Diamond Dogs

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2 reviews in English

• Diamond Dogs

  Review from danna m.

  

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  • 55 reviews

  • danna m.

  Victoria, BC

  

  7/29/2010

  since I've relocated to Victoria, I had to find a doggie daycare for lil' Dolla Bills here.  She misses the Doghouse in Vancouver so much that I knew it was going to be tough to find a comparable spot.
  
  I looked at 5 different places all within close proximity to the downtown area of Victoria.  I was getting frazzled when I finally made it to James Bay for the last 'pop in' at Diamond Dogs.  I held my breath as I entered the doors to the nondescript building; i exhaled and smiled to see the cute french inspired decor and a huge space for the doggie pals.  I was greeted by the two owners who are full of energy and positiveness and of course both I swear are dog whisperers!
  
  Dolla has found her home away from home.  Phewf for me!
  
  They also will groom your pup here!

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• Diamond Dogs

  Review from cheryl W.

  

  • 0 friends
  • 5 reviews

  • cheryl W.

  Calgary, AB

  

  5/31/2011

  I was not impressed.  This facility is just one big cold dark concrete warehouse type room that is divided into a section for small dogs and another for the large dogs.  The dogs looked bored and were all sleeping (on the two occasions that I was there).   The dogs have no access to any outdoor area or sunlight.  The owner says that she takes them out for walks but I think that is a lie.  I tried the place twice and both times my dog needed to pee so bad that we barely got out the door.  It was not a happy place.  They have a zero barking policy and use shock and spray collars and spray bottles to stop any barking.  The owners do not try to make the dogs happy or comfortable.  They just don't want to put any effort into doing their job. They charge a lot of money and do very little for it.  My dog might as well stay at home and be bored.  
  
  Not only that but he picked up Kennel cough and fleas!  It was a mortifying experience that ended up costing me a lot of money.... lesson learned.  I had heard that it was not a good place and it is not.  I have heard that the other two downtown dog daycare's downtown Victoria are similar.  I think the dog daycare's out in the country are good but that is not convenient for me.
  
  A good doggy day care would limit how many dogs they take so that they can put some effort into making sure the dogs are happy and that they get outside for exercise and playtime.  This daycare just packs as many dogs in as possible in order to make as much money as possible without the staff to take care of them.  It's disgraceful.
  
  I would NOT recommend this dog daycare.  There is a lot of room for improvement in the dog daycare business.
  
  Whoever wrote that glowing review below is lying.... there are not even 5 dog daycare's within the downtown Victoria area.
  
  Good  luck to those struggling to find good affordable dog care!  It is not easy in Victoria.  There are some great dog walkers and some good vets but the dog daycare's and some of the groomers are not very professional and they have very low standards.

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  Comment from samie-pearl m. of Diamond Dogs 6/30/2011    « Hide

  

  Dear Cheryl,  we are the very proud owners of Diamond Dogs.… More »

  Dear Cheryl,
  
  we are the very proud owners of Diamond Dogs. Obviously, we understand that we can't please everyone, but after reading your review we feel that we should clarify a few statements that you've made.
  It sounds like you had a pretty terrible experience with our little business and it would have been nice to hear some of your concerns in person. We are very open people and would have been happy to have a conversation with you about all this.
  Our space is simple, yes, but we designed it to be open because it allows us to monitor the dogs at all times and for our customers to see what we're doing at all times. In Victoria, the zoning bylaws only allow dog day cares to be open in industrially zoned areas which really limits our choice of space. But, considering, I think we lucked out as our building actually does have plenty of windows and green spaces all around.
  
  Fact: the dogs are all walked first thing in the morning and taken out every two hours after that.
  
  We do not have a zero barking policy. We do however have a zero excessive barking policy. It is important for us to keep it that way in order to have a calm, happy pack. WE DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES USE SHOCK COLLARS. We don't own them and we don't believe in them. We would not accept a dog that needs such an extreme measure of correction. We do use spray collars only for excessive noise and always with the permission of the dog's owner beforehand. Spray collars are harmless and approved by the SPCA.
  
  We make sure that all our dog clients are up to date on their vaccination and ask that they stay on flea prevention as much as possible. Unfortunately, as any vet can confirm, the Bordetella vaccine only covers a few of the strains of the virus that causes Kennel Cough. We do everything we can, keeping everything as clean as possible to prevent these things from spreading, but our customers are aware that (just like with children's day cares) these things can happen. The fact that your dog got both in such a short visit is really unfortunate. Again, it would have been nice for you to notify us of this problem.
  
  We have approximately 3000 square feet of space and currently average about 15 to 25 dogs a day as we are still a fairly new and growing business. This certainly does not over crowd our space. We, the two owners, are there everyday for very long hours and we have one full time wonderful employee. We would never take on more dogs then we can handle as this would create an unbearable amount of stress for us as well as for the dogs.
  
  There are in fact five dog day cares around the downtown Victoria vicinity. All of which offer something different for different dog's needs. We feel that Victoria actually has a great choice of day cares for such a small city!
  
  We opened our small business first and foremost because we wanted to be happy to come to work everyday. We've worked really hard, invested a lot time, money and heart in order to achieve that. We've been blessed with many wonderful customers who have experienced our growth with us, all of which we are sure could confirm that we do absolutely everything in our power to make sure that the dogs are safe and happy. We are not a big corporation making millions, just a small business trying to get by. We care, a lot.
  
  So please Cheryl, next time you visit Victoria, feel free to drop by as we would be more then happy to reimburse you.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Samie-Pearl Manach and Megan Boyd
  Owners of Diamond Dogs

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