I have had about 3-4 weeks to think about this, and I think it is time for the review. It is…read moredifficult for me since I came to Mystic Clippers mainly for the reviews on here, but I should have shopped a bit better. I know I should have stopped by before even making the first appointment.
My decision to bring my dog here was solely based on appearances and reviews on Yelp. I figured " why not??" considering his last groomer, whom we loved, was at a Petsmart.
The first time I brought my dog here, it was a slow day, but I should have remembered that. Albi did well, but I could tell he wasn't totally okay. I know (I knowwwwww) that a visit to the groomers will always be a bit shaky for any dog because of the over stimulation, but something felt off. So after I got my report on how he did (he pulls away when they tried to clip his nails), I went to pay for the services. They told me they couldn't do everything because they gave him trouble. I asked, "Did he bite?" and they told me, "Oh, no, of course not!" so of course I was thinking....
"So... what's the problem here?"
My dog hates a lot of things and I still make him go through them, haha. (I am proud to say he now stands still when I need to soak his paw in epsom salt!).
Anyways, I paid (full price for mediocre job), but brush it off, give them a hefty tip, make an appointment with the same groomer because my dog needs the bond (hey, he's a German Shepherd... he needs to trust people), and leave.
Fast forward to second appointment, and they notify me that "Ohhh you wanted the same groomer... well, she won't be in until later, but it's nice to have variety sometimes". I went along with it because he needed the grooming so badly due to season changing. I picked him up, and the place was a mad house - Dogs are everywhere, all of them barking, some tiny thing wants to bark at my dog and really, my dog can only take so much. So I paid quickly, left with a half wet dog (I am told he doesn't like the blow dryer), and went to the vet to have him get some acupuncture so he can de-stress and not have diarrhea from the event.
When we're at the vet, he's laying down and we realize... he's got patches of fur falling out, skin is bright red... my baby is having an allergic reaction to the shampoo they use!!!! (I realize this isn't totally their fault except even at Petsmart he didn't have this going on... PETSMART, people! What the hell are these people using???). So the vet gives me stuff, it quickly healed (it looks like burn marks now), but I immediately started interviewing and researching new groomers in the area.
Now, I don't necessarily think Mystic Clippers is a poor place to take your dog. Some dogs can brush off situations like this, and aren't allergic to certain things. But here is why it didn't work for us - I expressed our desires for having the same people, so my dog can learn to trust this new place, and instead they miss out on our point.
There are a million groomers there. Really. I could not recognize each person, and they come and go. Darla was the only person I could recognize and I'm pretty sure that's because she's the owner.
The nails and blow dryer - I recently took him to another groomer who took the time to get to know Albi, and guess what? I watched from a window... he was a perfect gentleman. Really. And he barked when the blow dryer started but when he realized the groomer wasn't going to stop because of the barking, he shut up.
I'm sure this is a great place for some dogs. But it wasn't for us, and I definitely want others to know why this is a big no-no, especially for those with special needs dogs (haha! awww).