I recently took my schnoodle to Dog Works by Sarah. His fur was deeply matted around the belly because he likes to wear sweaters all fall/winter. Normally, I just have him shaved down after the weather warms, but we have a special event coming up and I wanted to see if we could keep him a little fluffy. Our normal groomer, Muddy Paws, told me it was "inhumane" to try to demat him. So, I did some research and found out that there are some groomers who will put in the time and effort to demat dogs without causing them pain and discomfort. Sarah is one such groomer. Not only did she agree to work with my dog and try to save his fur, she did it without making me feel like an awful pet parent for wanting to save it in the first place. The results were AMAZING. My little guy came home clean and fluffy, with the perfect teddy bear cut. Not only that, but he was HAPPY. Like, super prancy dancy happy. I hadn't seen him so relaxed after a cut in years! On top of everything else, Sarah called a week later and offered to give Scout an extra bath to get him ready for our special event ... FREE OF CHARGE. When does that EVER happen in this day and age? I can't speak for other pet owners' experiences, but I know that from now on, Sarah will be my ONLY groomer. She truly cares about animals, and not just from a grooming perspective. She took the time to talk to me about my dog's physical health, too, and advocates a holistic approach to pet care. I love that about her! I'm a really picky customer, especially when it comes to my fur child. So when I say THIS groomer is highly recommended, I mean it: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND HER. Take your precious pups to Sarah - you WON'T be sorry! read more

My experience at Sarah's Studio was a very stressful one for both me and my dog to say the least. I decided to take my one-year-old rescue to be groomed there for the first time ever because she had some matting and I was looking for a professional that would be able to properly groom her. After speaking with staff via telephone, they bragged about their qualifications and said they were okay with me staying while my dog was being groomed which is why I ultimately decided to give it a try. Being able to be present during grooming was important because my dog is easily frightened by the blow dryer, electric clippers, and loud noises. This was clearly conveyed to the staff during the phone call so that they would be fully aware of my dogs needs at the time of grooming. They assured that this would not be a problem. The day of grooming, I showed up to Sarah's Studios to find that someone named Sally would be grooming my dog. As I helped my dog onto the grooming table I was comforting my dog by saying things like, "It's okay," and "Good girl!" Immediately, Sally corrected me and said to never praise my dog for being scared or "misbehaving" because it condones "bad behavior." This put a bad taste in my mouth, however, I figured that I would brush it off because she was a "professional" who has apparently been in this business for years and must've known what she was talking about? She began brushing out and cutting my dogs hair, and everything seemed fine until she busted out the clippers, despite already knowing my dog would be afraid. She quickly turned them on and my dog panicked. My dog was so scared by the noise that she had a small bowel movement on the grooming table. After that, they said they were going to bathe my dog. At this time, I had to run home to grab my check book (they never mentioned that they only take cash or checks). I figured because I only live about 10 minutes away, I would be back in time for the rest of the grooming after my dogs bath was over. My dog has never had a problem with getting baths at home, and so I felt okay about running home quickly while she was being bathed. As I returned to Sarah's Studio, my dog was still in the back where I couldn't see her. This is where they keep what looked like some kennels and the wash station. After about 10 minutes of waiting for my dog to come back out, I heard a staff member say, "this dog won't stop freaking out!" Come to find out, while I was gone, they bathed her and tried to use a massive blow dryer to dry her which scared her so much that she had a second bowel movement. After bathing her a second time, I found out that they tried to cage dry her which caused her to poop a third time. After a third bath, all of this happened again a FOURTH TIME. I didn't find any of this out until I came back from getting my check book. They brought my dog back out from the back and I went up and comforted her on the grooming table. I stood with her during the rest of the brush/groom so that my dog wouldn't be manhandled. As she was finishing up, Sally mentioned that my dog had "a little hemorrhoid" that should be fine but that I should keep an eye on it. Well, no wonder my dog had a hemorrhoid. She pooped herself 5 different times because she was so scared!! At one point, Sally mentioned to me that she doesn't go easier on rescue dogs even though they may have had a hard life, and they need to learn to behave correctly at the groomers. This was upsetting because there are many dogs out there with special needs that need to be taken into consideration when doing anything new and scary, like grooming. So, unless your dog is a fancy show dog that is used to being groomed, this is not a good place for them. After leaving the studio, I was so upset and stressed about my poor dog and the new hemorrhoid. Out of concern, I took her to the vet. According to my vet, the hemorrhoid was caused from severe straining from stress and irritation, which could have all been avoided. Overall, Sarah's Studio is not a good place to take your dog, especially if your dog has never been groomed before, has anxiety, or is a rescue. They do not cater to dogs with special needs, and your concerns will not be taken very seriously here. During my time at Sarah's Studio, I was condescended and made to feel less knowledgeable than staff. I will never be taking my dog back there. read more

Sarah's Studio has been a great find in a local small business to get our dogs groomed. They're all good, practical people who care about what they do and do an amazing job. The owner is literally the only single person, myself included, who my 11 year old pug will let clip his nails. In any other situation it takes 2-3 people. I think both of the 1 star reviews make some wrong assumptions in their interactions with the staff. It's not snootiness, they're practical people. I have always gotten good insight about my dogs, their needs, and their behavior from everyone there. read more

I just read the really negative review, and had to chime in here. Dogworks by Sarah is not a bunch of PR specialists. They're not "smooziers." They ARE people who LOVE dogs, and know exactly what they're doing. Sally, the owner, raises Sealingham Terrier Champions, and grooms for many Westminister & Eukanuba Dog Show winners. But that's not why I love them. I picked our Bichon up one afternoon, and Sally showed me the giant pile of fur that had fallen off of our dog. I had not noticed any hair loss at home, and Sally and her staff told me to take him to our Vets ASAP. "Today," she said. They couldn't see him til 5pm, and I was told if we had been 30 mins. later, we would have lost him. He was near a diabetic coma. He had never been diagnosed with diabetes, and we take our dogs to the vets regularly. But Sally caught it. Sally's dead serious warning saved our dog. Anytime they spot anything that needs attention, they tell us. I would never go anywhere else. read more

Short story - the place smelled bad...the groomer didn't listen to what I wanted and cut all my dog's hair off...the groomer/owner was unprofessional, inappropriate, unsympathetic and yelled at ME - the customer! And my dog behaved the rest of the day as if he had been mistreated. DO NOT take your dog here! I would have included before/after pics if I could figure out how to do that. And the one star rating was because I had to pick something. Long story - As an owner of a long haired dog, I had searched high and low to find an experienced groomer in scissor cutting who would LISTEN to what I wanted. My dog and I had experienced a botched cut before and swore I wouldn't let it happen again. After doing my homework, Dog Works by Sarah seemed to be the way to go. Their groomer claims to be certified in scissor cutting and has over 30 years of experience so I thought I'd give her a try. When I walked in, I was hit in the face with the smell of urine and stale cigarettes. That should have been my signal to leave. If only... The groomer came out from the back and I explained my frustration regarding my previous experience and she seemed empathetic. She assured me that she was the best groomer in the State and even went so far as to tell me that people always bring their dogs to her after a bad experience because "[She] is the best!" We talked about what I wanted done. I specifically said that I DID NOT want my dog to look different from his shaggy appearance. I DID NOT want his face touched since I had been growing his hair, especially his ears and whiskers, for about 7 months. My dog is still a puppy, 10 months old, and I wanted him to still have a puppy appearance. I even brought pictures of both what I wanted and what I didn't want so that there was no confusion. Good to go, right? Not so much. When I returned to pick him up, I didn't even recognize him! His ears had ZERO hair on them. They were cut down to tiny triangles! Whiskers were gone. And the hair on the top of his nose was cut so short that I could see his spotted skin underneath - something that I was unaware he even had because it was NEVER visible before! WTF? The one thing I had asked not to be done, was done. I HAD BEEN IGNORED. My face gave it away and she said " You don't like it? I did what you asked." Noooo! You did not do what I asked and that is the precisely the problem! She apologized in a condescending way as if to say,' I'm the expert - I'll do what I please.' After I explained how unhappy I was, I was still asked to pay not only for the standard grooming fee, but an additional $20 for the extra time they took with my dog. Hello??!! I wanted you to take less time! Less time would have meant less cutting which is what I wanted! When I refused to pay for something I DID NOT ASK FOR, she started screaming at me and telling me that she was 'most certainly going to get paid for the GOOD work she did.' She continued yelling about how she was the BEST and pointed out all of the ribbons and trophies she had won over the years. I couldn't believe this was happening. I mean...I'm the customer and she's yelling at me??? Other customers came in to pick up their dogs and when they heard all the commotion, I showed them a BEFORE picture of my dog and they said they were so sorry for me. When she saw this, she then said that the best she could do was to offer me free grooming the next time I came in. THE NEXT TIME I CAME IN????? Really? After putting up a good fight and remembering that the building is adjacent to a gun shop, I reluctantly paid the full price and left. To top it off, my dog's behavior since I've gotten him home has been very somber- the opposite of his bubbly personality. I just hope that he wasn't mistreated. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU TAKE YOUR DOG TO BE GROOMED HERE! read more

I have taken my Pomeranian to Dog Works for eight years. After going to several other groomers, not one compared to the quality of Sarah's Studio. She does bring to your attention any issues she may notice while grooming that need attention. She has a tremendous amount of knowledge and has taught me a lot about my particular breed. My Pomeranian was originally terrified to be groomed, but after going to Sarah's several times, Sarah not only had her behaving like a pro, but she started looking forward to her spa days. Eight years later we still patronize Sarah's Studio's. She came recommended to me by my sister-in-law, who has a farm and many dogs of many breeds (past and present). She has always used Sarah and still does (10+ yrs). I have recommended Sarah to several friends who have all thanked me for finding them such a great groomer. Thank you Sarah!! read more

I have been taking my standard poodle to Dog Works for 15 years. To say she has been a challenge to groom would be an understatement: not a biter, but a Zen master in the art of all forms of passive resistence. At this advanced age, the challenges are mostly her physical limitations, namely inability to stand for any period of time. Rachael, who has the patience of a saint, gamely agreed to bathe and trim her while she was lying down. Need to do the other side? No problem - we rolled her over! Finished product was great, and the process made it easy on everyone. It is very telling that other local grooming establishments will claim they are as good as Dog Works, and that their staff was trained by Sarah Hawks. I obviously highly recommend the place. The staff will work with you on what you want, and Sarah is a walking Wikipedia on breeds and grooming. read more

I would not recommend taking your dog to get groomed here. First thing Sarah did was lock my dog in a very small crate. She then made multiple comments about my dog that made me feel very uncomfortable (i.e. Asking where I got my dog, whether or not I got her from a breeder/pet store and other questions that do not really pertain to grooming). She also made a few comments to her assistant about "waiting until mom leaves" to take care of clipping my dog's nails, which made me rushed to leave and anxious to pick my dog back up. Sarah stated that my dog was the only appointment for the day, yet I had to wait 3 hours to pick her up. When I did pick her up, my dog was still damp and her fur was very unevenly cut. Also confusing that her business has multiple names, with the same address/location. read more

They always do such a great job with our Australian Shepard and our American Eskimo. They are reasonably priced and our dogs are so happy to go there for grooming. They really care about the pets!!! read more