Camp Diggity Dogs — Attraction in Hot Springs

I began using this grooming facility a few months ago and realized fairly quickly that I couldn’t afford to have my two small dogs groomed here every month as it cost me almost $150 by the time I paid the grooming fee and minimum tip. So I opted to have them groomed every other month. I also live 20 miles away from them. No matter how early I dropped off my dogs, they were never ready for at least seven hours. So, I had to either find something to do in Hot Springs for that length of time, or I had to drive into town and back home twice in one day, resulting in 80 miles for two round trips. Then back in February (2023), a week after the dogs were groomed, they went to our vet to have their teeth cleaned. The staff picked them up and immediately asked if I wanted to have their nails trimmed while they were having their teeth cleaned. That cost another $30 because Camp Diggity Dogs didn’t take care of it while they were grooming my little guys. Then I was called by the vet to say one of my boys needed to have a tooth pulled because it was loose. He’s only four years old and had never had a problem with his teeth. I’ll admit he doesn’t like grooming and can be a handful, but one of the times he was groomed the groomer admitted that she “swatted” him because he tried to bite the woman who shampooed him. They were all made aware that he would struggle, but he had never tried to bite anyone. I can’t prove his tooth was loosened while at the facility, but I have to wonder. I was sick during the month of April and couldn’t take the dogs for their grooming that month, and getting an appointment changed takes several weeks. I had already decided to try a groomer closer to where I live, but I made an appointment in early April for a grooming in mid June. I got an email from CDD on May 31, reminding me that the boys had their appointments on June 1. I hadn’t realized they were still in the system, so I decided to give it one more try since the dogs hadn’t been groomed since February and it was another three and a half weeks before I could get them to the new groomer. I wish I had waited. I dropped them off at CDD at 8:00am, and I didn’t get a call that they were ready until almost 3:30. I had to drive into HS (30 minute drive one way), pick them up, and drive home. One of my dogs is 14, and he wears a belly band because he has an incontinence problem. When we got home and I tried to change his diaper, he began to squirm and whimper. I saw blood on the diaper and found a raw spot about two inches in diameter on the right side of his belly. He had been shaved so close that he was bleeding. This is a dog who doesn’t move when he’s groomed, so it wasn’t like they had to fight him to get to that place. So, I had to rush him to my vet ten minutes before closing. That visit cost $276 and change for an urgent care visit. Camp Diggity Dogs has seen the last of me. They’re too expensive, I question the length of time the dogs are kept, I’ve given written notes on what needed to be done (nails trimmed, anal glands emptied, trim ear hair shorter), and these things were often ignored. And I’ve asked them to keep my dog that has anxiety and gets antsy in his kennel. That request was ignored as well. This last time I got something from the vet to calm him down and asked that they keep him in his kennel when they weren’t working on him. They told me he was better so they left him out with all the other dogs, again ignoring my request. They’re too expensive, they’re too busy, so they don’t need...

I was excited to find a place here in town where dogs could actually play with each other instead of being stuck in a kennel all day. Although the facility looks clean and the staff I met were friendly, I experienced multiple issues with my rescue after trips to Camp Diggity Dog last year. I used day care services a few times prior to boarding her for 2 nights (partially per their requirement to board). The first trip was fine and she came home exhausted. But she also came home covered in fleas despite being on an internal preventative.

Prior to boarding, we had worked on her food aggression for about 8 months and it was no longer an issue. After boarding for 2 nights, she was worse than before she ever went. Over a year later, I am STILL working on fixing this issue. The few times I took her to daycare (and boarding), she came home with fleas (I have NEVER had fleas in my home). She ALSO came home with kennel cough which required medication. Both issues seem to be ongoing (I've received several emails regarding kennel cough breakout notices). After boarding, I took her to daycare one other time. She was TERRIFIED when I dropped her off, so much so that they had to carry her to the back. For these reasons alone, I will NEVER take any of my dogs there again.

Their prices are also ridiculously high. They only offer a daily flat rate for daycare regardless of how many hours they are there. They also charged me a late pick up fee after boarding which they did not tell me about. When asked how late I could pick up on a Sunday, I was told the time but there were NO mention of the after hours pick up charge. I think it was another $25.

This is also not the place for the common dog owner. This is a hoity toity place full of expensive pure breeds. Even the owner is a breeder despite resharing social media posts from our city's animal services division encouraging adoption and spay/neuter. It's all...

DO NOT LEAVE YOUR LITTLE LOVED ONES WITH THESE ANIMALS!!!! BUNCH OF CARELESS ENTITLED TEENAGERS! WITNESSED BROWN HAIRED "HIRING LADY" KICK SOMEONES DOG RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME WHILE PICKING MY BABY UP! All of that sweet kind fake friendlinese they show, stops at the front desk. Wish I would of witnessed this BEFORE leaving my baby with them! ABSOLUTELY NEVER AGAIN. This facility and the people there should not be caring for animals! Not only were these aloof highschool-musical TEENAGE employees deliberately disrespecting me WHILE I was speaking, cutting me off and talking back to me with an attitude worse than my daughter, but they showed a complete lack of empathy towards any of my questions or health concerns about my dogs stay when I came to pick them up. THEN, I witness this brown haired lady who I was told was the hiring manager for this place, KICK SOMEONES LARGE WHITE POODLE! That poor dog yelped so loud! Whoever is the owner of this dog, if your dog comes home injured, this is why. I don't know if the owner of this poor poodle was present at the time, as they were being transitioned from the yard to inside and there was no one else in the entry room waiting. But this woman working there, along with the small blonde girl at the front desk, both had absolutely no respect towards me or my boy, or that poor poodle who was violently kicked and clearly in pain. THIS IS ANIMAL ABUSE! This woman looked right at me and pretended I didn't notice. But I did, and this is getting reported! THESE PEOPLE ARE PURE EVIL and NOBODY should be leaving their loved ones under this kind of supervision. I recommend any other daycare. Better off leaving your little ones at home alone than this place!...