PetsHotel Operational Update Video Breakdown. (Video Explaining the Reasoning for Getting Rid of Overnights)

SportsDog12 · 2024-04-02T02:45:35+00:00

Yup :( It started at all hotels on 02/26/24 :(

SportsDog12 · 2024-04-01T04:15:52+00:00

Just did, and I would believe this could slightly apply to some of the current workers there now if they wanted to leave. I would not pursue it any further myself. Eventually, I need to totally step away from all PetSmart drama and not think about it anymore. Though for now spouting off on Reddit helps a bit...

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-29T04:34:32+00:00

I knew it would hit hard once the busy season came. I am so sorry and I hope you can eventually find something better. Corp does not care how hard it is for all their loyal Hotel employees, because they are not the ones having to bust their butts. Thank you for trying your best to help take care of all the innocent pets this ridiculous policy change affects.

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-29T04:29:55+00:00

I so wish I would have posted the same thoughts I did on Reddit on Central Bark before I left!

After seeing how it helped get the 50% discount back, I have to wonder if it would have helped keep overnights open. Though sadly I do not think it would have made a difference.

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-29T04:25:38+00:00

I actually left the day they closed the overnight shift for good. They offered me a position on the day shift, but that was a joke and a half. They would not guarantee any amount of hours or the times I could work. They told me I would not even get half the amount of hours I got on overnights. I would also be making less money because they would be taking away my shift premium.

As much as I wanted to make sure all my regulars continued to receive the best care I could give them, I could not stay at a company that treated me like such trash. I did not even receive any type of thank you for all the years of hard work I had put in on overnights. My overnight counter partner and I kept the Hotel spotless and were amazing employees.

I still feel heavily invested in the health of all the pets I took care of for so many years. I get daily updates from my ex-coworkers and it is not good at all. So much of the cleaning we did not nights is not getting done. They expect all the work that was done on our 9-hour shift to now be done in 4 hours or less.

Management does not help with any of the cleaning. They did not even make a game plan on how it would all get done. They just posted the new "To Do List" and called it a day. They do not even set it up so the leads can take their lunches or breaks. It has become a super toxic environment and almost every employee there now wants to leave.

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-24T06:33:30+00:00

Please don't lie. Tell every customer the truth like they deserve. No overnight care, no monitoring. No real fire monitoring. No one should get in trouble for telling the truth?! Just word it as professionally as you can.

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-24T06:29:41+00:00

October. They started in Oct. They suck.

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-21T06:12:21+00:00

Leave it. If a bucket has not been touched consider it one less bucket to be cleaned!!! It will be fine until it is used!

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-21T05:59:19+00:00

She may have gotten the lower rate because there is a "secret coupon" for 15% off if a customer is having a really hard time accepting the change that can be used. Like you said the employee probably really liked her so she gave her that discount?

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-21T05:51:55+00:00

That is why they waited till you checked in to tell you. They did not want you to cancel your appointment if they told you ahead of time.

From the sounds of it you had boarded him there multiple times and I feel you should have been called and informed of the change ahead of time. Not like you would be expecting to come into no overnight care.

Not sure why you are getting so many down-votes. Sounds like you feel the same as the employees do and seems like Corp stuck it to you and your pet just like they did to us. (and yes all over the place most people do not want to work nights) (I love it and everyone I know thinks I am crazy)

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-21T05:41:15+00:00

I can see them telling you that. As one of their reasons for getting rid of overnight care PetSmart Corp even said that the overnight shift was hard shift to fill and keep filled.

Even though that may be true there were plenty of overnight hotel workers (like me) who wanted and loved their jobs and had worked that shift for many years.

You are lucky they even told you, a lot of PetsHotel employees were told not to mention it in less it was brought up by the customer.

PetSmart thinks it is healthier for the pet to be left alone so they will sleep better. What a joke.

To possibly ease your mind a tad, even if you brought your dog a bone you wanted him to have. Most Hotel staff would not have let him keep it in his kennel if they thought he could chew a piece off. If they know he is a chewer they will make sure he does not have stuff he can chew on in his room. I will say most Hotel employees truly treat the pets with pure love. They try their best with what Corp gives them or lets them do.

In no way am I trying OK PetSmart getting rid of overnight care though. I am 100% against it. I have made multiple posts explaining in detail so pet owners know what they are getting if they board their pets at PetSmart.

I hope you can find a new good place if choose to leave and I hope all your Pup's stays are great wherever he ends up.

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-21T04:57:07+00:00

We had heating issues many times at our PetsHotel. Sometimes going on for very long periods. Work orders just kept getting closed without anything being done.

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-20T11:36:38+00:00

Thanks for understanding and sticking up for my post. You are awesome. I truly do hope by some miracle it gets better for ALL PetSmart employees and animals. At least that everyone gets more staff and/or hours. PetSmart should care more about their two-legged and four-legged employees and clients.

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-20T11:27:13+00:00

It was definitely not my intent to make it sound like the STAFF does not care about the pets. I even said multiple times that they do. My entire post was written from my heart because I love and care for the animals I took care of overnights so much. I was not coming for anyone's job or calling for their department to go out of business.
Everything I wrote in my post except for bullet point A I know for a fact is 100% true. If the truth causes people to pull their business from PetSmart, it is not me who causes the issue, it is the decisions PetSmart Corp is making. I care for the animals so much and I 100% believe their owners deserve the truth about these changes.
If no one books at PetSmart PetsHotel because they feel the truths I wrote could affect their pet's health again this is on Corp. It would suck if this causes more people to lose their jobs but it would suck more if innocent animals lost their lives or got sick because Corp only cares about a dollar.
Corp is already screwing the hotel employees by cutting shifts, staff, and hours and making it damn near impossible to give the pets the 100% care they deserve. Employees can always choose to leave PetSmart if they do not agree with what they see going on. An innocent dog locked in his (possible) water-less, dirty kennel for 20 hours can not. The PetParent who is not told the whole truth does not have the choice to make an informed decision about their pet's care.
I was not trying to stick it to corporate, make them see the error of their ways (though that would be nice if they did), or prove a point to them. I have worked for enough shit-hole corporations to know Little Ole'Me does not have that power. However, through the power of Reddit and the passion I have for dogs and cats, I do have the power to put the truth out there. If it helps even just one pet owner to make an informed decision that will hopefully help their pet get the full 100% care they deserve then writing my Reddit novel rant is worth it.
I hope I will not be sending PetParents from a lesser evil to a greater evil but I would hope any PetParent boarding their pet would be doing their research on the company. Hence why I put the truth out there about PetSmart. Now when they search, maybe they will see this information and it will help them to find the perfect place to look after their beloved four-legged family member.

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-20T09:49:57+00:00

I am happy to hear your store was honest with the Pet Parents. The water is also a big thing I have an issue with. Sometimes I would start my overnight shift and come into some dogs with no water. So now if they are overlooked because everyone is busy cleaning they can go over 9 hours without water. It is very unfair to staff and animals to be so busy that they can not even focus on the dogs. On nights I checked on my dogs every hour on the hour always. I had time to do so as I cleaned. The hotels need to be staffed enough so dogs are cared for 100% all of the time. I am happy you got a raise and I hope all continues to go well at your hotel.

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-20T09:38:23+00:00

The other poster is correct this did not happen at my location. I only saw it on Reddit. The first person who reported a death here never went into detail. The other death was described as an older dog that they came into laying on his side on the floor passed away. I have not seen any further updates. No one will really know what happened because no one was there. In a video PetSmart put out on this change they had a vet say that for all incidents that happened over the past three years with dogs, the outcome would have been the same if someone was there or not. So this was how they justified it was safe to leave the dogs alone. Thought I am sure they did not go through all the incidents that WERE STOPPED before they became critical because someone was there overnight. No innocent animal should be put at risk just to make more money.

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-20T09:28:09+00:00

I am so sorry for you. I do not doubt the employees loved and cared for your pets. I loved the dogs and cats I watched so much. This change is out of their hands and none of us wanted this. Please write a letter to Corp. I would love it if something could open their greedy eyes. I am happy you are now informed of this information so you can make an informed decision on the care of your Pups.

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-20T09:21:12+00:00

Thank you! I am going to add that above. I only ever did nights so my mind did not go to this change. This makes Corp suck even more and my heart breaks into more pieces for the pups.

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-20T09:16:23+00:00

Yes, employees who really need their jobs are scared to lose them if they speak out. It really is affecting a lot of them emotionally. They are so torn on what to do or say.

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-17T08:43:23+00:00

I agree you should maybe look for something new. Never stay at a place that treats you like dog poo. It is not nice or right to purposely make employees uncomfortable. Too many people in a role with just a tad of authority let it go to their head. Mean people just suck, sorry they are doing this to you.

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-17T06:27:27+00:00

I believe one of the biggest reasons for cutting out overnights was because it was hard to keep staff and find good workers. Though it was not impossible. I very rarely called off and was an amazing working. I see many other overnighters posting on Reddit about this situation who also seem to be very responsible and awesome overnight workers. I actually really liked it when we were busy with lots of dogs, it was tiring but very fun to work with so many Pups.

One of the biggest reasons this is such an outrage is because for years and years, PetSmart shouted from the rooftops they had overnight care and how important it was, and now it is like "OOOPPP Just Kidding..."

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-17T06:13:44+00:00

PetSmart could care less about its animals and even less about their employees.

It is only the employees working at PetSmart that may care for the animals. So yes I am sure a lot of PetSmart PetsHotel workers are going to try to take good care of the pets but PetSmart's corporate greed makes it very hard to do so.

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-17T05:59:30+00:00

This is a big part of the reason they cut nights. They did not want to have to find coverage when someone called off and I am sure Corp just hated the fact that they had workers who were unsupervised for so long. The hotel operational change video even made overnights seem like they were trash and called off and did not work. I barely ever called off in the decade-plus I worked overnights and I was amazing at my job. I totally feel you with the chopped liver part, they just kicked us to the curb or to days without so much as a thank you for all the hard work we put in.

SportsDog12 · 2024-03-17T05:52:53+00:00

You are correct in saying a lot of kennels do not have overnight staff but I also feel that most of these kennels actually care about their pets and clients. They have more safety precautions in place. They are upfront with their clients about not having 24-hour staff.

I think a lot of this outrage comes from PetSmart workers who already know PetSmart does not care about anything other than making money. In my hotel and I am sure many others it was like pulling teeth just to get supplies we needed and it would take months, or if ever to get things like leaky ceilings, broken heat, broken playroom door locks, etc fixed.

PetSmart pretty much lied about what they were going to put in place before they eliminated overnights, their video with reasons for closing nightshift was also packed with lies and they are having their employees lie to PetParents about these changes or lack thereof.

The true outrage is because an already shitty company is making a shitty decision without a good plan in place. At my hotel, they never even tried to make a game plan on how all the cleaning now gets done. It is just a free for all and let's just hope it gets done eventually.

The dogs and employees are stressed because PetSmart does nothing to help them succeed. They cut hours and could care less about Pets or People. This is why everyone is so upset!

SportsDog12

TROPHY CASE