Dogtown — Attraction in Jacksonville

We left our pups here for 5 nights in August. As we have occasionally done in the past since our dogs have had no issues with the food provided, we did not bring our dogs' food. We were told in our tour last year that food was included in the price if you do not bring their own food, and nothing has ever been said when we have not brought food. Suddenly, that policy is no longer in effect (even though this facility's phone system refers to it as "all inclusive"). We were told we either had to pay for each feeding or we had to purchase a bag of food from Earthpets. The very nice owner of Earthpets helped me choose a bag that was similar to what we normally feed them. The food would not have bothered us if we had not been led to believe it was included, and the receptionist repeatedly told us this has always been a policy here.

When we returned to pick them up, one dog's blanket was not ready (we were told it was in a "locked" washer), and we would have to make a second trip to retrieve it. No alternative was given for the blanket to be mailed to us. When we got everybody and everything home, we realized our lab had feces stuck to her hair. Her elbows were red, swollen, and inflamed and our other dog was very stiff and sore, an obvious indication that the bed we provided for them had not been in their kennel. We found their treat bags were still full; none had been given at all. Then we realized their $100+ memory foam bed had been destroyed and then placed back inside the cover (probably someone had hopes we wouldn't notice...). Our smaller pup had diarrhea that night and all the next day. The following day I took her to our vet for bloody diarrhea and vomiting. She was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis, caused by a high fat diet. Since the food we spent so much money on at Earthpets was healthy and none of the treats we had taken were fed to our dogs, it makes me wonder just what the heck our dogs were given. After a $299 vet bill, days of my dog being miserable, and weeks of medicine and special dieting, my dog is finally recovering.

The day we returned for the blanket, we asked to speak to management and were told that she was not there but answers emails very quickly. We sent an email but never heard from the manager at all. We resent the email a couple of days later, and the owner responded. He said he would meet with management and that we would be given a refund of the boarding and a 5 night credit for a future stay (which we will not be using for obvious reasons). He said he could not explain the bed. This was not the "luxury boarding" treatment that I paid for and expected my dogs to receive.

Response to owner: Just because I was issued a refund does not mean other people should not have the right to hear the truth about the facility. The defensive denials after being presented with photo evidence make me discourage anyone from going here. I am not sure where you got your information, but we have in fact left our dogs at your facility before without bringing their food. The bed was in perfect condition before we left it, and it is now destroyed (as evidenced in the pictures we sent you). We were also told in our initial tour last year that we could leave the bed but it would not be washed because the washers were incapable of that. We agreed that that the dogs needed the bed, and we would take care of washing it when we returned from picking them up. I'm not sure when that changed either, but the bed was destroyed. Yes, we received a refund for boarding, but we are still out the cost of the bed, the vet bill (plus recheck in a few days), and the misery of our pets while left in the "luxury" care of your facility.

Over a year later: my dog still suffers from occasional recurrent bouts of pancreatitis. We had to purchase a new memory foam bed for our other dog. We have since hired a sitter to come stay at the house when we are out of town. That has incredibly eased our peace of minds. We will never board again and do not recommend this...

PLEASE READ IF YOUR ARE CONSIDERING THIS PLACE FOR BOARDING! THIS PLACE LEAVES DOG IN THEIR KENNELS FOR HOURS ON END TO PEE ON THEMSELVES.

I brought my dog here to be boarded for an extended weekend- first they told me my dog has to have a mandatory bath if they are staying more than a day- and they charged me for it with no option to skip- which was odd to me but was clear why upon returning to pick up my dog Lucy…. Even though they said they just bathed her, her feet and legs and bottom were stained yellow- I have a white large standard poodle- and she reeked of urine!! I asked them about it and they said she just peed on herself in her cage - my dog is fully potty trained she never makes accidents in the house and this was all over her like she had been laying in her urine. So I inquired further about how long she was left in the cage….they started to stutter on their words so I got suspicious and asked to see the facilities in the back- I ended up getting one of the younger employees to confirm my suspicion- they do NOT take the dogs out of the kennel to go to the bathroom nearly enough! they don’t go outside either- my dog was left in her kennel for hours on end- and only taken out once to poop- she sat in her urine inside her cage for hours!!! . My dog was acting lethargic and depressed for days after I picked her up- my fiancé noticed her behavior change also. After speaking to the employees and the head groomer- no one was able to answer my question about why they were leaving my dog for hours on end to pee on herself- I paid a lot of money for them to provide top care while I was away!!!-they won’t show you the kennels where the dogs are staying either- it’s blocked off so you can’t actually see through the glass doors. You need to ask them about how often they take the dogs out- and where they go to the bathroom- it’s appalling to me how mistreated my dog was here!!! Do your due diligence, this place does not have the means to take care of the amount of dogs they accept- your dog will be stuck in a small kennel all day- except for a small break where they go into a urine and feces infested indoor grass area.

Im not one to usually complain. But this was a disgrace and I want to protect other peoples pets from experiencing this. It took days and days and multiple baths to try to get the urine stains out of my dogs hair! I had to end up cutting her hair to get it out!

This place charges a premium and acts like this is a resort style stay for your dog- it is not! Please think twice before boarding your dog here. I saw reviews and thought it would be good but people don’t ask enough questions- they wash your dog before they return them to you to get all the urine off so you won’t ask questions but my dog is white, the amount of urine and ammonia smell was...

I took my dog there 4 or 5 times for day care. I planned to board him but my trip was canceled and I'm thankful I didn't let him spend the night. The last day I took him for daycare was 12/23, the day before Dogtown closed for the holiday. When I picked my dog up, he was panting so hard, I thought he might pass out. It was out of character for him. When he got home, he drank 2 bowls of water which is also not typical for him. Upon further inspection, I noticed a large scratch on his nose (see photos).

Every time I picked up my dog, the worker just handed me the leash without saying anything. I understand that water was available during the day and maybe he didn't drink that day. I also understand that sometimes dogs play rough and he may have been scratched, however, I would have greatly appreciated someone letting me know what happened that day.

As soon as I noticed the scratch, I called and left a message for Dogtown explaining what happened. They were closed so they called me back on Monday 12/28 and told me that water is always available for the dogs and that the dogs are wiped down before returning to their owners. While I also understand that this may be the protocol, my dog either did not get a thorough wipe down or whoever did so saw the scratch and disregarded it because it was noticeable just by looking at his face. I spoke with Liz and she did apologize but did not take any ownership. She apologized that he was hurt in a sympathetic sort of way. I believe the best course of action would have been to further investigate what happened, see if she could find out who sent my dog home or if they noticed any scratches, or even just apologize for the negligence on their part and recognize that it WAS negligence. Instead, Liz defended her staff, told me what should have happened at dismissal and gave me excuses. She did offer to let the on staff vet look at his nose, but I told her I would be going elsewhere. If you're thinking about Dogtown, you should look...