Wag Hotel takes care of me (and my dog, of course)

Dear Wag Hotel,

It's hard for parents of two small kids to be spontaneous and even harder when they also have a young puppy that just got all her shots but has yet to be boarded or housebroken. However, you made it possible. Thank you.

I have to admit that you weren't my first choice. I had wanted to try Fog City Dog when the time was right. My friend recommended it to me, and it's closer than the place I boarded my last dog (rest his soul), Pet Camp. 

But it was already Friday at 4pm when we realized we had a problem. Earlier that day, my husband made last-minute reservations for a romantic getaway at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay. I arranged for my mom to watch the kids. And our little puppy? Well...we hadn't worked that part out.

So I called Fog City Dog. They said that they wouldn't take a dog without having first submitted to a temperament test. Nothing could be worked out today. I said I was desperate and wanted to know if she had any advice for me. Silence. No "um" or "uh," just silence. Did she hang up on me? I didn't know, but I would have appreciated something like, "I'm sorry. I don't." Anything.

I hung up and called Pet Camp. The phone system gave me every option, the very last being the opportunity to talk to a real human. However, the phone just rang and rang before going to voice mail.

Finally, I thought of you. I remembered driving by your hotel a few months ago and then looking you up on Yelp. The reviews were mediocre, but the fact that you positioned yourself as a hotel gave me the strong impression that you might cater to my wishes. Perhaps you would go the extra mile to help me out.

And you did, not by bending over backward. You didn't need to; your policy simply accommodated busy people like me, who don't usually have it together. So by 5pm, you had my dog, my credit card number, and my gratitude.

You made me realize that high-end pet hotels are not about dogs; it's about the owners or humans or whatever you want to call people like me–the kind of folks that pay for doggie day care, among other services, because we want it all and are willing to trade price for the privilege to keep all our balls in the air for another day. 

Thus, the real customer experience here is not around luxury accommodations for my dog, although that's an important part of your brand story. Instead, it's about luxury accommodations for my crazy, unplanned life, which needs more getaways, not less. 

So thanks again.

-joanie