did a terrible job grooming our wire fox terrier. I have never seen someone so unskilled. Take a pass

I made an appointment for my cat to be groomed. I arrived a little early, which is no big deal for 99% of establishments. The groomer was next door at the time (I think at the small animal shelter) and noticed I was waiting outside her door. She proceeds to tell me she wasn't expecting me yet (literally 5 minutes before my appointment) but that it's ok. We walk inside. She goes on about how this time isn't usually for cats and asked if I saw the fine print on her site about it. When I booked on her website there was nothing that mentioned specific times for cats only, and even if there was, why would you confirm the appointment if the time that I picked is not ok? Weird. This place is like half apartment half grooming salon. She has two cats of her own just roaming around. There's hair all over the floor, I'm guessing from the night before and/or lack of cleaning properly. Maybe get your own cats out of there so other animals aren't more scared...and how hard is it to sweep a floor? She proceeds to bring me to a basic table covered with random things, to see my cat and talk about what my cat needs done. She becomes frazzled once she found out my cat pooped in the carrier on the drive over, and now she's not able to do the service in the order she normally does. (Lots of dogs and cats hate the car and carriers and poop. That should be expected) If you're a such a professional you should be able to adjust things as needed. (she didn't even check him yet to see if he had feces on him or not. Come to find out he actually didn't so she frazzled herself for no reason.) She tells me she's a holistic groomer (no scruffs and no restraints) and if my cat becomes unmanageable she will stop service as she doesn't scruff cats because it can make them angrier (umm...even the vets do that). Whatever you say, lady. We talked about what we will be done, and I leave my cat there expecting her to do her job. I shrugged that weird stuff at first all off because ehh stuff happens, and maybe she's having an off day, and this woman does have good reviews so, I'll let it slide. Not even 15 minutes later she calls me to come get my cat because he's not handleable. Seriously?? My cat has never even given the vets a problem or any person for that matter. She said she started to brush him and he was growling and hissing (yeah that's what cats do when they aren't happy, not a shock there) so she said she put a cone on him. (I'm sure that pissed him off more, and she'll use a cone but not scruff? Lol) Then she said she tried to continue to brush him out and when she got near the matted hair by his hips he attacked her. (Little red marks on her arm, nothing serious at all) His mats on his hips are so close to his skin you can not brush them out! I've had a vet tell me that in the past. They need to be buzzed. No wonder he got even more angry, he was in pain. She tried to tell me she sees mats like that all the time and they can be brushed out with certain brushes, and she proceeds to shows me a brush. I literally have the same one at home among 5 other kinds, and that brush she showed me is for undercoats, not removing mats, but nice try! After calling her out on her bs, and telling her I do brush him and wipe him almost daily, she gets a snarky attitude and asks me well then why is he in this condition? The cat is dirty because he doesn't clean himself at all, and he likes to roll around in corners of my unfinished basement. I really do try to keep up, but brushes and wipes will only remove hair and top layer dirt and oil, not undercoat dirt and oil, and not mats either. She recommends more brushing and waterless shampoo. Lol! I get my cat back and pay her $53 (deposit fee with tax)-- which I will be disputing with my bank because literally all she did was brush him. He was panting like crazy the entire way home. That doesn't even happen to him when he goes to the vet! Avoid this place especially if you have a cat. Maybe if holistic ways actually worked there would be more holistic things out there. Ugh. What a waste of time and unnecessary aggravation for my cat and myself. I will be bringing him to the vet, which will be way more expensive, but at least they will get the job done. read more

Her other cats were hissing at my cat when I got there. She couldn't even give her a bath and I've gotten my cat groomed/bathed multiple times before. My cat was very stressed when I picked her up. I've never seen her like this before. read more

I have a puli, this is the first time I found someone in the area that knows how to groom this special coat. This was our first visit and I was impressed with the care and time Elaine spent on my boy. He smells great, looks even better and came home relaxed. I am so happy with this grooming experience! read more

What a delightful spot...Kind caring gentle Elaine made us & our 10 year old Schnauzer comfortable immediately. Highly recommend.. read more

Groomingdales Pet Spa - Finish result..looking good - Pet Groomers Near Me - Colonia, New Jersey

My cat was groomed here and got the "bathroom rug" cut! The cut was perfect! So was the services and price. I have a long haired cat and hate to shave his hair too short! The cut was better than I can imagine. read more

I would recommend this place to anyone! Elaine is wonderful, she is very sweet with the pets and careful. She grooms cats and dogs. My cat, whom is very particular about who she lets near her, let Elaine pet her and hold her right away. Elaine did an excellent job at bathing mu cat and trimming her back area. My cat felt so comfortable that on the ride home she was bathing herself, instead of being terrified from the experience. Also, the place is very clean and tidy and when you walk in it feels very peaceful and calm. Would definitely recommend for your pets grooming needs! read more

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Amazing place for your pets to come and get spa treatment and grooming, nail clipping and Elaine was very hospitable. She's extremely flexible with appointments. Easy to reach 732-381-3662 read more

I drive from Somerville to Colonia to visit Groomingdales with my Marigold because it is well worth the time. I wouldn't trust another groomer to be as caring and kind as Elaine and to do such a great job. It is so comforting to know my baby is not stressed out, but actually is excited to be there! The bows are icing on the cake. read more

Excellent place to have your dog groomed. I just had my labs done and they look fantastic. She was very patience with them and definitely knows how to handle them. I highly recommend this place for grooming. read more

would never return here. I would not entrust any of my animals to Elaine. Takes extremely long to groom, didn't ask for a feather woven into my dogs ear for a decoration that i had to cut out. Very strange vibe there. read more

Elaine is the best! I have been going to Groomingdales over fifteen years and have had the best experience every time! Not only is her grooming excellent, she is also really skilled at helping out with any doggie behavior issues I might be having. I have a new puppy now, and every time I talk to her she's able to give me solutions that are so helpful. My puppy is always playful and happy when I pick her up, never stressed or upset. read more

Excellent! Because it was late, I stayed and waited for my Pekingese Winnie to get groomed. I heard her whine for a few minutes at some point and that was it! I brought her somewhere else prior and she screamed like someone was beating her! She looks great and will now go here routinely. Very professional and clean and relaxing atmosphere. Top notch! read more

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Just came home after picking up my dog from Groomingdales and I am so pleased! Rusty, a medium haired mini dachshund, only needed a trim but Groomingdales made him look great! They also brushed his teeth! He smells grey too! He was only there for 2 hours and when I arrived he was playing in a large area filled with toys which I was happy to see since most places will keep him crated. I was only charged $48 which I feel is very reasonable since I've paid up to $60 for my 10 lb pup. I was also very happy that I was squeezed in last minute and yet I dot feel his wash and cut was rushed. Owner seemed to be very knowledgable about how and what to cut on Rusty and also accommodated his hip dysplasia condition. Overall, this was a great experience and I will definitely return to Groomingdales the next time I need Rusty washed! read more

Elaine is the best there is when it comes to grooming! She does a beautiful job on our dog and is careful and kind. She is very knowledgeable in her field. My dog was terrified of his past groomer and would dig his nails into my arm and shake uncontrollably even as we pulled into the parking lot of the other groomer. This other groomer had my very thick and curly-haired dog done in a little over an hour. We thought that was great, but ended up being very wrong by thinking that. In order to de-tangle him in that amount of time and do a complete grooming, she was causing him pain. We stopped going there because of how terrified our dog was, in addition to her doing something horrible to him during one of our visits. In our search for a new groomer, we found Elaine. We explained our past experience to her. She told us she will NEVER hurt a dog. Elaine takes her time and made our dog at ease, taking several hours to make him look his best. At first he was apprehensive because of the fear and pain he felt at the previous groomer, but even on the first visit to Groomingdales, he was calmer than any of the visits to the other groomer. Since Elaine is the best there is, never hurt him, and knows how to gain the trust of animals by treating them with care and love, after only a few visits, our dog now RUNS into her facility, runs up to her with a wagging tail, and never looks back at us when we leave. She is truly an angel and I trust her totally with our dog. People told us it is natural for a dog to fear getting groomed because of separation anxiety from their owner and the actual process itself. We found this was not the case by going to Groomingdales in Colonia. There is no fear, no anxiety, and our dog looks forward to seeing Elaine, just as much as he looks forward to seeing us when we pick him up. Her facility is clean, calming and welcoming. I highly recommend Elaine and Groomingdales for anyone who has a pet that they truly love! read more