ShamPoochies

This was my second time using this groomer, once for my cat, where they did a good job. However, when I brought my 5 year old dog in, it was a horrible experience. I called and made an appointment for early AM grooming, I brought the vet records with me. I arrived and we discussed a few mats on my dog, which is not uncommon for him, he runs 2 miles every morning and he attends doggie daycare. Immediately the mood from the groomers was negative, using words like cruel and torture when referring to the mats. I told them, do not bathe him, leave the mats, just work around them. I can comb the mats out when I get home. I just needed a sanitary (stomach, paws, anal areas). They unwilling agreed, but them the price they had given me over the phone went up $10, so the conversation became more and more heated. Then one of the young groomers used the word Torture again. For some reason, this groomer thinks that brushing out a few mats is harmful to all animals, or this is there way of pushing for shaving, because in my opinion....Shaving is easier and faster for all groomers. I am sure there is a time when shaving is the "only" option. Which was not the case today with my dog. My dog is a Havanese. His hair is thin and also protects his skin from the sun. So you are not supposed to shave his hair down. I had bathed him twice the week before and brushed him out. We live in a new subdivision and they are building more houses, very dirty, so I have to stay on top of it. The reason dog owners use groomers is for assistance with grooming. To insist that brushing my dog is cruelty to the animal and a form of torture is utterly ridiculous. At this point, after they changed the pricing, which is a "Bait and Switch" made me even more mad because I drove 45 minutes one way to get there. Then one of the younger groomers walked over to the owner and slapped down a yellow post it note, I read it upside down. It said, don't do it, meaning don't help me. So the owner started shaking her head no. So not only is my entire morning wasted, I have to find someone to groom the dog. I drove back to Pace where I live and found a new groomer right away, [redacted]'s pet grooming, in business 35 years. I dropped him off with her at 9:30, watched her start working on him, he was licking her hand as she brushed his mats. I returned at 11:30 and he was beautiful. My dog is with me 24/7. He travels with me and goes to doggie daycare and groomers in several states. As the customer paying for service and as the responsible owner of my dog, I know what is best for him. No customer deserves to be treated the way I was. It was a waste of my time, and an insult to my intelligence about the care of my dog.