RUFF HOUSING DOGGIE DAY CARE

"Ms. [Member name], I'm sorry that there was some confusion about our pricing. The reason that we charge separately for our daytime options and our overnight options is so that our clients can pay for only what they use. Many places similar to us charge for 24 hours at a time which results in an additional 24 hour charge if you don't pick up by the specified time. With our structure, our clients do not have to pay for the daytime charge if they drop off after 4 pm or pick up before 10 am. Also, this structure allows our clients who purchase daycare packages to use package days for their daytime and then only pay for the overnight cost. So, on the whole, our clients prefer this type of structure. We do our best to clearly communicate our prices. Our clients select one of three daytime options (we have prices listed for each) and one of three overnight options (also priced separately) and then add the two together for a 24-hour price. We recall when you became upset about the price when you and your husband picked up your dogs in April. At the time, the manager that gave you your initial tour felt sure that she had explained the pricing to you in detail, but I am sorry if you felt that it was not clear. In our brochures where our prices are listed, we explain that you choose a daytime option and choose an overnight option then add those prices together. We also explain that and provide an example on our website as well. While $699 may seem like an expensive bill, your two dogs were here for 10 days, so that is about $35 per day per dog. We want our clients to be aware of our prices and understand them so that they can make educated decisions about what is best for their dogs. When comparing boarding facilities, remember Ruff Housing provides a very different type of service than most facilities. Most of the dogs that stay with us are playing in supervised groups both inside and outside during the day. If this is something that your dog does not enjoy, we also offer options for individual care. We have trained staff in the building 24/7/365 and we offer web cams and extended drop off and pick up from 5 am to 9 pm every day. We have grown from one small location with 5 employees to 4 locations with 160 employees because of happy clients referring their friends and family members. However, we realize that Ruff Housing is not the best choice for every client or every dog. Again, I am sorry that you were unhappy with our pricing, and we certainly appreciate your feedback. If you have any further questions, please let us know. Sincerely, Kim Vaughn Owner"

"[member name removed], We are sorry that you were unhappy with Jake's groom. Even though it has been six months since you brought him in, I was able to look up our notes in out computer system about his groom that day. Often, dogs with longer fur can get mats or tangles in their fur as a part of their normal play. Our notes indicate that Jake did have a lot of mats in his fur that day. These mats can prevent air circulation to the skin and can often lead to secondary skin irritations like sores and hot spots. So, it is important for the health of the dogs to ensure that they are removed. We generally remove them prior to bathing the dogs because when a dog is bathed, the mats tighten and that can pull the hair from the dog's skin and cause discomfort to the dog. Some mats may be able to be brushed out, but only if they are small and loose. We often need to shave or cut the mats out of the dog's fur because excessive brushing can cause the dog's skin to become sore or leave the dog's fur damaged. When this happens, we need to cut the dog's fur down so that the groom is blended to an even length so the groom will look professional and not "patchy". Typically, our groomers will discuss this with the clients. The groomer that is listed in our computer system as grooming your dog that day is a very experienced groomer. She has 15 years of grooming experience with 4 of those with Ruff Housing. We get a lot of compliments on her work and have many clients request that their dogs are groomed by her. Since is has been so long since your appointment, it is difficult to confirm what conversations you may have had with our groomer. But, I can tell you that we now have a written waiver that clients sign where they acknowledge that they understand the benefits and reasons for cutting their dog's hair short when the dog has matting. Again, we are sorry that you were not happy with your experience with Ruff Housing. We serve about 50 grooming clients per day among our four locations (2 in Winston, 1 in Clemmons and 1 in Greensboro) and rarely receive complaints. If you have any questions, or if you would like to discuss this further, feel free to give me a call at 830-8688. Kim Vaughn, Owner, Ruff Housing Dog Daycare and Lodging"

"We are sorry to hear that you were unhappy with your experience at Ruff Housing. Most of the dogs that visit with us play in our group play and spend a great deal of time outside. However with our individual care option (also called our "Private Retreat" option), we take the dogs outside for walks at least 4 times per day plus they also receive an individual 20 minute playtime with a staff member during the day. This usually means that your dog would go outside for a bathroom break about every 4 hours or so. Having a bathroom break every 4 hours is more frequent that most dog care facilities and it is usually sufficient for most dogs. However, we do realize that there are some dogs that may have a medical condition or for some other reason may need more frequent bathroom breaks. This is certainly not a problem and it can be arranged. You would just need to let us know you would like special arrangements made for your dog either when you make the appointment or when you drop your dog off. We do include a 20 minute playtime one-on-one with a staff member for all dogs that are using our "Private Retreat" option for no extra charge. Our Lodging Specialists schedule these playtimes throughout the day. So, for example, if your drop your dog off at 9:00 am and we if we believe your dog will be with us for several hours, we may schedule your dog's playtime for 1:00 pm. But, if you pick your dog up 2 1/2 hours later at 11:30, they may not have completed the playtime yet. But, depending on our staffing for the day and the number of dogs we are hosting at the time, we can usually accommodate special requests if you would like to have your dog's playtime completed earlier. Had we known what time you were planning to pick your dog up, we could have made sure that the playtime was completed before the pick up time. You mentioned that your dog was nervous. Often, it is helpful for dogs that may be nervous to have some time to rest alone and to just get used to the new smells and noises of the facility before we disturb them with too much activity or human interaction. All of our bedrooms have open fronts so that we can keep an eye on all of the dogs and make sure that they are okay, but from a distance so that we do not make them more upset. Again, I am sorry that you were not happy with your experience."