So what would you do if you received a call from the kennel that your dog had a 5 inch cut on its shoulder? I'm on a plane right now and luckly we're already on our way back. We had two chocolate labs their for the past 9 days and I don't know if they were kenneled together the whole time or what the deal was but not the youngest is injured and at the vet until we pick her up this evening. We are suppose to pay a few hundred dollars for the kennel stay, but now we have at least $500 vet bill. I also talked to the vet and it he said it is a injury caused by the kennel facilities. Anyone else had to deal with this issue before?

Talk to the kennel and find out their side of the story, details of how it happened. Then talk with the vet and see if the story matches the injury. If fault of the kennel or faulty equipment, they can pay for all the bill. If the fault of the dog, its the same as if your kid broke his arm while on vacation, you pay.

Talk about it and see what happened.

this is one of those things you need details on before you start chewing arse.

Well in my opinion, it could only be the kennels fault in this situation. The vet said it had to catch on something in the kennel. The kennel tried to say our other dog got in a fight when no one was looking, however the vet said it's definitely not a dog bite.

Sorry to hear that. But depending on the agreement you signed, you may have little recourse. I hope that is not the case.

Some of those kennel agreements contain tons of CYA statements.

Never signed an agreement. So no problem there. Just hoping the pup is alright.

I look at it this way. Things happen, its part of owning a dog. If the kennel was not negligent in the dogs care, then I would just pay the vet.

Talk to them and see what happened. I know it is hard because they hurt your dog, but you can't go into it saying it is their fault until you hear everything. If it looks like it is their fault, see what agreement you can come to together. If it is truely their fault and they are good businessmen, they will pay for it to be right.

When I have kenneled my dogs, I tell them they are not allowed to play with any other dog. That way nothing should happen.

while boarding, my dogs get play time area by themselves...No other dogs in the yard when they are there...same goes for the other dogs they board....I also make sure the dogs in the run next to them do not seem aggressive or are "pit" of any kind..Had a friend once got his labs ear torn off through the cox fence by a dog in the run next to them,...Try to get both sides...if he got cut on something they could hang themselves on I would ask for some sort of reimbursement...

I had a similar experience with a vet when I told them to stop treatment on my sick and dying Brittany when the vet bill reached $1,000. When I picked her up I had a $1,500 vet bill + meds waiting for me and an estimated life expectancy of 1-6 months. They forgot and admitted their mistake. They refused to lower the bill however,but offered to pick up the tab for the euthanasia when the time came. It came three months later. I will be using a different vet when I get my next dog, at the end of this year when my lab is ready and through with training. I wasn't too upset with them as I was attached as we all get to my dog, but I think they could have made more of a concession. So they lost my business and maybe your vet will too, but I hope they handle it better for your sake.

I always kennel mine with a trainer. That way they get in some hunting training. Could they be injured in a field or pond? Yes. Just the same as they could out on a hunt with me. Although less of a chance on privately owned well maintained land.

If you didn't ask for your dogs to be kenneled separately, they may have been kenneled together. Some people want their dogs kenneled together so they have a familiar face in their new surroundings. Less stress if they have a buddy. I'm not trying to say the kennel was right or wrong. Just keep an open mind till you find out the facts. If one of my dogs got hurt while I was away, I would be glad it was taken to the vet.

I will not board dogs in the same kennel, even if the dogs live together....Pat

At the retriever kennel I worked ( It held 250 dogs in the vacation seasons)at the bill was always paid by the kennel if it was an injury from any structure that had any sharp or hazardous material left unchecked. Such as a dog chewing on a tin siding,(left to cut open a dog) and not fixed etc. But any injury as dog fight, horse play with other dogs or working related by the dog a definite no

We as it turned out it was the kennels fault, there was a bolt hanging out from the fence that caught her just behind her left shoulder. The 5 inch cut was more like a softball sized wound and the vet said it was at least 12 hours old. So that means they didn't check on them during that time period. She also lost 7 pounds during her stay. All of this and they asked me before I left to come home if they should hold her until I get back or should they send her to the vet now. I can tell you if they had a soft ball sized hole in them they would be at the doctor ASAP. The good thing is she and our other dog is at home now, safe and sound with about 15 stiches from what I can see. Oh and I didn't pay a dime to them.

Dang Michael, Sorry to hear this. I'd be ripping the kennel a new azz. Best wishes for a quick and healthy recovery for your pup.

This is what scares me about leaving my dog with just anywhere. Glad you got her home and she is on the mend.

^^^ This ^^^

Being a kennel that boards and trains dogs, accidents happen. I try to avoid all of them but sometimes it is out of our control. We check our kennels all the time, but if one dog breaks something on the chainlink and gets cut, it is out of our hands. Some dogs are just that way. We had a dog chew through a chainlink fence. Got some scratches but nothing big. I have since put cinder block walls between each kennel so dogs do not see each other and can not chew at the fence. Hope your dog is doing better.

Also training accidents happen. Wrong steps, tripping, or just plain accidents happen. I have seen dogs go down and tumble head over on marks. They were ok, but have seen some broken necks also. No fault to trainer or owners. Just things that happen. I always walk my fields where I am running to make sure there are no holes or anything that will hurt a dog. That is the last thing I want to do is hurt a dog.

we have dogs in and out all the time, we do everything in our power to keep every dog safe and sound, that being said, accidents happen. I would ask to see the run that your dog was hurt in and a full explanation of what happened. If it's their fault, try to get them to cover the costs. I don't think it's out of line.