Wag Hotels

03/18/2008 Posted by JonathanH

I have a 9 year old male collie mix who has arthritis in one front leg. I left him at Wags this past weekend (3/15/08-3/17/08) with horrifying results. After our regular Saturday morning routine - walk in GG Park, did his business, had breakfast - I dropped him off at Wags. When we walked in, my dog wouldn't move off the matt at the front door. They have a plastic-like coating over the concrete floors that dogs don't seem to like. Even the guy at the desk told me it was for the convenience of cleaning up, but that dogs don't like it. Weird. I told the guy at the front desk several times that I would be out of town, and gave him my cell phone number in case of emergencies. I also left my cell phone number for the groomer, so she could call me and discuss my dog's hair cut. I then left him there and went to the airport. When I landed at SFO Monday evening there was a message from my wife (who does not live in SF) stating that Wags had called her to let ME know that the groomer couldn't cut my dog's hair because he couldn't stand up! I rushed to WAGS to find out what was going on. I found out that Sunday morning, one day after putting my dog in their care, he could not get up on his own power. The "handlers" had to do a two-man carry and lift him up by using a towel under his belly. So, they leave me a message AT HOME, even though I told them several times that I would be out of town. They did nothing else. It wasn't until the groomer set off a red flag by declining to groom my dog, noting that the dog could not stand up; she said there was something wrong with this dog. In the 2 days that my dog was at Wags unable to stand up on his own, the staff did nothing to help him. They didn't contact me or my "emergency person", nor did they seek medical attention for him. They allowed him to fester there until I came back from my trip 2 days later. He is now at the pet hospital, very miserable. And, I’m racking up thousands in vet bills. Shame on them!

Pros: Convenient

Cons: Uncaring, poorly trained staff

02/29/2008 Posted by fluffypuppybun

I was so excited that a Wag hotel has opened in SF and can't wait to check it out! I went online and it looks so nice and luxurious. I took a tour the other day finally, feeling all excited when I walked in through their door. A nice staff took us on a tour and upon seeing the sleeping spaces, I was utterly disappointed. The rooms no matter big or small all looks like shelter crates only this is plastic window instead of metal rails. I think SPCA has nicer and bigger space for the dogs there! The dogs in there are yelping as we walk by all screaming to get out of there! I swear I will not take my dogs there to be in those miserable crates! Their pool is small and looks like it's seldom used. I wonder if I pay the extra $30 for my dog to swim, will they even do it! I wouldn't know, right? And, the play groups are held in an area that's indoor and not too big, looks real boring to me! They didn't take me to the rooftop which I heard is grassy. Well, in my opinion, this is not a hotel to me, it's more like a shelter. So please people, do not bring your babies there and waste your money if you want the best for your dogs. Also, the dry food is commercial like IAMS and some other one I forgot but I wasn't impressed. I am soooo disappointed and I do not recommend them! My babies were in a pet hotel in LA and price is the same but they get a very nice room with sofa and bed and tv, much cozier. The suite here has a tv, but it's not warm, there is no dog sofa or comfy bed, there is a doggie bed but don't look too good. Well, take a tour for yourselve and you'll know what i'm talking about.

Pros: Clean

Cons: Cold, hard, boring

02/14/2008 Posted by Susan528

I was completely turned of when I arrived. It was a snooty environment, with KENNELS, not suites, minimal play time for the dogs, and for the extraordinary prices you pay, many of the "extras" should be included--like a freakin' belly rub! Nice, clean environment, but inexperienced staff. You're basically paying the the decor, not dog care. They barely have time to play and run! I could have kept them locked up at home for free! I had to laugh out loud when I saw "refer five people to WAGS and get 10% discount at the store"! With the prices they charge, they should at least give you a free visit after five referrals! A measley 10% discount at their store? Big "F'ing deal'! What fools! It's way overpriced, over inflated, misleading, and disappointing. As long as the staff knows what they're doing and care for my dogs properly, give me a doggie day care with the minimum essentials any day. The place is more about surface image, marketing and high profits. Dogs are secondary. A total scam and rip off.

Pros: nice people

Cons: unknowledgeable, uncaring, staff; minimal playtime, overpriced, rip off, more interested in profit

11/03/2007 Posted by amyrado

We sent our dog, Indy to the Wags hotel because the website painted a picture of luxary, in a comfortable space for dogs. This is far from reality. I don't know where they got those pictures on the website from, but it was not this location. By the way I wrote a posting right after our stay outlining in better detail all of my concerns and within hours of it being posted the ENTIRE Wags page was removed from Citysearch. At that time there were 3-4 posts with similar concerns as my own. Indy stayed on the top level of stacked kennels that were extremely small. It was a cold environment with tons of dogs lined up in these kennels howling away at each other. The play area is small and I was told that she didn't play well with others which we have never had a problem with before. Our dog is extremely friendly. When I asked if they tried her playing with other dogs since this group was problematic for her they said no. You have to add on big bucks for any of these "add ons" which they boast. I would highly doubt the quality and care for the additional price you have to pay. Her voice was horse after the stay, no doubt from barking back at the hundreds of dogs lined up next to each other who are all probably stressed When we picked up Indy the staff didn't even pet her or really acknowledge her. I guess we would have to pay for any type of affection to our dog too. Even the luxary suites were small and the plush bed that they advertise is no better looking then a throw pillow. This place is a rip of and just a scam.

Pros: always can get a reservation

Cons: Fake, expensive, cold, small kennels, little affection towards dogs, little play time

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful

09/19/2007 Posted by apsuarez16

This review is based on a 2-night stay by our dog Checkers, her 1st time at Wag Hotels SF and what would turned out to be her last stay at a kennel, since she passed away 2 days later. Admittedly, she was an old dog with chronic conditions, which is why we signed her up to the Specialized Care Program, into which she was accepted at check-in without any indication that they might not be able to take care of her. She had been staying in kennels at least 2 times a year during her 15+ years so we were mostly concerned about her special needs being met. At check in we gave them written instructions, including current health status and her vet’s contact info, and provided all supplies (including diapers and diaper covers, given her incontinence). When we left her, Checkers was her normal old self, with weak back legs but able to walk with some assistance and wearing a diaper. We didn’t get a call during her stay and wrongly assumed that all was well. When we picked her up she couldn’t walk at all, sit up, or keep her head up. She was not wearing a diaper, and her back legs and hips were wet with urine. After a few hours at home without any improvement, we took her to the vet. We called Wag Hotels to get more information about her eating, drinking and bowel movement but the staff couldn’t quantify any of this. We asked why she was not wearing a diaper when we picked her up. The staff said they couldn’t figure out how to put the diaper and diaper cover on! The staff then said that Checkers is an old dog and while they try to give personal attention to each dog, they are not always able to do so. The question is WHY DIDN'T THEY CALL US OR HER VET GIVEN THAT SHE WASN’T EATING OR WALKING? Did they fail to see the changes in her, simply shrugged them off to her being an old dog or perhaps they didn’t want to admit that they couldn’t take care of her as promised? Either way, the effect was the same…our poor Checkers didn’t get the help she needed as soon as she should.

Pros: None

Cons: They offer more than they can deliver

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful

09/19/2007 Posted by sfmhunter

We were so excited about this new pet hotel that we put our dog in a luxury suite for a night to test them out and was very disappointed. First of all, they did not play classical music; rock music was blaring in the background when we check on him several times during the night (the suites have a camera and have sound). They only go out for 2 playgroups which last 1/2 an hour at the most - 8 am and 2:30pm. The lights were not dimmed at night they were on very bright. When I came to pick up my dog, he immediately darted out of wags and towards our car. For the price that we paid, it didn't feel worth a dime considering that all that was advertised on the site is completely false. The people are nice but the one lady that helped me had absolutely no clue about animals and admitted it! We now take our drive up to Marin County and place our dog at Camp K-9 of Marin where dogs are treated well and can play more than 2 times a day. If you have a dog that likes to spend most of his time in a cage with the lights on all the time and loves to listen to loud rock music 24/7, then this is the place for him/her.

Pros: People are nice

Cons: Loud rock music, bright lights 24/7 and not enough time for dogs outside of their room to socialize and relieve themselves.

07/16/2007 Posted by arad

From reading the reviews I was excited to find such a cool and somewhat swanky place for my beagle to stay. I was simply shocked at how much is played up on the website in comparrison to the reality. I don't know where those pictures were taken but it was not at Wags. It is a COLD STERRIL KENNEL. My dog was in a stacked kennel surounded by probably 40 other dogs in a small space. It was stressful for her as evidenced by the fact that she lost her voice and could barely bark when we left. The play area is small and the outdoor play costs more money. THe only accurate aspect is that the people are very nice and friendly. I am sure there were nice to my dog but htere is simply no way that she got any individual love and attention. The "Luxury suite's" are ridiculous. They dress it up nicely but it is still a slab of flooring with a small enclosed indoor space. These people are playing up services to a affluent SF crowd but bottom line is they are packing these dogs in to make cash.

Pros: Nice Staff, clean

Cons: small facilities for dogs, stressful environment, over crowded, false advertising of space, slow service

07/05/2007 Posted by tschones

Disornanized. Condascending, Rude, Judgemental. I had a terrible experience. After reading so many great articles about the place I was very excited to go. So I called and they said yes, come in, just bring proof of vaccinations. I showed up an hour later with my 7 month old lab puppy and his vaccinations records. At which point I was the only customer and I was asked if I had a reservation and I said no, but I was told to come in a. . . He sighed and said, "It's just really hard to do this without a reservation! " was still the only customer in the waiting arera and articles had said drop ins welcome. Then he asked impatiently for my information saying, "They didn't get this from you over the phone?" . . . as if it was my fault. No they didn't. Half way through entering infomation he stopped typing, looked condascendinly at my dog, rolled his eyes and said, "has anyone gone over the non-neutered pet policy with you?". No. He said that my dog because he's not neutered (7 months we have some time, he's a puppy), would require special handling because of his pre-disposition to voilence (we've never had one incidence of violence) and they would have to protect the other dogs. He would not be allowed to play with the dogs. He would be put in a room by himself all day and let out for 2 walks. At that point, I just pointed out that it seemed like too much trouble since we didn't have a reservation and I left. Frankly, he was just so rude, treated me like coming to thier business was an inconvenience, said that my dog was violent with no foundation. . . If they treat pets the way they treat humans your dog will not have an enjoyable day. We went to fog city dogs where were were welcomed immediately.

Pros: Really nice place, chic, cool, nice store with high quality items

Cons: don't be fooled, they are mean, rude disorganzied and will probably treat your pet the same

06/26/2007 Posted by sasabramson

You can dress it up but it's still a kennel. The base price is fair (more expensive though than I pay my dogsitter to watch my dog in a cage free environment) But what's really annoying is that they try to get you to pay for all the "extras" which really should be included. I mean come on, I have to PAY to have my dog's belly rubbed after she's been in a cage for 22 hours? There should be unlimited dog walks and play time for these prices.

Pros: Convienent

Cons: Not worth the price

06/03/2007 Posted by sagirl

Its a great space and def very clean. However, its a little misleading - for the basic boarding fee your dog stays in its cage or room for 22 hours - dogs are only allowed out for 2 hours a day. If you want your dog to go on the grassy roof or get a belly rub, you get charged extra and thats when it becomes expensive. My very sociable and energetic scottish terrier would not be happy with that. I think it s a good place for dogs who are okay with their own company or have special needs but for the average pooch who likes to be around other dogs and near people, it wouldn't work. I won't be boarding my dog there, San Francisco has plenty of true cageless boarding places.

Pros: Great space, clean

Cons: Dogs only allowed out 2 hrs a day