OMG!!! I would have never guessed that was the same dog. Some groomers are definitely better than others and not all know what certain breeds of dogs are supposed to look like. Before I took my Sheltie to a Sheltie breeder (who is an awesome groomer), I braved the local grooming place. I left thorough instructions but it was always iffy if they'd really remember/follow them. One issue I did have was I asked the grooming place to trim my pups nails. I didn't know they used a dremel instead of clippers and my dog freaked out. I arrived to find three people attempting to restrain my dog to a metal table while he fought for his life - compeltely freaked out at the sound of the dremel and the stranger who were trying to hold him down. RIDICULOUS! That was the last time we went there! Ever since then, my pup has been petrified of nail cutting. Ugh.

I would be SO upset if that happened. I mean who would decide to shave a poor dog without being asked?
I bathe B-Bop myself because he's small and shorthaired, but take him in every so often to get a nail trim and stuff. The last time I took him to Petco, they handed him back to me and I was halfway through the store when I realized he was bleeding. I went back and she said oh yea we cut him a bit. THANKS FOR TELLING ME! they actually hurt him he bled the whole way home until I could get some cornstarch on it then limped the rest of the day. I was FURIOUS. I just couldn't beleive that they wouldn't even tell me. I NEVER go there now.

I didn't even realize that was the same doggy until I read the post!!
Furious wouldn't even begin to explain how I'd feel.

When we first got Bella, we took her to the local pet store to get groomed - BAD idea!
We spent $50 and it didn't look like they'd done anything.
All of her nails were split, they didn't cut the hair around them,
didn't clean her ears, nothing.
It was very disappointing.
So, since she really doesn't need much maintenance,
I pretty much do everything on my own now.
Saves me $$ and from blowing a fuse!

I took my Apple Head Chihuahua once to the groomers. To have him bathed and nails cut. etc...He was about 3 lbs. Extremely tiny; and when I walked into the shop the groomer was trying to fit a leather jacket over his head; clearly the jacket was small. I lost it. I dont'even remember what I told her.

Poor puppy looks so sad to be shaved!

I went to Pet Smart to have my dog groomed two weeks ago. It was the first time really taking any dog I have had to a groomers. When I returned to pick my dog up all she did was shave him down. It wasn't really what I had asked for. Then when I got home I found out my dogs pee pee was snipped about a centimeter down with a scab running two inches down. I will not go to any groomer from now on I will groom all my dogs myself. He ended up getting an infection I had to go the Vets for antibiotics. I found out what had happened could have been much worse then it was. The groomer didn't even notify me of what had happened and there is no way he wouldn't have screamed or yelped from it. I will no longer shop at Pet Smart.

We bathe Basil ourselves. Since he's short-haired, he doesn't require much grooming, but the vet always cuts his nails and expresses his glands whenever we take him in.

The dog looks great shaved down. And His/her hair will grow back. And it is totally the responsibility of the pet owner to tell the groomer what they want for their pet. Sometimes a pet has excessive tangles and knots that combing them out would be extremely painful and time consuming.

My mom always took all of our dos to the groomers just before Memorial Day and had them all shaved down. Living in Southern California my mom knew that it was going to be hot as hell outside and that our dogs would be more comfortable shaved.

Personally I just had my cat's groomed and while Chloe my short hair just needed a serious comb out and wash to help her stat the process of shedding for the Summer my other girl Ursula was tangled and knotted beyond belief. I had to call 6 different groomers to find someone who would shave all of her fur off and give her a "Lion Cut". Finally I found a competent groomer who could and would do it without drugging my girl and who was highly recommended through Yelp. It was shocking see my Ursy naked. And it was shocking for her but now she seems to love it. She's a whole new kitty without all that fur and the groomer says it will grow back just as long as before but that now I will have an opportunity to learn how to keep the tangles under control and to teach Ursy to like being brushed. If for some reason the temperature drops I do what my mom used to do to our summer shaved dogs - I put a t-shirt on Ursy. Although the only t-shirts that fit my tiny cat are baby wrap-around t's. I put the baby t-shirt on her and she's fine with it because it insulates her.

I LOVE my NAKED CAT! I'm seriously thinking of getting her short haired sister shaved too. It's just too adorable.

Awww, poor Ozzie! I bathe Brando myself because he's got such short hair. My bf is good at trimming his nails without hitting the quick and I because he's a basset I clean his ears at least once a week. And the vet does his nails and glands as well. When we first got him I figured I'd take him to a groomer 2 or 3 times a year, but now I see no reason since I really can do everything myself.

Thankfully I've always gotten great groomers. I have a Chow and believe me, it takes a while to dry her once she'd had a bath and brushing her out/trimming her takes a long time too with her thick undercoat (despite my constant brushing).

She has a beautiful coat though. One groomer asked if I want her shaved down and I said NO - she still did a great job with her. Most of the groomers know you shouldn't do that anyway. I would not go to PetSmart or a similar style place with my dog.

With my greyhound, we just bathe him ourselves. It takes about 2 min! So far, no hair to trim either, lol.

This is a common thing at groomers, most of the time it is the owner's fault. They do not give enough detail information to the groomer. The groomer I worked with told me to always ask questions even if you have to ask the same question in different ways. It is to make sure that you and the owner understand - well more you than the owner.

To those that may wonder why I do not work with this groomer anymore, he left the place and went to work with some place else. The place I worked at got a new groomer who is terrible. So, I left the place.

Rally, one question you should of ask and I am not trying to attack you, you should ask how the nails are trimmed. Some place use both a clipper and a dremel, others will use one or the other. Some time, but rare, it also depends on what the groomer or assistant is comfortable with. I was never comfortable with it.

Here is another tips for all of you on here that go to a groomer:

Stay a way from Petco and Petsmart and I mean stay away. They do not know what they are do. I have heard horror stories from them. They do not treat dogs and cats well there.

Also watch the words you use. They can mean one thing to you and a different thing to the groomer. Make sure the groomer understand what you want. Have them call you if they have any other questions, that they may have forgot to ask or if they come across a problem when grooming.

When shaving dogs or cats do, make sure they are not closely shaved, it just makes them hotter when it is hot out.

Always brush your dog(s)/cat(s) out it not only help the groomer, but also your pet. Think of what it feels like when you hit a knot when combing/brushing out your hair. Doesn't feel good does it?

Ask the groomer you go to to do it for you, at least you can do it yourself (if so, clean ears after). The reason why this is: wet ear canal + heat build up = possible infection.

Sunny, know what you mean chows, burmese mountain dogs, goldies... can be hard to dry and the fur goes everywhere and brushing out is so much fun .

It's never a great idea to shave a dog, even if they do have a lot of fur. The fur protects their skin from sun and wind and all sorts of other stuff. Seriously, if you shave your dog and take him out for a long walk, he could get sunburnt. I would never shave my dog, even though she does shed a lot in the summer.

I've never taken my dog to a groomer because my mom, who is a Sheltie breeder, knows a LOT about how to groom dogs (she grooms all of her own) so I have as much knowledge (probably more) than most groomers out there. Plus, she's an easy dog to groom...she doesn't freak when I do her nails and teeth and she's got fairly short hair that's easy to brush.

oh my goodness!!! what a difference....well Ozzie is till very very cute!!!! and i would def. get my $$$$ back!

I actually think he looks better shaved!

That dog looks 1,000 x's better!!

Dana Lou, so sorry to hear your story. My husband and I have been avoiding Pet Smart ever since they injured our dog and didn't even tell us about it. They didn't even apologize! I've written a couple blogs on it so I won't repeat it all, but they are extremely unprofessional, right up to the management.

We finally found a good groomer and now we're moving

Dana Lou and FlamesofJune, I'm sorry to hear your PetSmart's injured your dogs. When I had my greyhound and had her groomed at PetSmart, they did an excellent job (they even added a bow once for her). Then again, I'm wondering if either of you ever bothered to ask how they were going to groom YOUR dog, the procedure for grooming and what products and supplies they used to groom your dog. Also, did you tell them specifically what y'all wanted done with your pets down to the length of the nails and the preferred way of drying the dog? If you didn't do that, it isn't PetSmart's fault if they had an injury because YOU, as the owner, didn't inquire on the procedure and what you SPECIFICALLY wanted done to YOUR pet. I don't mean to attack both of you, but you should have done some research into the procedures, instruments and your dog's breed before you went to PetSmart or any groomer for that matter. My family has never had a problem with PetSmart or any groomer because we do that.

The biggest problem I've had is finding a groomer that even knows what breed Zena is for grooming. She's a Decker Rat Terrier. I know that they are rare here in the states (there's only 400 Deckers) but it still surprised us. We called every groomer in our area and not one knew what it would cost or how to groom a Decker Rat Terrier.

It's not that bad in the end because I--with the help of my vet with her nails--groom Zena. She uses sensitive skin shampoo and I make sure to take out as much shedding fur as possible. I clean her ears out every time she gets a bath to prevent ear infections (she's had one since we adopted her). She gets a medicated chew bought from the vet because she will not allow a toothbrush near her mouth to clean them. The medication and the chewing action clean her teeth. She gets her nails trimmed every 3-4 weeks at the vet and we use a vet who owns Decker Rat Terriers, so she knows the proper length for Zena's nails. Also at the vet, our vet gives her a physical every time we bring Zena in for her nails to make sure Zena is healthy. All of this have contributed to our vet saying Zena is the cleanest, healthiest and most beautiful Decker Rat Terrier she's ever handled in her career.

If we were to find a groomer for Zena, we definitely are doing what we've always done--inquired on the techniques, the procedure, the instruments, etcetera and being there for the entire process. You shouldn't have an injured dog if you specifically ask about those things and policies and explicitly tell them what you want done. Most groomers don't mind if you are next to your dog the entire process to witness the process. It's your responsibility as the owners to make sure your pet is taken care of, no matter where they are groomed.

Ellenora:
My dog's haircut was just fine, what they did was cut her quick. I understand that it is hard to tell with black nails, but the way they handled it was awful.
I was NEVER told that her quick was cut and that they had to stop the bleeding. You can read what happened here: http://teamsugar.com/user/FlamesofJune/blog/1581812

I contacted PetSmart after the whole bloody incident because they never told me, nor did they apologize. I was very unsatisfied with my conversation with the manager of the salon as well.

Ellenora:

Not to butt in, but even if they didn't tell them specifically what they wanted,
that still doesn't really seem like an excuse for them to injure a dog.
A trained groomer should know how to handle an animal,
especially if the owner didn't give specifics.
That just means they should be a little extra careful.

When you go in for a haircut to the stylist, or to a nail salon for a mani/pedi,
you shouldn't have to tell them, "Don't cut me."
It just shouldn't happen, no matter if you under the procedure or not.

Sorry, I don't usually let the comments rub me the wrong way,
but I just didn't feel like blaming the owners was exactly right.

I just wanted to comment on the nail clipping issue. I am a groomer, and there is no 'proper' length for nails of any specific breed, it's uniform across the board. Basically the way I was taught was to clip the nails until you see a little black dot in the middle of the nail that way you know you havent gone too far and you've also clipped the nails short enough so that they won't cause problems(like splay foot). And by using this method it is indeed possible to accidentally quick the nail(like if the dogs moves). Normally a nail bleed is not a big deal but occasionally they will bleed quite profusely in which the owner should for sure be notified.

Also, never never never take your dog to petsmart please! Seek out an independant groom shop(however do your research not all of them are fantastic either). Petsmart hires people off the street, sends them to 'grooming school' for 3 weeks. Thats it! That is NOT enough time to gain the knowledge and experience to groom a dog safely and properly.

And accidents do happen, it's a part of life. You are using sharp instruments near a moving animal. But if you get yourself an experienced groomer then the likelihood of a serious incident will be greatly reduced. However if you get your beloved furry friend home to discover he/she has been scraped/cut/bruised and the groomer never told you that is the groomers fault and you have every right to be thoroughly upset!

Do your research! If possible seek out a groomer that has been certified with the IPG (International Professional Groomers). Preferably a Certified Master Groomer.

The grooming industry needs to be regulated, almost anyone can call themselves a groomer, be careful.

Couture Yourself:

I'm not saying they, as groomers, do it on purpose to injure your pet. Mistakes can be made, but you as the owner need to say what you want done for your pet. You can tell them whether or not you want them something done (ex. clipping nails, shaving, etc).

And using you're example, when you do go into the hair salon or for a mani/pedi, you usually tell them what you don't want done and especially for a hair stylist you tell them what you would like done. I'm just saying you need to apply that to grooming as well. I wasn't blaming them for the dog's injury, but I was saying they should have told them what they wanted or not done to their pet.

Regarding nail length Nnementh, I know there's a uniform nail length for pets. My vet knows Zena's digging/hunting tendencies and keeps them a bit longer than normal length so her nails don't split when she hunts and digs.

Kudos for Couture Yourself

Ellenora:

I totally understand what you were getting at now! See thats the kind of infomation everyone should be passing on to their groomer!

I think theres alot of miscommunication between owners and groomers. Geez maybe everyone should sit down and have a good long meeting with their groomer!

This happened to me yesterday! My adorable fluffy cocker spaniel is now a shaved, nothing but legs, clumsy dog with awkward ears. I'll admit, it was partially my own fault. My boyfriend convinced me that Charlie needed to be shaved for the hot Georgia summers, the fact that baths were getting to be a long ordeal of brushing and hair drying, and the threat of the trillions of bugs in the south. All legitimate reasons and I do think he's enjoying being shaved but every time I look at him, I can't help but think he looks so ugly!

Nnementh:

Yes, I think that as well. You can't expect a groomer to know your pet's likes/dislikes or their habits or how short you want your pet's fur. That's the owner's responsibility to say things like that, especially if they're allergic to a shampoo or they need their nails longer because they're diggers. I would love to find a groomer for Zena, but there's just not one groomer in town that knows how even the breed she is. We want someone who's heard of a Decker. We're content with my washing her. I'm not saying that it's all the owner's fault, but half their fault for failing to communicate.

Ellenora,
I am sorry thats how you feel. Before I left I checked my dog out as throughly as I could. The groomer declined to mention my dog had even been injured. When I got home and noticed I was a bit mad she didn't tell me. Like you said I thought it was just a bit of an accident since my snorkie is a bit jumpy. So I checked out his injury and decided to put neosporin on it. For a week and a half everything looked fine. Then i realized his injury area was itchy. I knew it was an infection, I have had worked at a vet before then took him in for medicine. This was May 21 and now he's doing very well.I took 30 mintues with that groomer to tell her about what I wanted I also talked about grooming "accidents" and how I wouldn't be to happy with burns and cuts. I am surprised since it was a current accident that you weren't concerned with my dogs well being then my inexperience with Pet Smart. Any way we all learn from our mistakes don't we?

I am a (true) professional groomer (salon owner with nearly ten years experience), and it horrifies me to read some of the posts here.

The first thing I will say is that taking your pet to Petco or Petsmart for a grooming is like going to the WalMart salon to have your own hair done. It's second-rate service primarily done by inexperienced, minimally trained groomers; so it's no surprise to me that many of you have had negative experiences there.

Secondly, as a pet-owner and customer of any grooming shop, you have the responsibility of making your expectations clear BEFORE you leave your pet with the groomer. If that is not done, you only have yourself to blame for the miscommunication. If, however, you feel you have done your job and the groomer doesn't listen or does not possess the skill necessary to produce what you're looking for, FIND ANOTHER GROOMER!

Keep in mind, though, that we groomers are working on living animals who sometimes make the best intentions impossible to carry out. If your pet is aggressive, frightened, or just plain bratty, you may not get what you wanted, or what the groomer wanted to give you. In that case, it is the groomer's responsibility to educate you as to why things didn't go as planned, and most importantly, whether there are steps you can take to improve your dog's experience the next time.

Finally, to those of you who insist that you'll do all your own grooming, please consider what you are committing to. There is much more to grooming than bubbles and bows. There are certain aspects of proper grooming which are critical to your dog's health and well-being, so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE educate yourself THOROUGHLY before you decide you are more qualified than the GOOD groomer you have yet to find.

The best advice I can give is to be proactive in seeking out a knowledgeable, experienced groomer who possesses both skill and compassion. Ask to tour the grooming facility and meet the staff ahead of your appointment date, and for goodness sake, don't go looking for a bargain... You'll get what you pay for!

Good luck!!!!

Ellenora,

Not to be rude, but if you are going to own a rare breed, you should expect that most people will not have heard of it. You should give these groomers a chance to learn about your breed, and not expect them to just know.

just wanted to respond to the people saying not to go to petco or petsmart- i dont know about petsmart but i am a groomer at petco. i was not "hired off the street" and i was trained properly by a second generation groomer who has been working professionally in the field for over ten years. i DO know what i am doing, and i have a steady stream off clients that love my work and come to me regularly. maybe some of of the chain salons are not adequate but please do not clump us all together. i take a lot of pride from my work and do it for a love of the animals. i always do what is best for them.