Yellow Dog Inn, Arnold

As one of four parties who spent the 3 day 2009 MLK weekend, I was not alone in being shocked at the lack of service and concern by the owners and mangement. There was no one there when we arrived at 5:30 pm(check in is after 4 pm), the room smelled like chemicals, but not as bad as the tiny lobby which reeked-but no worries- there was nothing in it except old Martha Stewart magazines and a few videos and dvd's which Ill bet you anything were left by former guests. When our key broke in the lock on a cold evening, we called the innkeeper and got a message but no return phone call (we had to climb in through a window) Other guests reproted broken coffee makers, missing cable box and dvd cables, but they too were left to fend for themselves. I called the owner on arrival re the smell in the room and the abscence of any amenities in the lobby-no breakfast of anykind was in evidence, no cocoa cider or a dang cookie only one packet of Folgers was in our room I admit I was ticked off because we were charged $60 extra for 2 dogs for 2 nights and thus we were paying high rates for the area. The owner was snide and unpleasant and told me I had bought the room for 2 nights- whether I wanted to stay in it or not was my choice. The man aims to make you feel right at home just like the web site says.. No replacement Folgers for the 2nd morning either despite my call to the innkeeper, so the poor lady with the broken coffee maker gave me hers So if you want that funky absentee landlord feel on your next trip to the Sierra Gold Country, stay at the Yellow Dog Inn but dont expect to see the Yellow Dog or his owner while you are there.