The Barking Lot Dog Groomer
I took my 2 year old Havanese to be groomed for the first time. Yes, Remey has long silky hair and it is a lot to maintain. I put in the work to keep him fairly matte free. His tummy was a bit matted because he is really sensitive there and I struggle with causing him pain. So I expected they would shave his tummy. I do brush him every single day. When I first got to the barking lot I was apprehensive. I told them I did not want him to be to short as he is a long hair dog and I love his long silky hair. I just wanted it to be a bit shorter so he would be more comfortable and it would be easier for me to maintain. My visit started with them telling me that if I don't get down to the skin I'm not really brushing him. I explained that I do dedicate the time every evening to brush out any mattes that may have formed throughout the day. And that yes I do use a metal comb among various other tools to actually get the Mattes out of his hair. Finally, after the lecture they pet my dog and shocked say "oh he's not to bad" like I was exaggerating my dedication to my dog. We discussed how I just wanted to take his length down by half and clean up his tummy, face and around his buttocks. I told them all of his sensitive spots. I said, ehh never-mind I will just take him home. They convinced me to stay promising me he would be in good hands. When I got there to pick him up I was initially happy to see him as I had been so worried & he looked so different I was shocked. His face was all cleaned up I could see his big eyes. I left a generous tip bringing my total to almost $80. When I got him home he starts licking his paw so I knew he was hurt. I inspect his paw to find that his dew claw is bleeding pretty bad. I would expect a groomer to let me know if they made my dog bleed so it can be properly cared for. Thankfully, my neighbor had stuff I could dip it in to make the bleeding stop, (no picture of this as I was more concerned with stopping the bleeding than taking a picture). I start looking at him much closer now that I'm not in shock and don't have four woman staring at me. They did not do as we discussed he is practically shaven his long silky hair is now about an inch long & cut all choppy, the hair on his legs is left longer at about 2 inches in some spots shorter in others. And as I expected his tummy was shaved this part is not a big deal except down around where his testicle once was he has razor burn & is all red & sore. I am disappointed that they did not do what we discussed & they stated they would, just to get me to leave my dog. But mostly, I am so disappointed that they hurt my dog twice and said nothing to me about it when I picked him up. These dog groomers are either not trained, or in such a rush that they forget to take care in what they are doing. They are over charging, & over stating their abilities. I will never take my dog there again & recommend you don't take yours either. read more