Jenni and I planned a nice trip to Tahoe to watch the grandchildren while my daughter & her husband did some business stuff. We also planned a day just for us. It was a great weekend filled with us, kids and fun.
One problem was what to do with our new 4 month old puppy. She is crate trained and doing really well and we were letting her be a puppy before I started doing formal training. We have never had to board our dogs before because of our previous situations. Kids at home or just having dogs old enough to take care of themselves, with a little help from family. We had left Lucy, our puppy, with her mom last time. However, Lucy is growing fast and is full of all the energy that a Brittney is known for. She has become just too much for her mom to handle.
We got a referral from a trusted friend about a family that did dog boarding close to our house. Now this friend has had dogs for years and we know them to be loving, caring people who I would leave Lucy with in a second! However, again Lucy is a puppy and a handful, and they are also getting use to a new dog in their family.
I called and spoke to the boarder and he seemed very nice. We went over Lucy, her being a puppy, me holding off on formal training etc... He seemed like a good fit and affordable. I made the appointment.
Upon getting there I was taken back by where they were going to keep Lucy at night. It was 2 rows of large dog carriers, the kind you transport your dog to the vet in. However, I told myself it was only at night and Lucy was small. The lady seemed a little strange and I got a uncomfortable feeling. We had to leave that day so I had few options. I went over Lucy with her and she put Lucy in the play yard.
About 1/2 hour before we left she called me. She said that Lucy's ears were really dirty and she would like permission to clean them. I said OK. She said she was surprised that she didn't have an infection. That surprised me because I had Lucy into my vet just a few days before. They always do the same thing each time. They pull her ears back and look/smell them, look in her mouth, press on her tummy ect.. Then they take care of whatever I have taken her in for. I was surprised that they didn't say anything. No problem having her clean Lucy's ears... wrong...
She then said that Lucy chased her cat. I told them Lucy chased cats. She is a bird dog. She chases them and when she gets close she just points at them.. That's what pointer's do... She doesn't want to catch it just get close and point. She said to correct it she used a pinch collar and the problem stopped. Remember it was 1/2 hour before we left and I didn't know what a pinch collar was. I asked if other than that, if Lucy was OK. She said she was.
On to the vacation....
On Sunday Jenni called and asked how late we could come get Lucy. She said 6:00pm no later. If we were later Lucy would have to spend another night. She then said that she forgot to tell me that the ear cleaning was an additional $15.00! Jenni got off the phone and said she wanted her dog back NOW! She also didn't have a good feeling about her being there.
I agreed and we headed home as fast as we could and not get a ticket. We got there with 20 min. to spare and took our puppy home. When we got home Lucy, as excited as she was headed right for her food. She ate and ate and ate. When she was done I checked her ears. They were clean except a cut where she nicked her ear trimming the hair.. Now I'm getting mad. I then looked up what a pinch collar was.
They used this thing on my puppy! I looked it up and all the good trainers said you never use one of these things on a puppy! They should only be used by a trained professional and only to change dangerous behavior like running into the street or fighting! This boarder used one on my puppy without my permission!
Well I think you can guess I'm never going to take my puppy back there again. These people are nuts.
I take a lot of pride in having the best trained dog in the block. I have never had to resort to these types of training tools. I think that if you use love, caring and a positive experience a dog will want to do what you are asking of it. Training should always be fun and a positive experience for the dog. It has always worked for me! And yes...I think I have always had the best trained dog on the block.
I'm really sad that Lucy had to go there. It is my fault because I didn't do my homework and insure that she was in a safe loving environment. Now I will take some time and go find a boarder that will fit Lucy's and my needs... It is only the right thing to do!
The body is sick, but thanks to Jesus the soul is alive and well...
