After experiencing excellent grooming from Petco in the Breckenridge community of NC, I decided to try the one on Freeport Rd in Fox Chapel. Customer Service was excellent... the groomer was very friendly & assured me that all of my special grooming requests (cutting the hair between the paw pads, cleaning the ears with hair removal that involved numbing the ear or just partial hair removal, anal gland expression, & no hair by the vulva) were standard & would be completed at no extra charge. She also assured me that the cut would be cute even when I stated the most important aspect was that my dog was comfortable & that shaving would more than likely be the best option considering the matting in her face & ears. Thorough grooming to avoid mats & my dog's comfort was my goal.
I dropped my dog off in the morning & did not hear back from them until I decided to go there... when I had called to check multiple times, the grooming dept did not answer. Although I had given my current phone number when I dropped her off as well as when I made the appointment, when I got there, I learned that the groomer had called the number associated with my reward card which was no longer in service...I have not been living close to a Petco for the last 4 years, so I had forgotten about the reward card & no mention was made of it when I dropped her off. It was upsetting that my 11 year old dog was kept for so long unnecessarily.
When I picked my baby up, she had not been shaved but rather scissor cut & her head of mats combed out. Looking cute... she looks cute regardless of her hair style. The goal was for a thorough grooming with her comfort in mind... this clearly did not happen but I did not want to complain because I feel like my complaining & leaving her to be 'fixed' would result in cruelty so I let it go & was just glad she was clean with my special requests met... I asked again if they had done the clipping between the paw pads even though I was watching her slide around on their floor... that should have been a clue that they didn't do it or that I should at least check, but that was a fail on my part.
After getting home & checking in with my baby, I found that not only had the hair in between her paw pads not been cut, but some of her toe nails were not clipped which that's a standard in pet grooming that I have never had an issue with. Additionally, her ears were not clean, not only the hair in them, but the wax as well. & her butt/vagina area has not been cleaned... the hair around that area was actually still stained. (she is white, so down in there had a yellowish tinge.) I soon also began noticing just how uneven her hair cut was. Ridiculously uneven... I have attempted to groom her before & I'm pretty sure this hair cut was worse than my scissor attempt.
Since this grooming & in vet visits, I have learned that the anal gland expression was also not done. For my dog, this has been a health issue & it is extremely frustrating & disappointing that this did not happen & has caused my dog so much discomfort. Her ears have also been a source of concern.
Overall, I would absolutely NEVER return to this Petco for grooming services as it is obvious they do not truly care about the dog's well being but rather just making them look cute which honestly... an uneven scissor cut & dirty butt are pretty far from cute. read more