CRUELTY & NEGLECT....help reporting a boarding kennel

[CrazyDogLady87]

hi everyone, first thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any help or advice offered. it's going to be a long post so I apologise, How are you? I hope you well.

I will give you a tiny background on myself which may help you understand my relationship with my dogs, at 27 I was diagnosed with stage 2b cervical cancer and told i needed a hysterectomy and a five-week course of chemoradiation, my partner and I had been trying for a baby for 3 years I have no biological children of my own I do however have DSS aged 11, anyway I had a dog a Japanese Akita,,, beautiful lady she was (she passed in July), we bred her with a GSD and she gave us a whopping litter of 10pups, we decided to keep three (hence my name!) we now have a 18 week old puppy in the mix. these dogs really are my my world, they are my kids,

so my father in law booked a last minute trip for 6 of us to Greece (very generous man) and as our dogs do not have Passports they went to a dog kennel, the same kennel we have used a number of times over the last few years, whenever we have gone anywhere and the dogs cannot come, we have never had any problems, apart from the very first time when they all where a bit pissed off we had left them so didn't eat as much as they usually would but after that time they where always excited to visit their "uncle bob" (as we would call him to them) when they saw him they would dash over be jumping and licking him it always set our mind at ease, and they would return fine happy dogs,

however this time upon their return I wanted to kill him my heart broke!


all dogs came back underweight and dehydrated, they have been left in such dirty condition that it's affected one of their skin and he has chewed various areas it's irritated so much. he could barely get up the stairs he was so exhausted

All my dogs have returned absolutely stinking to high heaven of urine and faeces, their fur is stained despite all of them being bathed three times now, there is still a smell to them. I have to shampoo my carpet and sofa and wash all bedding daily! I haven't made a start on my holiday washing yet! (imagine that pile)

one dog needed vet attention and off to the vet again tomorrow (he went in Saturday and yesterday) he is on steroids and antibiotics, has a supplement for his intestinal tract, (that's what medication we came home from the vet with), in the vet Saturday they run his full blood count, gave him a vitamin B12 injection a shot of antibiotic and a shot of steroids to start him off, as well as emptying his back passage glands totalling £178.23.

I'm taking all my dogs to the groomers for a better wash and blow dry this afternoon at £30 a dog. I should also mention it cost us nearly £400 to kennel the dogs for the time we were away.


I contacted him as he forgot to bring my bag of belongings back to me when he dropped my dogs off, (this contains a £40 brush, a £20 puppy harness, around £50 worth of puppy toys and around £50 of other dog toys, a £16 bottle of ranitidine from the vet and a file containing all my dogs microchip details vaccination records previous vet bills which also have my personal information on)

I feel he should refund me, he has not provided me with the service he is supposed to per his kennel licence, or my dogs adequate care and attention. I fell he should also pass me his insurance details to cover my veterinary cost, when I said this he became nasty and said it was not his problem he did not care he doesn't have time for this I said (it was all in text and I have saved them made backups of backups) I said just to cover my costs return my property and I will leave it, if you dont you will be forcing my hand to take this further and I really don't want to I like you but he was adamant he would "see me in court" ok so that's what I will do......

I'm aware it is a civil matter, the veterinary surgery is being amazing allowing me to keep the account open while I pursue this I have insurance for my pets though I never use it, its there as a backup for something crazy expensive, emergency surgery CT scans that sort of thing. I always use my "dog fund" to pay bills, I have warned him last night I can also press charges for appropriation of theft...no reply. all very nicely put on my side I'm happy to post the pictures if anyone would like to see the texts.

I have informed the relevant local authority department who issue the kennel licence, however, I am now stuck as to what to do I'm giving him until 2:30 to return my property then i'm calling the police (he is aware) I have an appointment with a solicitor tomorrow what else can i do ? any advice would be much apprciated!

I do not have facebook twitter etc to slam him on social media and with wanting to make this a civil matter I suppose that wouldn't be the best idea as it would make me look bad, so I'm holding my husband and son off there. as much as they want to they understand it could potentially jeopardise our case if it goes to court slander etc

thanks for reading!

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

If you want to take him to court, you can do so via Money Claim Online, which is the online option for going through the Small Claims Court. It's relatively cheap and I believe everyone covers their own legal costs (if any) regardless of judgement.

Otherwise, report to council licencing team (they may not act on this report alone, but it can help to build a picture), and RSPCA (though they won't lift a finger).

[theconstantinoplegardener]

Calling the police because he hasn't returned your dog brushes? I wouldn't have thought the police would be very interested in that. Have you tried popping in to the kennels and just asking for the brushes etc?

With regards to the poor condition of the dogs, that doesn't sound great. Did you take photos of them on collection? That might possibly help your case. It sounds like her should refund you at least some money if the dogs have not been well cared for. Maybe you can leave a Google review of the kennels to warn other owners.

[missbattenburg]

Honestly, if it was me I think I'd stop using energy thinking of ways of hurting him and concentrate on getting the dogs back to full health.

You've reported it to the licence folks. If he won't give you your bag of belongings back (including refusing to let you collect them) then report it to the police. Other than that, just focus on the wellbeing of your dogs and self rather than carry this any futher - it'll hurt you more than it will hurt him.

It is worth getting some social media accounts set up to help select a good boarding service in future. I find the online reviews invaluable when narrowing down my search - though obviously you still need to visit in person and vet the place yourself.

[CrazyDogLady87]

@AvocadosBeforeMortgages thank you, I will look into the site this afternoon, i thought RSPCA also but not sure if they would do anything


@theconstantinoplegardener I have looked at my rights online and I am well within my rights to call them as he is breaking the law by not returning my property. however, I do appreciate where you are coming from there is much more serious matters they need to deal with however as he is holding documents with my personal information on as well as property I have paid for he is breaking the law, it may seem petty it even does to me, but I have given him fair warning, also he may be charged if he has 'disposed of said property' or been destructive of it. I have proof he is in possession of it, therefore, I have him by the balls on many fronts, he admitted to also putting all for dogs in one kennel and yes i have photos and videos of the condition my dogs where returned in, several neighbours where appalled and have even off their own back written letters and given them to us claiming the dogs where a state, and are happy to make an official statement if need be. one even took his own photos as he adores my dogs and often asks me to bring on over when I go to keep him company and make him a cuppa or some lunch.

[eurochick]

The police are unlikely to do anything. You should make a civil claim for compensation. Keep all receipts for vet and grooming fees. Add the cost of the non returned items to the claim. Don't bother seeing a solicitor. Just make a small claim. The system is designed for people to use the small claims courts with lawyers. Good luck.

[CrazyDogLady87]

@missbattenburg
my absolute main concern is my dogs, so much so I am waking every hour to ensure he is ok and i have taken an extra week off work, if I need to go out i'm ensuring a trusted relative is with him, (importantly one HE trusts) if my husband is unable to stay with him for whatever reason, all my other dogs are fine now, they also had a thorough check from the vet, which I do annually, and it was due, so, I do not want the money for them
yes I've reported it to the licence authority. it'll hurt me more if i sit and do nothing and another dog suffer at his hands.

I have already found 3 kennels I want to check out for future use. I read numerous reviews online on this man and his kennels it took me almost 10 months to pick one, (time of booking the holiday to a month before we went the first time it was not a decision i made lightly. as aforementioned, I had no problems my dogs loved him in the past, online reviews are invaluable you're right, i even spoke to other people who used him when narrowing down my search.

i am just utterly heart broken my baby has suffered

[Vallahalagonebutnotforgotten]

Can you 100% say that the dogs illness was due to neglect otherwise you do not have a leg to stand on. Some dogs are stressed in kennels and will chew their skin because of that - I think it will be a hard case to prove is was through neglect.

I personally would go for a more polite response to get back your belongings and then review the situation after the vet has given advice on the reason for the illness.

Dogs often smell when they come back from kennels!

I hope your dog gets better soon

[CrazyDogLady87]

@eurochick thank you, I'm not too concerned about the cost of the property it is easily replaced, it's the principle of he is refusing to return them, and being nasty about the whole situation, we work and save hard to provide for our family, this includes my dogs. we always ensure we have money in a separate bank account to fund any matters for the dogs such as illness, I pay a lot of money in insurance each year but that is for something that could run into the thousands we would not have the cash on hand for, or in the even my dog hurt someone else's dog, which is not very likely as they are well socialised and love all dogs, but you never know, another dog might not like them and a fight may break out, I am being as responsible as i can covering all bases with a "just in case" thought,

I don't want any monies in compensation in my hand, I just want my costs covered, vet bills and grooming fees, going directly to them, I have a good relationship with both firms and have both agreed to keep the account open under a dispute mark with details of why its open and currently unpaid, compensation for me would be he is not allowed to take in other dogs and treat them this way again.

[Urbanbeetler]

With three dogs, wouldn’t it be worth getting a dog sitter to move in for holidays and take care of them in their own home?

[CrazyDogLady87]

@Vallahalagonebutnotforgotten yes I can 100% say that the dog's illness was due to neglect they vet took a swab of the wounds and where they are situated stated they are a clear indication he has been laying in urine as the area is also stained with it. his posture also indicates he was in a cramped condition, the vet believes we have a strong case which is why he has agreed to leave the account open, my dogs are well known to the vet as I do not hesitate to take them in when they are unwell and have always had annual health checks, he was weighed in at 36.3 kilos when he is usually 55kilos (give or take a kilo here and there) his blood results indicate he was dehydrated he explained the levels and why they indicate he has been poorly looked after but I can't remember exactly what he said now he has written extensive notes which they are sending to the local authority themselves. the vet has given the reason for the illness. and is wanting to review him every few days, he almost kept him in overnight, it all depended on his kidney function test which came back acceptable he allowed him home, as he said it is not dangerous and however, a day or two longer it would be a different story,

Dogs do sometimes smell coming back from the kennel, I agree, mine have had a funny smell on them for a day or so, just smelt like somewhere else, not home, it wasn't a dirty smell. however, they should not be covered in faeces and urine and it should not be stained on their fur, and be so strong that it made you want to be sick.

[BiteyShark]

I think there are only two things you can realistically do here.

Report to the council as they issue the license so it's up them to monitor the situation.

Open a small claims court for the costs and don't engage directly with him any further.

[CrazyDogLady87]

these are the pictures of some the wounds one on his elbow and one in his scrotum

[Urbanbeetler]

That’s not good. Poor pups.

[CrazyDogLady87]

@Urbanbeetler possibly, however, I thought a kennel would be easier as he was supposed to have a vet on call and a number of staff, he has an enlcosed field area where he exercises the dogs, and they can run freely (mine can be quite mischevious if let off leads together, with people they dont know that well, envision 3 large wolf looking dogs running down the village and stealing some poor blokes bacon sandwich! (really it happened once!)

@BiteyShark i think you're right there isn't much I can do and once its all settled I can leave reviews, I've been on my local service, and seen that a few weeks before this one review was left by a women stating the almost identical circumstances I informed the local authority of this when I called to report my experience, I stated i know it is not relevant to my complaint but there is another you may have the resources to find out who she is, the said they would look into it, my mother in law had her two dogs (siblings to mine) in at the same time and she is unhappy with the condition of hers, though they are not as bad as my boy.

[Lucisky]

Just a few things I don't understand. You say he 'dropped the dogs off'. I have never used a boarding kennel where they deliver the dogs back to you. Is this a method of stopping people from viewing the kennels?
Have you actually looked round these kennels?
Is it a proper kennels, or a home boarder?
I agree with others that you should not engage with this person. Get a solicitor if necessary and then sue him for your costs. I can't see he has got a leg to stand on. I hope your dogs are soon better.

[NOTtheCHEAPcakeLADY]

@Lucisky

yes, he dropped the dogs off its a service he offers, collection and drop off. yes, I have viewed the kennels before, I booked with him the very first time, and I randomly showed up so he wasn't expecting me I happened to be passing and thought I would pop in he had a large number of dogs in at the time they place was spotless all dogs where being fed napping playing and was exercising many of them in the enclosed pen at the time. he also had a whiteboard with all dogs names and corresponding kennel number and their daily routine detailed if given by the owner
it is a proper kennel, not a home boarder I checked with my local authority each time to ensure he still had a license
i have stopped engaging with him. seen a solicitor . my dog is much better now thank you

[CauliflowerBalti]

Just to say I hope your dogs recover and I have experienced a previously excellent kennel that I had used dozens of times going completely downhill and it’s really upsetting. Like you, I had researched and researched and felt really confident in my decision, the dogs loved going there - until a new kennel manager came in and after one weekend under her my dogs flatly refused to get out of the car the next time I visited. I won’t use them again. Not nearly as dramatic and awful as the mistreatment your digs received. Good luck x