Long sad story: Choose your groomer carefully.....

[PANAMA69]

Oh my,so sorry that you and your baby have to go through this, I took my Phoebe to a grommer when she was a pup it was horrible, she was shave down they didn't told me that they are going to shave her, her coat was well taken care of was just long for a summer time, I explained how I wanted to be clearly more than two times and when I pick her up she was shave up her eyeballs was full of hair, I got blood in my chest because she has two nail bleeding so bad, it was horrible, I cried all the way back home my hubby was so , so now I groomer she loves it my hubby cut her nails (never bleed ones) and he is not a expert, I know they are good groomers out there and there is people that expect that groommers do miracles on their dogs, but they are also bad groommers too and I don't want to take another chance with my Phoebe also I save her from a lot of stress is enough that she get strees out just by going to the vet and if I could save her that stress I would too but I can't .

[irbrenda]

Originally Posted by Chrissy0277

I feel so much better knowing Im not the only one here who feels this way too. Not all groomers are bad
I had a dog come in a few months ago who was so bad that I had to shave him down with a 40 blade (yup I said 40 blade), it was the only one I could get through him. I was in tears grooming this dog I had felt so bad for him and what made it harder emotionally was he was kissing me the entire time. He looked horrible when he left but looked much more horrible when he came in. He was soaking wet and not from water, it was urine soaked all the way through to the skin. It took everything I had not to rip the owner a new a**
I hate it when people come in with a severly matted dog and refuse to shave them down. Why dont people understand its pure torture to pull those knots out of a dog?
Im always seeing people online complaining about the horrible job the groomer did or they shaved my dog down. Most Groomers dont shave dogs down to the skin without a logical reason and without signing a shave down form.
I take alot of pride in my work and it kills me to see people tearing groomers apart (and yes some do deserve it) and it gives us good groomers a bad name.
Im so thankful my regular yorkie customers all take excellent care of their dogs and most of all trust me with their dogs. I should of said all my regular customers, I groom alot of yorkies but also groom alot of other breeds

Like I said, I have never had a bad experience with a groomer before and I could understand having to shave down a dog, but is it necessary to shave to the point that the skin turns purple and bleeds??? I knew we should have combed her ourselves ahead of time. If I had any notion that she needed to be tortured with razor burns, I would have never brought her in that way. I would have cut her hair myself down as far as I could, then brush her and bring her to my regular groomer to fix up her bad haircut from me. If you went to a barber to get a buzz cut, would you not be upset if you came out purple and bleeding yourself??? There's a way to do things gently.

I love my regular groomers and this lady will never see us darken her doorway again unless it's to sue her.

Right now, my dog is lying in her bed wimpering and she cringes if anyone goes to pet her, anyone other than me or my daughter that is. My older daughter is here to visit on this lovely holiday weekend (?) and she started crying when she saw how Keisha reacted to her. I'm so ready to take her to Red Bank Hospital in NJ if this continues. I will ask that she be xrayed. I feel that something is rotten in the cotton. She is getting worse instead of better.

[dray]

Originally Posted by Rhanna

I have a shihtzu and I have let him get pretty long and messy sometimes. I have had to spend a few hours getting his mats out. Not proud too admit this. Since I have experienced my own dog being matted and had to groom him now I believe there is no reason for groomers to shave them so short that they get razor burns or nipped. I took our dog 3 times to different groomers when he was younger and they all cut him too short. He would stay in his kennel for days afterwards. So I decided to buy expensive clippers and try to do it myself. I have done my shihtzu for over 4 years and not once trimmed him too short or nipped him. For those of you who sound like you are defending the groomers, I have to disagree. There is no need to shave them so short or traumitize the dog even when they are badly matted. Yes it does require more time and patience. I have been able to groom my badly matted shihtzu in a couple of hours in a morning. Yes he doesn't look perfect but he is always happy and he still has coat left. There is no need for groomers too scalp.

I know you are not a groomer and you have not seen what we have in the shop but to tell the truth if I spend two hours on your dog combing out matts it will cost a lot of money , 40.00 dollars an hour for the matts plus the hair cut , most people think we do this for free... It is painful for us and our hands to do this for every dog that it's owner will not even keep up on one..... it is not that we are lazy it is that it shouldn't be a part of our job to keep your dogs dematted. It is not fair to a dog to sit through hours of dematting every time they come into a shop, and then the owners think we are being the mean ones....Do you go to the hairdresser with dreadlocks and expect her to comb them out. We are in this business because we love dogs, we shave them when it is necessary because we care.....

Owner
Best Friends Pet Salon
Salem Oregon

[Chrissy0277]

For those of you who sound like you are defending the groomers, I have to disagree. There is no need to shave them so short or traumitize the dog even when they are badly matted. Yes it does require more time and patience

Maybe I should take pictures of my hand and wrist from dematting a shih tzu just the other day. I feel its less traumitizing to shave them shorter then to rip knots out of them. Or I should of taken pictures of the infection I had in my thumb from a dog biting me also during dematting. I had to take several rounds of antibiotics to clear that one up.
And just yesterday I got kicked across the room in my stomach by a golden retriever while dematting his tail. I have an enterra device implanted in my and he just missed it. The pain alone from that will knock anyone to the ground and not be able to move

[sweetr72]

This woman should be stopped...if the vet thinks she was abused is there a way to sue her? I feel so bad for your baby...I am blessed to have a gentle groomer that lets me come back and watch my babies get groomed...I feel comfortable enough to leave and come back too. I, like you would have wanted to give her the same treatment and Im glad she was embarrassed...hopefully something can be done about this person...

Dawn

[dray]

Originally Posted by Chrissy0277

Maybe I should take pictures of my hand and wrist from dematting a shih tzu just the other day. I feel its less traumitizing to shave them shorter then to rip knots out of them. Or I should of taken pictures of the infection I had in my thumb from a dog biting me also during dematting. I had to take several rounds of antibiotics to clear that one up.
And just yesterday I got kicked across the room in my stomach by a golden retriever while dematting his tail. I have an enterra device implanted in my and he just missed it. The pain alone from that will knock anyone to the ground and not be able to move

Chrissy,
You are so funny, only another groomer will understand how hard dematting is and the pain it can cause , maybe the owners on this list will learn from this. To the lady with the dog in question , I really do hope she is going to be fine...Please keep us posted.

[Chrissy0277]

I have an enterra device implanted in my and he just missed it

THis should of said implanted in my abdomen.


Debbie, Your right only another groomer would understand this. People assume we are miracle workers. I saw a shirt once that said God doesnt groom dogs and I dont preform miracles lol I bought it for my boss.

I love my job but Im sure like all jobs we all have bad days but.... a bad day for us usually ends up with us bleeding or at the ER

[Dan & Corinne]

I wish one of you fabulous groomers lived near me! Maybe because you are in the business and good at what you do, you don't realize groomers of your caliber who also is compassionate is a rare find, that why you have so many loyal clients and lots of referrals.

I can flip open the yellow pages and there are bunch of groomers listed but finding that special gem within the list is a tough thing to do. How do you know they are talented or caring? I don't want to go through a trial and err process with my babies, but we don't really have a choice and sometimes the result can be disappointing or even horrifiying.

Many of the frustrating stories are because of the trial and error process. But on the other hand...

I completely agree that shaving is sometimes the kindest thing a groomer can do. Allowing a pet to become matted is cruel and inhumane and the best way to give relief is to shave it off and start over. Trying to comb out sever matting is just as cruel as letting them get into that state in the first place. Their skin is already tender from all the pulling the matting is causing. - Imaging if your arm-pitt hair was long and matted to your skin, can you imagine the pain of raising your arm? What if someone was trying to comb it out? OUCH! That what matted dogs and cats feel but it's all over thier bodies! So shaving is the best option for their comfort.

[YorkieGuru]

I also cut my babies myself. I'm not saying that I didn't like my groomer, it was just cheaper to do it myself with 3 dogs. Plus everytime I would tell her how I wanted their cuts done, it never was what I wanted. So, I do it and my dogs don't mind. This way I know they aren't being scared in any way.

[Rhapsody]

Poor Keisha! How horrible, I hope she starts feeling better soon, and this doesn't have long lasting effects. So awful.

[dray]

Originally Posted by Dan & Corinne

I wish one of you fabulous groomers lived near me! Maybe because you are in the business and good at what you do, you don't realize groomers of your caliber who also is compassionate is a rare find, that why you have so many loyal clients and lots of referrals.

I can flip open the yellow pages and there are bunch of groomers listed but finding that special gem within the list is a tough thing to do. How do you know they are talented or caring? I don't want to go through a trial and err process with my babies, but we don't really have a choice and sometimes the result can be disappointing or even horrifiying.

Many of the frustrating stories are because of the trial and error process. But on the other hand...

I completely agree that shaving is sometimes the kindest thing a groomer can do. Allowing a pet to become matted is cruel and inhumane and the best way to give relief is to shave it off and start over. Trying to comb out sever matting is just as cruel as letting them get into that state in the first place. Their skin is already tender from all the pulling the matting is causing. - Imaging if your arm-pitt hair was long and matted to your skin, can you imagine the pain of raising your arm? What if someone was trying to comb it out? OUCH! That what matted dogs and cats feel but it's all over thier bodies! So shaving is the best option for their comfort.

Finding a groomer is really hard, I went with my daughter in Chicago to find a groomer for her. We talked to several and in the end she went to the groomer that Oprah uses for her dogs. That was a bad choice, Joey came home with a poor hair cut and a small cut on his bottom that he thought was for sure going to kill him. He could not walk for a few days. So I gave my daughter lessons in grooming her Joey and she bought all of the stuff to do it with. If you really want to see a groomer in action go into the shop on a Saturday when they are very busy and just watch for several hours. See what goes on and how they handle the dogs , ask your vet for a referral as he probably know how many times he has had to stich dogs up from that shop..I am lucky and safe as I have never had to take one for stichs and I have never been bitten that I need medical help ....YET..... Its been 27 years now and the work is taking its toll on me , but I can't think of anything I would like better.

Owner
Best Friends Pet Salon
Salem Oregon

[judyeve]

My first husband was a dog groomer for a while. He came home crazed! You couldn't talk to him until he calmed down. One little dog jumped right off the table while the noose was on him. Thankfully, my ex never took his eyes off the dogs while he was working on them. The best was the cat he had to bathe. He was one big scratch scar when he was done with that cat.

Groomers don't have it easy, but it sounds like you have a really bad feeling in your gut about this one. I would take her back to the vet, especially since she's getting worse, not better. Poor little baby! I hope she feels better soon.

[sat93us]

I have just read about the abuse of your little yorkie and it scares me to death to even think about taking my little Topaz to the groomer. Can someone tell me < is it hard to learn to do the grooming yourself? I would just die if anything happened to him.

[dray]

Originally Posted by sat93us

I have just read about the abuse of your little yorkie and it scares me to death to even think about taking my little Topaz to the groomer. Can someone tell me < is it hard to learn to do the grooming yourself? I would just die if anything happened to him.

If you are so afraid just stay with your dog while it is being groomed

[PANAMA69]

Originally Posted by sat93us

I have just read about the abuse of your little yorkie and it scares me to death to even think about taking my little Topaz to the groomer. Can someone tell me < is it hard to learn to do the grooming yourself? I would just die if anything happened to him.

No is not that hard at all, you will need patient that's all, I learn my self I have made a mistake before her hair grew back but I'm getting better and better though even people can't believe that I do it myself , you learn by your mistake.