A Dog's Dream — Local services in New Bern

DISHONEST! I kenneled my dogs here about a month and a half ago and was initially very angry about my experience, but I wanted to take time to think about what happened and ask others their opinions. They all agreed I should leave a review. I reserved a spot for my two dogs in the biggest room they have. I asked if they do discounts for two dogs sharing one space, and the woman on the phone said "yes." I was quoted about $450 for 10 days. I thought it was a good deal, but to be sure I asked her if that was the price for both. She said "yes." I was very excited to have found a new affordable kennel and told my husband about it right after I set the reservation. A few days later, we changed the reservation to 5 days but ended up having to keep them at the kennel for the full 10 days. When I came back from vacation, I was shocked when I saw a bill for $929. I told them exactly what happened. They said to pay the full price and they could refund part of it later. I felt desperate to get out of there, as my dogs could see me and were freaking out, so I went ahead and paid. I also felt like it was a good gesture to show I WASN'T TRYING TO GET OUT OF PAYING. I had the money, but I wanted to pay what was quoted. While talking to a manager, one of the employees decided to say something along the lines of, "Gee, I hope I get paid this Friday," which I felt was a jab at me. I was told the owner would call me by the end of the day. I waited about 2 days for a manager (not the owner) to call, who said they had to take a while to investigate what happened. Whatever, I'm fine with that as long as something was being done. What got me was they told me I was mistaken and that I never set the reservation for 10 days initially. They had no record that I called back and set it to 5. I remember when I changed the reservation thinking, oh boy, I only have to pay $200-ish for kenneling and telling my husband. I talked to him to corroborate what happened, and he remembered it exactly like I did. I was also told they DO NOT do discounts for multiple dogs in one room. They also could never pinpoint who talked to me on the phone initially. Strange. They said they couldn't charge me what I was originally quoted because they "don't do discounts that big." I WAS NOT ASKING FOR A DISCOUNT, JUST WHAT I WAS QUOTED. Btw the entire time I talked to them, I was polite but firm, never raising my voice. The manager said the best they could do was give me a 10 percent refund and that she was processing it right away. That was back in early June, and I still haven't gotten that money back. They obviously need it more than I do. They also never returned a blanket I left for my dogs. I'll never go back, which is a shame, because honestly my dogs seemed to like it there. I've also gotten my dogs groomed there previously, so that's even more business they'll be missing out on. The dishonesty, sloppiness, and unprofessionalism just got to be too much. There are better kennels and groomers in town that will tell you up front the real costs...

The staff seemed nice and I didn't have any issues with them directly. Took my bernadoodle to get groomed for the first time a couple of weeks ago. He is my in-home service dog.

I am super allergic to fragrances though, and unfortunately, despite asking for fragrance-free products only, my dog came home smelling very strongly of something fragrant. it's been two weeks and I can still faintly smell it on him. It has been so difficult because I cannot be around my dog now due to my allergies! I don't know if they used a scented product on him, or if their facility just smells THAT powerful on its own, but that is a major deal breaker for me. Our previous groomers has not had this issue so I know it is possible for my dog to be groomed and not to smell like a field of wildflowers for ages afterwards.

Additionally, they didn't quite follow our grooming instructions so he ended up with a much longer tail and whiskers than we usually prefer. He also has this little wart/skin tag on his chest that he suddenly started licking obsessively after being groomed. We looked closely and it appears that it has been cut or nicked in some way and that it is really bothering him, when it was fine prior to grooming. He has the cone of shame on because otherwise he will not stop messing with that area. If this persists, we will have to bite the bullet and take him to the vet...

If you aren't super specific about your dog's grooming, I'm sure this place is great. And I know that if I wanted fragrance on my dog I would likely be singing their praises for doing such a great job that he still smells "good" over a week later. But for me, it just didn't work out. I need my dog to be groomed as per my instructions because I can literally get sick if my dog comes home smelling like any sort of product. This time around, my dog would not even approach me when he came home because he could tell I was getting sick when he would get close to me.

We tried this place because our previous groomer has health challenges and can't do big dogs anymore. I'm super sad that they didn't work out, but it is what it is, I guess. Back to the hunt for a good,...

Update: I’ve talked with several staff members regarding the situation and they have done absolutely everything possible to remedy the situation. They insisted on a full refund even after I told them it was not necessary. They even got in contact with my vet to cover any possible expenses. One staff member in particular reached out today for an update on how she’s doing and that was really appreciated.

Really wanted to love this place but after the last two boarding sessions I’m just not happy. I boarded for Father’s Day and she had a large scratch on her front leg and I was told they didn’t realize another dog had extremely sharp nails and it happened while they were playing. Okay not a huge deal I’ll book her again. I picked my pup up after boarding for 5 days yesterday and she has had green pus coming out of her eye (I’m sure some sort of infection) since they brought her from the back to me. I was also asked if I wanted to book an exit bath and I said yes because my pup likes to swim in their pool. I go to pick her up yesterday and find out she got her bath the previous day and she had been back in the day play area and got back in the pool. I get it but why did I pay for a bath for her to smell worse leaving than she did when I...