I was pleased with Good Dog Mobile Spa at first. Gabby came on a Friday with just one day's notice, and I appreciated her responsiveness. When she arrived, she seemed professional (though she was over an hour late). Her service was much more expensive than ordinary groomers ($145), but I figured it was fine since it was a mobile service. She left around 7 pm.
It wasn't until about two hours after she left (around 9 pm) that I noticed some blood on my dog's upper neck (right below her left ear, so it wasn't fully visible) and some bum scooting/tail between her legs. The latter was not so concerning at the time, as that often happens when dogs are shaved in that area. The blood, however, was surprising. I examined the area, noticed it was partially cut, washed it, applied Neosporin and some gauze. I was hopeful it would heal by the next day. She had no injury/trauma to this area prior to that day. This is not the first time my dog has been cut during grooming, but it is the first time I was not immediately told about it.
By the next evening (Saturday), parts of the wound were scabbing, but part of it was still bleeding. More concerning was my dog's demeanor. She was clearly in pain--shaking throughout the day and just not herself. I consulted with a vet over the phone, who gave me some tips on how to manage the area and encouraged me to see a vet in person after the weekend if things did not improve. They didn't. In addition, the butt scooting got worse, and my pup was unable to walk more than a few feet without scurrying with her tail between her legs. It was odd, so I booked the first vet appointment I could get--Tuesday morning.
The vet confirmed that she sees this a lot with groomers and gave me some supplies to help with my dog's wound recovery. She also checked her anal glands, which she informed me were completely filled, but luckily the vet expressed them. This was really upsetting because I had paid Gabby to express her anal glands--clearly, that was not done.
When I texted Gabby to inform her of the situation (on Monday), I said that I understand these sorts of things happen, but I was disappointed that I was not told. I was met with immediate accusations that because I had waited until after the weekend to inform her, it somehow suggested that I had a part to play in my dog's injury or that I wasn't being forthright or honest. That was incredibly insulting. I did not ask for any money back; I simply wanted her to know what had happened and why I was disappointed in the lack of communication. She never once asked if my dog was okay. I didn't contact her immediately because my first instinct was my dog's health not confronting her! I was busy cleaning and bandaging the wound, and I wasn't going to pick a fight with someone on a Friday night or over the weekend if it didn't help solve my dog's problem.
I probably would have returned to Good Dog Mobile Spa despite the issues if the response I received from Gabby had been kind and caring. I understand that things can happen in this profession, but at the end of the day, if you care about the pets, that's what matters most. Gabby made it very clear to me in her text messages that she is more concerned about the bottom line of her company.
For anyone questioning these facts, please message me. I'm happy to share the text messages, pictures of Ollie's cut, or the invoice from the vet (which was over $200). read more