Tailchasers Barrington Pet Resort — Local services in Lake Barrington

I will preface this review with the fact that I contacted Tail Chasers the day of my concerns to address them directly with management prior to leaving this review. I don’t believe in berating businesses online, but I do believe consumers should make informed decisions. I wish I had read more into the reviews— especially how TC is responding to negative ones— before we tried this place.

Upon dropping our dog off for a 1-night stay, we were immediately suggested to purchase a bath because their play yard is muddy. It seemed a little sale-sy from the get go but we agreed to purchase a bath and looked past the awkward start. That night we received an email asking again if we wanted a bath and that all baths would be completed by 8am. The next day, I called TC to check in and see if our dog was ready for pickup. Staff reported that our dog had just finished her bath and was ready. We also confirmed her remaining play time would be canceled so she stayed clean. I arrived promptly for pickup to see our dog coming inside from playtime and not bathed. Staff asked me if I would leave and come back later so she could be bathed. I declined.

Not getting a bath isn’t the end of the world— I can do so at home— but what concerns me more is the poor communication. If all of those conversations around a bath were missed, what else gets missed about the animals’ care? Furthermore, while finishing payment, another staff member brought 2 dogs through the lobby and allowed them to approach my dog on leash. Thankfully there was no aggression, but the excitement caused my dog’s leash to get wrapped around me. Basic dog etiquette would tell you that a dog’s on-leash behavior, especially with their owner present, cannot be guaranteed just because you previously observed their off-leash behavior when their owner wasn’t present. That action was unfair to all 3 dogs involved and could’ve been detrimental. Per my phone call, this was reported to happen often, as there is only 1 way throughout the building and yard.

Upon getting home, my dog immediately drank an ENTIRE bowl of water. I began unpacking her bag to find everything reeking of bleach but yet her dog bowl slimy with breakfast remnants. We had packed her meals in individual, measured, and labeled ziplock bags, yet found a typed up note indicating that we are required to provide individual, measured meals for her next stay..? Call it a mistake for slipping that note in her bag “out of habit” or “convenience” for education of their customers, but I can only overlook so many miscommunications/ mistakes/ oversights/ whatever you want to name it.

My follow up phone call with the owner confirmed what I see below in previous reviews- Tail Chasers will defend their actions to dissatisfied customers and make little to no effort to correct mistakes or try to regain their business. For a business that boasts their awards, highly skilled training, and family-centered practices all over their website, I would’ve expected much more attention to detail and even better customer service.

Speaking of service, when I called to ask to speak to management, I was told “management JUST left for the day” but I could be called back later. Upon receiving a call later, the owner told me they first followed up with staff. So is it a placeholder to defer complaint calls so all staff can get their story straight first? I truly want to give the benefit of the doubt when it is deserved. But I’m really having a hard time with this one. I also asked to forward the bath email back to management so they could see the mistake. I was given a different email address than what is listed on the website, so I’m honestly not surprised I didn’t get a response. So many things just don’t add up about this business and that’s a risk that should be avoided...

There is no effective communication. Sure they listen and answer the phone kindly, but one hand doesn’t know what the other is doing. I told them even before reservation was made that my dog was anxious around other dogs and a known resource guarder. They let him out with TOYS and other dogs. I agreed to group play, to have the ‘professionals’ help him adjust but certainly never agreed to toys. He did well most days but did end up in a fight over...... you guessed it A TOY resource guarding incident! Most kennels don’t allow toys and unknown dogs in the yard together. I got a call about it and they said he was kicked out of group play during boarding, ok fine I understand and agree. What they also said was it was his second incident which I was never told about the first!!! They had record of date but not what happened and it was not marked that I was called. We also get daily report cards by email, everything was so positive. Ugh! They said it was probably just a growl, ok fine but do not put it on my dog’s record without telling me! I was calling in frequently checking in on him, they said he was doing great and had no issues. I was shocked because my dog had issues at home but pictures showed him playing so I went with it. I was gathering this positive information for his trainer too. Sadly most of it was untrue. Also he was to get a bath and cut when he was first arriving. Never happened so after a few days I brought it up twice, they said he’d get in soon. Never did. Fast forward to week three of boarding.... I get a call he’s severely MATTED. They had not brushed him but did bathe him from mud play. Courtesy baths for free that called it. Don’t get me wrong but I think you never bathe a poodle without brushing. If brushing was extra I’d gladly have paid but I was told they brush poodle like breeds regularly on their own because it’s important. Extra cost was not necessary I was told. They had to shave him at this point and honestly it’s entirely their fault and neglect, as was the toy incident and not even knowing details of a supposed first offense. No contact was made and when I did find out no notes was left on file so of course no one knew what happened. Lastly they changed food without permission. I was told they fed Fromm so I let them use their food instead of providing. Only at the end of his stay did I find out they stopped providing Fromm to any dog shortly after he arrived. If I knew they switched to a brand they endorse I’d have family bring Fromm. I only found out at the end of his stay they switched it. They never changed the label in the report card until the day I found out, around his last week. I asked so many times about him along the way but they had no concern for his care or knew what was really going on. If they’d keep facts straight my dog wouldn’t be in this shape. I made emergency arrangements to remove him by a trusted person while I was still out of town for a medical need of my own. I have no trust for this place anymore and it’s somewhere family members of mine have used for years. I never have but several others have. None of us will be back...

I originally posted on the Arlington Heights location, so I apologize for any inconvenience to that location. However, this place has absolutely awful customer service. My wife and I arrived after our wedding to pickup our dog. We arrived at 12:15 pm to a CLOSED sign on the door and a Jimmy John's worker waiting to deliver food. After I helped the Jimmy John's worker by knocking on the door, an employee of TailChasers opened the door and took the food, but barely acknowledged my existence. I asked if we could get our dog and he said "No, you need to come back at one o'clock." I was shocked by this because it would only take 2 minutes to get our dog and NOWHERE on all of the email confirmations was there any mentioning of a time we could not get our pet. They refused to let us take him and closed the door on us. Not only that, but they LIED to us and said that this information was shared with us when we checked our dog in. This would be like showing up to daycare and the staff saying you could not get your child. When we arrived later they justified the rude behavior by saying they are required a lunch break, which is understandable, but there were at least 5 workers presently there and none of them were apparently able to help us. Luckily we were not super pressed for time because otherwise we were at the mercy of their rules. Furthermore, the owner of this location has yet to apologize to us and has even blamed us for the terrible behavior. There is constant miscommunication and awful customer service. I would never recommend someone to...