(10-06-2012, 01:00 PM)TreeClimber Wrote: Haopee, these stories are awful! A dog goes missing and one is bruised up after grooming? How does this happen?
I remember in the 1990s Petsmart had a bad reputation for grooming. There was a widely publicized story of a cat that had it's front teeth knocked out when they tried to put a leash on it (one of those type they use at the vets). I think they've improved things since then.
I remember taking Sierra to our local store for baths for her first 6 months. My arthritis made it difficult to get her in and out of the tub. It seemed easier to pay them $15 to bath her every few weeks. The employees were all in the 17-21 range and were not well trained. They couldn't take instructions, either.
My dog hated having her nails trimmed. She would bite me when I attempted it. So, I had specific instructions in her file not to attempt her nails. When I came in to pick her up, she was trapped under a table with an employee on top of her trying to trim her nails. I was furious! The answer I got back was the package includes nail trimming and they are required to provide it.
I found another groomer for her baths. It took her two years to get Sierra to trust her to trim her nails. She had to muzzle her just to get close. The previous groomers only made things worse and traumatized her further.
Now, that doesn't compare to losing someone's dog during grooming. I cannot imagine how that even happens.
That's awful. And to think that they still had the nerve to reason out their package. The owner left specific instructions. You're supposed to listen to it and not have it your own way. These are beings they are handling- our loved ones, our pets, even our babies. If they can't do that, then they shouldn't work in this kind of job at all.
(10-16-2012, 04:33 AM)sandooch Wrote: This is why I choose to groom my poodle myself. Well, that and it saves a lot of money in the long run. I've taken Gigi one to PetSmart to be groomed. For even the low price of $35, they did a just okay job. But I noticed that when we got home Gigi had a red dot on the white part of one of her eyes, like a blood vessel popped. She didn't have that before taking her in. It may have been just some irritating shampoo getting into her eyes, but it could have been something else. The last time I took her into another salon, they clipped her topknot way too low and flat over her eyes. I was a bit upset with that because I specifically asked them not to take too much off her topknot.
Like the saying goes: If you want something done right, do it yourself. It took me a while to learn to groom Gigi properly and it is time consuming, but at least she gets groomed like I like her to, and I don't have to worry about what is and isn't being done to her in a salon.
I totally agree with you on this one. At the moment, I am also trying to save some money to invest on a good pair of clippers. Hopefully, I get to buy one of those Wahl clippers that are so expensive. They're silent and especially great for cutting pet fur (the one specially made for pets)
Grooming here only costs about $10-$12, but that's as much as I'm currently earning on a daily basis so it should be no surprise that I would rather do it myself. I have been lucky with my groomers. They are part of the clinic I bring my pet to but I would love to be able to do it myself eventually.
She had a red dot on her eye? It could also have been an abrasion. Anyway, I think it's really important to find someone you can trust and rely on.
By the way, I have also seen dogs that have turned red probably because they didn't like the shampoo or the blower was too hot.
