Canine Domain

I’m sharing this story because I don’t want the same thing to happen to anyone else. I was told the behaviors I was noticing and the regression in training was “her age” and “nothing to worry about”.. but it wasn’t. On 8/20/2024 my dog was “accidentally” sent home with an electric shock collar around her neck. They had been using a bark collar that uses electronic stimulation to keep my dog from barking in the kennel. They had been using this collar for weeks without my permission. In the contract I signed at the beginning of daycare, they advertise the use of corrective tools such as “water bottles, compressed air, and crops.” An e collar can be very damaging to the dog. It can cause the dog to be scarred. It can cause the dog to shut down. I never would’ve approved this, because in the wrong hands can be detrimental to the dog. I noticed about 4 visits ago that my dog didn’t want to go into the facility anymore. They had to leash her and physically drag her in. There have been multiple occasions where she was picked up stressed and full of anxiety. The fur on her neck has thinned. We’ve seen a regression in training and her excitedness to work. I asked about how she was doing every couple times I would drop her off. They would always say she’s doing good. They had ample opportunity to speak to me about this, and chose not to. They also made sure to take the collar off in all of the videos of her in the facility. It feels very intentionally hidden from me. At this time there have been no efforts made to rectify the situation. I guess the moral of the story is be careful who you let watch your dogs. Even the ones who seem trust worthy are in fact not.. and please listen to your dog.