I tried to make an afternoon grooming appointment at the Daly City PetSmart, but they have nothing between 1:30 and 5:30. I checked two weeks in advance, and they just don't seem to offer grooming at these times anymore. Unfortunately, mid afternoon is the best time for me. I decided to make an appointment at the San Mateo PetSmart, which is over 20 miles away. They could accommodate me. In fact, I made an appointment for the next day.
Alyssa Jang was my dog's groomer and she was very polite and attentive. She inspected my Chihuahua before the session and noticed that his skin was a bit dry. His hair is also a bit thin on the back. I believe it is color dilution alopecia, as he has had this issue all of his life. It is worse in the spring and fall, when Chihuahuas tend to shed more. She said she would use hypoallergenic shampoo and conditioner on him.
Since I drove over 20 miles to get there, I wasn't about to drive back home and come back again. She said it would take about an hour or more and recommended that I go to the mall or Barnes & Nobles. She would call me when he was done. I went to the mall for about 45 minutes, got bored, and came back. He was done! She was writing up his report card and was just about to call me.
Alyssa did a wonderful job with my dog. His coat looks great. He smells great. His nails were perfectly trimmed and ground. I am happy. My dog is happy. I may just bring him to the San Mateo store in the future, even if the Daly City one starts offering afternoon appointments again. The Daly City groomers were all good, but sometimes they are very busy and it can take up to 4 hours for them to finish. The San Mateo branch isn't as busy. It's easier to make a next-day appointment and they finish up in less than an hour, without cutting any corners. I highly recommend booking online.
Reading the reviews, apparently one of their groomers killed a dog by strangling it to death. He was found not guilty, even though the prosecution's expert witness said it was not accidental. The jury didn't believe it. In criminal trials, there must not be any doubt. The fact that there were no witnesses or surveillance cast a shadow of doubt.
This is horrible, but you can't blame the other groomers for the incident. Even PetSmart can't predict what an employee will do. All I can say is that Alyssa did an awesome job and cared for my little guy like he was her own. I now understand why this place is so empty, but I think this may be a good reason to go here for grooming. It's like when an airline has a crash or a fast food chain has food poisoning, they tend to fix these issues and pay attention to them, especially when they are corporate chains. I didn't know about this incident before I booked my appointment, and I probably wouldn't have made one had I known. But my experience was a good one, and I will come back and try to book with Alyssa again. The online booking app lets you choose your groomer. I can guarantee you that they are much more careful about hiring groomers after this incident. It's a shame it had to come to that. I feel so sorry for the people who lost their dog. I would be devastated. read more