Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/18/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In July, Beyond the walk ******* charged $3000 for 3 weeks of board and train. The owner, Sarah had looked at my list of training concerns and said no problem. It included the dog jumping on people, eating random objects outside, and walking on a leash without pulling. Again she said no problem. When the dog came back three weeks later almost nothing had changed. There was almost no progress. Plus, he had lost 10% of his bodyweight and looked like skin and bones. She never contacted me or the vet about the weight loss. In addition He seemed traumatized. The program had no transparency, never invited us to see the inside and sent one picture of Sarah holding my dog. She had sent a prior video of her home, but it showed very little of anything. No pictures of Training or anything else. I have since spent $700 at the vet to get his health back. I felt scammed.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/18/2024

  Hello *****,
  

  We are sorry you feel this way. We’d like to start off by clarifying your complaint because you mentioned that in July you paid $3000 to us for the program. That was not the case, we had set up a payment plan and you made regular payments to us despite us having a prepayment policy, but we agreed to a payment plan and agreed on the set dates for payments. You made payments, consistently late, through June and only one in July. We were in regular contact and at any point you were able to contact us and express your concerns during the program, which you did not. 

  
  We had discussed with you prior to booking that the reason that we cannot do tours of the property were for liability purposes and privacy purposes of clients who had dogs who were currently working with us at our property. You had no problem with this and moved forward with booking the service. 

  
  You then contacted us two and half hours after *** had been picked up with concerns about his weight, training and the program as a whole. We immediately got on the phone with you and had a discussion. We went over how there is a period of decompression and to give him some time to settle in but to also follow the provided guide to see success. We also discussed how no concerning weight loss was noted while he was in our care and how some weight loss is not unusual after spending time with us doing a lot of activities as we do regular exercise activities and allow for proper socialization. We offered to compare photos as we do take photos at intake and discharge for our files and you did not take us up on that offer. You had noted that you offered him food and water right away and he drank water but did not eat. We discussed that he was fed per the instructions you provided so he was fed prior to pick up per the instructions. We also discussed that after the decompression period of 5-10 days that you could reach out to schedule a complimentary follow up to address the training concerns, this is also noted in the training guide. You mentioned that you would be taking him to the vet and we asked that you keep us posted.

  
  You then sent us a vet receipt without any descriptions of the services provided and a weight noted for 15.9lbs, which is well within the healthy range of his breed and size. You had also mentioned that the vet was alarmed at the weight. Radiographs were noted on the receipt and had mentioned that you would be following up with the vet to retake the radiographs as they were inconclusive. We responded to this message asking for vet notes so that we could see directly what the vet said was going on medically. We also requested older notes from before his stay with us as the notes we received did not notate ***’s weight for us to compare the difference. We also let you know that these records would be needed in order to potentially reimburse vet costs. You agreed to send us information after the vet visit in 2 days.

  
  It was at this point that you did not contact us for over 10 days. You then sent a text and said that *** was feeling better after vet treatment but did not send us any of the requested records. You mentioned the vet was shocked and said the dog looked like skin and bones but we have no record directly from the vet stating that and our photos do not show a dog who was skin and bones (which was taken only a few minutes before he was picked up). You noted that your training goal of jumping shows no improvement but walking does show some improvement. 

  
  We have been super responsive and attentive to your needs and concerns even after you brought false statements against us. You haven't provided the requested documentation nor have you accepted the proposed solution of pursuing vet reimbursement or the free services that were offered since you were dissatisfied with the services, that were completed based on your request, and care was given according to what you outlined *** needed for training, feeding and care.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/26/2024

  FYI I received the BBB letter regarding my complaint on Wednesday 7/24/24 via US Mail.

  My response:

  Oh my goodness, after reading the response from Sarah S***** at Beyond the walk Norwalk, I will try to get us back to the facts of this situation.. This is simply about her failure to provide the service that I paid for. I paid $3000 for my dog to receive training that she said was "doable". I provided Ms S***** with a list of my Training needs prior to agreeing to participate in her program. she said yes, no problem. In addition, I sent the list to her by message the day the training started so she would have it handy. Her agreeing that this training was doable was the sole reason I contracted with Ms S*****.

  I paid $3000 through ***** in 6 payments between June 14 and July 2 based on a schedule SHE offered. I made the final payment on July 3. My dog was set to attend her Board and Train program from June 14 to July 5. The bottom line here is that payment was never an issue and Ms S***** knows this and is using this to cloud the issue and sidestep the fact that results were minimal.
  Some of this is my fault because I ignored the red flags. The first red flag was the video she sent me prior to my starting the training.. I assumed it would be a video of her facility and some training, taking place showing her techniques and style. Instead, it was a video of the inside of her home with dogs wandering around. The second red flag was the statement in her contract that any communication toward her that included excessive swearing and threatening speech or behavior could be grounds for termination of the agreement. Yikes are there other very unhappy customers! Also under the communication paragraph in her contract, she said board & train updates would be provided on Mondays with pictures and a brief blurb about how they are doing. I received only one picture and it was Miss M*****k holding my dog in her arms outside.... not a picture or glimpse of training, not even walking, just her holding him awkwardly in her arms. He looked dirty and thin. I was alarmed, but in fairness to Miss S***** I did not want to jump to any conclusions. The update blurbs were minimal stating,
  "*** is doing very well with Training and hopes you are doing well too." What? That's the update?! There was no transparency whatsoever., no idea what the training looked like or her relationship with the dog.
  The pick up time Ms S***** suggested was Friday at 4 PM. Please keep in mind that she offers pickups/dropoffs but I told Ms S***** I would do the pick up and drop off as long as it was not during the rush-hour as she is in Norwalk and Norwalk to Stratford is a notorious Commuting nightmare. When she suggested a pickup time of Friday at 4 pm, I reminded her ‘not during the commute’ and suggested a different time. She agreed to an earlier time and said it has to be very quick though cause she's between training sessions. There was no doubt in my mind that this was an intentional way for her to get me in and out very quickly. When I arrived at her house, I was alarmed to see my dog soaking wet from a recent bath. She did not review or demonstrate any training, and as I had promised to be quick and again did not want to jump to conclusions about his weight, I simply took my dog and left.
  Upon returning home I was horrified to see his ribs and hip bones sticking through his skin and immediately weighed him discovering a significant weight loss. In a phone discussion with a staff person at Beyond the Walk Norwalk,, I found them to be defensive and unwilling to give any credibility to even the most serious of my concerns. My dog was emaciated so I contacted the vet and was seen the next morning. I decided not to pursue payment of the Vet costs with Ms S***** or any further communication because I could see from her comments and response to my inquiry that her main goal was to evade responsibility. I do not trust Ms S***** with any additional information and frankly having lost $3000 I am very upset and need to let it go.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/29/2024

  Hello *****,

  
  We are sorry you feel this way. Payment was mentioned and elaborated because it was mentioned in the original complaint and following reviews, so in an effort to address all of the concerns noted, we elaborated upon this issue. Plus payment plans were set up per your request not ours. This was not an attempt to cloud anything. 

  
  We are unsure of why you would feel the video received was insufficient to meet your request or why you consider it as a red flag. You asked to see where *** would be staying, two videos of the property inside and out were provided for you to see where *** would be staying. We would have happily provided videos of training had it been requested at any point before or during ***’s stay with us, but it was not requested.

  
  The clause you are referring to in our terms and conditions is there to set a precedent of professional communication from the client and to the client. This is not unlike many other facilities and even veterinarian offices across the pet care industry. Your accusation of other unhappy customers is an assumption and could be considered slanderous at this point.

  
  We apologize that you were unsatisfied with our updates. The update you are referring to actually read like this: “*** is doing really well! He has been working hard and picking up on the training really well! We will get a picture over to you in the next day or so. He’s been a great boy”. Then we sent a separate message with a picture of *** stating “*** is having a great day and hopes that you are too” since we didn’t feel an additional training update was needed just two days after the initial one. Our update was a brief blurb as described in the terms and conditions noting that he is doing well (physically/emotionally), that he is picking up on the training well, and that his overall being while in our care. 

  
  You also mention being alarmed at the photo you received. You received the photo on June 28th and if you had a concern, we would have happily addressed it. It is concerning that you were so worried, but didn’t ask any questions or request any additional photos of him if the concern was so high. He is not dirty in the photo minus a small amount of dirt on his feet, but as you notice in the picture, there is dirt in the backyard and a small amount of dirt before getting wiped off when going inside is not unusual. They are clearly wiped off regularly and you yourself noted that he had been bathed. 

  
  We are unsure of what you mean that there was no idea of what training looked like because you received a comprehensive document stating how we did the training and how to replicate it on your own. As to the relationship with ***, it doesn't seem like he would have allowed someone to hold him if he did not trust her. His ears are up in the photo, he is curiously looking at the phone and his body language otherwise seems relaxed. If he did not trust the trainer, he would not have appeared this way in the photo. 
  We did provide a pick up time that would not be rushed due to scheduling, but you declined. Had we wanted the pick up to be rushed, we would have offered the rushed time frame sooner or reiterated that the pick up would need to be short and would have rushed you from the beginning of discussing pick up. Generally speaking we do not do training demonstrations at pick up because the dogs are too excited to focus in those moments. And we did repeatedly offer to come do a free follow up session to guide you through the trainings and do a demonstration when *** was more calm, and in your home so you could easily replicate the training. You have repeatedly declined this offer nor did you bring up your dissatisfaction with the pick up or we would have explained. Actually, at pick up, Ms S***** reminded you about the free follow up session to which you responded that you would absolutely take us up on that offer. She additionally took the extra time to provide you with a brand new slip lead, free of charge, and explain to you how to properly fit this on him for walks.

  
  We have pictures of *** right before he was picked up and he was not soaking wet, nor did we note “emaciation”. 

  
  On the phone solutions were offered and no concerns were dismissed, but were discussed and addressed as well as asking for a follow up after potential vet visits. We even discussed visiting to do a free session before the described decompression period was over given the concerns that were raised. And while on the phone you stated that you would reach out to keep us updated and to schedule. 

  
  We requested vet records for two reasons; one so we could submit them to our insurance and potentially seek out reimbursement, and two to have an official document of ***’s weight. To date we only have a weight record of 11lbs from some time ago and one of 15.9lbs when he saw the vet once he was returned. Additionally, the vet noted that *** has a non contagious parasite prior to his stay with us. A parasite can easily be a cause for weight loss and without medical records we cannot rule it out as a reason for weight loss. We have also not received pictures of the “emaciated” dog and this in and of itself is a serious accusation on our business. It is also important to note that 15.9lbs is well within the breed standard range for ***, so that number in and of itself is not alarming and from the only records you have been able to send to us, he didn’t lose any weight at all. 

  
  We are also very confused and concerned since the allegations, complaints and timelines vary in every complaint and review received. And despite requesting proof to be able to provide reimbursement, you have failed to provide the proof needed for us to seek a suitable resolution for all parties. You have also declined receiving additional free training help offered to you on multiple occasions. We have provided the proof to back up our side of the story, but there hasn’t been any proof provided and at this point we wouldn’t trust any proof provided given the variation in the complaints. Additionally, at this point we would consider these to be slander considering the inconsistency of the complaints and timelines, the conflicting information provided by *** ******, and the overall refusal to provide any documentation or accept any cost-free help to address any of the concerns she has listed.
  

  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/15/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This ‘trainer’ took my 4.5 month cavapoo for dog training. My dog was completely traumatized by them (vomited in the car, crate, smelled of urine when returned) and stuck in a crate for almost 36 hours. The dog was shaking and upset when I got her back. She was supposed to be in their care for 2 weeks and I paid 900 upfront and the balance of 800 was due following week. I picked her up (they wouldn’t allow me to come get her at their facility, they hide their location) as they tried to tell me my dog had extreme behavior and would need more weeks there. This was a lie. I said I cannot afford more weeks so please let me get my dog. They tried to force me to sign paperwork saying she wouldn’t sue me for a dog bite (my dog has never bitten us in 2 months we had her and clearly was under duress by the trainer’s incompetence) . My dog was skin and bone, dehydrated and very weak when I got her.
  She made me meet at a parking lot to get my dog. She did no training and no work with my dog and refuses to refund me the money. She also traumatized my dog. I was advised to contact authorities. She also is suing someone for a ‘dog bite’. I believe she tried to extort me for more money, this is a scam happening with trainers. They get you in and then claim your dog needs longer time. My dog sat in a crate for 36 hours dehydrated and shaking and then she refused to give me my money back $900. This woman has a history of this behavior as per my research.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/15/2024

  Hello,
  I am providing additional details to prove this complaint brought against my company is entirely invalid. 
  I personally had to file a police report on 3-10-2024, against ***** ****** *****, for stalking & harassment. The police report was taken by Officer ****** of ******* Police Department (###-###-####) the case number for this report is #********* 
  Additionally, she called our local animal control (******* Animal Control) to make additional false claims against me after I filed my police report against her the day before. They came to my residence, which is also our company location, on 3/11, did a full investigation & concluded all of her accusations to be false, with the exception of the bite. She had also reported to them at the time of these false allegations that her dog bit me, they came to inspect my injuries & confirmed it to be true that I was bitten by the dog. The responding officer was Animal Control Supervisor, ****** ******. His contact number is ###-###-####. I can provide the case number in the morning when they open, as both the complaint (proven false) & documented bite are on the same report. 
  Officer Sirico called her to inform her all of her allegations proven to be false. However, he did confirm with her the bite had occurred & was able to inspect my injuries proving them to be as she described them & her dog needed to go on a state required bite quarantine hold since it was not current on rabies, a legally required vaccine for dogs over the age of 12 weeks. *********** Health Department spoke with me on 3/12 & removed the dog from ***** ****** *****’s residence for a mandatory bite hold. They can be contacted at ###-###-#### to confirm this. 
  Per her review in which we reported on the account, she stated her dog did not bite me, which she clearly knew was not true as she voluntarily reported this to our local animal control. Additionally, she falsely reviewed that we made her meet in a dark location “cloak & dagger,” but this local was actually requested by her, even after she suggested meeting at our local police department, in which we complied to do, but she then proceeded to change locations last minute. (Please see attached screenshots for proof of this). 
  She additionally reported her dog “smelled of vomit” but also confirmed to us that her dog gets car sick & we reported this information back to her, in which she again confirmed this was ‘normal’ for her dog. (See attached screenshots for proof). 
  Additionally, she claimed the dog was skinny & she could feel the dogs chest bones. The dog was with us for 24 hours, it is literally impossible for a dog to lose that much weight in that time. Additionally, when she made these exact complaints to the animal control officer, she was requested to submit proof of this either via photos or via a weight check at her veterinarians office, both of which she was not able to provide for proof. 
  This “serious complaint,” resulting in the banning of our account is entirely false & part of an ongoing issue we are now working with an attorney on due to her continued threatening & harassing behaviors & false allegations to have a formal & legally withholding cease & desist in place against ***** ****** *****. 
  Please respond back to us as soon as possible. This drastically impacts our business as your platform helped facilitate lots of leads, which we have used with no issues since your platform launched, & this is a false report resulting in an unjust banning of our account. 
  Please let me know if you need any additional details, we are happy to provide any & all information needed to prove these false.

  Business Response

  Date: 03/15/2024

  Additionally, she signed a contract acknowledging services to be non refundable. 
  

  please see attached file & review to our response before this as well for further information addressing all false complaints. 

  Business Response

  Date: 03/19/2024

  Hello,
  I am providing additional details to prove this complaint brought against my company is entirely invalid. 
  I personally had to file a police report on 3-10-2024, against ***** ****** *****, for stalking & harassment. The police report was taken by Officer ****** of ******* Police Department (###-###-####) the case number for this report is #********* 
  Additionally, she called our local animal control (******* Animal Control) to make additional false claims against me after I filed my police report against her the day before. They came to my residence, which is also our company location, on 3/11, did a full investigation & concluded all of her accusations to be false, with the exception of the bite. She had also reported to them at the time of these false allegations that her dog bit me, they came to inspect my injuries & confirmed it to be true that I was bitten by the dog. The responding officer was Animal Control Supervisor, ****** ******. His contact number is ###-###-####. I can provide the case number in the morning when they open, as both the complaint (proven false) & documented bite are on the same report. 
  Officer Sirico called her to inform her all of her allegations proven to be false. However, he did confirm with her the bite had occurred & was able to inspect my injuries proving them to be as she described them & her dog needed to go on a state required bite quarantine hold since it was not current on rabies, a legally required vaccine for dogs over the age of 12 weeks. *********** Health Department spoke with me on 3/12 & removed the dog from ***** ****** *****’s residence for a mandatory bite hold. They can be contacted at ###-###-#### to confirm this. 
  Per her review in which we reported on the account, she stated her dog did not bite me, which she clearly knew was not true as she voluntarily reported this to our local animal control. Additionally, she falsely reviewed that we made her meet in a dark location “cloak & dagger,” but this local was actually requested by her, even after she suggested meeting at our local police department, in which we complied to do, but she then proceeded to change locations last minute. (Please see attached screenshots for proof of this). 
  She additionally reported her dog “smelled of vomit” but also confirmed to us that her dog gets car sick & we reported this information back to her, in which she again confirmed this was ‘normal’ for her dog. (See attached screenshots for proof). 
  Additionally, she claimed the dog was skinny & she could feel the dogs chest bones. The dog was with us for 24 hours, it is literally impossible for a dog to lose that much weight in that time. Additionally, when she made these exact complaints to the animal control officer, she was requested to submit proof of this either via photos or via a weight check at her veterinarians office, both of which she was not able to provide for proof. 
  This “serious complaint,” resulting in the banning of our account is entirely false & part of an ongoing issue we are now working with an attorney on due to her continued threatening & harassing behaviors & false allegations to have a formal & legally withholding cease & desist in place against ***** ****** *****. 
  Please respond back to us as soon as possible. This drastically impacts our business as your platform helped facilitate lots of leads, which we have used with no issues since your platform launched, & this is a false report resulting in an unjust banning of our account. 
  Please let me know if you need any additional details, we are happy to provide any & all information needed to prove these false.

   

  Additionally, she signed a contract acknowledging services to be non refundable. 

  see attached documents

  Customer Answer

  Date: 03/26/2024

  Hello,

   

  I do not wish to close the complaint. Apologies for late response but I am waiting on documents from animal control and ** police departments. There are other complaints regarding this business / person and I am waiting to receive those. 
  I am also working with other entities regarding licensing and laws in *** 
  

  I would like appropriate time to respond once I’ve received all this information. 
  Unfortunately this business has used means to intimidate me for not seeking a refund for services she did not render, has a past history of similar things, and has done nothing but threaten since I asked to get my dog. 
  

  Her claims are baseless, she was the last person to write in the text chain - merely about me getting my puppy back. 
  

  I was told I should have the information by end of next week so can you please hold?

  thanks