I'm a conscientious person, so I take responsibility for my role in this, but I had a terrible experience at Rex resulting in (who I assume to be) the owner screaming F-Bombs directly in my face, while gesturing erratically.
What happened, you ask? Well, put on your reading caps.
My dog, who's gigantic, had just used the self-service tubs, which are completely awesome by the by. That's the 1-star of this review.
My giant dog and I went to check out, and a small terrier was tethered, unattended, via a leash to the check-out counter. I'm not sure what happened or who fired first, but suddenly there's a Gigantic vs. Tiny rumble in the Bronx. I quickly grab my dog and pull her off...the logistical problem? Well, the terrier was only tethered - there was no human to pull her (him?) back too. So as I pulled my dog away, the Terrier was still free to pursue. Which, as is the nature of dogs in an argument, (s)he did.
Thus, the rumble started again. Lather, rinse, and repeat this scenario for the entire approximate 6' of the terrier's leash radius as I continued to pull my dog farther and farther away. At one point the poor terrier re-lunged, only to get its (un-supervised) leash tangled around my dog's leg, which made separating them even more difficult because the little Terrier kept moving along with her. I even screamed "Someone help me!" hoping anyone would come and hold the Terrier's leash.
It was a 3-4 second Complete and Total Shitshow Royale that felt like an absolute eternity.
My dog is not typically aggressive, otherwise I would not have brought her into a store with other dogs. This was an anomaly. So I don't know what happened. Maybe my dog got surprised when she looked down and realized there was a dog there? Or, maybe the Terrier got territorial when (s)he looked up and a dog as big as mine standing over her/him to check out. I don't know. But it happened. And it was completely horrifying, especially given the size difference.
Fortunately, neither dog was seriously injured. The terrier had a small cut on its lip, and mine had a small cut on her chest.
This is where the 0-Star portion of my review kicks in: who I assume to be the owner (although he may have only been a manager) snapped into a fit of unparalleled and unbridled unprofessionalism.
He crossed the room to start screaming at me. Screaming at me. Literally. Screaming. Up. In. My. Face. About how "fucked up" it is that I would "knowingly bring a fucking aggressive dog" into the store. How "fucked up" it is that my dog did this, and even more so, how "fucked up" I am for "not even fucking trying to pull [my] fucking dog away." ???? "Fucked up" "Fucked up" "Fucked up"... The verbal tirade continued for several minutes.
I admit I yelled back at one point, adrenaline was high, and he had just (in addition to other outlandish statements) accused me of not pulling my dog away. That's ALL I was trying to do. I mean, seriously, in what bizarro world would a dog owner just let two dogs fight?! And in what world without physics would a fight start at Point A, and end over 6 feet away at Point B if there wasn't an attempt to separate the dogs? I did the best I could in a crappy situation, but the logistical reality is that I had to get my dog out of the unattended Terrier's loose leash radius, and that took a couple extra seconds.
It prolonged a horrifying event.
What happened wasn't ideal in the slightest, but it happened. But what *didn't* need to happen was the nuclear meltdown of professionalism that followed.
***Take your business elsewhere, folks, lest something go wrong while you're in the store and you face the verbal --and damn near physical-- abuse of a pissed off shift manager.***
No manager, owner, or even disgruntled shift worker, should ever scream F-Bombs at a customer, let alone enough F-Bombs to make the client genuinely afraid for her physical safety...no matter what.
Good luck, and happy bathing. May your experience be better than mine.
UPDATE 03/01: It has been brought to my attention that the out-of-line employee was a groomer, not the owner. It has also been brought to my attention that it's very unlikely my dog started the scuffle...which makes the abuse I endured by the groomer that much more absurd and agitating.
Rex is a great place to shop and to use the self-service tubs, I'm sure. But as a general user tip, keep your guard up around un-attended dogs they allow in the store. And as a specific user tip: ask yourself whether any service or good Rex provides is worth the risk of crossing a combative and threatening employee, or if you're comfortable letting your dog get groomed by someone with obvious unprofessionalism and anger management issues. If not, there are tons of other pet stores on The Hill. read more