Ever since moving from Russian Hill to Noe, I wish that Wags would become a San Francisco chain - one in each neighborhood. What I love most is that they let you do 'self-washes' where you use their tubs and products and do the bathing yourself. I consider it a deal since it's only 20 or 25 bucks and I don't have to clean gobs of dog hair out of my tub at home. Usually you don't have to wait for a tub and can get your pooch shiny clean and mostly dry in 30 to 45 minutes. I also love that this place is run by REAL people. Ty and Johnny designed and built the tubs themselves!!! The accessories are a tad pricey (yes, I know it's Russian Hill), but the selection is great. read more

I love Wags, and so does my dog. We boarded her there once on a short trip, and we will keep boarding her there! Johnny updated us on how our dog was doing, and even shared a Facebook video of her playing and having fun. I love that the dogs get to play outside, and they seem really happy. Our dog was so tuckered out when she came home, she napped like all day. :) ALSO. They are great for baths, grooming, and the dreaded anal gland expression. Super nice people, super great services. So glad we know about them! read more

When I lived up the street from this darling shop, I would take my pup Lila Belle in for a bath on those days that she was just driving me up the wall. (C'mon, fellow dog owners, you know you've had similar days...) She not only came home smelling clean but she got to play with the other dogs (read: exerted some of her seemingly endless puppy energy) and was just tuckered out. Worth every penny. Recently, however, I trusted Johnny (the owner) and co. with Lila's haircuts since I was consistently underwhelmed by the job they did down the street at Bow Wow Meow. Best decision I've made - she got a ridiculously better cut at a comparable price. In short: come to Wags for your dog's grooming, bathing, nail-clipping, anal-gland whatevering...you won't be disappointed. read more

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! My boy has been going to Wags for a few years now and we have always had a great experience! Johnny and Tyler are the best. read more

I have been taking my dog Murray to WAGS since may of 09 and THEY ARE AWESOME! Murray get's lot's of exercise on his dog walks....is usually gone for three hours with a group of other dogs. They go to the off leash park or beach and Mark the dog walker and other staff at WAGS takes great care of my dog while he's gone. For $22, they take my dog out for three hours....pretty great compared to other places in the city. It's also just nice to have someone to trust because I've been to other places that don't do such a good job with my precious pooch. Johnny and Ty, the owners, are always super friendly, experienced, and flexible with my schedule and always kindly fit me in last minute. They also do a great job grooming......it's worth the price. I really can't say enough. It's great to have such a wonderfull place in the city. read more

Okay, so I won't downgrade the rating just yet, but I now have a red flag for WAGS. I booked a grooming appointment for my little furball a month in advance. I was one of the first to check in, however, when I was checking in, another customer came into the shop. The groomer then stopped mid-sentence when talking with me so that she could check in the other customer who came in after me. She told me that he was a regular, and that checking his dog in was easy. It turned out that they groomed that other dog first, causing my expected pick-up time to be delayed by over two hours. As it were, because WAGS is popular, they were packed with dogs that day as well, so I am sure that had something to do with the delay. Everyone has bad days, and I am pretty sure that it was one of those days for WAGS. I'll give them another shot the next time my furball needs grooming, and let's see what happens. I'll reserve judgement until then. read more

This place is so convenient for my schedule. I'm not the type of person who can make appointments ahead of time, and with Wags, I can bring my dog in at a reasonable hour and they'll take her. I just have to plan for 3-4 hours before pick up. They call you when you're dog's ready. They do a great job, and let you know if they find anything of concern on the dog- they informed me my dog had red skin by her tail that looks like allergies. Sure enough, I took her to the vet and she had irritating allergies. These people really care about dogs and take great care of them. I love Wags! read more

As first-time dog-owners (with a hard-to-groom goldendoodle, no less), we had no idea where to turn for our puppy's first baths once he stopped fitting in our sink. We started taking our pup to WAGS last winter for baths, and we were always so impressed with the work they did (and how NOTICEABLE their love and care for our dog was). Cut to today, when we bit the bullet and decided to get him groomed at WAGS. WE ARE SO HAPPY WITH HIS CUT. We were so afraid he'd look ridiculous and not like himself anymore, but the folks at WAGS made Louie look even cuter than before (which we didn't think was possible). Johnny has lifetime customers out of us. We're so, so thrilled. THANK YOU! read more

Wags - Before and after! From grizzly cub to happy puppy! - Pet Groomers Near Me - San Francisco, California

We have had a wonderful experience with Wags! Johnny has been so great to help us when we moved last year, and our dog absolutely LOVES Kathalyn. The team is great with communication and takes such good care of their pack. We are on the every day, full day walk schedule and our 2 year old lab comes home so happy and tired. We have also used their day care on a weekend and it was so helpful. Very grateful to the Wags team and would highly recommend them! read more

Had a really bad experience on Christmas with WAGS. I am disabled, and my regular dog walkers and ALL my neighbors were out of town for Christmas, so I reserved a walker for Christmas 2 weeks ago. Have used WAGS twice before with no problem. The walker failed to show up. They could not find a single other person to walk my dog. We live in a condo, and the dog had to go out. Took me an hour calling everyone I knew to come take her on Christmas. WAGS said they could send another person at 4. She TOO failed to show up, and again they could not find anyone for the rest of the day. My entire Christmas was spent trying to find dog walkers and I did not get to go to my Christmas invite for dinner. They have no way of reaching their walkers if the walkers flake. I hope the walkers are fired and I did demand two free walks which they gave to me, but do NOT depend on this service on a holiday!! read more

Lizzie, my English Setter, seems to have more fluff than fur and everything sticks to it and gets tied up in it. She does not enjoy being brushed and wiggles and squirms like crazy, but both times she has been to Wags she has come home beautiful and happy. Johnny listens to what I want and gives her gorgeous cuts so she can bounce around without getting bushes, branches and twigs attached to her, yet still look like the fabulous platinum blonde that she is. She has great fun playing with the other dogs at Wags read more

The best! The people here are so caring and will treat your dog well! My dog likes going here and leaves clean and chemical free (they have a good selection of shampoos etc). After a terrible grooming experience at Bow Wow Meow I started taking my little guy here. read more

I give this place a 5 and my dog gives it a 10! Great group of people who are super friendly and run a great business. The grooming and doggy daycare service is great. When I was stuck in traffic and didn't get back to the city until they had been closed for over an hour they came and opened the shop back up so I could get my dog. I'll always use Wags for my grooming and doggy daycare. read more

This place is amazing and whoever the guy was bathing the dogs was so helpful even though he was super busy. Great place! I gave it a 4 because my pup was shredding quite a bit still after but many she was just shedding a lot that day. Thank you again! read more

The only thing I can think of that's not AMAZING about the folks that run this place is that my dog loves them more than ME. Go ahead... ask her. Seriously, if you're a dog person; you can tell when other people are truly dog lovers. These folks are the real deal and it's really amazing to watch folks enjoy what they do. read more

This was my first time at Wags. I was referred by someone else and boy I'm glad I was! I was hesitant about going to a groomer since ive never been to one before and i just wanted my giant swiss mountain dog pup cleaned up and flea bathed with no bells and whistles. i called them first to see if i needed an appointment. when they answered the phone, they were so laid back and friendly, they immediately put me at ease. they said bring him on in! so i did... when i walked in, i was immediately again put at ease and felt super comfortable leaving my dog there. there was a group of dogs behind the counter waiting to be bathed and they all looked like they were having a good time. the guys who were running the place greeted me as friendly as they were on the phone and immediately greeted my pup to put HIM at ease as well. they took him back and said he'd be ready in 2 hrs! simple as that. when i picked my pup up, he was clean as a whistle and seemed to actually be having a great time and was even hesitant to leave! he hasnt itched himself since i took him to get his flea bath and i will definitely be going back! greeaaat experience!!!!!!! read more

Wags is amazing! We just moved to San Francisco and were in need of a place for our dog to stay while we travel. He previously was able to stay with family whenever we traveled so he'd never been boarded. We were very impressed with Johnny and the ranch where our dog got to play for 10 days. He came home very happy and tired! We were very far from home, but loved checking facebook to see new photos and videos added everyday. We have very high standards and were wiling to pay for a great service! Also they do a great job grooming!! We will be using them for boarding and grooming in the future. Thanks Wags! read more

Johnny and Jeff have both been incredible. We signed our puppy up to be taken to Marin for the day three days a week and we could not be any happier. She's being exposed to other dogs and a different environment than what she normally experiences living in the city. A thousand thanks, guys. read more

This place is great as a groomer but even better as a place to board your dog. I take my Golden Retriever Walter here when we need to head out of town and he absolutely loves his time at the ranch they have in Novato. Johny (the owner) loves dogs and you can tell in the way he treats them and watches out for them. read more

My cat Daisy's fur needed trimmed because it was getting matted. I was nervous to take her to a groomer because of the cost and how she might react. Destiny was upfront with me that if I cared about aesthetics I might be disappointed. I assured her aesthetics were less important than Daisy's comfort. Daisy did not love being blown dry so Destiny used the dryer they used for dogs. Daisy looked great when I picked her up and I would definitely use Wags again. It was $65 for a wash, dry and grooming. read more

I absolutely LOVE Wags! We have tried other groomers closer to our place, but no one compares. They take great care of your dog and it's nice to know your dog will not be locked up in some cage while waiting to be groomed. We have used their boarding service about 5 times and we couldn't be happier. The ranch is great with lots of other pups for your pup to play with. You know your dog had a fantastic time when he sleeps for the next two days because he played so much. Wags is simply a great place, check them out! read more

Took my jack Russell to get his nails clipped and was fit in right away. Took 10 minutes tops and my boy was *so* calm. Definitely didn't expect that! The two guys there (Feb 7 at 2pm, should've asked names) were so sweet and did a great job on the massive claws I'd let go far too long. Thank you! read more

I used to bring my dog here for a wash-it-yourself but after my last time, I never went back. Even when I was still willing to go there, there were things I didn't like about this place. The store is tiny, and there are always about 15 dogs running around, all barking and excited, behind a waist-high picket fence. I thought they were there for grooming, and would be picked up by their owners any minute, and I STILL felt sorry for them having to deal with all that chaos - but other posters have said they're for daycare. Yikes! In order to get in there to wash your dog you and your dog have to run the gauntlet of all those dogs, half of whom are barking and jumping up on the gate. And, if your experience is like mine, you'll have to take that super-friendly golden retriever puppy out of your dog's tub because it keeps climbing in and licking your face! Granted, it's very cute but...the word CHAOS comes to mind. The smaller dogs that are milling around in the wash area (which is also the day care area, apparently?) just seem MISERABLE. One time I saw one little Lhasa cowering in a crate, and another small dog crawled under a tub while I was washing my dog, and cowered there with a miserable look on its face. This is a very high stress environment for dogs, and if the owners were motivated more by animal welfare and less by profit, they would not pack them in like that. A few years ago I brought a rescue dog here for grooming, a Samoyed mix. The Wags groomer said he'd give her a lion cut.. If a lion cut means every inch of the dog, including tail and head, was completely shaved then - that was a lion cut. Otherwise? Not so much. The last time I went there was the last time I will EVER go there. A friend had given me a gift certificate, so I drove over there on a weekday afternoon to wash my dog. Turns out they were full, so they said to call on the phone next time I wanted to come in, and they'd let me know if they had room. I did call the next day, and they said to come over in an hour, so I did. But when I got there the owner Johnny, said they were full, but if I'd wait 10 minutes they'd squeeze me in. Considering someone had TOLD me to come in at that time, I figured it was appropriate that he squeeze me in. Still, it was nice of him. So I went and sat outside. For 40 minutes. He didn't come out and give me an update - nothing. After 40 minutes I finally poked my head in and asked Johnny when I'd be able to wash my dog. Normally, he's SUPER friendly, but for some reason he was Mr. Cranky Pants that day. He yelled at me, saying that he had been doing me a favor squeezing me in, all the tubs were occupied with dogs that had appointments for drop-offs, yada yada yada, what did I want him to do? I responded by saying "If you had said to me - FORTY MINUTES AGO - "it might be 10 minutes, but it might also be 40 minutes," then I would have been able to make an informed decision. But when you say 10 minutes, and it turns into 40, that is just a waste of my time." I was pretty pissed off at his attitude. But, he made a tub available for me within 5 minutes, and I started in with the wash. I had gotten my dog wet, but not soaped up, when the floor drain backed up! Apparently it had been happening all day. He told everybody to stop using the water while he messed with the drain a while, then he told us to start again, so I got my dog all lathered up, then the drain backed up again and he told us all to stop again - while he went to the hardware store! I said "My dog's all soapy!" and he yelled at me AGAIN. He then left the store to go to a hardware store to get something to fix the drain, didn't say how long he'd be gone, and I was in - limbo again, with a wet, soapy, 50 pound dog. This was turning into a 3 hour nightmare! One of his employees took pity on me and told me that the drain WAS draining, but slowly, so if I used a little bit of water at a time, and stopped when it started to back up again, to go ahead and rinse her, and he'd watch the drain... that worked, I got my dog rinsed off, and then I paid, got the hell out of there and never went back. Seriously, if you want a really NICE spacious facility for do-it-yourself dog wash, without all the chaos, and with a parking lot, go to the Pet Food Express at Market & Dolores. You can buy four wash tokens for $45, they give you towels and a rubber apron and shampoo, their washing room is HUGE, you get all the same stuff that Wags has, without the 15 gazillion barking dogs and all the chaos, and because each token gets you 25 minutes of water/shampoo/blowdry (it's all automated), you can even wash two dogs on one token! That works out to 8 washes for $45, or just over $5 per dog per wash. 75% cheaper than the $20 Wags charges. [January 2011 update - Pet Food Express is opening a new store in the mini-mall at California just downhill from Presidio - they will have several self-wash tubs, and free PARKING - yippee!] read more

My little guy (Baxter-Boo) gets his nails trimmed by the friendly Wags-ter team. They're super-nice, reasonably-priced, efficient, and don't require an appointment for mani/pedi's, so it's very convenient to swing by and prevent his paws from looking all Freddy Krueger. read more

i was not impressed. when my dog got home he hid under the bed. he had hair long in some areas, short in others. it was awful. he even knew it was bad. they also gave him the wrong collar and leash. for all they new, they could've given me the wrong dog. read more

This review is years overdue! I have a very temperamental 13 year old Persian cat, and Wags always treats her outstandingly. She has seen two other groomers in the last decade, but after trying Wags for the first time a few years ago we have never looked back. While I know other kitties get lion's cuts, Wags does a great job with our "bath-blowout-nails trimmed-belly shaved" routine. She always comes out looking (and smelling!) wonderful, and I find comfort knowing they use green shampoos. Johnny and crew always greets us with a smile, welcomes our cranky cat, and gets her done quickly. On top of that, their prices are very reasonable. I feel 100% comfortable with our elderly cat in their care. Wags is a neighborhood gem, I can't recommend them enough. read more

I'm totally confused by all the high star ratings everyone is giving - but allow me to share my experience and you can judge for yourself. I came here to do the self-wash for my dog (an aussie-mix). It was total mayhem. Total. First negative - I have to walk thru the doggy daycare area to get to the washing stall. Why does this suck? For one, the "Doggy Daycare" area isn't really a separate designated area at all. It's this tiny space behind a gate where everything ELSE besides the merchandise is housed. So I'm walking thru this mass of dogs, who are all hyper and slobbering, I've got golden retriever hair flying in my eyes and nose - they're jumping on me (owner doesn't do crap about it even after I ask for help getting them off - GEE THANKS!) meanwhile I'm afraid my dog is gonna lose it and what am I gonna do when a fight breaks out in this chaos? After getting to the wash station and calming down I notice these two adorable small lap dogs had been cowering at the bottom of the tub, obviously here for the daycare, basically huddling on top of each other. What kind of "daycare" is that?! On top of this, EVERY time a person came in the door - half the dogs went bezerk barking. OMG, what hell is this? And I absolutely LOVE dogs. But, it gets better. So this young groomer girl gets bitten by a dog she's washing and she's fighting back tears and anger. She exclaims it's the fourth time she's been bitten since she started working here. And what does the owner say "Well - maybe you gotta move your hand faster! Ha Ha!" Right - lovely. The wash part - it's typical - you get shampoo/cond, brushes, an apron and a towel provided. But here's a surprise - it costs $20! Wait a minute...I just washed my dog MYSELF! I know-I know, I just moved from Denver and the cost of living isn't as much - but this is almost DOUBLE! More importantly for you considering doggy daycare: really, really research this place first - I don't know everything. The owner seemed really nice, and is super cheery. But do you really want to put your dog into a place that is way too crowded to honestly be watched after? I mean those poor little dogs in the corner! You want to know why your dog is so "TIRED" when he comes home - it's because he's probably being over stimulated and stressed out waiting for your return. I hope to God this place takes them outdoors several times and not just pinned in that wash area. And I hope to God they don't usually have that many dogs every day. Maybe I just came on a bad day. read more

This is a review for the dog boarding service. Okay, I'm an overprotective doggie mamma. I had a trip to NYC this past weekend and my friends bailed on taking care of my dog the night before my flight!! The next morning, I scrambled to find a place that would take her and stumbled upon Wags. Everyone I talked to was so nice and put me at ease. The dogs get to stay at a ranch in Novato with Johnny and run in an open field - much better than any accommodations in the city. And Johnny was super responsive with all my questions/concerns. Now that I can't trust my friends to take my dog when I'm out of town, Wags will be my go-to place to send my little darling when I'm traveling. read more

My dog loves this place both for grooming and boarding! When he is boarding there I have received both photo and video updates which are great to see. The staff is friendly and you can tell they really care about dogs. I'd highly recommend this to anyone with a dog. read more

I hate having to spend 50 bucks on getting my dog bathed but sometimes its just so much easier... Dropped Koji off and picked him up two hours later. He smelled like a mango and was super fluffy and soft when I picked him up. Staff was really friendly too. Will definitely be back when throwing Koji in the tub just isn't convenient... read more

My husband and I have an 85 lb 10 month old puppy with black nails. We are very nervous to cut them as we can't see the quick. Yesterday the three of us walked past Wags and dropped in to inquire about their nails clipping services. The girl in charge dropped what she was doing, looked at our pup's paws then with great confidence clipped her nails! It took about 5 minutes and only cost $12. We will definitely be back, as it's still going to take some time for us to have the confidence in nail trimming that the Wags' staff possesses. read more

royce is a 10lb furry white pup w/fine hair thats easily tangled. he's super friendly and adorable, but hates to get his hair brushed. rather than fight with him over a brush, or let him become a matted mess, i took him for a wash at wags. i dropped him off on saturday morning while i ran and had my hair groomed. came back 3 hours later, and he was white, pouffy, and tangle free. even though it is a tad pricier ($60 for wash and brush vs $20) than petsmart, the staff genuinely cares about the dogs and did a great job of picking out royce's knots. parking was relatively easy on this stretch of polk, and if you can't make it back in the allotted time, additional puppy-care is just $5 per hour. read more

I don't own a dog, but I own (or should I say am OWNED BY) a cat. My cat is a big, fluffy lover, and at times gets a little too fluffy for his own good. One time I was at the vet and they suggested that he get a "lion cut" since he got a little too knotty, and they did it for me. It looks really cute and he loved it. But...the vet I went to was not the best (that's for another review), so I called Wags and asked them if they groom cats. Guess what- they do! And they do it well! The first time I brought my boy in, we were both a little nervous with all the obnoxious (but adorable) doggies getting bathed in the front. (which is what caught my attention walking down Polk St, incidentally) But Johnny was great and he assured me that my fluffy buddy would be safe and sound in the quiet cat waiting room, which is where he was taken to. I felt right away that we were in good hands! When I picked him up he was so adorable, looked like a little lion, and smelled fresh and clean! He even got a "mani/pedi" while he was there, which I hate doing! The price was about the same as I charge for a haircut, $65, and well worth it. I've been back several times since. Every time he comes home and gets out of his box he prances around like a person who gets a fabulous new haircut. It's soooo cute. I love Wags! read more

I do not write many Yelp reviews but this place deserves one! I have been taking my dog Miller here for baths for at least a couple of years now. When I try to bathe him it is a total nightmare (I think he knows he can get my sympathy, ha) so it is more convenient to just have a pro do it every month or two. First of all, I really love the fact that they don't cage the dogs (unless they misbehave) so they get to walk around and play with each other a bit. I feel like that makes the often unpleasant task of getting a bath a little easier on the dogs. Miller always comes back smelling fresh and so soft. My only complaint is that I don't like the particular scent of shampoo that they use on him, but maybe there are other options to choose from? I will check next time I take him. read more

Ty and Johnny are the best. Our 9 year old chocolate lab, Parker, has been a very happy client of theirs for the past 5 years. He loves his daily outings with the Wags team and always comes home happy and worn out. Parker also spends a lot of time at their Ranch in Novato since we travel quite a bit. Parker is always so excited to spend the weekend running and playing with all of his doggy pals on their multiple acres, swimming in the lagoon and if he's lucky spending weekends in Tahoe where he gets to go along for snow shoe trips and play fetch the snow ball. Ty and Johnny (and their great team) are dog people. They understand that Parker is more then a pet to us - he is part of our family - and that is how they treat him. We always get great pictures and videos of Parker when we board him and they are always very flexible with scheduling and great communicators. I can't say enough great things about them. read more

my english bully loves coming here for bath! reasonable price, professional and friendly staff, best of all she gets to play with other doggies that were waiting in line for bath too :) however, i would recommend to call in advance for appointment! read more

The folks at Wags are amazing. UH. MAZE. ING. So amazing, in fact, that I joined yelp to write this review. We took our 60 pound, very sensitive, senior aussie-collie dog here after reading reviews on yelp. We had driven by Wags and they caught our eye, so I ran in to get more info. My first impression was that all the dogs there were super happy, it was a relaxed place and it looked to me like the staff took great care of the dogs. They were also able to fit us in for a bath, without an appointment, right away. We originally weren't even thinking of a bath, we just wanted to check it out ... but hey, when the stars align, who are we to argue?! Senior Aussie is very hairy. Very. Hairy. I mean, HAIRY. We have been told on more than one occasion by groomers that he is one of the furriest, if not THE furriest, being have ever met. I mean, the undercoat, the sheer undercoat of this lovely muppet is something to behold. To top it off, he likes to take breaks. He likes to be pampered. He does not like to help you get him in the tub. He does not like his pawsies touched. So. Senior Aussie was left to be groomed in the able hands of Johnny and friends. We worried, but not as much as we have on other occasions, because Senior Aussie's moms take such things seriously. We picked him up, and he looked 5 years younger and like he had lost 20 pounds ... and that was all without a clipping! Just a shampoo, which included bath, blowout, brush, ears, glands "down there" and nails (though we opted out of this as we clipped his nails a few short weeks ago). His undercoat seems to be mostly gone (don't worry, he still has plenty overcoat left), his hair is soft and silky. He smells fresh and clean, and not chemically - who knew this was even possible? His ears looked great and smelled like lavender. He only admonished us a little bit for leaving him, and we secretly suspect he had a good time. If only we could find hairstylists who could do all that for us! We totally recommend all the folks at Wags - give them a try! read more

Update for the customer service. After my review, the owner johnny, reached out to me. He was very apologetic and genuine. he explained that he has been training new staff and what happened with my dog should not have happened and will be using this as a teaching/learning experience. It's unfortunate it's at my dog's expense but i understand. Johnny wanted to make it right and make sure this doesn't happen again. I stopped by the store to further explain the situation. He explained he was just speaking to his staff about this and the individual who washed brutus was in fact new and was his first week on the job. it's their policy to notify the owners of anything that happened during cleaning, in this case, including the small nip when trimming his nails that made it bleed. Again, when i was there, Johnny and the staff that was there, was very apologetic, genuine and sympathetic. johnny did refund me as well. I truly do appreciate it and very happy with how he handled my review, professionally. Johnny has been doing this for 13 years so i dont doubt he knows what he is doing. He offered to wash brutus the next time we choose to visit and until i feel comfortable with his staff. He also called today to check up on brutus. Thanks johnny. read more

Kathalyn and Johnny provided phenomenal service for our 1.5-year old pup, Ollie. Ollie (who is a ball of energy) walked 5 days a week with Kathalyn, and there's no question that he loved every minute of his time with her. Kathalyn treats the dogs in her pack as if they're her own -- she goes out of her way to learn each dog's distinct personality and quirks and caters to them! With respect to changes, scheduling and other logistical matters, Johnny is very responsive and flexible (as I've made changes some pretty last minute schedule requests). If you live in the Nob Hill/Russian Hill/Pac Heights area, choose Wags for your pup! read more

I love the smell of wet dog and dog shampoo emanating from Wags, I love the cute dogs frolicking in the front window, I love the Awesome Accessories at a good price. read more