The Spot Experience

Service was great but the location was a little out of the way !

I took my dog here for a groom on a recommendation from someone who uses Spot for the daycare. The people were friendly and they squeezed my dog in for a same day appointment.
But. The groomer nicked my dog in two places. Nothing serious — but poor guy has been itching for days and since they were both in sanitary places he’s refusing to go to the bathroom as well because it hurts him.
We won’t be back which is unfortunate considering how convenient the location is and how nice the staff was.

Our puppy loves the spot experience and I can’t say more nice things about Anna and Jessie, they are 2 awesome ladies. The only thing I would have to say is just to stay on top of what your dog needs and remind, we did have 1 incident where we asked them to keep him out of the crate and they crated him, we reminded and they apologized sincerely. The relief walks are great as I know some places don’t do that. They also walk our dog home after daycare, which is great, because we live close enough.
If your dog is a bigger dog you won’t necessarily be able to see them as 1 of the camera’s shows half of the room and the other camera is still tiled and hasn’t been fixed after asking numerous amounts of times.
WALKING SERVICE– David and Evan (head managers) are awesome, super attentive and always caring towards any mishaps or needs. They can usually do last minute walks and late night walks which is great for any busy couple. We did have a couple hiccups with Brice (dog walker) but, the resolution by the managers was more than satisfactory. Again, just hold them accountable.
I would highly recommend Spot!

I am writing two different reviews for the Spot Experience on 21 Murray Street. I am giving DAY CARE & BOARDING, one star. GROOMING (Iriyna) gets 5 stars from me.
DAY CARE & BOARDING
I called and got loads of information over the phone, the man who answered sounded as though he were watching soaps while tending the phones.
To make a long story short. If you have small dogs do not board or send them to day care on the weekends.
The manager blatantly lied to me. He told me that during the week, small dogs (and dogs that are sweet/​docile by nature) go into one room and the large or more aggressive dogs go downstairs, in a separate area all together. He went on to tell me that on the weekend, all dogs go into one room because there aren’t as many — but that the small dogs and large dogs would still be separated by a fence. This is absolutely false. I went on a Saturday, and there were horse-​sized dogs that resembled wolves, and lots of them, in the same pen as tiny dogs. The very large (and scary looking dogs) FAR outnumbered the small dogs.
They seemed to have plenty of staff that could have easily manned two rooms, but the people (at the front desk in particular), weren’t exactly there to put in a hard days work.
As a side note, the manager also tried to make me sign a document stating that Spot Experience and any of it’s partners could bill credit card for any reason necessary at their own will. I refused because I was just there to try out the day care (not to sign up for an annual membership,) and see how the dogs liked it. We argued about it and he finally realized that they were in the wrong and let it go.
GROOMING (Iriyna)
Iriyna was extremely late for our appointment. The front desk handled it poorly and were so UNapologetic and rude in their response that I nearly walked out. I am glad I didn’t. When Iriyna walked in, she was very apologetic. She took the time to understand what my dogs needed and what their sensitivities were. Her work was beautiful and she was a delight.

The grooming is adequate. The groomer is in the basement, down these narrow rickety stairs that are not safe for older dogs. If your dog is too big to be carried but can’t handle stairs I don’t see how you could take him there. I have had problems with one staff member, the only man that answers the phone in the afternoon. He is incompetent and each time I try and make an appointment it is always a hassle. Other than him, the staff is very nice.

I sent my dog to spot for a weekend of boarding. In advance of her stay they asked all of the right questions and had me fill out the proper forms. When I went to drop her off on Friday they seemed crazed and disorganized. I then filled out another form with feeding and walking instructions and left her bag with her name on it and her bed, food and medicine. When I came to pick up my dog, she had not been given her bed or food. Even though her bag was right there on the floor they had completely ignored it. They fed my dog «house food» which has grains in it even though she has a grain allergy which was written on both forms I completed. This resulted in an ear infection. I’m not sure what else went wrong but my five year old dog started to get separation anxiety after her visit to Spot. The owner called to apologize, they said the will work on their system and they paid for the vet bill. Even though the tried to make things right with me, the damage was done. I don’t recommend taking your dog to Spot. It seems that they take on too many dogs, more than they can manage and they don’t even read their own paperwork or make a call to check in with the owner if something doesn’t seem right.

My dog Albert has been going here since they opened the Chelsea location a little over a year ago. During this time he’s had quite a few health problems and the staff there have been wonderful in giving him a little extra love and attention he needs. Most of them know us by name and seem generally excited when we arrive. I’d recommend spot to anyone and for those familiar with daycare pricing, the prices here are some of the best in the neighborhood.

Crazy overpriced. The Vitality snacks I give my dog cost 50% more than suggested retail. Tip: go to Whole Foods a few blocks over and buy them there, they’re often on sale.
When I asked about how much nail clipping costs, was told «$ 20 for non-​members.» That’s insane. I’ve paid as little as $ 5 for nail clipping (yes, in Manhattan!) and didn’t have to «be a member» to get that price. I haven’t set foot in this place since.

We had used Spot/​Pawstop a few times but I’m a little annoyed. Our dog came home with a scratch and my wife saw one of the handlers separate our dog from another dog by yanking him by the scruff. We complained to the owner who apologized but here are the drawbacks: 1. the webcam seems to be down all the time so you can’t watch your dog (2) They are merging or expanding (not sure) and just jacked up the prices including $ 5 to feed your dog when you use day care even if you provide the food. Also, they just raised their daycare price from 29 to 36 for members. I realize they haven’t in a few years but people who pay the $ 200 fee (remind me to never do that again!) shouldn’t see their daycare fees rise almost 20%. It’s hard to find a good dog care downtown and I’m open to suggestions but I didn’t have a good experience with this one!

Lofty shop where convenience meets great selection.
Not quite the clothing/​lease selection (esp for small dogs) that Canis Minor has.
However, great food selection. Like other places, they’re willing to order whatever you might need.
Convenient b/​c I keep a card on file and just get billed. Sounds lazy but sometimes, u just can’t get outta work in time and delivery is the way to go.
They have a grooming part of the shop where the nicest people have handled Max.
Read about some weird lawsuit the owner of this place & a former employee were engaged in but, willing to give the benefit of the doubt to the shop right now.

I’ve gone here for Yorkie Meet up events so I don’t have any experience with their pet boarding or pet sitting services. I can only comment on their accomodations for their play room. It’s a small store, but clean and their party play room is a decent size for any small dog get together. Friendly staff, but their prices on clothes, doggie bones, etc are a little up there. They have a decent selection. If you are in the downtown area, it’s worth a look-​see.