Happy Tails Doggy Care

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

I have made many attempts to resolve this ordeal with Mrs. [redacted].  On the day of dog transport June 30, I walked with Mrs. [redacted] while she had the lease and my dog to her pet taxi.  She pops open the hatchback and my first response was " is this it, won't the dog jump out?" she said that it's fine and that's how she transports all the dogs. I assumed she knew what she was talking about since she runs a professional pet taxi / boarding business.  There were no restraints, the seatbelts were exposed as a biting toy, and there was only a wire mesh panel between the second and third row seats. This was not a professional pet taxi but a converted family car because there was a baby in a car seat in the second row. That is a danger to the child if there was a mishap with any dog.  She text me 1/2 an hour later to call her ASAP.  My first thought was that my dog ran away.  Long story short, I pick my dog up and she demands $400 for the seatbelt repairs.  She said I can find a reasonable place for the parts and labor.  I found parts and the body shop that she frequents for her own auto repairs.  She refused the offer.  I have asked many times for a copy of my signed contract that is rightfully mine.  She made numerous promises that she will drop it off at my house or mail it. I wait and wait. She would tell me that her son got hurt, her mother is in the hospital, and business has been very busy. THIS IS POOR BUSINESS PRACTICE! She finally said that I will get it from her lawyer.  As of today, I have not received anything from them.  I have been very cooperative but none on her part.  She has cut off communication with me completely. She does not respond to my calls or texts.  But yet she is holding my $490.00 and I have nothing.  I hope you understand my frustration and anger.  Thank you.

Regards,

[redacted]
I have made many attempts to resolve this ordeal with Mrs. [redacted].  On the day of dog transport June 30, I walked with Mrs. [redacted] while she had the lease and my dog to her pet taxi.  She pops open the hatchback and my first response was " is this it, won't the dog jump out?" she said that it's fine and that's how she transports all the dogs. I assumed she knew what she was talking about since she runs a professional pet taxi / boarding business.  There were no restraints, the seatbelts were exposed as a biting toy, and there was only a wire mesh panel between the second and third row seats. This was not a professional pet taxi but a converted family car because there was a baby in a car seat in the second row. That is a danger to the child if there was a mishap with any dog.  She text me 1/2 an hour later to call her ASAP.  My first thought was that my dog ran away.  Long story short, I pick my dog up and she demands $400 for the seatbelt repairs.  She said I can find a reasonable place for the parts and labor.  I found parts and the body shop that she frequents for her own auto repairs.  She refused the offer.  I have asked many times for a copy of my signed contract that is rightfully mine.  She made numerous promises that she will drop it off at my house or mail it. I wait and wait. She would tell me that her son got hurt, her mother is in the hospital, and business has been very busy. THIS IS POOR BUSINESS PRACTICE! She finally said that I will get it from her lawyer.  As of today, I have not received anything from them.  I have been very cooperative but none on her part.  She has cut off communication with me completely. She does not respond to my calls or texts.  But yet she is holding my $490.00 and I have nothing.  I hope you understand my frustration and anger.  Thank you.

Thursday, August 7, 2014

In response to Mrs. [redacted]’s allegations we deny that we have been difficult to work with. Mrs. [redacted] did sign a contract with us that clearly states she as the owner of the dog is responsible for all/any damages incurred by our company while the dog is in...

our care or transport. On June 30th we provided courtesy transport services for her dog's anticipated 3-day stay. Upon meeting the dog (Tobey-a Bull Terrier) I found him to be energetic, but he accepted my presence. I escorted him to our transport vehicle and in the process he continued to be energetic and a bit difficult to manage as he jumped and pulled. In fact he even jumped on the side of Mrs. [redacted]'s car and scratched it. She was present as I escorted the dog to the vehicle and also while I loaded him to our vehicle. Our pet transport vehicle is equipped with a pet barrier to segregate the pets from any passengers during transport and also for safety purposes. It also has dual mats for comfort purposes. At no point in time did Mrs. [redacted] object to the standards of our transport vehicle or give any indication that she found it unsuitable for her dog. She was also given the opportunity on two occasions (during pick up or prior facility visit) to present any behavior issues (aggression, chewing, etc.) her dog may have and she denied that he had any.

What I experienced during transport was that the dog was anxious. I remained focused on the road however, I could hear him barking and pacing. This is not completely unusual so I tried to just comfort him with my voice. Upon arriving at my facility and as I attempted to unload him he tried to bite me. While he did not break skin I felt like it was unsafe for me to interact with him. I immediately tried to reach the client while the dog remained in the climate controlled transport vehicle. After many attempts I was able to reach her. She was reluctant to receive him back, but I reiterated to her that we could not offer boarding services to him since he was displaying a human aggression temperament. I agreed to drive him back to her. As I attempted to return him and after only a few minutes the dog began to try to break through the vehicle’s pet barrier. At this point I returned to the facility and placed a call letting her know that his behavior had escalated and she would need to come pick him up. I did not want to sustain any personal injuries nor did I want to further agitate the dog. She again was reluctant but arrived approximately one hour later. During this hour the dog remained in the climate controlled transport vehicle. Upon her arrival she asked her male companion to help her remove the dog and it was at that point that Mrs. [redacted] and I discovered her dog had chewed the both rear seatbelts and broken a clip from a plastic molding piece on the rear interior tailgate. 

She came into my facility where I expressed my apologies that the boarding arrangements had not worked. I told her she would need to place a deposit to cover the anticipated damages that would need to be repaired. She said it was not her fault and I reminded her of the contract she had signed and that she was the owner and responsible for the actions of her dog. I did agree to allow her to seek alternate repair options as the car dealership [redacted] wanted approximately $260 per seatbelt and an additional $250 in labor to make the seatbelt repair. The agreement was that parts had to be functioning parts that met all safety standards and the parts needed to be compatible with the vehicle in specifications (size, color, etc.). To date she has never presented with an estimate and after contacting her chosen repair shop ([redacted], Goodyear AZ) they have been unable to obtain the appropriate parts. It is not our policy to refund any money to the customer until the repair is made and over a month later the repair has not been made as stated above due to her chosen repair shop not having the appropriate parts. We have been patient and understanding of Mrs. [redacted]’s predicament however it is not fair for her to harass us or demand any refund since the repairs have not been made and the deposit money according to dealer pricing will not completely cover the repair cost. Her behavior has been concerning and threatening despite our attempts to work with her.

The customer will be given a until August 31, 2014 to arrange for repairs to our transport vehicle and following that date our company will arrange for the repairs at our chosen repair shop. The final cost will be billed against Mrs. [redacted]’s $490 deposit. Any unused portion will be returned to her. However, if the repairs exceed the deposit she will be billed for the difference and we will make every attempt to collect those monies.

Thank you for your time and careful consideration in this matter. It is our goal to provide optimum customer service to both our human and K-9 clients but we refuse to jeopardize our safety or that of another guest. 

Respectfully,

Happy Tails Doggy Care LLC

Have had a great experience...very clean nice comfortable environment for pets. Pets are well taken care of.

Happy Tails indeed!! I was so stressed trying to find someone who would care for and love my dogs as much as I do! I will never have to spend hours doing research on places and interviews again. Not only were they well taken care of, I had expressed a few concerns about training issues I was having and when I got back I had noticed a HUGE improvement! Happy Tails Doggy Care is the ONLY place I will EVER take my dogs again!