My original kennel closed and so in desperation I called canine companions to book a weekend stay for my dog (incl play time). Although apprehensive because I had been told by another friend that CC mis-treated her puppy a while ago, i decided to leave my puppy anyhow. I felt reassured because the front desk staff was very nice and seemed competent. I watched my dog on occasion via the puppy cam and noticed that he seemed less playful than usual. The very morning I returned to town I went to pick my dog up and noticed he still wasn't his usual playful self and he was whimpering. I asked the attendant at CC how my dog was acting with them, because he is usually very playful and this was just not like him. The man reassured me that he played well and was healthy and even went as far as to say "he didn't have any runny stools or anything". At the time i thought it a bit odd to just mention that, but i shrugged it off and loaded my dog into the car thinking maybe he was just tired. After getting a better look at my dog on the way home, i then realized he was more than tired, he was lethargic. He wouldn't eat the treats I bought for him (mind you he's an incredibly greedy dog) and vomited twice on the way home! At home he vomited once more and had very runny stool for the next day. My husband called CC to speak w/ a manager regarding my dog's condition. They offered to have their vet see our dog, but i refused to take him back to them for anything (even though i opted for the insurance package that covers your pet for 72 hrs after you pick them up). I just didn't trust them anymore. I took my dog to his normal vet to find out that my dog was severely dehydrated and hadn't eaten in a while?? After two days of feeding my dog white rice and pedialyte he's finally starting to get back to his usual playful self. Please reconsider taking your pet to Canine Companions (or at least don't leave your pet there overnight)! The price you pay definitely does not match the quality of service you receive back!
Taken Aback (2008-06-14)
Having read bad news about my favorite boarding/training/vet/doggy day care/grooming facility, I am shocked to find all of the negative words about them. At the time of my writing, there is only one review on this site and it is bad. After further investigation, I found the exact same review (word for word) on many other pet review sites and believe that one person is posting it everywhere in an attempt to slander the business or perhaps it's owner, Bryan. I have been bringing my dogs to Canine companions for two years now and have gotten to know and trust the employees and staff, including the owner, who I respect and think very highly of. I don't know if someone out there wants to intentionally hurt the reputation of the place, or if the bad words are an exaggerated reaction to a problem that one dog owner had encountered,but I do know that if the situation had been brought to Bryan Bailey's attention, he would have dealt with it fairly, and in a timely manner. The staff at Canine is very helpful and courteous and they really do love the animals. Every effort is made to take the best care of them that is possible, I am positive. If an animal became ill after leaving the facility and the owner made no attempt to let Bryan or the staff know that the animal was ill, then there was no way for anyone to help the owner in the situation. I have never met an upset customer in the lobby and have never seen a dog that did not look healthy there. I have never had my dogs groomed, but have heard gushing praises doled out to the groomer over the wonderful job that she does. She was voted among the top two groomers in the area recently by a "best of Bloomington" poll, I had read. The facility is always clean and well cared-for. If the staff and the owner really were heartless and didn't care, then they wouldn't have such a nice place and a devoted following. I recommend Canine Companions very highly.
informatics (2008-07-31)
We recently lost our vet here in Bloomington, so for the first time, we took our 2 year old labradoodle to a different vet, Canine Companions. I can't tell you how uncomfortable
I feel about the whole situation. Even though the vet knew it was our
first time there, she never introduced herself to me or my dog. I'm also concerned about the procedures that we went through where her assistant handled my dog (quite awkwardly I must say) which only made my dog nervous (which NEVER happens). Just a bit of background, my dog loves EVERYONE, is always more than happy to greet
people and befriend them. She has also never been anything but
excited to visit the vet. The shots never seemed to bother her, she was just so pleased to get to go see a friend in her vet. Also, I asked the vet if she could clip my dog's nails because she gives me a bit of a struggle (I accidentally cut her quick once and she has never lets me forget it :) Only a single paw needed to be trimmed so the vet
took care of that, no problems. It wasn't until I got home to learn
that I was charged $15 for for my dog's nails to be trimmed. This seems ridiculous to me, that we will pay to take our puppy to the vet and something as small as the vet helping us trim one of her paws, that's right ONE paw needed to be trimmed -- $15! Overall, this was a horrible experience. Quite different when compared to our experience when working with their former trainer, Brian Fullerton (WONDERFUL with dogs, pretty much Bloomington's dog whisperer). Too bad he is no longer at CC.
Starr (2008-08-27)
I personally had a negative experience at Canine Companions and would not advocate or recommend their services. I had a family emergency that required I leave Indiana for three weeks at which time, I boarded my dog and cat. The employess were disrespectful when I telephoned to confirm how my dog and cat were doing; particularly the office manager Brian Fullerton I felt their attitude was about power, control,dominance and manipulation not about the animals or what would be considered good business practice and ethics. I would just encourage people to please, please do their home work and not be fooled by the appearance of the facility(has nothing to do with how your animals are treated)and if you love your pet do not ascertain their services. Cordially, Starr
