ComplaintsforRex & Roxy - Buckhead

• Initial Complaint

  08/16/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Aug 1st, I entrusted my dog, **** to the care of ************ of Buckhead. A staff member called me around 2pm the same day stating that **** was injured when a door closed on/caught her left hind foot. I was told that there was no blood, visible injuries or signs of pain but that she was limping. I carried her home that day when I saw how badly she was limping. The next morning I took her to ******************************* where I was told that she had possibly torn ligaments and was referred to an orthopedic surgeon (preliminary estimate is ~$5600)I believe this incident was preventable and is a direct consequence of the carelessness shown by the daycare's staff and manager, ****. Last Thursday **** explained that the accident involved someone named ****, who is not listed on the company employee page. (Since checking this page, Ive noticed that there are other attendants on site who are also not listed.)Two days after the accident **** stated that upon reviewing video **** was limping before the accident occurred (just after 10am, the accident was just after noon) this was about 4 hours before I received the call on Tuesday (just after 2pm). I made attempts to correspond via email with the management, hoping for an amicable resolution. However, my efforts have been met with silence, and defensiveness, theyve shown no effort to address the situation or offer any compensation as a gesture of goodwill due to their negligence. **** claimed that **** had pre-existing conditions, that I signed a contract but this is neglect. She also claimed to escalate the issue to corporate and agreed to refund the cost of the daycare package which is $779. However, I have heard nothing back in over one week and no one has responded to my emails. Due to their complete neglect Im seeking a refund of the daycare package and full reimbursement of Lunas medical expenses. *** tried to be courteous but they are defensive and unresponsive. Please help.

  Business response

  08/31/2023

  ****************** dog, ****, has been visiting *** & ****** since October 21, 2022.  **** was presented for daycare on August 1st at 7:41am.  
  
  There was an extremely minor incident that occurred around 12:42pm.  **** is a dog that often tries to race through open doors as they are being closed.  At this time, she tried to run through a door between play rooms and got squeezed as the door was closing.  This was not a violent event at all.  At worst, she *** have gotten pinched a bit as she squeezed through the opening. Luckily, we have video surveillance at a number of locations in the facility and we captured the incident on video.  The kennel attendant recognized that the dog was sneaking through and did not close the door on ****.  It appears that there was never less than a 6-8" opening as **** squeezed through so even saying she *** have been pinched is unlikely.  She didn't even yelp.  Immediately after coming through the door, **** was acting fine - running, tail wagging, etc.  The kennel attendant did, however, notice **************** and kept an eye on her.  
  
  At 2:39pm, after isolating **** for further observation, the customer service agent at the front desk placed a call to ************** to inform her that **** was limping.  On that call, the *** explained that the dog had squeezed through the door and that she was isolated for observation and had been evaluated by a manager.  The limp was described accurately based on video evidence using words like "very minor", "a little limp", etc.  **** was further described as remaining active and in good spirits using words like "perky".  **** also seemed not to be experience pain based on a brief, non-medical exam by a manager in which she palpated the dog's leg.  **** did not exhibit any pain behavior such as yelping or biting.  Now it is our policy to inform owners of any injury or illness we *** notice, no matter how minor.  That is so that the owner can make any decisions that *** be appropriate in a timely manner such as whether to take the dog to the vet or to pick the dog up, etc.  
  
  On the call, ************** advised the *** that **** has a pre-existing condition that causes her to limp from time to time.  **** has luxated patellas in both of her rear legs.  Having luxated patellas means that the dog's knee caps are unstable and prone to dislocating temporarily.  In mild cases, the knee cap will snap back into place.  Sometimes a dog hops and stretches its leg out to pop it back in itself.  This condition is common in small breeds.  ****** condition was noted in her medical disclosure on the daycare contract that ************** signed.  As previously stated, ************** reiterated ****** condition on the call.  Our phone system records all calls so we have that call saved.
  
  What ************** *** not have noticed at the time **** was presented to us that morning, is that **** was already limping. In our investigation of the incident we captured footage not only of the incident itself but also of **** limping prior to the incident.  At 7:46, we have a video clip of her already limping.  We have another at 10:17.  We also saved a clip of **** departing the facility at 6:27pm.  **** was at time behaving norming, running standing on her hind legs to greet **************, etc.
  
  On August 2, at 2:06pm, ************** called *** & ****'s of Buckhead and said that she had taken **** to the veterinarian and the dog required orthopedic surgery in an estimated amount of $4-6k.  ************** asked for a refund of her entire daycare package in the amount of $779 even though a) daycare packages are clearly listed as non-refundable and b) she had already used half of the package.  She also requested that we pay for ****** medical bills.  
  
  On August 3, at 1:****, ************** called *** & ****'s of Buckhead and spoke to the manager, ****  ************** was advised that we were investigating the situation and would have a decision pending that investigation.  ************** again asked for a full refund of her daycare package and that we cover ****** medical bills.  We requested to see ****** veterinary records so that we could review the veterinarian's findings.  ************** said she would immediately send them.  We never received any records.  This call was recorded and is retained in our records.
  
  On August 3, at 1:49pm, ************** called *********************** in *******, a related but separately managed facility across town.  She was advised by that manager, ***, that she send an email to the public company email address, which corporate executives also monitor.  This call was recorded and is retained in our records.
  
  On August 3, at 3:53pm, the manager of *** & ****'s of Buckhead, ***, called ***************  *** explained that she found the video of both the incident and of **** limping prior to the incident.  In addition, *** offered to review the video with ************** and to refund her daycare package as a show of good faith at that time (we need her credit card present in order to refund the package).  *** explained that because **** had a pre-existing medical condition - the primary symptom of which is limping - and that the incident was very minor and that **** was limping prior to the incident, that we would be unwilling to pay for ****** medical care.  ************** explained that she believes that because we called her to report ****** limping that we should be responsible.  *** attempted to explain that we call any owner any time we observe or suspect some sort of injury or illness and that reporting observations does not immediately put us at fault.  It simply makes us responsible stewards of the pets in our care.  This call was recorded and is retained in our records.
  
  Based on the dog's pre-existing medical condition and ****************** recorded acknowledgment of such, the video evidence of the lack of severity of the reported incident, and the videos of **** limping immediately upon arrival that morning, we have concluded that the *** & ****'s staff did not cause any injury to *********  They simply did the right thing by notifying and informing the owner of an observed condition that they wanted to bring to her attention.  ****** medical bills and need for surgery are clearly a result of her pre-existing patellar luxations.  We are happy to review ****** medical records (should we ever receive them) and share the video footage and phone calls with any appropriate party.  We will not pay any medical bills for conditions that are obviously pre-existing.
  
  

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