Tails of the City~Dog and Puppy Daycare

Oct 2022

TLDR; Some handlers here are great, communicative but overall Tails' reports of incidents, transparency about handler training/daycare facilities, and management needs improvement.My rescue dog had been coming to TOTC for about 2 years until I received an alarming email several days after her boarding, kicking her out of the pack in August this year. After several calls and emails trying to understand what happened, I've come to understand that when the doorbell for parents picking up their pups rang, my dog would get overly excited, run to the door and nip other dogs who got too close to her, resulting in aggressive dogs getting riled up and biting her. My dog has isolation anxiety so I work with a trainer to help her remain calm while alone, but I didn't know the extent of the stress it was for staff to keep her away from the entrance nor how it was with other dogs. She is not aggresive with other dogs or staff, she is friendly at dog parks, but will communicate as a dog to other dogs to stay away from her if they get too close. At TOTC she was bit by a Husky in August and that was the incident that removed her from the pack. I only received 2 incident reports in the last 2 years, both detailing that another aggressive dog bit her. Emailing with the manager was unhelpful and stressful. They even said she would never be allowed back even with training, which is opposite of the rules on the TOTC site. I wish I had learned earlier what happened and could've worked with my trainer to catch this behavior sooner and resolve it. There was no communication with me when I picked my dog up from boarding. It wasn't until days later that I received the email, which was very rude and lacking critical details. They canceled all future reservations, which led me to having to cancel 2 work trips last minute. It's taken months, but I've been able to find new care facilities and handlers who have webcams, trained staff, and have options for moving anxious dogs to separate rooms when the main playroom is too exciting. There are also no doorbells/buzzers in these facilities. I've also noticed a large turnover in staff at TOTC and it was unclear what the training is for new handlers there. For new pups/parents, I would make sure to question if your dog returns with any nicks/marks to understand exactly what happened. I could tell my dog enjoyed her time there and there were a few lovely people who cared for her, so it's been extremely unfortunate how this happened, especially because it could've been handled and resolved without this much stress.

Mar 2022

Georgetown location is wonderful! My dog is a…character…and he is not shy about expressing his feelings about anything to me, so I know he absolutely loves coming here. When we go to the groomer or vet he actually tries to jump back in the car and I have to carry him in. But when he goes to daycare he practically tries to break the door down, he’s so excited to go inside. I have high standards about who I leave my dog with and I know I can trust TOTC with him!

Mar 2022

My coonhound loves this place. She gets excited as soon as we park on the street. She comes home super tired which gives us a much needed break. Prices are reasonable and location is super convenient.