Spa Paw & Tail

I boarded my dog there on 9/21/17. My dog is high risk and I was very transparent with the owner Nina, letting her know my dog could not return to a previous daycare due to not getting along with other male dogs. All seemed well until the next day when my dog fell ill. This was the second time I had left my dog there. I boarded him overnight in 2015 and he fell ill the next day at that time as well but I never mentioned anything to Spa and Tail at that time. I called the daycare in the early afternoon on 9/22/17 and asked to speak to Nina but was told she was not in. I inquired about their hygiene protocols, how they clean their kennels, if they knew of any dogs that may have been sick. I asked staff if they refrain from allowing sick dogs to daycare for the day and was told no. I told the staff that I wanted to at least make them aware that my dog got ill so that they could be aware of the issue. I also let them know that I would need to wait until my dog was better before returning him to daycare - because I'm a responsible dog owner. Instead of appreciating that I let them know about a potential illness and letting them know I will make sure my dog is healthy before returning him there, the owner called me and left a message, which I have saved, about my "accusation." Nina was very defensive and rude in her message and repeatedly mentioned my "accusation" then told me I'm not welcome at their facility. The owner is one of the least professional business owners I've ever encountered when it comes to dealing with customer concerns. After reading other reviews here and elsewhere, it seems she is notorious for this defensive behavior. She also responds to negative reviews by twisting the truth. I was not rude to her staff. I did not, however, appreciate her employee's repeated denials that any dogs were ill at Spa and Tail despite her having confirmed that they will accept sick dogs for the day. Other daycares let owners know that, if a dog is ill, they cannot bring their pets in for that day - just like a human daycare. Dogs who are boarded or put in daycare having a higher likelihood of getting sick. I understand that. What is not acceptable is the owner's behavior. On another note, I recommended Spa and Tail to a few friends in the past. One friend took a tour inside back in 2015. She said she refused to take her dog there because the place had a very bad odor and that it came from the inside fake lawn they use. I also toured the daycare in 2015 and can confirm the bad odor. The dogs urinate on fake grass and the urine goes down into a holding pan then sits there. They may clean the pan out a few times a day but the odor was indeed very bad. In 2016, I inquired about taking my now high risk dog to Spa and Tail. I was given a tour by a wonderful employee who had remembered my dog from the previous daycare. She is no longer there but she was not allowed to take me into the play area due to "safety." I believe it was so that potential customers won't be turned off by the smell. I have already found another place to care for my dog. It may not be as close to home but I trust their knowledge and professionalism. Despite what the owner of Spa Paw and Tail claims in her response, I want to ensure everyone that my review is VERY valid. I have one account per review site. This business owner has made rude responses to every one of my reviews. She also attempted to intimidate me into taking down my valid reviews by having the authorities call me on 10/17/17. During that morning, I received a call from an embarrassed law enforcement officer who actually apologized to me for having to call me. I have provide the name of this officer to Angie’s List as well as a photo of the medicines that were provided to me by my vet following a visit to Spa Paw and Tail. I was never rude to her employees, never yelled at them nor swore at them. In short, I did nothing to warrant the owner’s odd message she left me. I have archived and saved the voicemail message. The message only refers to my “accusations.” A valid review is just that, a valid review. Ms. Nina Race simply does not know how to emotionally deal with negative reviews in a mature way. Instead, as anyone can read from her response, she insults, attacks, discredits and threatens those who provide negative reviews. Her behavior is becoming more and more perplexing and as a consumer, I do not see how this improves the public image of her business.

35 minutes after dropping my dog off I was called from the Spa Paw & Tail that my dog had an accident. They told me he had jumped a fence, fell and his mouth was bleeding uncontrollably. They needed to take him to the vet. I offered to come back (was on my way to my daughter's wedding out of town), they said no, they could handle. I felt very bad for my dog, he is 10 years old but HE thinks he's 2 years. To make a long story short, he had split one of his bottom canine teeth and it needed to be removed. The vet needed to put him under anesthesia to remove the tooth. I was in constant contact with both Spa Paw & Tail and the vet. After it was over, it was nearly $700 for the tooth extraction. The stay at Spa Paw & Tail was to be nearly $200. Expensive stay. After the weekend and when I went to pick up my dog, I asked at Spa Paw & Tail where in the facility this had all taken place and what the circumstance was. They answered with, "Oh, he was in "Tiny Town" and he jumped the fence when they brought by a golden lab." A RED flag immediately went up in my head? What was my 60 pound Gian Schnauzer, newly dropped off and excited doing in "Tiny Town"? He is NOT a small dog and had no business being there. Because I was picking him up on a Sunday, I decided to come back on Monday and talk with Nina, the owner. When I came back on Monday to talk with Nina, she immediately defended having my dog in "Tiny Town" as he was being "held" there until play time. She stated he was the first dog ready for play time. I asked if it was common to have large dogs with a four foot fence in "Tiny Town" for play time. She answered, oh yes it is a common fence anyone would have in their back yard. Well, I can tell you, if I had a 4 foot fence holding my dog in my back yard it would not hold him. He gets very excited around dogs, he's happy and wants to play, but he does not want to be separated from them. And, just to add, he had JUST arrived at the Spa Paw & Tail and was very excited already. They have an area, in the back of the building for "play time" and it is a very high fence. I've observed my dog in this area when I had a trial day at Spa Paw & Tail. He DID NOT belong in "Tiny Town". When I requested Nina pay for half of my dog's vet bill, as I felt half of the blame lands with me for choosing Spa Paw & Tail for the kennel to trust my dog's care, but definitely half was her responsibility to keep him safe from injury, she answered, NO, we don't do that. When I then told her I would be "spreading the word" about her kennel she called me a HORRIBLE and TERRIBLE person. Really? You decide. Nina was not nice after I called her out on having my LARGE dog in "Tiny Town". My poor dog is now minus a canine tooth and was sore for about 4 weeks after this incident. This was a horrible experience and I will NEVER use this kennel again. Since then, also, in speaking with others about this kennel, I have discovered other people having very bad experiences. I just wish I had known those stories before I had chosen this kennel. I hope this helps others decide.

Kirstin is awesome.

she looked great

unknown

my beagle Frankie's fur was so soft, and white,  He smells wonderful, compared to his normal hunting dog odor.

I have been using the Spa Paw and Tail for the past six years for three dogs. All of my dogs love it there and I love knowing that they are being well taken care of, well loved and safe. Every grooming service we have ever purchased has been awesome. Most recently my Australian labradoodle was groomed by Charlene who was amazing! She was very attentive and considerate to my wishes. My dog is very shy, but I felt confident that she felt safe and comfortable with Charlene who was very understanding and appreciative of my dog's personality and needs. The owner of Spa Paw, Nina Race, is so professional and personable in all of my encounters with her. With all the dogs, and cats and other animals that she works with, it is evident that she cares about each and every one and strives to provide the best possible environment for them. I saw in some other reviews complaints about the pricing. I admit that for a short season I tried several other cheaper kennels and groomers simply to save money. That was a big mistake. The saying is true, you get what you pay for. We are back at the Spa Paw now and have no problem paying the fair prices that reflect the tremendous quality of all the services they provide. If you want the best for your pet, then the Spa Paw is for you!

unknown

The price was outrageous.  But I wanted to make sure that he would safe till I got back.  I was able to pick him up little earlier as I got back early.  They had senior discount of 10% that I had to keep asking.  I had to call the owner.  They had some modern technology where we can go on the web and actually see the facilities and even see our pet.  The dog is safe.  Everything was okay.  They don’t have cages.  They have little enclosures where they kept the dog.  It had a ceiling to floor door where they can play.  My dog is not a player and he runs away from other dogs.

unknown

unknown

They did a good job taking previsions for a 15 yr old dog who is blind and deaf. They were very nice to work with.

At this juncture our dog is doing well with the day care service. The personnel are friendly, conscientious and really seem to care for the pets under their care. The selling point has been his positive responsiveness to the experience.

unknown

Boarding for both of my dogs for 10 days. I was so nervous to leave my babies anywhere. This was the first time I have ever boarded my dogs and I am so very happy I picked Spa Paw and Tails. I was able to be on my vacation with the peace of mind that my dogs were just fine. I also missed my flight and at last second my dogs had to stay for an extra night. I received a phone call saying not to worry the dogs would be fine and they would see me the next day.

We tried to get our two Newfoundland Puppies in on late notice one weekend in early August but they were booked up.
Our previous visit was excellent!

Simply fantastic...treated our puppy very well. Will definately use again.

The staff was friendly and ready for us when we arrived. They paid lot of attention to the puppy and quickly introduced him to the small dog play group. All aspects were more than satisfactory, and the dog returned happy and looking forward to the next adventure.

It was amazing. The staff is so nice. They completely showered him with affection and assured me that he'd have a great day. When I picked him up, he didn't even notice that I was there. He was having too much fun. I highly recommend this place. It is SO clean. It doesn't even smell like any animals are there, which is very impressive. It is very bright and cheery too. He got lots of attention from the staff and an excellent report card! All of my worries about boarding him while we are out of town are gone. He's going to have a great time there.