Barkyard Daycare & Pet Hotel — Local services in Savannah

Years ago our veterinarian recommended Catnip-N-Biscuits for boarding. We supplied our dog's vaccination records and sent our pup, Riley, over for their "orientation" to ensure he wasn't a bully for $30.00, basically a day of daycare. Riley did great so away we went. The experience was great, the owner & staff were great too. Now we even go there to have Riley groomed. We are not frequent travelers so we only board 2-3 times a year. Each time we called Catnips we were asked to update his vaccination records but were also told he would have to go through "orientation" again. No problem with the records but the mandatory $30.00 play day seems to be a bit excessive and inconvenient as we do not live close to Catnips. It just seemed more like an easy way for Catnips to tack on an extra $30.00 to our bill. After a few times of this we spoke with a representative at Catnips and she mentioned since Riley was so mildly mannered, she would make a note in our file that he would not have to go through "orientation" each time. That brings me to today's unfortunate experience with Catnips. A woman answered the phone and responded there was availability for this weekend. She looked up our account and stated Riley's vaccination records needed to be updated. I said no problem and mentioned I'd send them right over. She then went on to say that it had been more than 3 months since his last stay so he would need to be "assessed" prior to drop off. I explained that we had a prior discussion with them about this and that notes should be in our file. Her tone abruptly changed as she stated there were no notes and that the rules are the rules. She clearly could care less about what I was trying to tell her. I explained that today was Wednesday and I was leaving on Friday so that would mean that Riley could only go to "orientation" tomorrow and that was not a possibility for me. Again, couldn't care less. I explained I would have to look at other options. I then had my spouse give Catnips a call as I am not usually the one that speaks with them. I was hoping this might produce better results. Within minutes, I got a call from my spouse and was told the second call produced an even more argumentative experience. We asked to speak with a supervisor and she stated she was the supervisor! We asked for the owner and we were told she wasn't there. We asked for her to give a message to the owner to call us and didn't end the conversation with any confidence that the message would be delivered. Clearly the employee needs additional training when it comes to customer relations and should be reminded that customers generate the income that pays her wage. As a business owner here in Savannah, I would be completely embarrassed if one of my employees represented my brand in the way this employee has represented Catnips. As a result, Catnips will no longer provide grooming services nor will we jump through their ridiculous hoops and pay excessive fees to board our pet. So disappointed today. On a positive note, I called our veterinarian, who earlier today said they were booked this weekend, and after hearing about my experience worked some "customer service magic" and took care of us! Thanks Case Veterinary for getting creative to ensure your customers are happy and keep coming back. We eventually did get a call from the owner. She apologized for the employee and mentioned she could help us. We stated we didn't feel comfortable using Catnips while the she employed that particular person but said we'd be back if she moved on at some point. Then the owner found out we gave them a one star review on yelp and she emailed me telling me to never come there again. And as if that wasn't enough, she went to review my business and give us a one star. She's never been to my company and is not, nor has never been a customer! Absolutely ridiculous. Hope your experience proves more...

We have only used CNB for weekend boarding so the below applies for weekends. I cannot speak to the weekday operations other than Caitlin has been helpful, she is one of the few bright spots in this operation

Pick up times on the weekends are either 7-8am or 4-5pm. Slightly annoying for the price they charge but something we can work around. The infuriating part is that NO ONE is there from 12-4 (per the tech I spoke to at pickup) and they still charge you $25 for “late” pickup on top of the $60ish you pay for overnight boarding. The verbiage on the website says that the extra $25 is for the “day’s care” instead of “daycare” which I believe is intentionally misleading. You pay $25 for your pet to sit in a cage all afternoon, this can be verified by the webcams when you look and see zero pets in the yards.

Not to mention that you pay an obscene amount of money for them to keep your pet safe. When I asked the tech at pickup what happens if there is a fire or something of the like, all I got back was a shrug. However, when I called the next day to correct a billing issue (see more on that below) I voiced my concerns about this and was assured by Caitlin that there are ADT smoke alarms as well as cameras that are monitored. You can decide if that is good enough for you and your pet.

My dog also just came back on Sunday from a weekend with them with 2 of 3 food bags still full (portioned into individual meals per CNB’s request) which I did not realize until we got home. The tech at pickup did not say anything about her not eating so I assumed she did not get fed while in their “care”. She immediately ran to her food bowl when we returned home. However, again when I called to correct the billing issue I was assured that she had been fed and was not interested in food until they tried putting some water on it the morning of pickup.

I suppose the true issue lies in the lack of technician training and communication. The two issues mentioned above could have been handled much better. Instead, I was left wondering what I had gotten my poor dog into.

We have used them a few times in the past (less than 10 and there will not be a next time) and they have messed up the billing more than once. When you ask for a correction/chargeback, they push for store credit instead of your actual dollars which is annoying. They will eventually return your money if you stand firm but it’s more work than it should be considering it’s their error.

The owner is known for responding to negative google reviews so I’m interested to see how they respond to this. I feel like I have been fair and truthful as I’m confident everyone does who writes a review. I am sure they have done nothing wrong and will have something rude to say to me, but I hope I am wrong.

Save your money and possibly your pet’s life, use another service.

Edit:

This will be my only edit to the review and it is in response to the owner’s comments.

1. She mentions “12pm on pickup day” multiple times and I do not know why. The pickup options are 7-8am and 4-5pm, not 7am-12pm. It would be much more convenient if you were able to pickup anytime before noon.

2. The “extensive training protocol” clearly has some gaps if employees do not know about basic safety measures.

3. I have never asked for a refund on any services nor would I expect one. I have only asked for a refund when my card has been double charged. I think anyone would want/expect a refund in that situation given the nature of the error.

4. I did mention speaking with someone about my dogs care. See comments about the food situation above

5. They did not contact me, I had to contact them

6. They just sent me an email (4 days later) asking me to pay a bill that I have already paid. The entire place is a...

I chose this facility to board my dog based on its reviews. I have used daycares and boarding facilities throughout Augusta and Atlanta and have had wonderful experiences. It has always been my practice to check on my pet throughout his stay and was never informed that there would be no means of communication with the facility throughout the weekend. The office phone is only accessible Monday through Friday.

I scheduled my dog’s boarding appointment 2 weeks in advance. I completed the paperwork online and scheduled the weekend boarding dates. I called the day I was to board my pet and was told they did not have the reservation. I paid $30 for a temperament test, so he could be in daycare Saturday. I was never contacted to let me know if he passed his test. Saturday I tried to view the webcam to check on my dog. The cameras were not working. I called to check on him and that’s when I realized there was no phone service available on the weekends. I then sent an email to please call me. I received a call 3-4 hours later and was told my dog passed his test and he was in daycare. They said he was not playing with any other dogs and sitting alone. This did not make me feel at ease. I asked about the cameras and the employee told me they were broken. I was not aware that they provided very limited access for checking on your pet’s welfare.

This experience resulted in a very stressful weekend and I was constantly worrying about my dog. I urge other dog lovers to do their research before making a boarding choice. Before I posted this review I contacted the owner to express my concerns, but her attitude did not clarify any questions or reduce any concerns I had as a result of this experience.

In response to the owner’s comments to my review these are not the facts as they occurred, but I do understand that she needs to protect her investment. My review in which I have nothing to gain is from my perspective as a dog owner and a consumer that has used many facilities without any problems. Future consumers can make their own decisions. My responsibility was to share mine for...