Petco Grooming in Vacaville, CA - Horrible place!

[JuicyGirl]

I took my yorkie, Lola, to Vacaville Petco to get groomed for the first time. They had her for 5 hours and when I came to pick her up she was all shaken up. I brought her home and she was scared and went to hide in my room. Lola also started coughing and became very affraid of people. A few months passed and I decided to try it again. This time she started coughing worse. I took her to the vet after a few weeks and she diagnosed with a collapsed trachea. I called to tell them to tell them what had happened, not for money, but to make sure other dogs won't have this happen to them. The manager never called back like she promised.I just want to warn everyone who has been or is thinking about taking their puppies there. I also have a friend who used to work there and has told me some horror stories of animal abuse.

[jenbermu]

I totally agree with you i have not taking any of my pups there but my sister
in-law also worked at a petco and has also told me horror stories about how
the treat the dogs there...

[red98vett]

I'm sorry she had such a bad experience but...IF you had a gut feeling something was wrong the 1st time - why did you go back ? When we trust strangers with our dogs it's up to us to read the signs good and bad....

I would stay far away from that place. No dog should come home after being groomed fearful and coughing

I hope she'll be ok. Did the vet say how serious the collapse was ??

Have you thought of doing some of the grooming yourself ?? It's not as hard as people think - I do all the basics for my girls. It saves them from having to see a groomer and me the $$....plus if I make a mistake - I know exactly what it was and how it was done...and I'm not about to cuss myself out when I DO mess up LOL - (and I have - but it's hair and grows back)

The really great thing about home grooming is you don't EVER have to worry someone abused your dog.

[red98vett]

Originally Posted by jenbermu

I totally agree with you i have not taking any of my pups there but my sister
in-law also worked at a petco and has also told me horror stories about how
the treat the dogs there...

Really ?? I almost think someone should do a petco thread in this section. Maybe with both good and bad stories...so many people use them. I did way back when I first got Chanel for her ears to be trimed....but after reading so many bad things - I never went back.

[JuicyGirl]

Originally Posted by red98vett

I'm sorry she had such a bad experience but...IF you had a gut feeling something was wrong the 1st time - why did you go back ? When we trust strangers with our dogs it's up to us to read the signs good and bad....

I would stay far away from that place. No dog should come home after being groomed fearful and coughing

I hope she'll be ok. Did the vet say how serious the collapse was ??

Have you thought of doing some of the grooming yourself ?? It's not as hard as people think - I do all the basics for my girls. It saves them from having to see a groomer and me the $$....plus if I make a mistake - I know exactly what it was and how it was done...and I'm not about to cuss myself out when I DO mess up LOL - (and I have - but it's hair and grows back)

The really great thing about home grooming is you don't EVER have to worry someone abused your dog.

To tell you the truth I don't know why I took her back... I thought maybe it would be different this time if I had the manager do it. I still feel like it's all my fault because I took her there.The vet said it's not a serious collapse, but it's not minimal either.
I haven't tried grooming her myself yet, just trimming her butt area. I'm going to start though. Lola is never going to be groomed by anyone, but me.
What do you use to groom your babies?

[red98vett]

Originally Posted by JuicyGirl

To tell you the truth I don't know why I took her back... I thought maybe it would be different this time if I had the manager do it. I still feel like it's all my fault because I took her there.The vet said it's not a serious collapse, but it's not minimal either.
I haven't tried grooming her myself yet, just trimming her butt area. I'm going to start though. Lola is never going to be groomed by anyone, but me.
What do you use to groom your babies?

Oh good on the Trachea not being severe....that's scary

it's really easy to do basic grooming...I use the Wahl Trimmer for Ears, butts and bottoms of feet. For trimming around feet - I clip -

I prefer the hair around the eyes trimmed too but some will say don't cut it...My girls are in the yard alot and I don't like hair sticking in their eyes so I do trim a tiny bit under each eye - it really opens up their faces ...I use a little personal trimmer for that....

here's a pic of the Wahl - it's about 10 bucks at most stores.

[k2p1e]

I am dog groomer myself and one of the first questions ask every new client is are there any health problems, I have one of my clients groomed in a harness because of his trachea, my dog leave my shop happy, waggin their tails and owners are happy. I also tell my owners if there is anything you want to change in the style or have concern let me know.

There are groomers are out that do 'gentle' grooming, call around and tlak to them. With mnya of the large box stores they have over worked groomers with little education and training. Yes, I know they take a nice little course form their own store but there is so much more to grooming then a quicky course.

Take your time in finding a groomer, you need someone who can communicate with you and meet your pups needs.

[dray]

I worked for Petco for two years and I opened their new store in Salem Oregon. During the two years I took my store to number one in our region. But when they hired a groomer that was not nice to the animals I tried to get him fired. They decided they did not want to fire any groomers at that time due to making so much money so I gave notice and opened my own shop. They did eventually fire this groomer and he did open his own shop and I feel so sorry for all the dogs that go to his shop.

Petco is a corporation that says they care about the animals, but I did not find this so. But maybe there is someone that does. The only good thing I got from working at Petco was a great following of caring clients. It has been 10 years now and my business is strong and recommended by most of the vets in our town.

Petco may have some great groomers, and it can have some very bad ones too. It is your job to make sure where ever you take and leave your dog that it is safe. I always tell people that may be uncomfortable leaving their pet to stay and watch, we have nothing to hide........

Owner
Best Friends Pet Salon
Salem Oregon

[ARCHIE]

I am glad your little one will be ok.
Some of these little ones can really get tramitized if they are
not treated nicely and I have seen both at Petco in Nanuet, NY.
There is only one groomer there who I would trust and has
done a wonderful job in grooming Buddy but the last visit was almost
6hrs with all kinds of excuses. I never went back and that was last
June06. I have learned how to trim him and have found a traveling
groomer who comes to the house. My neighbor has used her for a couple
of years and also owns a Yorkie. I plan on trying her soon as I am
letting his coat grow. I have heard nightmare stories regarding Petco.

[Lorraine]

For pet grooming purposes if at all possible, find a shop that is owner/groomer run. Some have to hire some help but they oversee everything their help does.
It is very difficult to find a good groomer that works for someone else whether it is a shop that is owned by someone who knows nothing about grooming and hires all their groomers, or is a corporation owned facility.

[aarnold808]

Oh wow.. that's no where from me. thank goodness I read on here about many other petcos in other states not doing great with their grooming. I'm so sorry about your baby. I hope she doesn't hate the groomers she will endure in the future (if you decide to take her to anyone else) because of this bad experience.

Ashley

[jenbermu]

Originally Posted by red98vett

Really ?? I almost think someone should do a petco thread in this section. Maybe with both good and bad stories...so many people use them. I did way back when I first got Chanel for her ears to be trimed....but after reading so many bad things - I never went back.

Yeah...Im going to have my sister-in-law write a long letter and send it to
corp. and see what they have to say...Im sure not every store is the same
but what i dont get is why those people accept the job when they dont like
or care for dogs makes me really mad

[xxmxaxrxyxx]

I used to take my babies to PetSmart but once time I arrived early and was parked right in front of the grooming window...and noticed the lady yelling and kinda spanking my maltese...so never again did i return...

[Catrina]

once when i took her to petco like i usually do to get her nails clipped, the lady put a leash around her neck (what your only suppose to do to big dogs) and princess kept struggling and choking herself..so i told the lady to take her OFF and get someone else to hold her.. after that, i decided to clip her nails myself..

[simplyyorkies]

I am a groomer and when i went to school I was taught some "different" ways to bathe and keep a dog standing on the table. The large pet companies that offer grooming do their own training schools and teach what they want their employees to know. They put all the appointments in a large room in kennels - so your little Yorkie could be above a large Rottie or Chow and the noise in the back room is so loud - the barking, whining and panting is deafening. Then the dogs are taken to a tub and bathed with a sprayer - I've seen some bathers just jet stream dogs face to rear. It's called "Wet and Jet". Then they soap them up and jet them again. The dogs then go to another kennel to have a dryer put on them. If the dryer isn't regulated the little ones get blown to the back of the kennel. Also, most states have laws that prohibt cage drying for more than 15 min but most just keep them on til the dog is dry. This is refered to as microwaving. Once dried they are hauled out, put in a noose and groomed. There are some great groomers working for these larger chains but they have no control over the standards in which the dogs are handled.

When looking for a groomer - ASK questions!! How long has the groomer been grooming? are they certified? by what authority are they certififed. BTW - there are no laws stating a groomer has to be certified but would you go to a hair stylist who had no formal training? Ask if they kennel your dog? for how long? do they kennel dry? how long will your dog be there? if your dog has to stay over 2 hours - find another groomer!! Ask that your dog be table dried. Look around is the place clean, any bad smells? Talk to the person doing the grooming. I could go on and on. But if you get any bad vibes - dont leave your dog!