3 stars! And keep in mind, 3 stars means A-OK.
Tammy is one of the sweetest people I've ever encountered in a business setting. We spoke, at length, about Gizmo and Pomeranians / long-haired dogs, in general. I wanted to know pricing on trimming of paw pads and 'sanitary' areas (some folks call this a mini-groom, some folks call this a touch up). I bathe Giz myself (he loves baths and enjoy bathing him - lol) and clip his nails, but shaving around his little rectum is nerve wracking and when I shave his paw pads - I can never get them very close - so they're shaggy five days later and he's slipping and sliding all over the floors.
She couldn't quote a firm price for the service until she saw him, in person, which I was completely fine with - but it took a couple of weeks for me to coordinate bringing him by. She saw, him, quoted price and I explained what I needed done. I asked her to take his paw pads down as close as she could safely get them. And I used this exact language because this wasn't my first time at the rodeo and I did not want to hear a lecture about (like I did the first 2 years of his life) about how you have to be careful around paw pads and 'scooping them out' because of the webbing. I understand this - this is why I tend to leave it to the professionals. :-)
I explained to her that my schedule is all over the place - and she said she took 'drop ins' and suggested that I just call when I was ready and she'd let me know her availability. When I finally called and asked if she could see him, she was, once again, super sweet and told me to bring him by at 5:30. I showed up and she was super apologetic, but explained to me that she needed me come back in an hour. I went home, then called to see if she was ready for me. She told me a new, later time to arrive. I knew she was closing soon - plus it was storming like crazy - so when the appointed time arrived - I just drove up there and she wasn't quite ready. But this time, she suggested that I leave Giz and she would call me when he was ready.
I was a little reluctant to leave him - not because I didn't trust her - because she seems super trustworthy - but because I felt like Gizmo might get anxious and hard to deal with if he was sitting in his carrier for an undetermined amount of time watching her groom another dog (who was clearly anxious and fidgety). Because it was so late - I decided to throw caution to the wind and just leave him. Tammy called me about 40 minutes later to let me know he was ready. She also told me that she 'knicked' the webbing on his paw but the bleeding had stopped.
When I arrived, Gizmo seemed fine. I looked at his foot and it was no longer bleeding. The next day. He seemed fine. He didn't leave the house that day at all, but that night - around 9pm, he was running down the hall - in front of me - and I noticed that he was running on 3 legs instead of 4. It was almost comical because with his abundance of fur - he looked like his leg had been amputated.
I picked him up and examined his foot. It was slightly red - so I washed with an antibacterial solution and put Neosporin on it. The next day, I called Tammy to tell her what happened. She was apologetic and sweet - but when I told her that I was thinking of taking him to the vet - at no point did she offer to cover reimbursement costs. Gizmo will be 5 soon, so I'm no longer the easily panicked newbie / first time owner of yesteryear. I waited 9 whole days before before finally relenting and taking Gizmo to the vet because he was still hopping. And please don't judge me - because a) I called the vet to ask Dr. Danielle's advice and b) some days, I would think he was fine because he would use all four legs for the first part of the day, but then BAM! all of sudden, he'd be hopping again by 2am. SO I just kept it clean and kept putting Neosporin on it.
I was a little bummed because I felt like Tammy should have made the offer to reimburse veterinary care should it be deemed necessary in the future. Or at least - called to check on Giz. I also didn't LOVE being told to bring him at one time, then having to come back another time, leave him, then come back out to get him. But not judging her too harshly on the second point because, honestly, I think Tammy probably gets overbooked because she tries to accommodate too many people because she's so sweet.
Any way - I didn't feel comfortable calling her to ask for either reimbursement for the vet visit or a credit at her salon for the equivalent amount because I didn't want to feel like I was 'shaking her down.' Accidents happen, I understand - but how you handle the aftermath is what matters. I can't give her 2 stars (Meh! I've experienced better) though, because she was just such a friendly person and based on her photos and other reviews, she's clearly a skilled professional. read more