Benny's Bed and Biscuits - Maryville, IL

Anonymous

I would recommend to stay FAR away from this place. I booked my dog a 2 night stay at this boarding facility, from Thursday (Thanksgiving) to Saturday morning. It initially sounded really good, the man who booked it was nice and even offered to come check us out late if we weren’t there quite on time at 2PM on Saturday. This was months ago. Today I just happen to think about calling and making sure everything was good on their end with our booking. I had already given them paperwork for vaccinations and the application was complete and deemed good to go, so I figured everything would be good.

Nick, one of the workers, proceeds to tell me they are closed on Thanksgiving. He initially did not say anything else after that, like this was my fault. I was shocked. I began to explain we booked this stay months ago, we have a trip planned, and they had confirmed it months ago that it was okay. He then says we have you down for Thanksgiving through Saturday and that it was a mistake on their end. I asked him what I’m supposed to do as they said it was okay to drop off on Thanksgiving, and now they are telling me they’re closed? I ended up cancelling the reservation and having to find last minute accommodations. I can’t even imagine how awful it would have been to show up and no one be there, by their mistake, and us be late or even have to cancel our getaway this weekend. Horrible service on their part, and we didn’t even get a chance to use their services. I would not trust leaving my pet in their hands when they’re this unorganized.

fastpaw F.

I was unsure how my newest dog would be in a boarding situation because he is strongly attached to me. Having known Lynsey through dog sports, I felt comfortable knowing he’d be in capable hands at BBB. In preparation for a longer stay, I arranged to have him attend a day camp session, then a one night “sleepover” to assess his comfort level. He handled these brief visits well and both times returned to me without any apparent signs of stress or anxiety—as he can show during other (even brief) separations. Today I picked him up from a six night stay and he was fantastic! He looks great, was excited to see me but not anxious in the slightest, and the staff was knowledgeable about his behavior and activities during his stay. I’m so pleased with all my experiences here and interactions with each team member. I will highly recommend Benny’s to other friends who are as worried as I am about who will care for their pets when they’re away. Fozzie and I say thank you to everyone at Benny’s. We’ll be back!

KTH

We have a 13 week old Boxer, Heidi. She attended 2 days of play time last week to get her socialized. This week, Monday-Thursday, she is getting trained by Linsey, the owner of Benny's and Infinite Pawsibilities dog training. She is a graduate of the Tom Rose School of Dog Training. She uses only positive training methods (no pinch collar). Heidi is our third Boxer. I attended night training classes with the previous two but this is a great way to have your pet trained and she spends training time with you. Owners have to be trained, too!
Heidi gets 2 play times per day included with the training fee. Well worth it. She is better on the leash after the first day. You deserve a polite pet.

Diana C.

My fur baby and I love Benny's Bed and Biscuits. He gets so excited every time he gets to see his human and pup friends. They live on him, play with him, and send him home ready for a good nights rest. Very happy with their services!

Kathleen K.

My dog loves it here. The animals are treated very well and the service is professional. The staff is knowledgable and cares about the animals. The training services are excellent. I look forward to seeing Benny's grow in the future.

Carole F.

They did a great job grooming my little, feisty girl, Foxy. My girl looks so nice now that her crazy long hair has been tamed and shaved.

Joyce H.

Benny's Bed and Biscuits graciously offered their facility to Tanya Lee Photography for powder and mirror image photos today. It was awesome. Very nice facility.

Annie W.

Do not board your pets here, especially dogs.

My fully vaccinated dogs (including canine influenza) came home stressed and sick. Client dogs have to be fully vaccinated, but rescue dogs in the same space come in with unknown vet history. There is no separate quarantine area for the rescues.

Other issues worth knowing about:
- staff isn’t always paid on time, which has led to a vicious cycle of understaffing.
- the drop off area constantly smells like a dirty litterbox. Something somewhere is not getting cleaned enough.
- there are stairs from the office down to the kennels. If you have a dog that can’t do stairs, this is not the place for you.
- if you board two dogs, they will not be put in the same run together.
- there are waterfowl on the property. If you have a bird, I strongly suggest you board somewhere else.

Do not take your frustrations out on the staff. This is not their fault.

Fault lies solely with owner/manager.