makes me feel like my dog is less cramped. 3. The staff actually spends playtime with the dogs. 4. They give good baths 5. There are dogs they let wander around the place (not my dog, unfortunately b.c she is territorial) but the fact that they give this freedom to the dogs makes me feel better about my dog's playtime. 6. They let us bring in her bed so she is more comfortable. 7. They dont charge extra for giving her her medicine. She has Addison's disease and has to take a prednisone pill every day. Most importantly, she never comes home aloof and tentative like she has at other kennels.
I work for a training/boarding/daycare center here in austin and my recommendation is to research. Take a tour, ask to see a play session, ask other owner's any questions you might have. Ask about the average number of dogs per day. Most importantly, ask about the staff, their shift hours, their number of personnel per day/shift. Dogboy's seems like heaven but they are kind of far, little more pricey, and are full a lot of the times. I've taken my dogs there and they come home exhausted! barking hound doesn't accept all type of dog breeds but their "open air kennels" seem kind of neat. taurus notes every little detail about your dog (favorite playmates, eye boogers, behavioral issues, etc). if you want, you can PM me and i can tell you where i work and let you know about every detail. i personally recommend it and leave my dogs at my work if i have to go out of town for the weekend.
