Puppy hurt at daycare

Bs0u416d · 10/02/2023 22:51

I think this is regretable and bad practice on their part. We use day care 3-4 days a week for our (very precious) doy and over the years he has had a few accidents, including bites. Only once I've had to pick him up early for a vet check but they have always been proactive and honest when issues have arrisen. Once he was bitten in a non playful way and the other dog was expelled. These things are to be expected from time to time but your're right to expect honesty, accountabilty and an apology.

Paranoidandroidmarvin · 11/02/2023 16:11

I had my dog in day care when we had a dog. Took him out when I puppy died after getting into the pool. Unfortunately they cannot watch a dog as well as u do as there are so many of them.
if I had another dog I wouldn’t put mine in day care.

Happysalley · 11/02/2023 16:13

That's awful op, hope he heals quickly. I'd leave a very detailed review to warn future customers.

stevalnamechanger · 11/02/2023 16:16

Are your daycare a licensed operation?

If so formal complaint , request the incident log

Skiphopbump · 11/02/2023 16:16

The fact that haven’t been honest and would rather exclude your puppy than face you again would really frustrate me.
Accidents happen and the manner they are dealt with is really important.

DotAndCarryOne2 · 11/02/2023 16:19

StaceyF90 · 10/02/2023 22:46

We have taken our puppy to daycare once a week for about a month. He's 7 months old, very sociable and a bundle of energy. He's fairly well trained
Last week we picked him up, his neck was swolen. Later in the night it was swelling a lot more. We took him to the vet who said it looks like he's been bit and pulled, she could see dried blood around a bite and the swelling was from minor trauma.
He's on antibiotics and seems to be getting better but is now scared of other dogs
I spoke to his daycare. They denied everything and said he couldn't come back. We signed a liability waiver to allow him to go so know we can't do anything but feel they should admit he got hurt there, ideally apologies and take better care of the dogs who do go there.
What would you do? He's clearly never going back but am I being naive to think they should take better care of dogs or apologise?

What kind of waiver did you sign and are you sure it’s legally viable ? Thinking of some kind of compensation for vet’s fees incurred. He’s obviously been bitten while in their care and it was clearly an incident bad enough to traumatise him if he’s now afraid of other dogs, so it’s not reasonable for them to deny it happened. At the very least there should be a full apology and a refund of any fees you’ve paid in advance. And I would look them up on Trustpilot or Google reviews and leave an honest review as a caution to other users of the service.

2bazookas · 11/02/2023 16:25

I spoke to his daycare. They denied everything and said he couldn't come back.

That sounds as if it might be your dog who started the fight?

Original poster

StaceyF90 · 11/02/2023 18:33

They said there was no fight and my puppy was not injured whilst there. At first they just said he was playing with a dog who like to play rough but generally is a nice dog.
I sent them the report from the vet and asked to see their cctv. They said no there was no fight and they would not share the recording.
They only said he should not come back after I told them he was now fearful of other dogs and asked if someone was with his group all day.

OP posts:

Original poster

StaceyF90 · 11/02/2023 18:41

They are registered with the council but they say they didn't create a record for this as it was just dogs rough playing and the other dog just plays dominant.
I'm paraphrasing but the waiver says we accept any injury that occurs while on their premises can not be claimed against or place any liability on the daycare.
I'm not asking for them to pay the vet bill, but he was injured when they should have looking after him. I'd like to know what happened so we can watch out for what may trigger his new fear and to be honest, maybe it's daft, but we'd like an apology.

OP posts:

Original poster

StaceyF90 · 11/02/2023 18:53

Sorry didn't realise I could edit my post above.
They did give me the wrong dog back once but think it was due to new staff. Other than that they've been fine before. All my pups feedback has been great, they've commented that he's a bit submissive.
I was going to leave a review but it is a he said/she said scenario. I'm also concerned about them being a bit retaliatory, they know where I work and live, there new behaviour is somewhat out of character

OP posts:

Hellohah · 11/02/2023 19:35

I would be quite cross that they don't admit it.

Our daycare is great, and I send him knowing that potentially he could get hurt as dogs are dogs.

He never has, but when I picked him up another dog had been hurt and they recorded as much of the incident as possible for the owners and asked the offending dog to leave (not the one that got injured). They will not accept any kind of aggression.

I don't understand why they are denying it, it doesn't make sense, unless they have done something they shouldn't.

stevalnamechanger · 11/02/2023 22:48

You need to contact Trevor Cooper at coopers dog law .

I don't think that contract is actually viable for them to have

( I have a dog walking biz, and I see others trying to pull such stunts !)

DotAndCarryOne2 · 12/02/2023 11:00

2bazookas · 11/02/2023 16:25

I spoke to his daycare. They denied everything and said he couldn't come back.

That sounds as if it might be your dog who started the fight?

That wouldn’t make him scared of other dogs though. Sounds like trauma.

ToBeOrNotToBee · 12/02/2023 11:04

Dogs are dogs.

They do not need to go to daycare at all.

I can't even believe they have become a thing. Putting a load of pack animals that don't live together, in new packs each day, with new members and needing to establish rules and boundaries each fucking time.

Seriously they're a disaster waiting to happen. As your pup found out.

StillWantingADog · 12/02/2023 11:11

@ToBeOrNotToBee
oh come on in most cases it’s better for a dog to be with company than home alone

OP seems very odd that they denied it happened but still said he couldn’t come back. As others have said it’s the denial which is worrying.

when my child was at nursery there were several biting incident, my ds was both the perpetrator and the victim and it was always dealt with professionally. Of course doggy day care will be less regulated sadly but I would expect similar professionalism even though realistically they will have far less “eyes” than a child nursery

Branster · 12/02/2023 11:37

The whole doggy day care concept carries a big element of risk.
I'd never use one and don't think they are that great but I am not surprised they have expanded and grown in popularity.
OP, just forget about it and work on the puppy regaining trust with other dogs. Be grateful it wasn't a more serious injury and don't use day care in the future.
The daycare's company in question can do what they want and, ultimately, you simply cannot trust such setups 100%. Accidents are bound to happen.

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 12/02/2023 13:18

Doggy daycare is such an unnatural environment for dogs to be in - I'm surprised fights don't break out more item to be honest.

I get why people use it but I think very few dogs are actually suited to it long-term, especially once they reach adulthood.

OP - while the daycare have behaved badly I think it's a bit of a blessing in disguise that your dog is no longer welcome. They don't sound very professional or responsible and I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable leaving my dog somewhere like that.

Can he be left alone long enough for a dog walker to be sufficient?

coffeecupsandwaxmelts · 12/02/2023 13:20

oh come on in most cases it’s better for a dog to be with company than home alone

I really can't agree with this.

It's just not natural for large numbers of dogs to be forced to mix in an enclosed environment like a daycare. Add in treats and toys and it's no wonder fights are so common.

Home daycare is better as they're only allowed a small number of dogs and the environment is generally much better suited to the dogs.

jackiexrose · 14/02/2023 17:54

So sorry your puppy got hurt! Really disgusting attitude from the daycare as well.
I took my 6 month old puppy to day care. They were doing a 6 week puppy course. It was specifically advertised as a great way to socialise puppies and teach them the basic commands. So basically you would leave the puppy there every Saturday, and they would socialise and train the puppies in a group setting.
Well, guess what. By the end of that 6 weeks, my perfectly happy, loving puppy had become anxious and dog reactive! Almost a year on, we are still working on this with a trainer. Our trainer told us daycare ruins dogs! One of the biggest regrets of my life taking my dog there!

stevalnamechanger · 15/02/2023 07:58

All in all, I'd rather send my dog to a caring unlicensed sitter who is local working from home lady, treats him as her own . Than a licensed, mass daycare which is a profit maximisation free for all where safety often comes second . I also don't like the multi dog environment!

I am lucky as my lady is first aid trained, and is training to be a trainer ( something I am also considering) so I hit a jackpot :D