Name:   Talullahhound - Subject:   Dog Boarding - A PSA Date:   7/28/2016 9:15:56 PM

Last Tuesday I dropped off my 13 year old dog; a senior dog, but in good health.  When I dropped him off, he was fine.  On Saturday when I went to pick him up, he was seizing and in respiratory distress thanks to a kennel worker who left him outside in the excessive heat, and then lied to me, by calling me and telling he was panting hard. It took me 40 minutes to get there, and then another 45 minutes of furious driving to get him to the closest emergency vet.  On Monday, I had him put to sleep, because he was damaged beyond treatment.  I'm not going to name the place where I left him, but if you want to know the details, you can email me. 

I think all of us make certain assumptions when we board our dogs - that the kennel people are going to keep our animals safe; that the owners will be on the premises, that there is an emergency plan in case of illness on the weekend.  I had been using this facility for years now, so I didn't ask a lot of questions.  And I should have - especially on the subect of an emergency plans if an animal becomes ill or hurt on the weekend.  Most of the local vets are not open on the weekend.  And who will make the decision to get emergency care? If you aren't there you only know what you are told.  In my case, I was lied to.

So I recommend that you ask a lot more questions about who is in charge of your dog when you leave them, what kind of supervision they have, and what is the emergency plan - who decides and where will they go. 

It's too late for my dog, but I don't want what happened to me, happen to you.