I really hate having to write this review because we have brought our dog Louie here for years, and…read moreuntil today, we have genuinely had good experiences with Happy Paws & Tails. They have always done a great job grooming him, which makes what happened today that much more disappointing.
Louie is a rescue, he is now an older dog, and grooming has never been easy for him. We have always been completely upfront about that. We specifically sought out a groomer willing and able to work with him, and for years this business has done exactly that. We are extremely appreciative of the people who have cared for him over that time.
At his previous appointment, Louie was a little more lethargic than usual from the medication he takes before grooming. They understandably were not comfortable grooming him that day and recommended that we speak with our veterinarian about changing his medication before bringing him back.
We listened.
We took Louie to the vet, explained the situation, went through the process of getting him a different medication, and scheduled another grooming appointment.
I personally spoke with Happy Paws & Tails on Friday, August 21, when we moved his appointment from Friday to Saturday. They knew his history. They knew why the previous appointment had not happened. They knew we were trying a new medication.
Then, at approximately 8:00 Saturday morning, his appointment was confirmed.
As instructed for his grooming appointment, we gave Louie his second dose of medication approximately one hour before we were supposed to bring him in.
Then, roughly 45 minutes before his appointment, we received a text canceling it.
When my wife immediately called, she was told that after reviewing Louie's notes, they were suddenly not comfortable grooming him.
That was incredibly frustrating. Those notes existed when the appointment was scheduled. They existed when we spoke the day before. They existed when the appointment was confirmed that morning. Most importantly, they existed before we medicated our elderly dog specifically for this appointment.
We were told they needed to speak with the groomer and would call us back in a few minutes. They didn't. My wife called back multiple times because we were quickly approaching the time we needed to leave. The calls went unanswered, and one appeared to be disconnected. Shortly afterward, the owner called me.
The explanation then became that Louie is difficult to groom and apparently only one person there is willing to groom him. His age was also given as a reason they were no longer comfortable grooming him--despite the fact that Louie's age has always been known to them and certainly did not suddenly change between confirming his appointment that morning and canceling it shortly afterward.
We already know Louie is difficult. They know Louie is difficult. That has never been hidden from anyone. They have groomed him for years, and there have even been occasions when we were specifically told afterward that he did well.
If they reached a point where they were no longer comfortable grooming Louie, I can accept that. Nobody should be forced to handle an animal they don't feel safe handling.
What I cannot accept is waiting until after we followed their recommendation, consulted our veterinarian, changed his medication, confirmed his appointment, and administered that medication to suddenly decide they wouldn't see him.
That decision needed to be communicated before today.
Louie is getting older. He doesn't get groomed frequently because we know how stressful it can be for him, which means when we finally get him scheduled, he genuinely needs it. Now we're left with an elderly, medicated dog who still desperately needs grooming and no appointment--all because a decision that could have been made and communicated beforehand was made at essentially the last possible moment.
I also didn't feel the owner took meaningful responsibility for how badly this was handled. I heard explanations for why they didn't want to groom Louie, but very little acknowledgment of the position their last-minute decision put Louie in.
That's the part that bothers me most.
These aren't just appointments on a schedule. They're people's pets and members of their families. If you know you aren't willing or able to provide a service, especially when medication is involved, you owe the owner enough consideration to tell them before they medicate their animal in preparation for that service.
Happy Paws & Tails has provided Louie with genuinely good grooming for years, and I won't pretend otherwise because I'm angry about today. But after today's experience, I also can't recommend them without warning other pet owners about what happened to us.
Louie deserved better communication and consideration than he received today. So did we.
