Complaint Review: ShowDog.com - Third Row Productions - San Antonio Texas

I started playing ShowDog in December of 2008.   All in all, it is a great site and I would recommend it to others.  I recently left ShowDog, and another site ran by Mr. Schroeder because of a posting I made in the forum area. I have played SD for little over a years with very, very few problems until recently.   From about October '09 (or around there) several silly glitches have popped up. While at first, Mr. Schroeder was on top of it and would always supply updates on the problems and inform everyone if the problem were fixed or if he was in the process of fixing them.  For the past few months, it would seem he all but abandoned the site. Problems would be posted in the users forum on the site titled: Bug Reporting and Suggestions. This is where user that noticed problems would post, and replies from Mr. Schroeder or "Laura" (I apologize, as I don't know the relationship of Mr. Schroeder and "Laura", so this is the only title I know for her). Post after post of different problems would go unanswered as would emails (at least the ones from me, I cannot speak for others that posted on problems). Where before, a reply would be immediate stating either the problem was being fixed, or was fixed. Replies were now non-existant.  I, among others, have stated displeasure in the forums area.  Many people have written about it. From "kinstel" on 3/15/2010: "Why is Jeff neglecting these issues and not posting and letting us know what is going on. Its on a daily basis it seems that we are not getting salaries, or getting them late. And dogs not being fed, or being fed late."  On that same day, I responded with: "I brought the issue of dogs not being fed to Jeff waaaaay back in the last Ustream chat (end of Jan. I believe) At that time he told me to email the dates that dogs weren't fed (I gave him dates reaching back into Nov). I've heard nothing from any of my mailings. The recent feedings of twice a day in one day to make up for a missed day was the first time I've seen anything being done. I have been mailing him each time this has happened since the chat, so he's aware of the problem. It seems to becoming more frequent and now it seems salaries are now affected. I hope there is some update or it is resolved soon. It's becoming a real pain."  From "Wildsyde" on 4/4/2010: Seem's like stuff is going on. I'm on buckingbullbreeder, the events haven't run since March 31st, and people are getting quite rightly VERY unhappy. Other parts of the game like feeding are also running sporatically. Jeff doesn't seem to be checking in to make sure things are ok, not answering emails."  Wildsyde goes on in another post: "4 days is a heck of a long time to have things go wrong with absolutely no feedback that about "working on it" or even a sign of being aware that there's issues going on. When there's been bugs, things need to be watched more carefully and often. I've tried to contact Jeff a couple of different ways so far too."  I bring these posts (and there are others and on different days) here as an example of what has/had been going on. We were not told if an y of these problems were or had been addressed. No posts from Mr. Schroeder stating that they were aware of the problems, no posts stating that the problem was fixed. Nothing. The only problem that was brought up recently and received a response from the "admin" was obedience shows not running for a number of days (the 24th to the 29th of April I believe were the dates), and that being corrected. Now, granted, from what I can tell, things have been going smoothly with the feeding of dogs since early in April. But to be honest, I haven't paid much attention lately due to the fact I got tired of the bugs and decided I'd slowly get rid of both my family accounts (family accounts consist of 5 accounts for the price of $19.95 a month) on Showdog, and try out another of his sites and hope things were better there.  On the 30th of April, I did just that. I opened an account on Trophyhorse. Decided I'd give it a go and upgraded to a standard account ($4.95 a month).  Really liked the game, as I really liked ShowDog, just got tired of all the bugs not being addressed. Perhaps it was just my stupid self thinking it would be better, especially since it was said that on another one of his games, things were in shambles there too (I'm referring to Wildsydes post about buckingbullbreeder). After setting things up, getting my stable going, I went to the forums there. There was a post made by "Junior" Something or other stating he was leaving the game. He listed problems there as the reason he was leaving. I posted. Now I don't remember exactly what I said,and I cannot go to that post to read it due to the fact it doesn't exist any longer. The crux of the post was in my opinion ShowDog was a mess. I did use the phrase "going down in flames. That there were bugs that weren't being addressed and that Jeff didn't seem to care. Now in what context I used "going down in flames," I don't remember. I wished the poster "good luck" and not knowing this individual, said I'm sorry he was going and that I didn't get to know him. In my honest OPINION, I do believe in seven months or so, it indeed HAS gone down, perhaps even in flames. With his complete lack of addressing members problems via the forum or by email,  Jeff HAS all but abandonded the site in respects that he hasn't been updating the members on the status of the problems. Again, the obedience problem is the first thing he has addressed via the forum in months.  My posting lead to my being banned from the site. I went to log in to actually upgrade into a family account (because regardless of all the bugs, Jeff really does have great games), only find that I've been banned. On the site it says: Account Shut Down "Call regarding your problems with the games." So I do just that, I call Mr. Schroeder up. He answers, gives his name and asks how he can help me. I tell him what was posted and that I was to call him, he asks for my user name and I supply it. From there, Mr. Schroeder asks me what my problems are in the games. I basically tell him what I've already stated here. It seems that his main problem was that I responded to this other persons post. He stated that this person was a troll there, and a trouble maker. Honestly, Mr. Schroeder seemed more concerned about the words "going down in flames" and my giving this guy the time of day.  I tried numerous times to let Mr. Schroeder know that I thought his games were great (at least the two I've played), and that my posting was out of frustration that none of the problems I've addressed here, on Showdog forum and there in the trophyhorse forum seemed to be addressed.  He went on to say, that they have been fixed (that's terrific), and haven't I noticed? Honestly, no, I haven't noticed because things run smoothly, then they pop up. For all I knew, it was running smoothly for the time being.  I told him, how would I know they were fixed and you were fixing them when you don't give any updates. I really never got an answer, just circled back around to "haven't you noticed?"  Nothing was accomplished through my calling him but him getting angry that I replied to the "trolls" post (I already said I didn't know this guy and have only been there 5 days), and that I must be a imbecile in his eyes due to the fact I haven't noticed that there hasn't been any problems lately.  No answer as to why I was being punished for what others have said (as noted above) about his lack of attention to his subscribers through communication via site updates on the forums. So it leads me to believe my choice of words ("going down in flames") and responding to the one post from the "troll" was the reason behind my being banned.  I apologize again to Mr. Schroeder for my choice of words, and my feeding the "troll." But, I will not apologize for posting once again about problems that apparently were addressed, but his subscribers were not aware of due to his lack of communicating. It seems I'm now being punished for his failings, and not necessarily my own. I do wish Mr. Schroeder "good luck," as I do "Laura." They truly do have great, inventive games. But, perhaps Mr. Scroeder needs more people on board to reply and answer to some of the problems.  Also, Mr. Schroeder did say he would be refunding my money for the banned account since he didn't want to take money from someone that wasn't satisfied.

I disagree with everything stated by the people complaining about Showdog.com. The owner/creator does not only operate showdog.com, he also has several other games such as: Showhorse, trophyhorse, showgoats, showlambs, showcats, showhogs the list goes on. Some of those games have been requested by players on showdog and over the years Jeff has created them. (sounds like he takes an interest in what his paying and non paying customers want)

The report by Kelli shows an extreme lack of understanding of the game. He has also started levying 'fines' on people who have more than one kennel that sells dogs to each other. Yes, we have fines in place for users who attempt to cheat by creating more than one account. We also fine people who setup family accounts and use them unscrupulously. It should be noted that this person is complaining about something that the previous person was complaining that we don't do enough of. It's a delicate balance and with as large a site as this, there will be people furious on both ends of the spectrum. He also says that the basic, non-paying player on Showdog can only have 5 dogs, but I have noticed numerous 'basic' players with more than 5 'grown' dogs (meaning 14 days or older). Basic users are given a one-week grace period the first time they go over the limit. This is done as a courtesy to them because we are not as cold hearted as some would like you to believe. When one joins they can get 'starter' dogs and he offers a choice of high to low quality, but whatever quality the player chooses, even if they choose high quality, they consistently get low quality dogs and have to then purchase the high quality dogs from other players, who disparage the 'starter' dogs and make the player feel very bad. Every single one of our hundreds of thousands of users has had access to the exact same starter dog creation system. However, when comparing starter dogs to dogs that have 30-generations of breeding in them, they will all appear to be low quality. The comments about starter dogs are a misunderstanding on the part of the complainant. "He has refunded my money after banning me for questioning the ethics of another player and questioning him." Users banned for this reason did not simply "question the ethics" of another player. They started fights in the forum. We respect our users enough to keep these kinds of trouble makers off the site. Please note that this statement is also in direct contradiction to the original complaint that claims we never send refunds. He also falsely accused me of 'threatening' him and sent me snippets from so-called emails, which he probably wrote himself which talk about visiting him. That's simply false. First I got banned from the discussion boards and was unable to defend myself from attacks from his friends and now he has banned me from his website by making false claims. Yes, we ban people who cause trouble in our forum. If you need an explanation for why we do so, please see the complaint above this one where they claim we don't do it. I was the #2 Malinois kennel and I think he was deeply involved with the #1 Malinois kennel and banned me before I could finish (make a Champion) another Malinois. Conspiracy theories are nothing new with this site. I have been accused of showing favoritism to people I had never even heard of. It's the first excuse people go to when they realize they are not playing the game as well as somebody else. I am glad I am off of this gaming website as it is a waste of time and is extremely addictive. A person can spend all day on his gaming websites and when they are not on them, spends the day in deep thought about the website and when can they next get on them, especially Showdog. Now this person is complaining that the game is so captivating that they thought about it constantly. The contradictions here are amazing. Yes, the game is addictive. That's because we have busted our asses for half a decade to make it so in depth that it's something that is worth spending time on. My phone number is 210-380-7459. However, this person is not welcome back on the site due to issues in getting along with other users on the site.

I'll ignore the personal attacks against me and our users. Without specific examples, it's hard to address he's lazy. However, I challenger anybody to find a game similar to this that is nearly as complex with site administrators that answer as many e-mails as we do. Dogrealm (a competitor) recently shut down due to the stress of running such a site. Regarding her general tone, it is nothing new. As with any online game where users are banned for not getting along with other users, those types of tantrums are to be expected and are an unfortunate aspect of doing business. As a matter of record the more paying accounts you have on ShowDog.com the more license you are given to cheat, harass other players and to exploit its many flaws. This claim is false. We enforce the same rules on all users and have fined dozens of users with family subscriptions for abusing the game. The site administrator runs a very slipshod site where cheating is easy given the desire to do so and with a small amount of effort. The site administrator has no wish to create a site free of cheating and if anyone dares to mention cheating or loopholes he silences them by taking away posting rights or banning them from his site. This claim is false. We have banned over 8,000 accounts for cheating in the past five years. If a customer is banned their money is NOT refunded. In fact there are no cases where the site administrator refunds money to customers. This claim is absolutely false and can actually be proven as libel. We have sent over $3,000 in refunds to users banned for cheating (which you claim we allow to go on) alone in the past year. As for how the simulation is set up it encourages massive breeding The breeding limits are at the request of the users who you claim we do not listen to. does not investigate copyright infringement and is a haven for irresponsible dog ownership and animal cruelty. This claim is absolutely false and can be proven as libel. In the past five years we have banned over 1,000 users for copyright infringement, shut down posting rights, and removed all pictures from countless accounts. In short, this person took part in the site for many years because she liked the game. If half of what she claimed were true, she wouldn't have been a member for a fraction of the time she was. However, assuming this is the same person we had the other conflicts with at the start of February, she was abrasive and ran into conflicts with users in whatever breed she took part in. We used to side with her to a fault until we realized the issues kept revolving around her. When we finally parted ways with her, this vendetta she is on began. My PERSONAL 24-7 phone number is 210-380-7459 and is readily available to all subscribers on every receipt they get. However, I already know that the person who filed this report has no desire to contact me. She was given that opportunity numerous times during her extended period of participation in our site.

Jeff Schroeder runs several different game sites, including: Showdog.com Showcat.com Showcattle.com Showhorse.com and Trophyhorse.com -- involves racing horses. A player begins with a certain amount of fake money to gamble or buy horses with. where one starts off with a certain amount of fake money. He has also started levying "fines" on people who have more than one kennel that sells dogs to each other. ALL of these games are ripoffs. He also says that the basic, non-paying player on Showdog can only have 5 dogs, but I have noticed numerous "basic" players with more than 5 "grown" dogs (meaning 14 days or older). When one joins they can get "starter" dogs and he offers a choice of high to low quality, but whatever quality the player chooses, even if they choose high quality, they consistently get low quality dogs and have to then purchase the high quality dogs from other players, who disparage the "starter" dogs and make the player feel very bad. He has refunded my money after banning me for questioning the ethics of another player and questioning him. He also falsely accused me of "threatening" him and sent me snippets from so-called emails, which he probably wrote himself which talk about visiting him. First I got banned from the discussion boards and was unable to defend myself from attacks from his friends and now he has banned me from his website by making false claims. I was the #2 Malinois kennel and I think he was deeply involved with the #1 Malinois kennel and banned me before I could finish (make a Champion) another Malinois. I am glad I am off of this gaming website as it is a waste of time and is extremely addictive. A person can spend all day on his gaming websites and when they are not on them, spends the day in deep thought about the website and when can they next get on them, especially Showdog. It is all about winning and being the best and #1 no matter what methods are used. They told me that I had to basically be a puppy mill in order to get good dogs to win. They also constantly attacked and disparaged my dogs, telling me that none of them were any good and that I was "jealous" of the good dogs. There are a very few nice people on this game and it is my wish that they leave this game ASAP since all Jeff and his staff is interested in is getting money from innocent people.

Jeff Schroeder runs several different game sites, including: Showdog.com Showcat.com Showcattle.com Showhorse.com and Trophyhorse.com -- involves racing horses. A player begins with a certain amount of fake money to gamble or buy horses with. where one starts off with a certain amount of fake money. He has also started levying "fines" on people who have more than one kennel that sells dogs to each other. ALL of these games are ripoffs. He also says that the basic, non-paying player on Showdog can only have 5 dogs, but I have noticed numerous "basic" players with more than 5 "grown" dogs (meaning 14 days or older). When one joins they can get "starter" dogs and he offers a choice of high to low quality, but whatever quality the player chooses, even if they choose high quality, they consistently get low quality dogs and have to then purchase the high quality dogs from other players, who disparage the "starter" dogs and make the player feel very bad. He has refunded my money after banning me for questioning the ethics of another player and questioning him. He also falsely accused me of "threatening" him and sent me snippets from so-called emails, which he probably wrote himself which talk about visiting him. First I got banned from the discussion boards and was unable to defend myself from attacks from his friends and now he has banned me from his website by making false claims. I was the #2 Malinois kennel and I think he was deeply involved with the #1 Malinois kennel and banned me before I could finish (make a Champion) another Malinois. I am glad I am off of this gaming website as it is a waste of time and is extremely addictive. A person can spend all day on his gaming websites and when they are not on them, spends the day in deep thought about the website and when can they next get on them, especially Showdog. It is all about winning and being the best and #1 no matter what methods are used. They told me that I had to basically be a puppy mill in order to get good dogs to win. They also constantly attacked and disparaged my dogs, telling me that none of them were any good and that I was "jealous" of the good dogs. There are a very few nice people on this game and it is my wish that they leave this game ASAP since all Jeff and his staff is interested in is getting money from innocent people.

Jeff Schroeder runs several different game sites, including: Showdog.com Showcat.com Showcattle.com Showhorse.com and Trophyhorse.com -- involves racing horses. A player begins with a certain amount of fake money to gamble or buy horses with. where one starts off with a certain amount of fake money. He has also started levying "fines" on people who have more than one kennel that sells dogs to each other. ALL of these games are ripoffs. He also says that the basic, non-paying player on Showdog can only have 5 dogs, but I have noticed numerous "basic" players with more than 5 "grown" dogs (meaning 14 days or older). When one joins they can get "starter" dogs and he offers a choice of high to low quality, but whatever quality the player chooses, even if they choose high quality, they consistently get low quality dogs and have to then purchase the high quality dogs from other players, who disparage the "starter" dogs and make the player feel very bad. He has refunded my money after banning me for questioning the ethics of another player and questioning him. He also falsely accused me of "threatening" him and sent me snippets from so-called emails, which he probably wrote himself which talk about visiting him. First I got banned from the discussion boards and was unable to defend myself from attacks from his friends and now he has banned me from his website by making false claims. I was the #2 Malinois kennel and I think he was deeply involved with the #1 Malinois kennel and banned me before I could finish (make a Champion) another Malinois. I am glad I am off of this gaming website as it is a waste of time and is extremely addictive. A person can spend all day on his gaming websites and when they are not on them, spends the day in deep thought about the website and when can they next get on them, especially Showdog. It is all about winning and being the best and #1 no matter what methods are used. They told me that I had to basically be a puppy mill in order to get good dogs to win. They also constantly attacked and disparaged my dogs, telling me that none of them were any good and that I was "jealous" of the good dogs. There are a very few nice people on this game and it is my wish that they leave this game ASAP since all Jeff and his staff is interested in is getting money from innocent people.