No, no, and no. I was excited to try this place, based on the rave reviews on Yelp. I went in for a simple nail clipping and was not impressed AT all.
It's a very small little shack on the back side of a garden nursery. When I walked in, Jackie warmly greeted me and my dog. I explained that my rescue dog doesn't like it's nails clipped and she assured me things would be fine. And, that's when it went south.
When my dog started reacting to the clippers, instead of talking calmly and assertively - she started screaming "NO!" repeatedly to my dog. The heightened tone frazzled my dog further. I was shocked that after being in business for so many years, she had such a poor read on my dog and how to work with dogs when they get anxious. She said she was trying to show them who was in control (by yelling) and that they had to learn to calm down and get their nails clipped. My dog was so agitated, I had to muzzle the dog. She then short leashed my dog, led it inside, and clipped it to the wall. She then body slammed the dog (between her and the wall) in order to get the dog to stand still for the clipping.
I should have demanded my dog back, at that point, but somehow hoped she knew what she was doing and I hoped she was almost done. When she was finished, she brought my dog back up to me in the front waiting area and said the dog was bleeding but she didn't know which nail it was coming from. I had to figure out what nail it was and put powder on my dog's bleeding nails. I couldn't believe she had me figure it out!
The whole experience was a stark contrast to the grooming I'd experienced at another spot in San Marino (Five Paws), where the groomer calmly sat with my dog in the front of the shop and successfully clipped its nails with no muzzle needed. I was hoping to find a groomer closer to home and I thought Jackie would be the end all be all to my dog grooming needs, but instead, both my dog AND myself were traumatized by her handling.
I've since learned that a good friend has taken their dogs to Jackie for years and has been very pleased with her grooming/bathing services and has nothing but good things to say about their experience. However, if you have a dog that doesn't like getting their nails clipped, consider yourself warned. I've since learned (from my Vet - who I now use for nail clipping) that a good way to secure a reactive dog during clipping is to have them lay down on their side and have one person secure the dog while another person clips. This way, it prevents potential injury to the dog.
UPDATE: I received a very gracious private message from Jackie who apologized for the experience I had, based on my review, and very kindly welcomed me back to try with a different approach. She very clearly cares about her clientele (both dogs and humans!) and the experience they have with her. While I won't be taking her up on her offer, I thought it was important to include this follow-up in my review. read more