Need to VENT

[Holly Paterniti]

So last weekend, I took Bear to get groomed. We have been going to Petsmart for the past year and have never had any issues. Well this time I did..........the lady who groomed him......completely shaving him down....even his ears. On top of that.......she shaved his ears!!!!!! I was fuming, but did not really say anything at that time. When I got in the car, I immediately called a manager there.

I am just really upset and going to take him somewhere else next time. But it is going to take time for his hair to grow back. Thanks for listening :)

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Hi Holly,

I really feel for you. I didn't experience a total shaving but when my Gracie went to the groomer that I always use she came back looking like a Poodle. This was December 1st and only now am I ready to have her "trimmed". Thank goodness I told the groomer to not do much with her head so the ears and all were in tact as well as the tail. She had the knuckles of her paws showing instead of the big round puffy feet that most Doodles have. My groomer owns the business and I always have her do it. When I made the appointment I didn't know she was in Hawaii on vacation so the other girl in the shop did Gracie. NEVER AGAIN!!! That is going to be the problem you run into going to Pet Co or Pet Smart because they have different groomers and you never know who you are getting. So what did the manager say??

Nancie and Gracie Doodle

[Holly Paterniti]

The manager apologized and stated he would look into the matter. I did tell him that whoever had taken him was not very friendly either. Again, he apologized. He also said he would state in Bear's records to never have that woman again. I am just extremely upset.......and you know she did cut his tail like a poodle too. Do they not see he is not 100% poodle? He does not have his tail cropped like poodles would.

For now, I am going to let his hair grow out and not get him groomed for a good 4 to 6 weeks depending on how long it takes to grow. Thank you for responding and listening :)

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Hi Holly,

I am taking Gracie to the groomers tomorrow and the last time she was groomed was the first week in December. I think it will take you longer than 4-6 weeks for the next grooming. I have trimmed her face and around her eyes from time to time as well as her paws and pads. Also shortened her ears a bit. When I called the groomer she was wondering if she had lost me as a customer. I don't know how she knew that I was horrified as to how Gracie looked but maybe through word of mouth. She left a message today telling me that the girl who did Gracie in December is no longer with her and she is now working solo. She owns the business and she as always been the one to do Gracie. I guess when she got back from vacation and heard that Gracie had been in, she could only imagine what she looked like. So, it has been four full months since the last grooming!!! I just finished combing, brushing and using the dematter on Gracie so there should be no talk of major MATS tomorrow. I am always a nervous wreck when I take her in. I write down instructions and take pictures of how I want her snout, ears and puffer (top of head) done. Also, I like the big legs with no toes or knuckles showing. When she came home in December the only way I could describe it was "toe cleavage" !!! I have found that you have to be very explicit as to what you want and then error on the leaving them a little long rather than too short. You need to put a picture up of Bear so we can see what he looks like!

Nancie and Gracie

[Holly Paterniti]

Thanks Nancie :) I am going to take a picture of him later this afternoon and post it. Although I have to say he looks better now than what he did when I brought him home 2 weeks ago.

I am glad to hear that your groomer was proactive about Gracie's past cut............she does not want to lose you as a customer.

I have to tell you that I found out last night that one of my sorority sisters have a Labradoodle too. So I found out and got the number to the groomer she takes her doodle to. So when Bear is ready, I will call her. But I may take Bear to meet her though before he gets groomed.

[Ellen aka BeauBeau's Mom]

They did the same thing to my baby!! And we'll NEVER go back to Petsmart for grooming again as a result. MAYBE a bath. If you stand there awhile and look, you will see that at Petsmart, they SHAVE ALMOST EVERY SINGLE DOG THAT COMES IN THE DOOR, without even asking most of the time, unless you give them express instructions NOT TO SHAVE. It is just easier for them, and they make up some ridiculous reason why they have shaved your particular dog....it's usually "MATS".....which would take in most cases a 10 minutes for them to comb/brush out. They're just LAZY,and appaarently have a nation-wide corporate policy to shave every dog they can get away with it on.

[Paul & Michele]

Hi Holly, I took Molly to get groomed about 3 weeks ago, she looked like a black sheep dog before I took her and when I picked her up she was also shaved, I was really upset too!!!! They did leave her ears and a little on top of her head and whiskers but it took alot of getting used to. She is now getting some of her hair back it does seem to grow kinda fast (thank goodness) I have decided to get a pair of trimmers that another member recommended and try it myself next time. Give Bear a big hug, I'm sure he still looks cute!!!!

[Paul & Michele]

Holly, I had another member who is a breeder too tell me that if I take Molly to be groomed again to tell them I want her groomed with a Bichon head and a Wheaton body. Hope this helps..

[Loreta Janca]

I don't know why it's so hard to get a doodle cut right. My Rusty had to be shaved on March 7 because he had matts. I knew there were more than could be brushed out, so I trusted her when she said she would do what she could but may have to just shave him. Well, she did. She trimmed up his head and face nicely and left his tail shaggy, but the rest of it was all gone. He looked like a chiuaua. She was wonderful, though. Spent a lot of time going through his fur and talking about how we might be able to save it without shaving. It's been almost 4 weeks now and it's starting to grow back. You can see where the waves and curls are starting to form again. I went to another groomer the first couple of times and they always cut Rusty too much like a poodle. This last time I went to Petco, and the girl I had was wonderful. Very friendly, and really tried her best to save his coat. When I picked him up, all the girls there raved about him, and said not to worry, that they'll have him back to his shaggy self in no time. They do a lot of doodles and understand the look I want. I guess I got lucky. It's so hard to find a good groomer, but it's worth every penny when you do. Rusty was a little self concious, I think, being half naked, and he seemed like a completely different dog, but has since regained his confidence and attitude. Plus, he weighs a pound less than when he had all his fur!

[Holly Paterniti]

You know I have noticed the attitude change with Bear too. I really think he feels naked without all his hair. I really need to find a reputable doodle groomer around here. If anyone knows someone around the Kent, Ohio area, please let me know :)

[Holly Paterniti]

I am so glad to hear I am not the only one who feels this way. I will not be going back to Petsmart for grooming again. Banfield, on the other hand, has been great to Bear since we started with them. The doctors and associates really seem to care about animals.

Thank you everyone :) I really do appreciate your posts :)

[Hollie Slattery]

Hi Holly, I'm Hollie too and I'm new to this website, but I have to say that I just had a bad experience with Petsmart too! Reading all these posts, I'm wondering how they stay in business! I took my 4 month old, Darbey, by the groomer before her puppy class to see if they would trim her bangs (I hadn't seen her eyes since I got her!), do a sanitary trim and trim the hair between her paw pads. I asked her to trim as little as possible on her bangs, just so I could see her eyes. Well, her bangs looked like when a 5 year old gets a hold of the scissors and cuts her own hair and her nose was shaved like a poodle! The paws were trimmed too much too! I feel like I brought home a different dog! I'm on the hunt for a groomer in my area that knows how to do doodles!

[Ellen aka BeauBeau's Mom]

watch out for Banfield too.....at least the one near me here in Aventurs, FL is downright dangerous. My friend brought in her two Malteses for rabies shots, and went home with one dog. Yup, they KILLED the dog...said it was shock.