Animal House of New England - A Kennel Alternative for the Social Dog

Matt Cunha

2017-05

Since October my girlfriend and I have been bringing our dog to Animal House of New England three times a week for doggie day care. We stopped sending our dog on 2/10/2017 when we realized he ingested a considerable amount of plastic while under their care and supervision. The door leading to the fenced in backyard was covered with vinyl walk in strip plastic which you can find on walk in freezers.We contacted Dawn and notified her that our dog became sick over the weekend and threw up a considerable amount of plastic that did not come from our home. It was then determined through comparison of what was thrown up by our dog and pictures provided by the owner of Animal House of New England, that our dog had ingested pieces from the vinyl strips that covered the back door of the business.Dawn, owner of Animal House of New England, then informed us she noticed some missing pieces of the vinyl door hanging a little over a week ago but had not found any on the floor. She further stated that she has well over 3 to 4 feet of snow in the backyard and being that it is clear plastic she assumed the pieces would be found come Spring. Unfortunately that is not the case and due to negligence our dog is now seriously ill due to lack of supervision while in her care and has required emergency medical attention. We are obviously bothered and very concerned by the lack of care taken to prevent this incident from happening.After being made aware the seriousness of the situation, we were then told that in order to take off the chewed pieces she would have to go outside and unscrew the bolts from above the door frame but recent weather had prevented her from doing so. Using weather is inexcusable. Knowing of such a hazard and being responsible for other dogs not just her own it should have been taken down immediately.Dawn doesn't feel this is considered negligence and her response was " some dogs will chew and eat the most bizarre things. Ask any Vet and they will tell you many horror stories of things dogs have eaten. I have heard of dogs eating dry wall, window sills, plastic toys, plates, clothing, rugs, etc." While that may be true, we did not pay to have our dog unsupervised while in her care and absolutely expected him to be watched to ensure his safety and the safety of all other dogs. We could have easily left our dog at home unsupervised but we instead chose to be responsible pet owners and send him to daycare for what we expected to be supervision and care.If an infant or toddler at daycare was left with legos and he or she swallowed it would it be the fault of the child or the person watching the child? It would be the fault of the person watching the child. Regardless, our dog was not being supervised when this happened. We put our trust in Animal House of New England to take care of our dog and paid them to watch and provide care the best care. Due to their negligence this has now happened.I am small business owner too and if I had an issue that could have caused harm to man and or animal I would have taken every precaution to ensure the safety of everyone. I also find it alarming that Dawn being a pet owner all of her life, she wouldn't go the extra mile to make sure everything within that general area was safe. Dawn was aware that there was an issue with the plastic and it took until Wednesday 2/15/17 for it to be taken down.We cannot change what has happened but we can take preventative measures to make sure it doesn't happen in the future. The purpose and intent of this review is to make current and future clients of Animal House of New England aware that an incident like this has occurred. This isn't just about us and our dog, it's about every owner and animal that walks through Animal House of New England's door.

Betty Dawn

2023-07

This is the best doggy day care. My Lab Koda has bad separation anxiety but Dawn is absolutely great. She took him and let him meet a couple of the other dogs and took him out to explore and play. Koda's wagging tail said it all!! They are amazing and I highly recommend!

Jen Castle

2018-05

Over the past six years, we've had four of our dogs be cared for by Dawn at Animal House of New England, both for daycare and for longer boarding, and we consider ourselves incredibly lucky to have nearby access to such an exceptional facility. It's a business that we would be totally willing to travel to if it was farther away. When we go on vacation or have a long day at work, our minds are always completely at ease knowing that our beloved pets are being well-cared for and are enjoying comfortable accommodations and free access to the outdoors and to the companionship of other dogs. Dawn and her family are warm, caring, and always welcoming. We trust them completely with our furry family members, and can't recommend Animal House strongly enough.

Stephanie B

2022-05

My dogs were here 3 times, the most recent stay being the longest of 4 days and nights-for almost $400 I anticipated more thorough communication, like what I had experienced the first 2 times.I went to pick them up today and one of my dogs’ eyes were almost crusted shut. There was no accountability from the owner, only condescendingly saying sometimes dogs get sick and peas viruses onto each other.In addition to this, one of my dogs had scratches between her shoulder blades-this was the 2nd time they were here-I didn’t say anything because as Dawn said ‘things happen’.They also came home with bad habits that I’ll need to train them out of-the main one being barking. I was also jumped by one of the dogs being picked up when I had dropped them off-the dog wasn’t on a leash, and tore a hole in my pants right before I needed to catch a flight. Not the fault of this place, but having owners leash their dogs between going in and out of the building would’ve prevented this.The place is chaos. No accountability, no supervision. 2 stars instead of 1 because of availability. That’s it. That’s what I have to say good about this place. They were available to take my dogs for a few days.

Lian Brehm

2022-05

My pup spends a few days a week here and she loves all her friends! Both Dawn and Peter are knowledgeable, caring and provide both inside and outside accommodations for daycare or overnight care. I love their hours and they have been super flexible when it was needed. I highly recommend their facility and I’m happy to live locally.🐾🌀

Peg Desrochers

2018-05

We have been thrilled to discover the Animal House of New England. It's as close to a "being at home" daycare/boarding situation as we have found for our dog. Access to the outdoor yard whenever the dogs want to go outside was the selling point for us! When being dropped off our dog is eager to go in and play and she comes home tired at the end of the day... a success all around! We've had very positive experiences with both daycare and overnight boarding and Dawn's flexibility around drop off and pick up has been wonderful.

Kelly Willmes

2019-05

I found Animal House from a google search. I am working in St Jay (living in Danville) Vt for 6 months and needed daycare for my 2 pointers occasionally. I have been very happy with owner Dawn and the operation. My dogs cant wait to go in when we arrive and they have come back to me tired and safe. I love that their day is mainly kennel free (kenneled during floor cleaning time) and they can be inside or fenced outside through doggie door. The inside of the building is always warm enough...I have been here over winter. I have been able to make reservations in advance and day before. Email response time is half day or less. I would recommend animal house for your dogs care.

Maryellen Griffin

2018-05

I love animal house!! Our dog, Shelby, went a lot when she was a puppy and couldn't stay home alone. She had a ball and learned a ton of dog manners - of how to get along with other dogs. This has been awesome for me because I love to go running with Shelby, and we meet dogs - some friendly, some less so - on our runs with some frequency. I am so glad Shelby has the dog communication skills to have gotten through all those encounters safely. I credit Dawn and animal house with giving her those skills, since Shelby is our first dog, and I had no idea what I was doing when we got her (she's seven now!).Another bonus is that Shelby loves going to animal house, always has and still does. She jumps right out of the car and happily goes in. So now we mostly just bring her when we go on vacation, but I can drop her off guilt free.Dawn and her family and assistants are a pleasure to deal with, and I love that they know and love my dog.

Gail Greaves

2021-05

We were very happy to discover the Animal House and their open kenneling concept. It seems our dog, Brutus, thoroughly enjoyed his 4 day stay there. Dawn and Peter were very professional, friendly, and answered any questions in our introduction before Brutus actually stayed. Highly recommend!

Alex Stebbins

2018-05

Me and my wife bring our 2 fur-children to animal house. Both them are rescue dogs with their own special needs. Dawn and the team at Animal House take care of them like they were their own. I greatly appreciate all that Animal House does for us. Without them, we would not be able to take family vacations! Thank you for all you do!

Joshua Brown

2023-05

A great place for our social but nervous dog. Caring and concerned owner.

Samuel Simondet

2021-05

Great place to bring your dogs!