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Thread: Petsmart Grooming

  1. #16
    DaneCrazySCNewbie fourfurryfeet's Avatar
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    Finding a good groomer takes a lot of work!

    I won't take my dogs to petsmart for 2 reasons 1) my service dog (specially trained) cowers and crys as soon as we get into the store. He was there once before to be groomed and now he literaly is scared to go back into the store. I dunno if I'm nuts but I will listen to my dog! If he says no, well then it's no. They also put the dogs in crates and put hair dryers on them, this is scary for the dogs. 2) I don't like the doors at the front of the store are automatic. I know I know it's convenient but that means there is only 1 door that needs to be opened until you reach my dog. I have a dog who is a runner (spca mutt ) and he can jump a 7 foot fence from a sit and you will not see him for days. I will not risk my dog for the sake of a bath and if the dog gets out of the grooming section because of someone opening the door (totally normal) then they are now given the freedom to run right onto the highway (our petsmart anyway). Also, not to mention if they are in being groomed they have no tags or collars on so even if someone found a dog they wouldn't know where it was from. I know this happened in Barrie a while ago and I just can't chance it,

    My dogs now go to a private facility ran out of the groomers home and they are always happy, tired and look great when they return. When I pull into the driveway my service dog (golden retriever) can barely stay in the car he's so excited so she must be doing something right.
    What do you mean you didn't use a coupon??????

  2. #17
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    I'd like to add to this one as well... I took my ragdoll cat Gigi to the Petsmart here in Kelowna and paid just under $70 to have her "bathed and brushed out", nothing fancy just removing a mat she had developed and helping her with the excess fur we can't always brush out ourselves.... This was last year, but I would NEVER suggest anyone taking their animal there!!!

    When we dropped her off, she was the only cat (of course) but was just fine around all the dogs... I showed the groomer the locations of the mats and explained her temperament and whatnot but everyone just seemed interested in cooing over how pretty she is. Yes, she and I both know she's a very pretty cat, but I'm trying to request a service here!! So... when we picked her up we had to wait because there were about three ladies in the back who were just in love with her snuggling her and whatnot so she wasn't ready yet...

    Now, we get her home and take her out of her crate to check her over and see how she looks. Yes, she smells and looks clean and her fur is soft (it always is) but there are STILL the mats and she's still fairly scruffy!!! I feel like I paid them to cuddle and play with her after giving her a bath and a blowdry! This was a while ago so I didn't make a deal of it, because really... I'm not wasting more time to bring her back so they can play with her again! Grrr....

  3. #18
    mle is offline
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    Quote Originally Posted by logic View Post
    Why ever would you want to leave your dogs in a crate, at the groomers for any longer than you have to? They have now where to for the dogs to go pee (groomers aren't allowed to take them out for fear they get loose or even worst , hurt). It is a loud environment , and stressful for most dogs. And I know you didn't specify how early your dogs were coming in, some people do eat lunch at 2:00 like me. Also it you had 5 good years there, I would assume, since you went back for that long. My groomer at PetSmart is excellent, knowledgable , does a perfect hair cut every time, and it's the only place (out of many, many, groom shops) , where all 3 of my dogs come home happy and relaxed. Maybe it's a different PetSmart? We go to the one on Eglington in Toronto.

    I have to agree with you on this one. When I first read "early", I thought at the most half an hour prior to the appointment. But 3 hours before? How long would your lunch take anyways if it were it 12? That's not a "little" earlier. 3 hours alone in a crate in a strange place is a long time for a dog and I would hope a dog owner would consider that knowing there was a prior engagement or otherwise reschedule.

    It's only common sense for them to think that and I think you should look at it from another perspective before blaming them for using that judgement.
    pippinelkhound likes this.

  4. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by mle View Post
    I have to agree with you on this one. When I first read "early", I thought at the most half an hour prior to the appointment. But 3 hours before? How long would your lunch take anyways if it were it 12? That's not a "little" earlier. 3 hours alone in a crate in a strange place is a long time for a dog and I would hope a dog owner would consider that knowing there was a prior engagement or otherwise reschedule.

    It's only common sense for them to think that and I think you should look at it from another perspective before blaming them for using that judgement.

    I agree with this. If you knew the specific time, I would have mentioned that. I don't think it's an obvious situation at all and assuming lunch=noon...why not just say "noon"? I usually have lunch between 1 and 2pm most days.

    I understand it's frustrating but honestly, policies like that are to protect the animals. Not everyone is a great owner so I think it's better for them to be strict about it. How many people would drop their pets off in the morning before work for a 4pm appointment? It ends up being stressful for the animals and for the employees (can you imagine working and having caged animals crying and freaking out for hours, what about walks, food, water, exercise?).

    That being said, I think Petsmart is hit or miss depending on who you get as a groomer. I've always gone to either the vet (mine has a groomer in house) or a local breeder/kennel that specialized in my breed. Always had great results. I think it's just like finding a hair stylist- you have to try out a few first. It's sad seeing so many stories about upset or hurt pets though. It's so upsetting to think about that happening to my guys

  5. #20
    CaNewbie Tweaker's Avatar
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    I really need to speak up on this one.

    I was a dog groomer for 13 years and worked with animals for over 20 years.

    I have watched the groomers at a few petsmart stores and am in shock at what I see every time I watch them. 95% of the groomers at petsmart are newbies that do NOT know what they are doing. It is very simple to get in to grooming, simple usuless grooming courses or learn on the job.

    I see very young girls working in there and they probably don't make much more than minimum wage. That 95% are VERY inexperienced, it's no wonder more accidents don't happen.

    I took a grooming course in my early 20's and then when I went to my first job... supposedly as a groomer, or so I thought, the manager/owner/head groomer was appaulled at how much I did NOT know. I started my job there as a bather/dryer ONLY and was not allowed to start grooming yet. The manager/owner/head groomer then spent many month teaching me slowly and starting with simple things like just shaving the back of a Cocker Spaniel to get used to the clippers. Needless to say, it took me about a year before she was confident in my skills to start grooming and finishing dogs.

    The accident that happened to Am1's dog WAS negelect, that groomer was NOT paying attention and or looking closly at where her clippers were at. I know and understand the flank of skin that was cut and yes, that can happen to any groomer, but, to not notice it means she was not watching her clipper blades.

    Yes, accident can/do/and WILL happen to any groomer, no matter how many years they have been grooming. I did have a couple of accident myself, some were mishandling of the clippers on my part...but...by no mean itentional. Some of the accidents were the faults of the dog moving at the wrong time when I am clipping or using scissors and...for example, I was scissoring the hair between the pads on a dog and (as it does tickle the dog) the dog kicked backwards as I closed the scissors and I almost cut the pad off the foot. For a groomer (that cares) this was VERY traumatic for me, I cried for a long time as I took the dog to the vets down the street to help the dog, to fix the pad (stitches and foot wrap). To ever hurt an animal to me, or good groomer, or any animal lover is heart wrenching.

    I have had customers get very angry when accidents happen, even as simple as nicking a nail (very common) like we are just out to hurt the dogs. Seriously, some people think their dog is a perfect little angel at the groomers, stands like a perfect statue, always stands perfectly. First, for most dogs this is very traumatic for dogs to be dropped off in this loud environment with strangers, other dogs, lots of barking, clippers and dryers going. People see their dog on the table and say "Ohh, he's shaking, he never does that, you must have done something to him to make him scared of you" OMG!!!! ... the dog is just nervous and yes, scared, but not of ME, of the environemt.

    What this comes down to, nobody that hates animals becomes a groomer, they are all animal lovers. The unfortunate part is that those animal lovers are not neccisarily cut out for the job. They get angry too easy, they just never learn the skills of being a groomer (some got it, some don't). Some groomers are great at thier job and it becomes a life career and they are always learning new skills every day.

    As for the dogs (and cats), some dogs love coming to the groomer, they stand well, love the groomers, it's all good. Some dogs are just a little nervous and shake a little, and some dogs hate going to the groomer...there can be a few reasons for this too, could be a bad experience with groomers but, MOST of the time it is that the dogs are not groomed at home (or not groomed properly), some people just pet their dogs and never take a brush to them and then bring them to a groomer and expect the dog to be ok with something it has never exprienced or only experience at the groomer. If people brush on a regular basis at home, the dogs understand it at the groomers. Some people have dogs like Poodles, Shi-tzu's etc that need to be brushed at home between grooming so the fur does not knot up and get matted. When you bring your matted dog to a groomer and expect that groomer to brush out all those tangles and then wonder why the dog hates going to the groomers, to brush out a matted dog hurts the dog A LOT. So the dog is sent to us to be torchered because the owner didn't brush the dog and keep the tangles out....just think about it logically.

    Geez...I could go on for hours about this...I'll get down to my point here.

    Petsmart is NOT a good place to take you dog for grooming, they are not experienced enough. Even if they say they have thier 'Master certificate', that means NOTHING, grooming is a SKILL that takes many, many years to perfect...and even at that, groomers working for 20 years can and still are learning every day. Go find a local grooming shop, ask to inspect the facility first, if they won't let you, don't go there. They should have an open atmosphere that you can see the grooming going on. Go to local dog parks and ask people about thier groomers and find one that people have good things to say about them. Petsmart groomer are on such a big turn around of employees beacause they pay low and some realize they don't have the skill...so in comes the next newbie....

    I'll stop now...LOL

    Reese.

  6. #21
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    I had the opposite problem I went to a store with my cat and she was surrounded by dogs. She had two groomers and not one them was doing anything to soothe her.

  7. #22
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    Hi,

    Thanks for sharing. I do have pets and find this relevant

  8. #23
    Smart Canuck mulock's Avatar
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    I honestly don't have a problem with PetSmart, mind you I have a black lab (huge boy) and he doesn't need the whole "do my hair, make-up, dress me up" routine. I've taken him there to get his nails trimmed & grinded. Each time they only charge me for the grinding ($13) and not the trim. I'd use them again.

    As for taking dogs into a facility hours before their appointment, I think PetSmart was rather accommodating. They do operate a kennel service, and had you offered to pay the extra fee to have your dogs kenneled while they wait, I am sure it would not have been a problem. But to expect PetSmart to babysit your dogs for hours (unpaid) while you are out and about seems rather much in my opinion.

  9. #24
    CaNewbie DC101's Avatar
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    I had my cats nails trimmed a few days ago. They split one nail and also missed one. They even booked me for a day when a specific groomer was in to cater to cats...

    Probably won't go again.

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