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:06/25/2024

  Type:Customer Service 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.

  I have been a patron of Hounds Town since April 2024, taking my Service Animal, Bubbles, to their Doggie Daycare. Initially, visits went well, but the last three visits have been unacceptable. Each time, ******* smelled of urine and feces, and her white coat was stained yellow and brown. I notified them via phone, and they suggested purchasing an additional exit bath, claiming this was a common issue. However, Bubbles has a double coat and should only be bathed every six months, so I declined.As a service animal, Bubbles needs to be clean and presentable in public. Due to the poor condition in which I found her, I had to bathe her myself or take her to a groomer, costing $80-$100 per visit. On June 10, 2024, I found Bubbles in an even worse state. When I provided feedback, the assistant manager initially refused to speak with me, saying, "I don't want to deal with this," and slammed the door. When she did speak with me, she was adversarial and showed no compassion or concern. She again suggested an exit bath despite my explanation about *******' coat. I arrived near closing time, but since boarding continues 24/7, I expected assistance. When I requested the owner be contacted, the assistant manager refused, stating the owner was out of state and unavailable. She then threatened, and called the police to have me trespassed. I waited for the police, who issued a trespass warning. The assistant manager assured me the owner would call to rectify the situation, but I have not received any contact after 15 days.I have spoken with my bank to recoup the funds, but I still expect a response from the owner. I want to understand their plan to re-establish a positive relationship with me and ensure appropriate care for all animals. If my service animal were a child at daycare, this situation would be treated very differently. The lack of proper care at Hounds Town Henderson is unacceptable, and I seek resolution and assurance of improved standards.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/09/2024

  ************** complained that his dog was dirty/stinky at pick up on 6/10/24. Attached is his signed liability release on which it states: "4. Condition at checkout. I understand that due to the interactive nature of a Hounds ********* franchise or facility, my dog may get dirty or smell upon checkout. If I decline an exit or spa bath upon departure, I understand that my dog will not be bathed, and may smell."

  As you can see by the pictures ************** submitted his dog was in no way covered in urine or f**** When dogs play in group play they play with their mouths, they also can spill water and can step in urine/poop in the room if done before we are able to clean it up. We offer bath services to all clients for purchase. If that is declined all dogs are sprayed with a dry shampoo "in between clean" and wiped down with a towel (unless declined by the customer) to get off the extra but we do not guarantee a dog that comes to play with other dogs all day at our facility will not go home without a smell. This is also covered fully in the temperament test which ************** listened to with one of our shift leads on 4/6/24. 

  On the evening of 6/10/24 ************** became angry with the staff and refused to leave the building. The Hounds Town Henderson owners were out of town and the assistant manager provided ************** with all of this information and followed guidelines regarding bath services being offered. ************** refused to leave the facility keeping the entire staff late and feeling unsafe in the lobby which is why the police were called. ************** did not go willingly with the police either until he was told it was not an option and given a trespassing ticket. He is correct that the owners did not follow up with a call as there is no relationship to maintain, we do not tolerate our staff being mistreated and made to feel unsafe. 

  ************** is now attempting to get back compensation for all of his daycare dates used from 4/6/24 to 6/10/24 with the exception of 2 dates in which he had gotten a discount for participating in an event. We loved having Bubbles in our facility and do not feel she was mistreated in anyway. If ************** does not like our daycare model he can simply stop using our services. Recalling all credit card charges and placing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau is unreasonable and unkind. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/10/2024

   
  Complaint: 21900140
  
  I am rejecting this response because: I stand by my original report. The business has offered information that I was unaware of, and although they have my signature, I do not recall this information, and during the registration process, this may have been mentioned. However, the fact that my service animal was covered in dried f**** and urine remains. Also, many components of my proposed resolution were omitted in their reply. Is it possible to send the original complaint to the business for review again?  Im not sure that the allegations they highlighted in the businesss response were completely true and correct. The behavior of the assistant manager prior to this escalated interaction by yelling into the lobby, I dont want to deal with this, and then slamming the door shut was definitely something that the business should review.  Unfortunately, there was a break down in communication during this trip, and the information, as presented by the business omits ownership of their assistant managers actions. Also, the information contained in their response did not address the fact that my service animal and I experienced multiple unnecessary ***** during this visit. I was standing at the entry, trying to understand why the door slamming incident happened, also with the statement which was yelled into the lobby. This facility is open 24/7 for boarding, and I posed no threat or harm to the persons working. I was seeking to gain an understanding of why they were negligent in the care of my service animal, and the employees, as stated, did not want to deal with this.  The amount of urine and f**** were more than excessive. I am sure any pet owner would have been disgruntled. My original dispute still remains, and my concerns were either ineffectively addressed or completely omitted. 
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ***********************

  Business Response

  Date: 07/10/2024

  In response to the rejection of our explanation:

  1. As to the customer not remembering signing this document we can only show what we have on file. This form was emailed the day before the evaluation and signed by the customer as a part of his initial paperwork. To say this "may have been mentioned" is untrue as in every temperament test (evaluation) we discuss with the customer at length how we are a fully interactive doggy daycare and show them a playroom visible from our lobby where you can see a group of dogs playing. We discuss with the customer that this is similar to sending your child to a sports camp, they're going to have fun and play all day but they can get dirty. This includes having some remnants of pee or p*** on them depending on how the dog plays. We do our best to wipe them off before going home but if their dog played a lot that day they may be extra stinky if they do not get a bath before departing. We understand that this is not desirable to everyone and there are daycares that offer individual care or shorter playtime resulting in less mess and we understand that some people may not use our services due to our business model.

  2. As to the behavior of the assistant manager stated, we deal with all personnel matters privately and do not discuss this with customers or on public forums like the ******************** website. We always discuss after any incident the goods/bads of the situation and move forward from there but this is not information we disclose to anyone but the parties involved.

  3. Our facility is not open 24/7 to the public and as our brochure, website and door clearly state. We close at 7pm. Staff was held late due to not being able to leave the facility.

  4. Standing in front of the gated area to leave the building blocking the exit was considered threatening, particularly to the two young women who were handling the customer. The customer was asked to leave and told the police would be called if he did not leave the building. He refused to leave the building so the staff did as they have been instructed to do in this scenario and called the police. When the police arrived the customer still did not leave immediately and staff did feel threatened whether that was the intent or not.

  5. We feel Bubbles was provided the service we explained and while she may have left stinky this was fully outlined as a possibility in the liability release and the information given at the evaluation meeting. We feel the resolution for this is for the customer to find another daycare that is more suitable to his dogs needs where she will not have the risk of getting dirty while playing all day. As stated earlier, we understand our environment is not for everyone and if she is a service dog that cannot be bathed often then she may be best going to another facility. We do not feel we did anything to mistreat ******* and we very much enjoyed having her in to play as she is a very sweet and playful dog. The best resolution that we can see is for us each to go our separate ways and move on.