Best Friends Pet Care Reviews

Pros

You get a chance to learn a lot about different breeds and gain experience working with animals of varying sizes and temperaments. You do find yourself getting connected to the animals.

Cons

Always had the feeling that there was favoritism. We had one individual who created lies about other co-workers in an attempt to move up the ladder. Management believed this individual and created an unwelcoming workplace by sticking to this individual's every word and acting on them rather than talking to those (wrongfully) accused to get a more rounded story. This individual made many mistakes during her time there and placed blame on everyone else besides herself. It was a shame because I enjoyed many of the people I worked with and loved the animals.

I also did not like how the "playtimes" were run. The 10 minutes paid for by the customer for their pet included the amount of time it took me to get the dog ready to leave its crate, walk across the building to get to the play area, play for a few minutes, and walk all the way back to secure him/her into its kennel. In my opinion it seemed incredibly rushed, and the "playtime" really only ended up being five minutes, if that.

It was bittersweet to leave at the end of the summer.

Advice to Senior Management

Have weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly meetings with staff (as a group and separately) to gain a better sense of what is going on outside of your office. Reward excellence, not pettiness. Work more on the programs to have the best interest of the animals in mind (refer above to "playtimes").

Pros

Have met some wonderful doggy parents and of course working with their pets is a given. Great employees, all animal lovers (with the exception of a few who this is just a job)

Cons

entice prespective employees with visions of job advancement, training and promotions which never come to fruition.

pets not receiving the "extras" due to lack of staffing.

taking more customers when you know there are not enough people to do the job.

Having too many dogs per associate, it's ridiculous and extremely dangerous at times

Advice to Senior Management

Talk to the hourly people who work for you. The BFs concept is great, and what would make is superior is to reward and promote your loyal long term employees and PAY them accordingly. Hiring people through the holidays just to get by is a BAD business practice and one that should be addressed before something horrible happens to the pets or an inexperienced employee

Pros

Working with the animals is about the only one.

Cons

EVERYTHING that was mentioned already. The employees and mgmt are more concerned about how long it takes to do the job instead of caring about the well being and the environment of the animal (i.e. the kennel being cleaned, whether or not they're sitting on spoiled blankets and/or etc.)

Advice to Senior Management

The other reviews have said already and said it VERY well.

Pros

Decent pay. Working with animals is a very excellent thing to do. The animals you work with are often smarter than your co-workers and managers!

Cons

Horrible management, lack of communication, poor sense of customer service, promotions and raises given to manager's favorites rather than those with the proper skillset and commitment to the company. Having to be on the "good side" of your managers to not be targeted for misery and inevitable wrongful termination.

Advice to Senior Management

Quit. Or learn how to pick who you promote, try not to act like your employees are crazy with nothing needing to be said, stop being jerks to people who don't try to suck up to you.

Pros

The animals! I enjoy working with my staff! We all get along and work together as a team!!! Everyone here cares for the animals truely as if they were their own. Everyone is very knowledgeable of animals and knows what to watch out for.

Cons

As with every job there are the couple of staff who know their job but some days just coose not to act like they do(talking about CSRs). Once they are corrected, the day continues.

Advice to Senior Management

My manager has worked for the company many years and does a great job. She has excellent communication and is fair with job assisnments.

Pros

Working with the animals is wonderful, job duties aren't boring, and the pay isn't too bad.

Cons

Upper management was dishonest with customers and upper management would avoid vet care and other things when the care was necessary. Upper management seemed more interested in the facility's reputation or money than the animals' and customers' best interests. Many things could have been done to prevent some of the accidents that occurred. Some of the employees were treated poorly and disrespected.

Advice to Senior Management

Always put the animals' hygiene and safety first before money. Be honest and respectful towards customers and employees. Fire people who make unacceptable mistakes. Communicate with your employees.

Pros

the co workers are nice.

Cons

Horrible pay!! Managment can't handle their employees, employees get away with so much, smoke breaks on the clock, showing up 45 min late to work, not helping your co workers, bad team work, no reward for superior ability.

Advice to Senior Management

Discipline your employees!

Pros

Best Friends Pet Care was an amazing place to work when it came to working with my peers and the customers. I am an animal lover, and getting to play with and take care of all sorts of animals was wonderful. Most of the clients are regulars and are very easy to work for, even creating strong ties and relationships with them. I loved knowing all of my clients and their pets by heart! The entire staff (ex. manager) worked together and got along great.

Cons

There is a very strong turnover rate at this specific Best Friends site because of the center manager. He was almost bipolar; happy and cheerful one minute, then verbally abusive the next. Praise was never given for a job well done, and negative criticism was abundant. He would talk behind all employees' backs, but never say a word to their face. He was easily frustrated and the tiniest problem would throw him into a whirlwind of anger and confusion. Half of the time he put most of his work duties on other employees or the assistant center manager, rarely able to complete a task on his own. He also was very fake with clients, pretending to know their pets when in all actuality he didn't (don't worry, he wasn't the one taking care of the animals, the people who did knew the pets extremely well).

Advice to Senior Management

To headquarters for Best Friends, it would be to take all your employees' complaints seriously and to look into them more closely. So many complaints were filed against our center manager, yet nothing was ever done. I would have continued working for this company had it not been for him, and so would have many others. To my specific center manager, I would suggest anger management classes as well as a management course.