My family had a run of bad luck in the winter of 2011/2012 that resulted in the death of our beloved dog, Samantha, this is our story....
My husband and I had decided that after a difficult year of many different stresses, we were going to try and make Christmas 2011 the best Christmas ever. We had all kinds of plans that were quickly smashed with the bursting of a simple dishwasher water hose.
It was November 21st and were in the fifth year of our rental home. Our middle child is home schooled so she was home with my husband's mother at the time the hose burst. My mother-in-law heard the bang, heard the hiss of the water, recognized it for what it was but by the time she had located the water shut-off, the water had escaped into the wall, under the floors and through the ceilings downstairs.
Fortunately we were insured and not many of our belongings were affected but the damage was sufficient enough that they would have to gut the downstairs bathroom, tear down the downstairs ceilings and replace the kitchen floor. A lot of work and inconvenient at Christmas time but we believed we could live around it - until they found asbestos. We were informed that we would have to move out while the asbestos abatement was being done due to health risks so we would have to move into a hotel. It was going to take weeks for repairs and the hotel we would be moving into would not allow pets so in desperation I took to the internet to find someone to board our dogs and cats.
We wanted someone local so that we could see them, they are such an integral part of our family that the thought of them spending Christmas away from us was difficult, so we were hoping to board them together and somewhere we could visit. I couldn't find a boarding kennel that would take both dogs and cats so I advertised on UsedNanaimo.com.
My ad was answered by Gabriella Melendez, owner of Eco Munchies Pet Food and Supplies. She was sympathetic to our plight and offered to take both cats and the dog into her home for $20-per day. I corresponded with her about the animals and then went and met her, taking our dog Samantha with me.
Gabriella presented herself as someone who was knowledgeable in pet care, she told me that she was just starting in the pet boarding business, she spun a sad tale of the loss of her own dog and how she began her business so that pet owners had a healthier alternative for pet food. She seemed knowledgeable, professional and kind, and my family was desperate to find a safe place for our pets.
Gabriella showed us her home where our pets would stay, she had a spare room that she assured us would be for them alone as she had two dogs and a cat of her own. We discussed what supplies we should bring and she assured us that we could visit any time and that as she took her own dogs to work, she would take Samantha as well so that she could be socialized better. My first red flag should have been when she found out that our insurance would pay for the boarding and she upped the daily charge.
There's an old adage, 'if it looks too good to be true...'
My middle daughter didn't like Gabriella, she didn't trust her and she didn't want to leave our pets with her but we had to move into the hotel a.s.a.p. and our daughter doesn't trust people in general so I'm sad to admit that we pooh-poohed her misgivings and signed the boarding agreement.
We were desperate and she seemed so nice and caring....
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