Rather than moving the dog to another daycare maybe talk to the director of your present place. Explain to her that you want your dog to be with the dogs that she knows and has fun with. I think it should be up to you as to what your dog is exposed to during her/his time there. Because you have the ability to check during the day I would give them a chance to change what they are doing. If they don't honor your wishes I would look for a new place.

I get why that bugs you. Have you considered asking for a discount of some type because they are using your dog to teach/train other dogs? Maybe they could do something like waive the late fee or give you a full eight hours for $20. If you don't want Ellie to miss out on her full playtime, you could tell them that you don't want them to use her to calm down other dogs. They can figure out some other way to do that.

Yeah....it just says how much they LOVE your dog....and how GOOD she is with other dogs. I'd just talk to them and get her back in with the rowdy crowd so she can burn energy....run around again. Then all would be back to normal.

that makes her a working dog... working for her keep!

I agree that they are using your dog for their benefit. But I also agree that before you leave it is worth talking it over with the owner. If they return her to her old crowd, then just keep an eye on things. There is an old timey saying, 'better the devil you know than the devil you don't know' and it seems like besides this issue there are no other complaints, and we all know that some of these other places may not be good at all for her.

You are paying for 6 hours, how much of those is Ellie being a therapy dog? I would be fine with one on one if Ellie looked like she was having a good time, but you say she is bored.

They should be paying you!

IMHO, if Ellie loves it there, she will probably like it some place else. I love the idea of the cameras, so i would want that feature where ever else you go.

What did you say when they said they told you they were having Ellie calm the other dogs?

Perhaps Ellie likes helping out with the dogs that need it.. I would talk to them first as well. Some dogs are natural healers and she may feel fulfilled in helping out.

If they insist to continue to use your dog as an introductory dog, discuss your charges for your service, and ask for payment for back charges when they used your dog without your permission.

If after this discussion, they turn off the cameras or keep you dog from camera view, be very suspicious and remove your dog to another care center.

I’m glad I posted, thanks you guys. I do get that it’s actually a nod to our girl, I just don’t think it was fair to her or our pocket book. The manager is a young woman who’s been there for a long time. We’ve spent lots and lots of time talking about rescues and so on. I should probably stop by to have a chat with her in person but will wait until I’m in better spirits about it before I do.

Lucille, I like that saying, it’s so true!!!

How old is your dog now? Maybe they think of her as a nanny, especially since she has a calming effect. I'd react with a sense of humor about it, but tell them that your dog needs more exercise and stimulation during the day than she gets from being the nanny.

Maybe every once in awhile, if an especially timid pup comes in?

I think I would be annoyed with the situation too. The purpose of taking her there is for exercise and to burn energy. It's wonderful that she has a calming effect, but it is unfair. The daycare should have a resident dog to interact with the newbies.

Blfenton. That is a good point. The staff has let me know a couple of times when she’s stayed close to another dog who was stressed.

Eld, I’ve never thought of Ellie as a therapy dog before but yeah...basically, that’s it in a nutshell. My concern when I called was maybe she wasn’t feeling well or she was in trouble for something. When the manager explained what she was doing it actually caught me by surprise but she also offered to have her moved into the busy room, so I said that would be great and left it at that. It was after I hung up that it started eating at me, especially because it’s not just a random thing, it’s happening a lot more frequently now. The way it’s set up is that there are 4 sections fenced off in a very large room, so the dogs can see what’s going on in the other pens. It’s pitiful cause all Ellie does is sit at the fence watching all the other dogs play.

I love the transparency the cameras offer. It’s also quite fun to watch when they bring out the big doggy bone shaped pools. Some of the dogs (especially Ellie) go nuts when there’s water to play in. LOL

Rhizo, she’s 8 and has been going there since she was 4 months old. Not a full time nanny! That made me chuckle

I agree Ava! And I bet there is a really good rescue dog that would love the opportunity to do just that.

I'd be annoyed and would discuss with the daycare. This reminds me of when my kids were in school and were used to help slower students. That was not their job and not the reason they were in school.

Looks like you were pleased with the situation through much of the experience, and your pooch mostly has enjoyed her time there, so best to consider carefully (maybe do some paper work to clear your mind) - before you flush it down the drain.

Maybe have her do the babysitting for only part of a shift, with other similarly calming dogs to spend some time with the newbies and she to have (half at least) of her time with the crowd that she enjoys.

Some discussion about financial fairness also in order.

Better to approach it a friendly, humorous manner, rather than marching in with a bone in your teeth.

You say that you and the manager have several similar ideas regarding the care and feeding of animals, so I'm sure that you'll be able to work out an arrangement that pleases you both.

Good luck and good wishes.

ole joyful

Maybe half and half, part calming dog, and part play time ?

No one asked you if you wanted your dog to do this. Your dog was being short changed and you were paying for that. How do you trust a business who was willing to cheat you like this and cheating you is what they were doing.

Kool, now that you have explained it in detail, I am more upset. Just the thought of her longingly watching other dogs play seems more like a punishment for Ellie.

Like others have said, tell them that you want her to be in the playing section and see what happens. If they continue to use her and keep her away from her playing buddies, I'd look for a new place. Dogs get used to their buddies and like to be around them. I don't go to doggie day care but I take my dog to the dog park daily and if one dog is missing that day, they all know it. We have a group of regulars each morning. Sometimes they will sit and watch the parking lot and wait for their buddies.

Sometimes vets need blood transfusions from a dog or a cat.

They often keep a healthy one at the clinic just for that purpose. They do not take blood from a clients pet.

If the daycare needs a nanny dog to calm newcomers, they need to get a nanny dog.

I agree with Sylvia.

Bottom line is you are paying for a service you are not receiving. They are taking advantage of your dog's disposition. I don't think that is what you signed up for.

Sorry if I missed it, but how many hours a day is she with the dogs who need calming? It might be nice for her to have a little time out if it’s not too long. Don’t change to a new place. Your dog is basically happy there, has “friends.” You could get into a new place you like less. Can’t go back to the first place because you burned your bridge there, so work it out with the daycare place. They do not want to lose your business. (I wish my dog liked day care but no. No place like home for him.)

You're not over reacting. If they're using your dog as a tool, they should be paying you, not the other way around. You pay them so your dog can have fun, not work.

Half fun, half work ... the service should be free, at least, maybe even some fee coming your way, for skilled service (and no fee if you're a few minutes late for pickup).

ole joyful

You're not getting the service you're paying for. I'd make them a proposal. Maybe Ellie can be employed X hours a day for 'adjustment', and you will pay a reduced fee, not to exceed X amount regardless of how long she is there during their hours of operation.

BTW, I had no idea how lucrative this dog-sitting can be! How many dogs do they house on an average day at $20 - $30 a day? Beyond rent and staff, expenses can't be much. Do they need a license? Insurance?

I don't blame you for being annoyed, but in all fairness to the day care owner, you must explain your feelings. Perhaps you can make a deal with them. On the days you pay for Ellie, you want her to socialize and play with all the dogs. If they would like to use Ellie for therapy for problem dogs, you could bring her in for that once or twice a week at no charge.

Thanks everyone. At least now I don’t feel like I’m being a b*tch or unreasonable. I just didn’t have the right wording to articulate it. Therapy dog, working dog or even a nanny dog are the words I was looking for. I’m going to mull it over for a bit. They all seem to really enjoy working with the dogs and I don’t think it’s intentional at all. More than anything I think they probably need a manager on site who has more experience in management. The entire staff, including the manager are young and new to the work force. I suspect the idea that they were crossing a line has never even occurred to them.

They would definitely come out way ahead if they traded consults with you where you might offer advice to them from time to time, for free daycare for your dog.

As with any misunderstanding or differences, conversation is the answer. Let them know what your objectives are for bringing your dog and what you want the dog's experiences to be. I too agree with Sylvia.

For the kind of place you're describing, $20 for a 6 hour visit is CHEAP compared to going rates in my area.

Chisue this particular place has an average of 75ish dogs p/day. Some are boarding while their families vacation, others are just there for the daycare but it used to be a lot busier before the new owners took over. Back then it was usually 100-115 dogs a day. It’s part of the national franchise, Camp Bow Wow. They’re 3-4 facilities in the surrounding communities but the one we go to is one of the busier ones, at least it used to be.

The Franchise has high expectations when it comes to animal care and cleanliness, (those cameras aren’t just for the dog owners IYKWIM) but I think that the biggest contributor to this facilities success was the way the previous owners ran it because they were always there. They were super engaged with their regulars as well as a local animal rescue. They’d sponser all kinds of things with the rescue like doggy picture day or events to promote animal awareness AND they brought in an affordable onsite groomer. The new owners are an older retired couple and literally never around.

I don’t know about privately owned facilities since this is the only place she’s ever been. As for being lucrative, if ran well I guess there is the potential. The only draw back is that while there is a demand for it, there’s only so much value you can squeeze out of this type of service. I think at the prices facilities are demanding now it’s starting to max out people’s budgets including ours. When prices went from 16 to 18 a couple of years ago, I started cutting back on the number of times I’d take her there to help compensate. Now it went up again about a month ago to $20 and that’s where I’m pretty much maxed out. Ellie’s eight and while she still has energy and likes to play, her needs can easily be met at the county dog park and it even has a lake for the dogs to swim and play in. That’s only 30/year, I’m just afraid that once she discovers the lake, I won’t be able to get her out of the water! LOL

Elmer, this is true, location is relative. CBW’s pricing is supposedly competitive with the market and if you drill down to a specific location pricing is posted. I looked up Chicago where Chisue is and it’s pretty much the same as it is here.

Don't know whether you're anywhere near retirement, Kool Beans, and when many achieve that milestone in recent years ... no one dare refer to them as "has beens"!

If you are in good health and active, with lots of energy and able to cope well with a variety of issues ...

... it might be Kool to consider setting up an independent doggy care place!

ole joyful

Your dog has the ability to make other dogs feel better, why would you deprive them? Everyone, including dogs has a purpose, talent or gift. Let your dog fulfill her purpose! She's not being tortured or abused, she's helping other dogs cope...Life is too short to be annoyed about this.

Because.....Kool is paying for her dog to socialize with other dogs and to get exercise. When Kool looks in on her Ellie looks bored on more than one occasion.

The day care decided to use Ellie in this way without the consent of Kool.

it isn't Ellie's job to be a therapy dog unless the day care let's her go for FREE and this is the agreement.

In any case, Ellie is not benefiting from this situation. Remember, she is a dog, not a human.