Terrible grooming experience :(

[jenn D]

I have been working over the last few months to groom my own doodles. I'm doing ok so far but still having difficultly clipping between paw pads, around the ear on the inside and the webbing parts of their bodies like where their bodies meet their back legs.
Since the backyard redo left everyone frazzled and since I did not spend an adequate amount of time grooming like it normally do I decided to get the doodles really good trims at a groomers. I thought then paw pads will be done, etc. You know all the places I have difficulty with.
I would have asked the lady who taught me but she is older and just does small breeds (Jake was a favor when she was teaching me ).
I remembered talking to the grooming manager at our local petco a few months back. He was really knowledgable and when I mentioned my issues with clipping paws he offered to help teach me if I came in. So I decided to book a few appts and I took a Brisby and Pickles.
When I got there I found out that the manager no longer worked there. That should have tipped me off to leave but I didn't. I talked with a groomer about a basic bath brush and trim of feet and face for P&B. They said they could take them at 2:30 so I thought what the heck.
WHAT A DISASTER! First of all, I did not get the boys back until 9:30 tonight! They had to leave the store open do I could get them. I guess they got behind but my boys were there for 7 hrs! In addition, to try to speed things up they turned the blower on full blast and it almost knocked pickles off the table. I was there by 8 and stayed for the remaining hour and a half and I know now I should have just left with them when they were wet and not waited for the rest. To be done.
The groomer who had Brisby was so incredibly harsh with him. He was crying and whimpering. I should have stopped her but I honestly didn't know what to do in the moment. She was so aggressive with the stripping blade. I guess I was setting there wondering if that is the way groomers do it because I take my time and do not yank, yank yank. :( when she went for his ears I heard him yipe very loud. I didn't see what she did until I watched the other ear. She reached in and grabbed all of the hair in his ear, I mean all in one big grasp and yanked it all out. At that point I said enough, they boys need to be brought to me. When I finally got them home I looked them over and Brisby's paw pads are raw and cut up. His ears are red. She shave him to a 1/4 of an inch all over except his head. I can't tell you how bad I feel for him. I should have gotten him out of their sooner. Pickles faired better because his groomer wasn't as aggressive but his paw pads are cut too.
After the groom when we got home brisby just laid next to me practically in my lap barely moving.
I feel terrible for not intervening sooner, I just had a hard time telling how bad it was. Now I'm thinking it was pretty bad. And 7 hours there! It was loud, noisy and crowded. Never again, I'll need to learn to do paws, if a Brisby will ever let anyone touch them again.

I could go on and on but I am really upset right now and need to get to bed. If your gut says something is off about a groomer, please go with your gut. I really wish I would have today.

[Gail and Bailey]

Poor PBJ group and poor you too!  So sorry you had this happen!  I agree with everyone else that you should do lots of complaining!  As for grooming paws.... I only use scissors to trim the fur that sticks out from between the pads.  Never could get the hang of getting clippers in there.  I even bought those tiny clippers that are made for paws and I was still afraid of hurting my dogs.  I am sure your gang appreciates home grooming and will still be good when you do them in the future!  Hugs to all of you!

[Karen, Riley & Cooper]

They are beautiful.

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

Jenn, I am so sorry. So glad to hear that Brisby is doing better today. Hugs to you all.

[Julie and Charlie]

I think Pickles' cut is cute... but that is no excuse for poor treatment of animals at the groomers. 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am so sorry the dogs and you had this experience.

[Lynn D.]

OMG, I would have been furious too! When Echo was young, 8 months or so. I took him to a PetSmart to be groomed. He came back with ear mites/ear infection. The salon manager swore up and down that they have NEVER had any other dog infected with ear mites before, that my dog MUST have gotten them from my house. There was a very tense telephone call to the salon manager, I don't like confrontation. She wasn't concerned about customer satisfaction or even that what I asked for was completely fair. I should have asked for the entire vet bill with medications, a refund of grooming bill and the generous tip I gave the groomer. I only asked that the vet bill be covered. But Echo has never been back. Incidentally, Echo has never had ear mites since.

I never formally learned to groom dogs but I had a patient Shih Tzu that I would shave down and bathe. She looked goofy but I did it all on my own.

Now when I take Echo to be groomed it costs $110.   :S I think I am going to have to start grooming him myself again.

[Miss Ellie]

So sorry Jenn...sending hugs and well wishes that you find someone that you can trust with your beautiful babies!

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

I am a big believer in letter writing. I would talk to the manager first, but I think I would write a letter to someone at the corporate level and if they did not respond to my satisfaction, Better Business Bureau would be next. There is no excuse for abusive behavior and this kind of treatment was unnecessary. I also do not mess with my dog's ears unless there is a problem. I agree with the person who said, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

[Robin and Libby Louise]

I still think they look adorable, but no excuse for the treatment you got.  I would complain all the way up the chain, at least so that you know you did everything you could do.  Don't beat yourself up, they are resilient.  But still, no one wants to have their babies treated like that.  Libby gets groomed at PetSmart - I think it depends on the groomer.  This woman is great and Libby loves her, so I wouldn't say it's all the big box places.  But you had a terrible experience and it's just wrong!

[Linda, Charlie Brown and Beau]

Just read this Jenn.  The treatment you and your doodles received is just not right in any way, shape or form.   I am so sorry you and your doods had to experience this nightmare.  I have found, generally, when it does not feel right - we need to listen to our "gut feelings" and that is often hard to act on sometimes. I hope you will write or email corporate, it may help someone else and their dog.  My groomer does not remove hair from the pads, but cleans them up.. My vet told me if I ever felt there was an issue in the pad, to just bring them in and she would quickly remove the hair - the vets are some of the best groomers out there as they are shaving feet all the time! LOL.  I did have one of Beau's paws done because he got a tiny ball of matted hair in his pad after running in the park.  It almost looks like tree sap and ??  It took her about 10 second to fix it and she left all other pads as is.  I think hair in the pads protects there feet a bit. 

[Joanna, Zoe & Bender]

SO sorry this happened to your boys.  I hope they are not too traumatized and is ok with groomers in the future.  

I really do not like the grooming salons at petco and petsmart.  I have had a bad experience with both and it only takes one time for me not to take my dogs back.  Zoe is an extremely friendly and lovely pup and nothing phases her.  When she got back from the Petsmart salon (yes after 6-7 hours) she was trembling and skiddish.  I can't even imagine how Ben would've been if i had taken him (he's a big baby). They are so not gentle with our babies!!!  I do think it differs between locations but my general experience was bad as well.  This makes me so mad.