Pet Paradise Chesterfield — Local services in Midlothian

I had such high hopes for this facility - Its new, clean, and staff were initially impressive. I have both professional (animal assisted therapy expertise/training) and personal experience, (many dogs involved in various forms/levels of training and day camps at locations throughout NoVa and RVA), so I thought I had chosen wisely with Pet Paradise. Oh boy was I wrong! After taking time to gather collateral information, I now recognize that the specific concerns I have with the Chesterfield location of Pet Paradise are more likely indicative of larger-scale company issues and policies that are putting dogs at risk. Safety Issues: My dog never got any initial assessment or had an appropriate acclimation process on his first day, in spite of being told multiple times to the contrary. After drop off, my dog was put immediately into a room with approximately 25 other dogs even though I had filled out a lengthy form about his specific needs/temperament. Inadequate Training: My dog exhibited very obvious signs of distress and received ZERO attention for two hours until an outside staff member happened to come into the room and briefly give him some comfort. His specific behaviors (labored/open-mouth panting, pacing, futile attempts to get attention, “whale eyes,” etc.) were glaringly obvious, even on the cameras, and are considered very basic (“Dog 101”) knowledge, but ultimately, he never received any intervention. Most all other establishments have multiple certified trainers available on the premises for behavioral assessment, intervention, and staff training – this location does not. Poor Dog to Staff Ratio: Aniyah was absolutely wonderful to the dogs; however, she was unable to keep up with the sheer demand around her (also due to her colleague’s visible disinterest, distraction, and truly bizarre behaviors). Management later stated that dog/staff ratio is “one staff to between 15, 20-or-so dogs.” This far exceeds industry standards and recommendations, especially given the particular confinement of the room, visual obstacles, and temperament/activity of the dogs present. This also contributes to vast difference in how many of the dogs were treated. Some specific dogs were carried around like babies, others were completely ignored for multiple hours (often the ones who needed it the most). Common practices at other companies include a max ratio of 1:15 or under, multiple little dog groups in order to separate by temperament and/or needs, and a strongly enforced cap of number of dogs in a single room. Behavioral Concerns: Tiny Town are not let out for bathroom breaks. They are expected to urinate/defecate all over the room – which they all did while dogs literally ran through pools and piles. (Everywhere. On all of the things.) At pick-up, staff confirmed that this is a customary practice. This is NOT typical at other dog day camps, even in inclement weather. Dishonesty: Reports cards are marketing fluff to make owners feel positive about their dog’s experience. Almost all of the information on my report card was wildly fraudulent. Lack of Customer Service: Let me just say that the front desk was nothing but fabulous from beginning (when I came for a tour) to end (when I expressed my concerns at pick-up). They noted that management is currently being overworked at other locations (like Charlottesville); however, Skyllar would be in touch soon. After two weeks with no word, I made a final attempt to contact management and was routed to Mac. She was congenial while going over basic information, but remained resistant to specific questions about their Day Camp policies. The moment I stated that I had a negative experience two weeks prior, she became curt and repeatedly stated to “call corporate” as she talked over me. I can’t endorse any company that lacks transparency to this degree. Please stay away from this facility – specifically in regards to Tiny Town – until safety is prioritized over revenue. Pet Paradise’s reported and demonstrated policies of care are far below industry...

I had such high hopes with this facility and was so disappointed. The communication in the beginning was wonderful, they were flexible and it was easy to add an extra day when we decided to leave a day early to visit family out of state. Two days before we were to drop our dog off at 6:30am, they called me to go over a few things and let me ask questions which I thought was great! I was told that I could arrive 10 to 15 minutes early if I needed to ask any further questions. On this call, I did outright say that we will be 10 hours away and needed to know the policy if we couldn’t make it back by 7pm to get her in time. I was told to just call them, they’d charge an extra day and it would be no big deal. On the day we drop her off, we get to Pet Paradise at 6:10am which I understand was a little earlier than planned since they said to arrive 10-15 minutes early and her reservation drop off was at 6:30am. We knocked on the door and the two girls inside completely ignored us. We decided to just walk our dog around for ten minutes to kill time before our 10 hour drive when one of the girls came outside, went to her car, and pretended we weren’t there before going back inside and locking the door. I knocked again and was ignored again. We stood outside with our dog and six year old daughter for ten more minutes before a very rude woman finally opened the door and let us in. She had known we were out there the entire time. I explained that I was told to arrive early to ask questions and she kind of waved me off. Because of the promotion they were doing for first timers, I verified that the grooming and Furever Connect was on the schedule for my dog for free. She said it was and that I’d be receiving a picture of my dog every day which I appreciated since this was my first time boarding her and she’s just 11 months old. I’ve had her since she was a baby and thought they’d take very good care of her. We go on our trip and I wasn’t receiving any pictures as I was told. I called multiple times every day to only get the voicemail, none of them were returned, and on the third day, I finally got someone to answer and she said I was misinformed and I was only going to get pictures on one day. I had checked the website and the board in the lobby and it said Furever Connect was a “DAILY communication package”. I was too irritated to get into it with the woman since it was too late at that point. I needed to contact them again because we weren’t going to make it back on time to get our dog the day we planned. I had to call multiple times a day for two more days before I finally reached someone to let them know because I didn’t want to be a customer who just doesn’t come get their dog and not tell them. They extended her stay by one more day and we finally get home to pick her up. My dog, being 11 months old, is very bubbly, energetic, and doesn’t have a bad bone in her body. When she got home, all she wanted to do was sleep and was incredibly scraped up. Her two front paws had bloody scrapes and so did the backs of her legs. I expected some of that since she’d be playing with a lot of other dogs but one of them looked like another dog took a chunk out of her skin. She was also NOT groomed. She came home very dirty and her nails weren’t cut. Again, I get that it was for free and I didn’t pay for the service, but with the lack of communication and not receiving what I told I would and the condition my dog was in when she got home? I’d never board her here again.

Edited to add: our dog now has kennel cough and so does our older dog who has to be taken to the vet today, despite all dogs being required to have the vaccination...

Front desk staff lacks empathy. I called after my dog had been there about 2 hrs to inquire how much longer she might be. The front desk associate told me it might be another hour. I asked if there was anything that could possibly speed the process bc I needed to get home to relieve the in-home healthcare nurse at 2pm. I explained my mom is on hospice with dementia and if they could shave a little time off it would help. The front desk associate immediately tells me the 2-3 hr policy with no regard to trying to help solve the issue. I again expressed my situation, also noting that I noticed a lack of empathy, and the associate interrupted me to ask if I wanted to speak to the manager in a sassy tone. The “manager” got on (sounded like a young person, so I’m not sure it really was a manager). I expressed my concern, at no point raising my voice, but I did give an example of what an empathetic response could have been. I suggested that instead of flatly quoting a company policy perhaps they could have said, “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry to hear that let me speak to the groomer and see what we can do to speed the process.” I only needed 15 minutes which would have given them 45 minutes- even if it couldn’t have been done I wouldn’t have felt dismissed. The “manager” looked at my drop off time and said “ I see here Gypsy was dropped off at 11:11am.” My response to the “manager” was “wow, so me talking about the lack of empathy went right over your head. Never mind, I will work out my own problems and find some way to be at home and pick up Gypsy at the same time.” It felt like the “manager” wanted to engage me in an argument so I hung up to make arrangements for my mom. Luckily the chaplain was able to come earlier to relieve the nurse.

When I arrived at Pet Paradise it was clear they were waiting for some fireworks but I didn’t say a word. When I asked for Gypsy the front desk person turned her back and said I was there and I noticed the older general manager came out and held an awkward conversation about the dogs I was watching in the pool area. I think they expected some big “Karen show” so the entire situation made me feel like it didn’t matter I’m dealing with a mother with dementia, I was just some crazy, hysterical woman. Never once did I raise my voice or say anything a normal person wouldn’t ask.

I won’t be returning or recommending Pet Paradise. The last two grooms I came in for were weird...