We have been lucky enough to have Ashley as our groomer. We have been using this service for many years. Ashley is always so kind and professional and we will be forever grateful for the care that she has given our Spencer, who passed :( and our Cooper who literally jumps into the van for his spa day :) We would never go back to any other groomer and really appreciate how wonderful this experience is for not just Cooper, but peace of mind for us. We're always telling friends and family about this service! Thank you, Ashley and Dogfather for doing such a great job! :) read more

Been taking our dogs ( and cat) here for past few years after a negative experience at another groomer. They are professional, helpful, and caring. Jackie is a consummate professional and cares deeply about her clients. Would not take my loved ones anywhere else. Quality work with care. read more

Dogfather Grooming - Stella is napping now and it is difficult to see how velvety she looks!! - Pet Groomers Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

Great first experience clean, friendly and my jasper was happy instead of traumatized

We have been lucky enough to have Ashley Grooming our toy poodle, Winnie. Ashley does a great job grooming her. Winnie adores Ashley. She's been grooming her for 7 years now. she's so professional yet kind and you can tell she loves her job working with the animals! I just can't say enough how lucky I feel. Dogfather mobile is great! read more

Very good job! Cooper seems to like the girls very much. I'm sure glad you came to the house. My car can finally be fur free!

Beware!!! We took our 10m/o mini schnauzer in for his 1st grooming. He had some matting on his hips and legs so we knew he'd have to get a shorter cut. We did not expect he'd be shaved down to his skin! He came home whimpering and crying, with clipper burns and hot spots all over his sensitive areas. Groomer Jackie and manager Suzan (I think her name is) were zero help post appointment and "the boss" was even less help. We needed up spending more to treat his burns and irritation than the actual cut cost! Stay away from this place! Avoid the headaches and heartache of watching your fur baby suffer! He sits with his head hanging all day! We have to take him out to hold him, feed him, carry him out to potty everything! Their solution, $20 refund. The absolute worst! read more

Dogfather Grooming - Pet Groomers Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

See all

The girls love their Kayla!! We've been going to her for about 2 years now, and she always does such a lovely job!! She's definitely the best groomer in the world in our eyes Thanks Kayla, we appreciate you! read more

Dogfather Grooming - Pet Groomers Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

See all

This review applies to the storefront building, not the mobile van experience. Took our 6 month old puppy for her first bath that also included nails and ears. Not only did they not bathe her (because she was too anxious(?)), but they also billed us for doing nails and ears (never did ears). Because they refused to bathe the puppy, we did the mobile van the following Monday (3 days later) and discovered the ears were never cleaned. Do not take your pet there. read more

Had a 3pm appt. for a full grooming. We are a regular customer and use them every 4-6 weeks. The last time they came, my son was ten minutes late getting there and the groomer had already left. He did end up turning around and coming back, but also gave my son a hard time when he got back. At about 3:15 they still hadn't arrived so I text (their preferred method of contact). And called at about 3:20 when they still hadn't arrived. At 3:26 Craig text our admin and said we have an appt. today but I'm running a little late (at 3:00 you didn't know you were running late?) and asked were we still keeping the appt. We confirmed yes, and at 3:30 he responds and said he will be there in 15 minutes. He got there at 3:44 as promised and took Crüe in the van about 2-3 mins later. At approx 3:55-3:57 (I approximate the time as I was already on the highway heading home at 4:03 and I had put Crüe back in the car and paid him after the 'full grooming' was complete) he comes out of the van with Crüe, still wet, obviously. I said he's done already?! To which he replied "yes well he doesn't like the blow dryer so he's "a little damp." He was wet. Not damp. Additionally, I bathe this dog all the time myself at Natural Pet in Monroe and blow dry him every time and have never had an issue. My son told me the appt. was prepaid so I mentioned that the next time they should probably call sooner especially since he had given my son a hard time the previous time for being ten mins late. He said "I didn't give him a hard time and I even came back, now who's going to pay me?" I said that I was under the impression it was already paid for and he said "well it's not and someone needs to pay me now." In fairness my son was mistaken, while they typically prepay when they book, it had not been this time. I asked how much it was and he said $100. I said $100 for 12 mins and you didn't even dry him? (Remember he was scheduled for a full grooming). To which Craig replied "hey lady (hey lady, no less) if you don't want us to groom your dogs anymore we won't groom your dogs any more." At this point I'll admit I was annoyed and I did say "well that's great customer service!" I put Crüe in the car and grabbed my purse and got a credit card. I walked back over to the van and handed it to him and he said... wait for it... "why are you so nasty?" LOL!!!! Uhm, ok Craig! I didn't respond, waited for him to run my card and said thank you when he handed it back to me and left. I text my son to tell him what happened and he responded "guys always a d*ck." So why are we paying him $100/month to groom the dog-- I ask?!? In summary, full grooming at The Dogfather Mobile Grooming = 45 minutes late, 12 minutes with your pet, $100. price tag, wet dog AND an attitude... SMDH. Safe to say we won't be using them again. read more

Dogfather Grooming - Pet Groomers Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

Angel our groomer lived up to his name and then some! My pup is older & can be grouchy. He adored Angel and visa versa!

Brent was amazing! I have a toy poodle who is old and very nervous. Brent was patient and kind. He took his time explaining things that would help work for me moving forward. Looking forward to our next appointment. read more

Do not take your pet to get groomed here!!!! They brought my cat back half shaved and said they would do the rest in a month??? I paid for full grooming session and they did not bathe him or cut his nails. They tried to say he was "infested with fleas" which is absolutely not true since my cat is an indoor cat and I check his coat. They hung up on my sister when she called to complain and just keep making up lies for why they didn't complete the service. Customer service is horrible and I can't even think about how they treated my cat since my cat is the sweetest cat with anyone that comes visits but came back looking so scared. Do not come here! read more

I ask for different grooms each time and every time they do it exactly how I want. Sam is fantastic! I also like how it's not impossible to get an appointment here. I do the in salon grooming in Stratford. Good price, only takes a few hours, and they have cute treats to buy for my dog after he's done. I like how it's small so you know they aren't keeping them in a kennel all day. This pic is a month or so grown out and he still looks great! read more

Dogfather Grooming - Pet Groomers Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

Wow, reading the reviews for this business, giving people a "hard time" seems to be their MO. I booked an appointment for today about a week ago. I kept getting texts confirming and letting me know about a $ 50 charge if I don't cancel within 48 hours. Last night I started feeling lethargic and took a Covid test which came out positive. I immediately texted them and told them about the situation. I was still willing to go though with the mobile groom. I was told the groomer would show up between 8-8:30 am. He showed up at 7: 45. I had the cat in a carrier on my closed front porch so I would have no contact. At 8:35 (exactly 12 hours to the minute when I told them about my Covid test) I get a text admonishing me for not using the app (what app?) and not canceling the appointment and they were unable to warn the groomer before he got here and they hope he doesn't get sick, get everyone else sick and have to cancel their entire week. I answered back that I tried to do the right thing and I don't know anything about an app. Then I get a little nicer text telling me what to do in the future how to inform so they will see immediately. But they also let me know that my cat was matted more than I told them and that he was taking longer with him and now he's going to be late for all of his appointments today. Boy, talk about feeling like a persona non grata. Finally almost 2 hours later, he texts me and says all set. My husband went out and paid him $200 plus tip. He did a beautiful job. I texted and thanked him.....crickets.... read more

Professional business. Would recommend to anyone. On time, great job. Polite and well trained. read more

I NEVER write Yelp reviews but, I was treated so horribly, I had to do something. After waiting two weeks for a Dogfather grooming appointment, this is what happened. (1) It took several communications to verify an appointment and on the morning of our appointment our groomer had an emergency and another groomer was deployed. (2) The scheduling confirmations changed multiple times (different arrival times) and she showed up 20 minutes earlier than our scheduled appointment (3pm). (3) The groomer came across as angry from the start and put a negative spin on everything we said about our dog. (4) Finally, and this is the clincher, she explained that she couldn't groom her because I wasn't home (PS: everyone in our house was home) and the fact that she makes a snorting sound (similar to a bulldog) which IS NOT a medical issue, it's part of the breed. We tried to explain it to her but, she was afraid (of what I'm not sure). (5) I must note that my dog is in perfect health, up to date records, and shots, and is as sweet as can be /has never bitten a soul. When we explained that she doesn't like the sound of a dryer (what dog does!!?), she decided to bail last minute. All in all, the worst grooming experience I've had in 12 years. Look elsewhere. read more

Welcome to the neighborhood! We live right around the corner and stopped in this AM for a quick clipping of our dogs nails. He is a rescue and is not good around other dogs and very nervous of these situations. They could not have been any kinder to him! While he was getting clipped, he was getting a massage that could rival any to keep him calm. Thank you so much!! read more

I use their mobile grooming - Brent really knows what he's doing and he's gentle and kind with my skittish pup. The kind of experienced groomer you want. read more

They take care of my baby!!! She is epileptic and they go out of their way to make sure she is safe!!! No triggers!!!

We brought our small dog to the Stratford location at 9:15 am and were told he would be ready in three to four hours. Four-and-a-half hours later, the dog was nowhere near ready and we took him out since we had other plans for the day and could not wait for them to get their act together. No explanation was given on the considerable delay in service. read more

We just had our lab groomed there for the first time today. He looks amazing! Honestly, the best he has ever looked. The staff were really nice and it was easy to get an appointment. And they dad an absolutely fantastic job. We'll definitely be going back! read more

Dogfather Grooming - This is one clean handsome dog! - Pet Groomers Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

Would definitely NOT recommend this place.. Had our lab done here.. First the grooming only took 1/2 hr.. then the groomer brought our dog back wet.. saying the dog was afraid of the blow dryer... so we had to contend with a soaking wet dog (smelly wet dog) the rest of the day)... then the price I was originally quoted was told was incorrect and had to pay another $30.00... for a service that wasn't even completed... very unprofessional ... read more

Charlie, my Maltese Terrier rescue, loves Kat. He tends to get nervous before his groom, yet Kat is able to put him at ease. We love the beautiful job she does on Charlie's grooming. We're never disappointed! read more

Dogfather Grooming - Pet Groomers Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

Tried giving the mobile grooming a chance to avoid a trip to petsmart for a bath as I normally would have, and ended up having a negative experience unfortunately. My dog was a bit nervous due to the dryers that are used to dry the pets from what I'm told, and had anxiety for the 20 minute service provided until they stopped. Although baths are typically 1 hour in duration, I was still charged 120 for the bath and stuck with having to dry my pet for another half an hour myself with a hair dryer to avoid potential hot spots. Tried to speak to customer service for some sort of remedy but a generic response was given. Based on this experience, wouldn't be using this service again unfortunately. Was hoping for the best but got the worst. read more

Girl did a great job grooming my dog. I was told their prices went up and was quoted $85-90 per dog. I had 1 dog groomed today, my dog is 16lbs and I was charged $115. Meanwhile, a year before I was charged $150 for 2 dogs. Owner claims after a year, previous clients are booted out of the system and are charged new client prices. Such crap. Also, they claimed my dog didn't like the blowdryer either....seems to be a theme with them. read more

Terrible experience all around. The guy Craig is a rude clown. He cut my dogs paw. He claimed that the dogs behavior was the reason why. All he had to do was text me to come out or just stop trying to clip the dogs nails. He then called me and berated me on the phone saying that my dogs were badly behaved. They've gone to groomers before but never a mobile groomer. His claim was that salons won't tell you if your dogs aren't behaving. Absolutely not true because my groomer told me everything. But his inability to accept accountability and the price alone are enough for me to say that this place is not worth it. read more

I brought my 3 month old labradoodle here for his first haircut and I will definitely NOT be returning. First, we called a few weeks in advance to make his appointment, we were told haircuts for labradoodles start at $50, could be more depending on matting, how large the dog is, etc. We go to pick up our 15 pound pup and his total is $85. He had NO matting at all by the way. We asked about the $50 we were quoted on the phone and they said we must have called the Meriden location. Considering I live in Shelton, I know I didn't call the Meriden location. Little more than I expected to pay but, fine. I'm glad to pay whatever the price is as long as I know what the price is. I had an 8am appointment and when I arrived at 7:52am the only other car in the parking lot was another customer waiting. 2 employees showed up at 7:58am and as soon as the door opened at 8 they already had 4 dogs in there. I don't know many adults who show up for an 8am shift at 7:58 but thats what you can expect here. 4 hours later they call us to come pick up our dog. AFTER we pay they bring our dog out and "oh by the way, we nicked his paw pad while we were grooming him so he was bleeding a little bit". Would have been nice to know that BEFORE I paid don't you think? He comes out and he was not bleeding a little bit, he was bleeding. Blood on my shirt, blood on my wife's hands, blood on their floor, blood on our floor as soon as we brought him home. The groomer said if we decided to bring him to the vet they would cover the vet bill which was nice, but thats not the point. The point of bringing your dog to a groomer is so a professional could do it. They said they sealed his cut with "medical glue". As soon as he started walking around (still inside the store) it started bleeding again so they brought him to the back to apply more medical glue. I'm no expert in medical glue, but I'm familiar with crazy glue and thats what the bottle looked like. Did a manager of any sort come out? Nope. The entire conversation took place with the groomer. We wound up calling the next day to ask for a refund and they had to call the manager to ask if that was okay. For what's its worth, they offered to pay the vet bills and they did wind up giving us a refund, but save yourself the trouble and go somewhere else. read more

I've been to this place with my dog about 2-3 times, and I will never go there again. After the last time my dog was there, she returned home and had difficulty breathing. It was as if she was suffocating. The groomers tied the collar around her too tightly , and my poor dog was unable to breathe. No wonder why the groomer told me as I picked her up that my dog was whimpering. read more

My dog is not a fan of being in a place with other dogs so he has not done well at traditional grooming salons. I work as a vet tech and had heard of many people raving about the dogfather so I wanted to give them a try. I'm so happy I did! They got me scheduled within a few weeks of contacting me, which I was so grateful for considering how backed up groomers are right now. our groomer Teagan came to the house and was soo wonderful with our boy. I explained what he typically hasn't done well with (usually needs to be sedated for nail trims) and was very impressed with her knowledge and approach; she let him get comfortable with everything since it was his first experience with them. She was very thorough and by some miracle was able to trim his nails! I'm so happy with their service and expertise provided by the DogFather and Teagan. I think their pricing is 100% reasonable given the convenience of them coming. To us, not to mention the knowledge and training they have. Pictured is my boy who was so sad to see her leave. read more

Dogfather Grooming - Pet Groomers Near Me - Stratford, Connecticut

See all

We set up an appointment for 3:00; at 2:45 I received a text from Kim(?) saying she was running 20 minutes behind. When she finally showed up 3:30, I asked Kim, in addition to basic grooming, to make sure to trim my pooch's nails. When she was finished with the grooming, even though she was late, Kim did not offer any sort of discount. I paid 85.00. Once she left, I noticed the nails were not clipped. read more