Gabe did not seem prepared to deal with an anxious dog or an emergency situation, and I ended my dog’s stay early. I do not think this is indicative of a lack of caring or that she was treated poorly at any time, but I also do not think that my dog’s situation was out of line or unmanageable. My dog is not usually destructive. I did warn that she is skilled at finding food and getting into trash, on top of the new medication she is on for a recently discovered tumor which may cause behavioral side effects I haven’t noticed. She ate part of a souvenir at Gabe’s, and when I was informed of this I was also told that she had been “rebellious”, gotten into the bathroom trash, and was barking at runners/bikers/other dogs—all of which I warned about, so I did not know why this was being repeated back to me as if I should apologize for it (even though I did apologize and pay for the souvenir). Gabe informed me only after I directly asked that he had checked if there were any wood splinters in my dog’s mouth—which if ingested could be cause for an emergency vet visit. Gabe was very polite and communicative and met my boyfriend to pick up my dog’s crate after the incident, which I greatly appreciate. (I did offer to bring the crate originally but was told it was not needed—I should have brought it anyway just in case.) Later on, my dog got sick in her crate. Gabe informed my boyfriend and I but didn't call the emergency vet until my boyfriend got out of a work meeting to ask him to do so. This happened at 4am my time as I am deployed to Iraq, so if it were not for my boyfriend asking Gabe to call the professional emergency contact I already had shared, I’m not sure if that would have happened. My boyfriend ended up cutting a work trip short so he could pick up my dog early because I felt uncomfortable leaving her in Gabe’s care. Gabe did offer to watch her to the scheduled end of the stay so I wasn’t put out. I don’t believe Stella was treated badly at all, nor was Gabe rude at any point.

Gabriel is the absolute BEST! Gabriel came through in a quick pinch on a holiday weekend to watch our sweet doggy. He was extremely communicative throughout the entire process, which gave us great confidence. Plus, when our pup came home, she was well exercised and ready for a long nap - a sign of a perfect stay! We highly recommend Gabriel and will definitely contact him again! :-)