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.

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

Don't beat yourself up Jenn, sorry they had a rough time. It's hard to know what to do sometimes.
I did buy a clipper just for between the paw pads. It was about $20 from Walmart and called Wahl
mini pro. It's very small and was perfect for clipping the fur between the pads. You might want to
give it a try. Just wait till they are calm and kind of sleepy, and use treats while getting them accustomed
to it.

Just tried it this past Friday and I'm very happy with it. This is exactly why I decided to do my own
grooming, no one is going to treat your doodle better than you.

[Judy, Meg & Polly Wolly Doodle]

Jenn, I am sorry you had this experience and I am sitting here fuming mad that it happened at all.  I tend to be a bit 'in your face' about things like that so I am sharing what I would be doing at this point.  Either I would take the boys with me or I would take excellent pictures of the damage, cut, redness and so on, I would head back to the Petco and ask to speak to the manager.  We would have a long talk about the injuries and see what he/she has to say, if they are not sympathetic toward you and angry at their own employees I might mention calling in authorities about cruelty to animals.  I hope your boys feel better soon.

[Karen, Riley & Cooper]

Jenn,

I feel awful for you - and know how easy it is to beat ourselves up. I agree with Judy and think taking pictures and bringing them to a manager at Petco is what should be done next. I probably wouldn't stop there - and would write a letter to the President/CEO of Petco and include the pictures as well.

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

That's so very disturbing, Jenn, and I'm sorry you and Brisby had to go through all that. I know how bad you're feeling but rather than taking it out on yourself you really should contact Petco and speak to the store manager about it. As Judy said, take lots of pictures, or better yet take Brisby back as evidence. I can imagine this isn't the first dog the groomer treated this way, but it really should be the last. My understanding is that places like Petco and Petsmart don't require any formal schooling in grooming of their so-called groomers. Management really needs to be aware of this.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I had a similar experience once at Petsmart.  I had taken Sophie in to have her nails trimmed.  Long story short they let her slip off the table with the strap on her neck.  I had offered to stand and hold her on the table and they said I couldn't be behind the counter.  So I stood watching while it happened.  Fortunately she was ok.  At that point another groomer came over to assist.  When I got home I put a scathing review on their website.  Within 1/2 a day I had a call from the Salon Manager apologizing and saying any time I came again to please ask for her and she would do it personally.  Bottom line, I just learned to do it myself and have never been back.

That being said, I personally do not cut all of the hair out of the pads.  I trim them up with the scissors and keep them all neat and clean, but I don't try and get in there with the clippers and get it all out.  I talked with Lucy's allergy Dr about it and she agreed that it doesn't need to all come out.  I haven't had any trouble with matting or stuff getting in there so for me it really isn't an issue.  Just like pulling all the hair out of the ears.  We don't have ear infection issues so I don't pull the hair out.  Sort of like If it isn't broke, don't fix it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm so sorry this happened to you and the boys. It's inexcusable, and I agree with Judy that the management needs to be told about it. I also agree that you shouldn't beat yourself up about it. 

There are good groomers out there, but it can take some work to find them, and they are rarely working at the "big box" stores. If you can do it yourself, that's great. I never have and never will groom my own dogs, and over the years I've followed some groomers from place to place and stopped using others when things weren't to my liking. I recently stopped using one who's been grooming JD for several years, because something started feeling "off" about her, so I agree with "going with your gut", too. It took some doing, but I found a groomer who lets me stay with JD the whole time, and arranges our appointments so that we don't have to wait around. 

Hugs to you & the boys. :) 

[Lori, Quincy & Frankie]

So sorry for this experience for you and the doods.  Quincy goes to PetSmart for day care camp all the time, but I don't use the groomers.  Too noisy and chaotic.  I have been lucky to find a local groomer owned by two sisters that are lovely.  They told me that Quincy jumped back up onto the grooming table when the groomer was done!  Guess that tells the story.  Plus he looks great - just the right length.  

I hope PBJ have forgotten all about that day!  

Have you posted pictures lately of the yard do over? 

[F, Calla & Luca]

What horribly abusive treatment. I would report this for sure. When I groomed my doodles I just carefully cut between paw pads with scissors. THE results were not as close as shaving but it was fine. Poor Brisby but you had no way of knowing.

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

This is awful!  I'm so sorry you, P & B had to go through this. I totally agree with Judy! But don't beat yourself up about it.  Sometimes it's hard to know what to do in the moment.  The first time I took Finn to be groomed, I talked with the woman in advance with the puppy so he could meet her.  I explained I only wanted him bathed, brushed and nails clipped and that I wanted him to have a positive experience.  All good.  When I dropped him off she immediately shoved him (no greeting, no nothing) into a cage next to a wet dog with a blower on full blast. She told me I couldn't stay and I didn't know what to do either.  When I picked him up he seemed ok but she was "too busy" to answer any of my questions as to how it went. This was a puppy! I never went back to her and I did talk to the manager a few days later.  I also found out later, that with her careless ways, she had burned a dog's eyes with a dryer!!  Today, I wouldn't hesitate to say I've changed my mind, I want my dog back, now!   ((Hugs))

[Lynda Kamrath]

Yes, Jenn, get a clippers and it is easy to trim between their pads.  You can also use the clippers to do the inside of the ears (I do) and the parts of the face that you want really short.  We use 1 mm between the toes and 6 mm on the face.  We also shave the belly.  You can do it.  Take your time and plan to do their grooming when you have the time to spend with them.  We spread it over a few days and there are two of us working on the dogs.  Relax.  It will all be okay and their hair does grow out quickly.  I'm sure the dogs were very happy to see you and get rescued.

[jenn D]

Yeah Lynda, I was thinking "if it's hard for me why dont I just spread it out over a few days even if I have to rewash and dry each day to get certain parts done. Also I noticed I do their faces better than they came out yesterday. Thanks for the encouragement.

[Lynda Kamrath]

Well, there are two of us, and we seldom do a groom in one day.  We get too tired.  Groucho Too would willingly stand for five hours with only one break to go to the dog run, but Harpo is not that patient.  You will find the right schedule for both of you.  Charlie usually does the feet and face one day and that is about it.  If their toenails needs trimming or ears cleaned, he will do that too.  The next day I start with shaving the inside of the ears and the belly, then give the first cut with scissors.  Then I give a bath and Charlie usually does the blow dry and final cut.  No problem at all between the two of us and the dogs look forward to a groom.  They just think of it as one-on-one attention.