We used Cari for a 2-week board and train for our dog, Chorizo. During the training period,…read morecommunication was limited and we often had to follow up ourselves to get updates. At the same time, we were seeing our dog being posted on Instagram more than we were getting direct updates, even after we asked for them. She pinned Chorizo on her Instagram, in the number one post slot, while we hadn't heard from her in three days and didn't even know he was going on a field trip.
This was especially difficult for my wife, who had recently lost her father and was already going through a lot. Being separated from our dog was hard on her. We asked multiple times for updates so we could reassure her, but it never felt like we were getting the same level of feedback other reviewers experienced.
The training experience didn't match what we expected. Recall still needs work, and "place" became more confusing. Before, he would go where I pointed. Now he tries multiple spots and flinches (expecting a stim), even after we bought him a cot.
We asked Cari to introduce Chorizo to our e-collar (EZ Educator). During the consultation, she mentioned that he would learn recall and other commands to near perfection before the e-collar was introduced, and that vibration would be used before stim. The handoff only showed e-collar stim commands, and vibration was not introduced. His recall without the e-collar still needs work.
We never received a clear breakdown of what he was working on during the program and mostly followed his progress through Instagram. After pickup, I had to follow up just to get a list of commands. The handoff felt rushed. He was exhausted, it was a hot day, and she had forgotten a water bowl, so a lot of the time was spent just letting him drink water. There was no follow-up afterward to see how he was doing.
A few hours after getting him back that Friday, we took him to a groomer who pointed out a cracked toenail down to the quick and irritation on his neck from his e-collar. The groomer said the irritation looked like burns from an e-collar that hadn't been rotated and advised us to monitor his paw to make sure it didn't get worse. We took it easy and avoided taking him out while he healed, but by Tuesday his paw started bleeding. We notified Cari and let her know we would be taking him to the vet after my scheduled surgery. I had carpal tunnel release surgery on both hands that Wednesday, and I took him to the vet while recovering on Thursday. He developed an infection and a fever that required sedation, nail removal, and stitches.
This whole experience is not what we expected after reading her Yelp reviews. Even trying to work things out with Cari regarding the vet bills, after we negotiated the cost down with the vet and insurance covered a significant portion, was disappointing. We weren't asking for everything, just something fair. The procedure cost about $900 if the dog is sedated. We asked her to participate $350-$380. She offered $100. When I told her that Chorizo was at the vet because his paw was bleeding, her response was, "Ok thank you for the update." We weren't able to reach an agreement and were told, by Cari, that small claims court would be the best way to resolve it, which is what we are now pursuing.
Regarding our training equipment, we also had to follow up on two leashes and e-collar prongs that weren't returned after the program. She told my wife she broke the retractable leash and would send a replacement right away, but a week and a half later we still haven't received confirmation that it's been sent. (Edit: retractable leash and prongs received 3/31 via Amazon Prime.)
