Social Pet at Pineville — Attraction in Pineville

The worst experience I have had with dog boarding. I took my 3 year old dog for boarding, he was there an entire week. I had given them my sisters number as an emergency contact however she was going to be out of town with us so I gave them another individual. On the second day of my dog's stay they were sending picture to my sister (who was the emergency contact). I called an asked them to please send them to me, they said no problem. No big deal really. I never received any other pictures after that. (This was on a Sunday). I called on Thursday to ask them to give him a ice cream and to check on him. At that time the lady informed me that he had to be taken out of group play because he was growling at the other dogs. My dog plays loud, I informed them of this from the beginning. He has been to two other boarding facilities and at home daycare and we have NEVER had an issue. She told me he had been taken out of group for the past two days. She also informed me they were sending pictures to a wrong number. She was going to get more information about his removal from group and call me back. When she called back later that day she told me he was removed because he was nipping at other dogs, a behavior he has never shown before. I find it odd that he only did this while in the care of this facility. She told me they would try him in group again in the morning. The next morning, I got a picture of his one on one time, so much for trying him in group again. When we went to go pick him up on Saturday we got a completely different story from the lady working the front desk. She told us he had only been taken out of group on Thursday, I was told on Thursday when I called it had been the past two days. She also informed me that he had group play with a smaller group of dogs in the AM and did fine and had one on one time in the evening, which makes no sense compared to the information we received from the lady we spoke to on Thursday. Not to mention, not one person ever called to inform me they were having issues with my dog and he had to be removed from group play. Makes me seriously wonder if they even have a clue as to what went on with my dog while he was there. I was told the manager would call me. Still waiting on that phone call. Needless to say, we will be taking him back to Dogtopia where the staff love him and never have a bad thing to say about him. He plays with large groups, small groups, large dogs, small dogs and NEVER has any issues.

In response to Social Pet's comment, let me clarify a few statements. First and foremost, not one person from Social Pet contacted me, despite them stating 'our contact with you'. I called them on Thursday of my dog's stay and that is when I was informed of their issues with my dog. Still today I have not received a single phone call from anyone at this business. Second, the statement below from Social Pet yet again, states a different scenario for my dog's stay, this will be the fourth story I have heard. Social Pet will not convince me that my dog's personality and behavior changed with a snap of the finger. We took him to the puppy store and Home Depot the day after we picked him up and he was fine. The knee that gave him the trouble with his luxating patella was fixed two years ago. If you didn't see him limping, it wasn't giving him problems. And even when his bad knee did give him problems, he never acted out. He is afraid of loud noises, not strange places, never has been. He only had one day assessment when he stayed at Dogtopia for a week and had no issues. He loves going to places, new and old, there has never been an issue with that. As far as him lunging at the gate to enter the play area, he probably did jump toward the gate, he does this at home with the door, he's a dog. If you expect them to sit in a straight line and wait you're in the wrong business. The extreme lack of communication on behalf of this facility and the unprofessionalism ...

I have been bringing my dog here for daycare since I adopted her about two years ago. The staff here has always been great with her and I always get a picture of her so I know she is doing well. I love the new smaller group activities they do and my dog always comes home worn out and calm. I would definitely recommend Social Pet!

**Edit: April 11, 2019. I have been taking my dogs (I now have two!) to Social Pet for over three years now. It is still a great place for my pups and they come home worn-out and happy. Unfortunately, I have recently experienced an issue here and can no longer rate this as 5 stars. I have seen many changes in Social Pet over the past 3 or 4 years, many of them for the better. I have recommended Social Pet to my friends and have had nothing but positive things to say about my experiences here. Unfortunately, I can no longer stand by my previous 5-star review. Last week, I went to pick up my dogs and there was some confusion regarding policy and fee changes that had not been communicated with me clearly, and had not been put in writing as they have been in the past. I was surprised by an unexpected fee, and in my conversation with the owner, I tried to receive clarification from her, and explain what I had been told by another employee. The owner’s response was very short and condescending, telling me that I had “gotten lucky” that they hadn’t charged me these fees earlier, and it sounded like she thought I might have been trying to “get away with something.” This week, more fees were increased even though the date that had been verbally shared with me had not yet arrived. As a teacher, I plan my budget each month and work extra hours so I can afford to bring my pups here. They love it, and so do I. I must say, however, that after two weeks in a row of surprise fee increases, I am disappointed in the lack of communication regarding these changes. As a loyal customer for the past 4 years, I have never had a problem with ANY of the employees here before. They have all been super nice, and they have all seemed to truly love my dogs. I understand policies and fees change and respect that businesses must grow and evolve. My problem is the lack of communication regarding recent fee changes and, more importantly, how my situation was handled by the owner...

Was considering switching to Social Pet from our current care provider based on proximity to our home. Called and spoke with Angela, I believe, who was very thorough in her explanation of their operation. Their rates are higher than hoped, but agreed to come in for evaluation to see if our dog was considered acceptable for large group play (lower boarding rate). I asked if we could have a nail trim as she was in desperate need due to COVID, and staying home, I was told absolutely. I showed up the next day, and the young woman up front was not very personable. When I asked if they could do the nail trim first (so she would be more comfortable running around playing and wouldn't potentially scratch another dog), I was very sharply told that they do not do grooming the same day as evaluations. I explained that I had been told I could, and she seemed put out, and said whatever they'll do it. She then called someone to get my dog, I told that person that I had asked her nails be done first and was cut-off saying we don't do that. The other girl up front said i told him we would, and off they went. I was then given a partial tour of the facility. I asked to see where my dog would be kept and was told I could not see it, there are dogs in there. I've toured a number of facilities and have never been told I can't see the space where my dog would be kept. i then asked if they would send a picture, and was told no. Very strange. I then later received a call stating our dog was not suitable for large group, she was being submissive to the other dogs, and wasn't comfortable. She has done large group her whole life, at three different other facilities. She gets excited if you say doggy daycare, and can't wait to go, so this was very surprising. They charge more for boarding if you are not in large group, so maybe that's a motivating factor? They did send pictures and the report card was a very nice touch. Facility seemed to be clean and well kept. I'm sure I just had an off experience based on the other reviews, but for the reasons listed, we will be staying with our...