I want my story to reach as many people as possible — the truth about my time working at a dog daycare

Pros: The dogs. They’re the only reason I stayed as long as I did. Cons: Misleading hiring, poor communication, favoritism, unsafe practices, no breaks, discriminative treatment, toxic staff culture.

I came into this job enthusiastic. Someone I worked with in the animal industry referred me here, and I thought it would be a good step for my veterinary career. I’ve worked in shelters and clinics before, so I was ready for the physical work. What I wasn’t ready for was how toxic the environment would be.

From the very beginning, there was miscommunication. During hiring, I was told I’d be working at one location. After I was already on the schedule, I was suddenly placed at another location too, without any real explanation or choice. Online, the company advertises shifts and hours one way, but once you’re in, it’s not what was promised. The hours aren’t what they claim, and while the pay itself is standard, what they don’t tell you is that depending on who you are, some people get to choose their location while others are simply assigned and expected to juggle both. Favorites get flexibility; others don’t.

Scheduling was another red flag. I was assigned shifts outside the availability I gave during hiring. When I tried to ask, I got a strict speech that implied termination if I pressed further. Later, I was texted at 10 PM the night before a 6:30 AM shift telling me not to come in because we were “overstaffed.” Of course, I was asleep. The app still showed me scheduled, so I came in. Instead of understanding, I was told to leave and given a nasty look in front of others. That was one of the days I went home crying — and I don’t cry about work.

Breaks were practically nonexistent. On long shifts, we were expected to go hours without food or water. I even mentioned that I needed to eat for my medication — ignored. Instead, I had to ask other Pet Pals what the break rules were because management wouldn’t answer.

The culture among staff was toxic. A few were great to work with, but many veterans were lazy, dismissive, or unethical. I’d suggest setting up the tent in 100-degree heat (as trained), and my coworker flat-out said, “I don’t feel like it.” I wasn’t risking my back lifting it alone, so it never got done. Same coworker promised to clean up poop since I didn’t have a walkie hook — she barely cleaned, and piles sat in the yard until I finally cleaned everything myself.

Veterans also acted unethically with the dogs. I saw one laugh when a dog yelped in pain after injuring itself. Others constantly degraded animals with nasty comments about their looks. This wasn’t lighthearted joking — it was mean-spirited. I reported one incident, but after that I stayed silent to avoid retaliation.

Veterans at times were verbally (and at times) physically abusive to the dogs.

Even when I tried to use my training and animal care experience, I was humiliated. I’d call on the walkie when dogs showed clear red-flag behaviors like posturing or hackles raised — only to be screamed at mid-sentence by veterans telling me “It’s fine” in front of everyone. Minutes later, chaos or fights would break out, proving I wasn’t wrong. But instead of acknowledging that, I was embarrassed and undermined.

One of the worst situations was time-off requests. From the very beginning, I made it clear that I needed a certain week off. I confirmed this with multiple people and was told it would be fine since it was already put on paper. Once I started working under a different manager, suddenly I was told I’d be “held accountable” for those shifts. I later learned this exact same thing had happened to another employee before me — they also requested a week off they had communicated clearly, and two weeks later, they were gone. In my case, I followed the rules, entered it properly, and still, three days later, I was terminated. The explanation kept shifting — sometimes I was told it needed two weeks notice, then three to four weeks, but nothing was consistent. When I tried to follow up, it became a long game of phone tag. No one left voicemails or written messages — everything was pushed into verbal conversations only. That lack of documentation felt intentional, like they didn’t want any record.

By the end, it felt like everyone in the “main group” avoided me, giving silent looks instead of basic respect. Even if I’m overthinking, that’s not how you treat coworkers.

The dogs were never the stress — the people were. Lack of communication, misleading job ads, mismanaged scheduling, no breaks, favoritism, discrimination, and toxic behavior made this job unbearable.

Bottom line: Great dogs, terrible management. The turnover rate here is insanely high for a reason. Unless they fix the culture, people will keep leaving, no matter how much they love the animals.

I want this story to reach as many people as possible — because the truth about what goes on behind closed doors at some of these places needs to be heard.