At Merithot Pet Resort - Komoka, Ontario

Pamela Davis

Definitely NOT accommodating! Changed our appointment at the last minute!
We have had our dog for 5 years and the hair cut was horrible. She said he was matted all over, something we have never been told in 5 years. He usually loves to be groomed and he was scalped. He looks terrible.
We definitely won’t be back!

JGR

It saddens me to write this review based on our experience with At Merithot Pet Resort. Where to begin.
Firstly, let me state, prior to this past summer, we never once experienced any problems with this business. We have taken our terrier here for grooming now for about 10 years, so you can be assured, they were a fantastic organization.

So; back in early June of this year, we had an appointment booked for grooming and it wasn’t until my son arrived that morning were we advised, they had canceled all grooming that day due to the groomer having a family emergency. Fair enough and certainly understandable. What was disappointing however, they had said they tried to call us in advance to advise they had to cancel, that was an utter lie! We received no such call whatsoever. My son was told, on our next visit however, he would receive a 50% discount on the grooming and today, was told no, 15% not 50%.

Naturally I was bewildered that particular day back in June when I arrived home to see the dog hadn’t been groomed and when I asked why, that was what my son relayed to me. Again; totally understandable however, we should have been notified before driving there to drop off our fur baby for his appointment.

In the days to follow, I had called and left a message to rebook the grooming appointment. No response. I called and left two additional voice messages, again, no response.

This past Tuesday, I called again and spoke to a young fella ( I forget his name and wouldn’t disclose it here even if I hadn’t) but was advised, I could bring him in for grooming Friday. Not long afterwards, I received a call to change from Friday to Thursday for 8:00 am. Perfect! In past, we have had to wait one, sometimes as much as three weeks for a grooming appointment but never gave it another thought.

Dropped him off today as scheduled. Discussed with the groomer as we did on the telephone earlier this week, he hadn’t been in now since (gulp), December - Shame on us. We typically have him groomed every 5-6 months, and that was the plan back in June, 6 months since his last grooming. Again, I can’t stress this enough, we have only attended grooming for the past 10 years here at At Merithot Pet Resort and had no reservations going anywhere but here.

The groomer (again I am not going to disclose names) had said he was quite matted and I’ll agree, it has been since late December since his last grooming but still, I didn’t think he was that matted and we could still brush him, which I did again last evening. I disclosed my displeasure at their failure to return any one of my three voice messages left to rebook his appointment, to which they apologized. I also disclosed he has a cyst on his back, which he has had for years and it never had been an issue when being groomed. Our vet was adamant, they would not remove the cyst surgically and for us never to puncture the cyst under any circumstances. Guess what happens today?

Prior to leaving, I also made comment to the groomer, not ever having an issue prior to, in all the years, with this location. I had asked if ownership had changed and was told no, apparently that was a lie. So having left our fur baby, I was told, given his matting (which again I don’t believe he was that matted), grooming could take a few hours, maybe as much as 4. “Oh, and our pricing has changed”(even though the pricing on the wall remained the same from years past) and being he’s a soft costed wheaten terrier, he’s a medium sized dog and the price is now $85 plus for extra $ due to his coat. (It was $60) Oh, and it’s not 50% off this session but 15% off.

So, very long story short, I picked him up not only to find a scared little dog, but one that was horrendously shaven. Like horrendous, I’m embarrassed for him, breaks my heart! In all the years, he’s a happy little guy when leaving the resort. He was happy arriving but not so when I picked him up. And that cyst, still bleeding.
Final bill; $130.00
Done, never ever again!

Alan Duncan

Our dogs absolutely love At Merithot. Sometimes I think they would rather just stay there than return home! The staff really bond with the dogs and treat them very well. Can't say enough good things about At Merithot.

Carly Kennedy

I have been taking my dog to Merithot since he was 1 (now almost 3) and have always felt they ensure he is well cared for. Even after moving 40 min from the kennel I continue to bring my dog (and now puppy as well) to Merithot as I trust them to care for my dogs as if they were their own.

I recently spoke with the owner and manager to provide feedback and was advised they are working on making some changes overall but all of my feedback was positively received and I feel like they really cared and listened to what I had to say, as well as taking the time to answer questions I had.

5/5 I will continue to choose marithot as my primary boarding location as long as there are spots available when I need them 🙂

Kara Nolansmith

My dog used to love this place until the new owner took over. He went to daycare here a couple times a week and would get so excited when I'd get out his daycare bag in the morning. He would hop in the car happily and would usually be excited when we got there. Sometimes he wouldn't want to get out of the car and would act scared, but that would change the minute he saw the staff. He would absolutely light up.

Once the new owner took over it slowly got worse and worse. He would shake and sometimes hide behind me when I would bring him in, but would perk up if he saw someone he knew. I kept taking him because it would seem to get better for awhile, then get worse again. They always assured me he had a great day and he seemed happy in the pictures. Eventually he refused to get into the car to go and I knew it was time to try somewhere else.

We tried a new daycare of the same style (individual kennels, taken outside a few times a day for playtime). He is absolutely back to his old self. No shaking, no hiding, no refusing to get out the car. Just a happy dog.

I don't know what's going on at At Merithot but it feels off. There has been a lot of turnover since the ownership change. Payton the Kennel Manager is wonderful, but she is the only old staff member left. The new ones seem confused a lot of the time and the dog smell in the front office has noticeably gotten worse. I hope they can turn it around.

James Compton

My experience mirrors that of others who have posted to this site. The kennel used to be fantastic, but since the new owners took over it has gone downhill. I arrived to drop my dog off prior to a trip to Vancouver to learn that he was not booked for the duration of my holiday. This was not the first time that a scheduling error had occurred under the new regime. It NEVER happened under Karen’s management. I received no apology, nor did it appear that the young man who now runs the kennel cared. He instead blamed me. Reading other reviews, I can see that this behaviour appears to fit a pattern. He made no eye contact and was indifferent to my situation. I was left with no other choice but to cancel my trip home for Christmas. The former owner and staff were pleasant, efficient, and showed a genuine care for the animals. Those days are over. I will never return. To echo another post, ignore any review older than months.

ryeandmist mote

At Merithot is a great place to daycare or board your fur baby. They take such good care of my dog and she loves to go there. They always go above and beyond for us and we appreciate everything they do! I would definitely recommend.

amy allen

The owner, Kyle and his team are amazing! My Evie is a regular at the kennel, she can’t wait to get there, and comes home happy, clean and tired every single time! I drop her off with confidence twice a week, knowing my little girl is well taken care of by the knowledgeable and caring staff and management! At Merithot…10/10!