Dogtopia of Frederick — Attraction in Ballenger Creek

Leaving 2 stars because there are definitely worse places to go and have never had any direct issues with staff. However this incident does warrant a 1 star as I won't be returning and won't be referring anyone.

Did a three night boarding over the weekend (Friday afternoon-Monday afternoon) and received a report card with praises my dog did well, "Pepper plays hard but knows when it is time to rest" We noticed she was limping and once home she was shaking not wanting to move out of her bed. We inspected to find multiple puncture wounds on her ear, front leg, and the worst being her back thigh. Emergency Vet said that based on healing the incident happened on first or second day of her stay. They cleaned her up and gave us antibiotics and pain medication but warned us to keep constant supervision of her back leg because of the severity and potential for complications that could lead to surgery. She is able to limp walk but is heavily sedated from pain medication. Returning to the vet to check progress of her healing at the end of the week.

Called and spoke with GM and Owner who were both very professional stating it was noted her and another dog got caught on each other's collars while playing and panicked but were immediately attended to, nothing else was noticed nor injuries documented. (other than taking time to treat crate rub on her nose, which is a typical thing for my dog and why I don't take her to places she's in a crate for an extended amount of time) We are receiving a full refund for our last stay due to the situation. Want to state that there is an understanding these things can happen with open play times and accepted that risk- however we won't be returning due to the oversight, not informing us, and potential that this injury could have been much worse had it gotten infected in the days it wasn't treated.

This review is for Frederick, MD Dogtopia with Pepper under a different last name than referenced on this Google user account. Attached image description: back of dog's upper right thigh with two puncture wounds 1/4 inch and 1/2...

One of our biggest came true in this place. We were looking for a place where I could day our dog Max for daycare (for socialization mostly) and also board. During the meet and greet all was great, include first day of daycare. We were having a special event and therefore decided to board Max for 1 night only. I was shown the suite and made arrangements to reserve with the manager. Saturday we drop off at 9am, his dog bed, food, and medication. Max has severe separation anxiety and I confirm suite would be best because he cannot tolerate being left alone in crate for too long. I confirm with the front desk girl I will be picking up at 9am Sunday, though outside of regular hours they confirmed would put note for the morning staff. I get there and no one is there, I can hear Maxie’s bark from the outside. I peak inside and he was in a crate where he could barely stand. He looked panicked. 9:30 came around and still no one there, sent out an email to the location and finally get a call from the manager. He apologized and confirmed someone would be getting there shortly. Young lady gets there 9:45am, she apologized and I asked why he was in the crate, she advised probably because of after his breakfast. Then she shows me picture of how he was found when the morning staff got there. I then realized he was never put into the suite. He spend the whole night in the crate, he bend the metal nada and he physically hurt himself. They apologized again and confirmed they made a mistake. Manager refunded my money but what they don’t realize is all the damage they have cost to my pup. He came home with scratches so deep around his nose, paws, varies part of his body. He was a pup who didn’t like the crate but would tolerate it to now being completely afraid. He had blood in his stool for days. Please be careful in taking your dogs here. I wouldn’t wish this on anyone. It’s been 3 weeks since the experience and he even cries if we drive by it. The manager did try to apologize and confirm a mistake was made but I will never go back to that place. Trust was...

I don’t usually write reviews, but after what happened to our dog at Dogtopia, I feel it’s important to share our experience. Over the course of just four months, our dog was injured three different times while in their care.

First incident: Our dog came home with kennel cough, but nothing was mentioned to us at pick-up. While we understand that illness can occur in communal settings, it wasn’t until later that same day - after we noticed her coughing at home - that we realized something was wrong. We had to take her to the vet, where she was treated with antibiotics.

Second incident: She sustained a severe cut on her ear that required stitches. We were told it occurred during play, but there was little explanation, no detailed incident report, and a noticeable lack of empathy from the staff.

Third and final incident: She had a puncture wound near her left shoulder that we weren’t told about until pick-up; approximately two hours after it happened. When we questioned the delay, the manager, Michael, stated that he had administered first aid but instructed another coworker to contact us; who failed to do so. When we pointed out how unacceptable that was, he shifted the blame to the coworker for not informing us sooner instead of taking responsibility. After taking her to the vet, it was found that the wound was infected which further motivated us to both unenroll our dog from their care and write this review.

Three injuries in four months, with the last one being both mishandled and poorly communicated, is absolutely unacceptable. This level of negligence and lack of ownership from management makes it very clear that this is not a safe or trustworthy environment. We will never bring our dog back and strongly urge others to reconsider leaving their pets here.

Additionally, from reviewing other reviews - which I should have done first - it looks like this is a common occurrence, and the manager will often paint your dog as the problem when concerns...