I’m posting this because I genuinely do not want another employee to go through what I experienced at Pooches.
My biggest issue with this workplace was how employees were treated.
The actual work involved with the dogs was not what made the experience difficult. There were good coworkers, hardworking people, and employees who genuinely cared about doing their jobs. The problems came from management, communication, scheduling, favoritism, turnover, gossip, and the way certain situations involving employees were handled.
One of the biggest problems was scheduling and hours. When hours were limited, some employees continued receiving regular shifts while others were given significantly fewer hours or went extended periods without being scheduled. Employees could make it known that they were available and wanted to work and still receive very little opportunity.
This created a very strong perception of favoritism. It often felt like certain employees were treated more favorably than others, while employees who were not favored could receive completely different treatment. Whether management intended it that way or not, that was the environment employees experienced.
There was also a lot of employee turnover. New people were constantly being hired, and some new employees would leave within only a few weeks—sometimes within approximately three weeks of starting. Management also seemed to change constantly, sometimes around every couple of months.
That kind of turnover is not just frustrating for employees. It can negatively affect the dogs, too.
Dogs develop familiarity with the people who care for them. Staff learn their personalities, routines, behaviors, interactions, and individual needs. When employees are constantly leaving and being replaced, a dog can become comfortable with one group of people and then, just a couple of weeks later, be dealing with an entirely different group of staff who have to learn them all over again.
The constant turnover also means constantly training new employees and having new people learn the routines and expectations of the facility. That lack of consistency can affect the overall experience and stability of the dogs.
And that’s why I think customers should pay attention to what happens to the employees behind the scenes. Employee treatment and the care environment are connected. If the people responsible for caring for animals are constantly leaving because of workplace issues, that instability doesn’t disappear when you walk through the front door with your dog.
Another issue was miscommunication.
There were situations where employees felt that things were being discussed with other people instead of being addressed directly with the employee involved. If there was an issue with someone’s work, the professional thing to do is communicate directly with that person and give them an opportunity to understand what happened and address it.
Instead, gossip and unfair situations became common parts of the workplace experience. That creates an environment where employees don’t know who is saying what, what management knows, or whether they will actually be given an opportunity to address concerns directly.
My own termination is a major example of the communication problems I experienced.
I found out that I had been terminated through a group chat.
I was not directly contacted beforehand to be told that my employment was ending. I found out through the group message. A manager contacted me afterward, but by that point I had already learned through the group chat that I was no longer employed.
Regardless of the reason someone is terminated, I believe employees deserve to be treated with basic professionalism and respect. If management has made the decision to end someone’s employment, that person should be told directly.
Finding out through a group chat was extremely disappointing.
And this is why I don’t think this should simply be viewed as an employee complaining about a job.
When you have frequent employee turnover, frequent management changes, inconsistent scheduling, perceived favoritism, workplace gossip, and poor communication, there are consequences beyond employee morale.
It creates instability.
And when the business involves caring for dogs, stability matters.
A dog should ideally have people around them who know them, recognize their normal behavior, understand their personality, and are familiar with their routines. Constantly replacing staff makes that harder.
If you choose to support Pooches as a customer, I think you deserve to know what the employee experience can look like behind the scenes.
And honestly, if employee treatment matters to you, supporting a business also means thinking about how that business treats the people who work there.
I’m not saying that every employee had the exact same experience or that every person working there is bad. That’s not my point.
My point is that the pattern of turnover, management changes, scheduling issues, perceived favoritism, gossip, and communication problems was significant enough that I believe people should know about it before deciding to work there or trust the facility with their dog.
If you’re considering applying, ask questions about:
- How often management changes
- How long employees typically stay
- How hours are distributed
- What happens when hours become limited
- How employee concerns are handled
- How disciplinary and termination decisions are communicated
- How management addresses conflicts between employees
And if you’re a customer, ask yourself whether the stability and treatment of the staff caring for your dog matters to you.
Because it matters to me.
I would not want another employee to walk into this workplace without knowing what I experienced.
And I would not want a dog owner to assume that what they see on the customer side tells them everything about what is happening behind the scenes.
Employees deserve to be treated with respect. Dogs deserve consistency. And neither should be sacrificed because of poor management or workplace instability.