If you value your animals, especially senior animals, do NOT take them here. My sweet 12 year old boy came home completely limping. When we brought him in originally, he was walking completely fine. Not once did they tell us what happened. When we reached out after we got home and he was virtually unable to walk, we were immediately hit with excuse after excuse. He had his skin cut as well, and when we mentioned it, the groomer told us that it was a scab that she hit and that she "completely forgot to tell us." Did you forget to tell us, or did you not want us to know? We would have completely understood that accidents happen...we're just upset that we had to discover it first.
Then, we reached the owner. She IMMEDIATELY was defensive and unapologetic, much like how she responds to other negative messages below. She then said, and this is verbatim, "there's no doubt in my mind that he would be sore and probably not able to walk very well after getting groomed by observing him during his whole time at the shop today he was unable to stand."
If you had no doubt and KNEW he would be sore, why would you not communicate this to us?
Would it have not eliminated so much stress and trouble by simply saying "He had a difficult time standing, he might show signs of soreness" ??? She then said it took multiple people to hold him up. So you're telling me that neither the owner, groomer or any of the "multiple people" felt the need to communicate with us, and it took us reaching out in order to get answers? Why would you not encourage your staff to be more gentle, or maybe attempt to find an alternative way that would help him be more comfortable, rather than apparently forcing him to stand? You were aware he'd be sore, but you allowed your staff to continue while you stood by and watched? You apparently knew that a dog would leave in pain AND HAVE WORSE MOBILITY ISSUES (yes, she said this!), but you allowed your staff to continue? Is that taking care of our pup, like you said you did? Is that "keeping him comfortable?" Every response she had further dug herself in a deeper hole.
After posting about my experience on social media, I had multiple people reach out and say that they had bad experiences, too. Please, please take this as a warning and never visit Val's Paw Spa. There is zero accountability and it is somehow always the customer's fault. I'm fully prepared for a nasty response back, but I'd rather be gaslit than not warn people about how horrible this place and how horrible the staff (and specifically the owner) are.
-- Update since the owner responded: See how quickly you were to say that he was in "terrible condition" and put the blame on us? We have ring camera footage showing our happy dog, excited for a car ride, walking completely fine. The "girl on camera" (which is not the "gotcha!" threat you think it is, by the way) was just making the staff aware that he is a SENIOR DOG and has a difficult time getting up onto high surfaces. So with your logic, because she told you guys that he can have difficult time, and making you aware that he is a senior dog that, it makes it justifiable for him to come out limping and unable to walk?? After literally admitting that you had no doubt he'd leave in worse condition? If that is too much to handle, why would you not turn us away? If he was in such "terrible condition," and you were worried about him, why would you accept him? We would have had no issue finding another option. I'm not surprised with your response -- it's exactly what I expected from you. It just continues to prove that there is zero accountability and that it's always the customer's fault first. Photos added to show how bad it was. Absolutely insane. read more