Miss the customers, not the store - Senior Petshotel Associate PetSmart Employee Review

2.0
Aug 2, 2012
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Working in the PetsHotel was rewarding. I learned a lot about dogs and loved 99% of my customers (and they appreciated me too). Breaks and lunches were fair. The majority of the associates were pleasant to work with. We had the ability to turn away aggressive dogs and Banfield was right there if there were any health issues.

Cons

Management is the biggest con here and it goes all the way up to corporate. They will lie to your face. If you do a good job in the hotel and are good at your position you will not move up, they wouldn't dream of losing a good employee to cover a bad manager. The carrot of promotion will be held over your head but you will see unqualified restaurant people who haven't touched a dog in their lives promoted or hired over you no matter how much experience you have. Work hours---I was a Senior Associate so I was expected to close at 9:30 p.m. and open in the morning at 6 a.m. most days. Sometimes I didn't get a break because we had to be "on call" the whole time. Who can eat a decent lunch when you had to have your walkie on all the time? The work is hard and you don't "play with puppies" all day. You will pick up feces and clean almost all the time. Go into the job knowing that.

Explore other reviews about PetSmart

5.0
Jul 8, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Amazing space to work. Benefits great.

Cons

Sometimes communication falls apart. Not to mention.

1.0
Jul 9, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

The staff care a lot and try their hardest but it leads to burn out and being taken advantage of by a company the does not care about YOU.

Cons

Poor management. No work life balance. Bad scheduling. Bad pay. No communication. Leads expected to work more than 10 hours a day during high volume periods, Be responsible for too many things. You run around like a chicken with it's head chopped off the whole time you're at work. Staff are snippy, and rude. A few are okay. Company has you working bare bones, and does not care. Pet parent's are weird, and I don't think have realistic expectations that the boarding facility is more like dropping your dog off at a dog shelter for a week while you go on vacation than a "fun time" for your dog. Dogs get fed, watered, pottied. If that is all you care about, then use the PetHotel. If you want your dog to have fun, and be out of a stressful environment (few dogs do well with constant barking and noise all day, plus being stuck in a cement run, thrown in with a bunch of other dogs who have never been properly socialized) just do in home boarding. I would never board my dog at a place like this.

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