I am furious with the groomer, and Aggie is miserable!
As most of you know, Aggie was a resuce dog. So her coat had finally grown out after six months. So I took her to day camp yesterday, and had them groom her (which I do about once a month!) and I am very unhappy about what they did to her. Well they called me when they got her back to the grooming area and said she had some matts, which I knew. But they were not bad, and could be easily brushed out. So the girls said they wanted to shave her. I said absolutely not! You can use scissors, but I do not want any part of her less than 1 inch short. So we go to pick her up yesterday, and they have completely shaved her all over! Like a mercy shave! AND, they shaved her rear end (unecessary) and now she is miserable and scratching all over the place on the carpets and she is whimpering still. There is also a huge sore, and I mean huge on her chest and nipple from the razor. My husband and I think that they were being lazy because she stated to me on the phone it would take a few hours to get out the matts, and they didnt want to brush her that long. SO now I have a very upset naked dog, and I am really angry. I am getting ready to call them, but I want to make sure that I have a right to be livid....which I am!!! Help! Amber |
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I hope you plan on talking only to the manager and expect a free grooming session. There's no way I would have left yesterday with my dog shaved if what you say is true ...and her mats were not too terrible on top of the fact you said, don't you dare shave her. Then to not get a phone call saying they decided to go ahead and shave her. Due to some bad experiences of my own, I never leave until i talk to the actual person that is going to groom my dog. I've found people will translate differently to the groomer OR forget the details I had ...which I write down since people usually have their eyes popping out of their head when I'm finished reading the list. This is at least what my husband says...  To me, I only ask for obvious things they should be used doing automatically, so I'm just letting them know I don't want them to forget something. Anyway, yes I'd be pissed if that happened to my dog! |
| yes it has happened to others and yes you should be upset...... |
| It's upsetting when it's not what you expected, but it really is kinder to shave them down and start over if they get matted much. |
| I agree, grooming her once a month means she probably was more matted than you realize - and the sore could have been under the hair not razor burn. start with a shave and brush her at least weekly to keep the mats at bay (more often depending on her age). I think we have all been there. |
| You have every right to be upset. I would be FURIOUS. What kind of groomer says they don't want to spend the time on a few mats?
Like Jo, I go in with a list which doesn't vary much - I should just type it up on the computer and save the time of writing it out  . Since I started to do that I haven't had poodle paws or weird trimming around the eyes.
Do you want us to go visit this person and set 'em straight?  |
floofdog wrote: You have every right to be upset. I would be FURIOUS. What kind of groomer says they don't want to spend the time on a few mats?:
The kind who isn't getting paid for the extra work? In OES there is rarely such a thing as a few mats... Now, if you're talking razor burns, THAT would upset me. And not notifying me that they didn't intend to honor my request. On the flip side, some groomers won't accept OES and I don't blame them. I'm supposed to trim a friend's rescue dog as a favor (frankly, I owe her owner for all of the times she's helped me with various "stuff") and I felt her in passing the other night so I KNOW she's a minimum three hour job to demat if I want her to look decent, and I do. And that's before I ever put her in a tub and bathe her and blowdry her and then trim her. So easily 6 hours. And this from an experienced OES person who does work very hard to keep her dog mat free. But this time of year with getting snowed on and all, mats happen. Lucky for me I'm not a professional groomer and don't have 6 other dogs to do... 
Oh, wait. I do. But they're mine so I don't have to do them all in one day. 
Kristine |
| I always talk to the groomer and explain what I want. To make it simple for them I say " Do you know an OES looks like in the show ring? The answer is yes. Good then that is what I expect to have when I come and pick him up, minus the teasing. He is usually there from 9am to about 3pm.
I always brush Obe the night before he is suppose to go. That way I know if he has matts. I get them out or I cut them if bad (rare). There is never a question and the groomer is great. She loves Obe and doesn't mind because I keep him in good shape. He doesn't mind being pampered and all the attention either. |
| Thanks for the support. And no, the sore on her rectal area was not ther previously. No matts there. It is a very bad case of razor burn all over her chest and her anus. I just got back from the vet (loaded with antibiotics and steriods to help her with the itch) and they were horrified. I can promise you that she was not more matted than I realized. I brush her very often, and her coat was not bad at all. What makes me even angrier than the shave is that in doing so they HURT HER, and she is my baby, and no she is miserable and I cant fix it for her. Of course I would understand if she was a matted mess, which she was not. And certainly there was no matt on her bottom! I am telling you I have never seen anything like this. I spoke with the management there, and I expect them to eat that grooming charge, and to pay for this vet bill. I am generally a very reasonable person, but this is just wrong. Like my mom said, they probably have no idea how to groom a sheepdog. Well, they will never ever get that chance again. Not for Aggie anyway... |
| I am sorry that Aggie (and you) are going through this. Poor girl!!!
I know when I go to the groomers with Heart or Pearl, all the groomers probably want to run and hide!!!! 
I won't let anyone touch them until I know that they, in fact, know how to groom an OES. I am very lucky that one of my groomers has sheepies so he really knows what he is doing. I am sooo picky!! I go over every inch of them, pointing out exactly what I want done and how. I tell them what to leave alone..(especially the face..as I have had my sheepies come out looking like Maltese...  ).
Then when I pick them up...I go over them in front of the groomer that worked on them to make sure everything was done and there are no problems. I understand that they are a very hard breed to groom, but with the prices that I am charged I expect perfection.... 
Hope you do get your vet bills and a refund on your grooming charge and I hope you can find a groomer that deserves to groom your Aggie!!!! Keep us posted, I hope she heals soon... |
| Thanks! Thanks for that. I just feel so bad for her right now. Hopefully the medicine will start to make her more comfortable. I still have not heard back from the manager at the groomers yet! But I am getting ready to call them again. That is not a visit I wish to pay for. I think that from now on I will just take care of her myself!
Thanks for all the support guys... Amber |
| Poor Aggie, usually the steroids stop any itching pretty fast, so I will keep my fingers crossed for you both.
Good luck with the manager!! Remember the principles of negotiation stay calm, state you case, tell them what you want done to rectify the situation and then STICK TO YOUR GUNS. |
| Good advise, Mim.
Amber, I do hope Aggie will be feeling better soon. I am really sorry you had such an awful experience with the grooming.  Poor Aggie. |
| I am sorry you and Aggie have to go through this.
I don't know if this is practical for you - but I always stay with Winston while he is being groomed. I bathe and brush him myself and all I need from a groomer is some scissoring. I have found when I stay for the groom, nothing gets done that I am not happy with. A lot of groomers don't like the owner to hang around -but I have been lucky to find a few that don't seem to mind. Good luck amd please give Aggie a gentle hug. |
| i am a groomer. a learner that. and also only had an oes for nearly a year so learning with that too. but as a groomer if someone said dont shave him, i wouldnt, i have 2 oes that come to me one regular for a brush and bath, has a few matts but the worst i do is get the thinners on the matts and carry on brushing them, other than that my matt zapper of a matt breaker, better than cutting them, the other comes for a complete shave off every 3 months but she dousnt brush him at all so he is really matted but to shave him off, i have 2 pair of clippers and 2 blades so i never use a hot blade. i think it is so wrong that they didnt ask your permission directly to shave him off and to burn him too!!!!
if i did that to a dog and i found him to be beyond dematting without causing cruelity i would contact the owner first. i constantly check my blades, oil them regular and change them before they get hot. i groom oes for next to nothing as i much prefer to see them in full coat and if the owner is too lazy then i offer a weekly brush for a bottle of wine, it wouldnt take me long and much better in the long run. but hey she still dousnt come so he dousnt get brushed so i charge her a fortune to clip him off. some people you cant help. the other brushes hers daily so its great just a bath and trim every month. well thats my opion. maybe i am bias because i have an oes. i too go through hell with the matts. i can brush him for hours on a sunday and monday he has matts. i have never known a dog like it, its one thing to groom them but to live with them is something else! he has a quick brush daily and a full groom once a week |
| Grrrrrrrrr. That's all I can add. Grrrrrrrrr. |
| I'd be having my attorney write them a letter so fast you couldn't believe it. Along with my vet bill and medication bill attatched to it as well as asking for the money back for what they did to my dog.
I've dealt with a groomer 'trying ' to tell me my dogs had a matt and wanted to shave them. Un Uh............. i said WAIT and i will be right back there and you can SHOW it to me. DO NOT touch them again until I get tehre............. well all of the sudden the matts 'aren't really THAT bad"........... |
| I'm sooooooooooooooooo sorry that you and your poor dog are going through this. They obviously don't know how to groom..period. They seem to have a hearing problem and don't like to be told what to do.
You are right to talk to the manager, if thats not the owner, get his/her # also. Give them the vet bill and tell them what the Vet said. It broke my heart when you said "They hurt my dog". To me thats about the worst thing a person can do. I say GO GET THEM!!!!! |
| I work at a groomers on Saturdays.. (not my full time job and I'm only considered a prep/bather not a groomer). There is not one groomer there who likes doing OES, but they will if they show up.
BUT here is my advice to all of you.. (speaking as the person who preps the dog for the groomer.. meaning.. I blow it out and brush and demat it). If you think you have really properly done a decent job brushing your dog out.. do this.. put a metal comb through it the night before, over every inch of your dog. Then you will really know how well you have done on your brush out. The comb test is what we have to do. I bet that great job you think you did will blow your mind how great it really is NOT. I'm speaking as an OES owner. I'm guilty as charged or certainly was in the past with my last dog. I'm useless without the comb now, because even though I brush out my dog often (and she's at 4 inches), she has matts around her collar, under her arm pits on her chest at skin level and the slicker brush can go right over them. All areas she fights me on. Your groomer has to give you back a dog without knots.. or at least that is their job. I don't by any means condone the fact that they shaved the dog without asking you if it was ok. I wouldn't be real happy with that either, but I would understand if they told me it was too matted and they had to shave it down or if they decided i needed to pay a dematting fee, I would give in, I have had to in the past. Back in the day with my last dog and before I knew what I was doing groom wise, I had several of those calls. I just gave in. I do expect that is razor burn that is making your dog so uncomfortable. Try some talcom (sp?) powder, it may help. Many dogs realize new airflow on the anus and will sit down all the time for the first week after a shave until they get used to it. It is very common to have that occur. OES's take around 2-3 hours on a semi decent coat. That means your groomer gets paid $85 (ok probably 50% of that goes to owner.. so use the figure $45) for 3 hours of work.. Now take 5 little dogs that bring in $45-$65 a piece, are super easy and can all be done in that same 3 hour time frame. Tip's on 5 dogs vs one dog (if the OES owner even tips ... and my feeling is all should). It's just basic math logic. In most cases a shave will be offered. It's just the nature of the business. (I am not an owner, not speaking on behalf of anyone, just going off of what I see in the industry in general. This is not my full time job, just something I enjoy doing and get free use of the tub and blow dryers for my own dog and rescue dogs I have to work on). So I'm sure I won't be overly popular with this information, but it is what it is. If your groomer sees your dog every 3 weeks, then it won't be as big a deal to demat your dog. But the people that bring their dogs in every 6-8 weeks and expect miracles.. well they need to be ready to pay for the miracles or a dematting fee. The only other piece of advice I can offer is ... take your dog in on a slow day. They will be alot more willing to work on your dog longer on a less busy day and may not feel they need to charge a dematting fee as they might be quicker to do on a busy day. Don't expect them to demat your dog and spend 3 -4 hours on your dog on a Saturday when they have 15-20 dogs on the books. Just advice, each groomer is different and their clientele and pricing and help is different. Some groomers have someone like me to prep the dog. Some groomers have to bath, blow out and brush out all themselves. All IMHO, Fiona (who is probably going to be dodging slicker brushes about now) And PS.. remember our dogs are not all the wonderful little gems we think they are.. I've had dogs poop on my table 5 times in a row AFTER they were bathed. If they stand in it you start from square one and have to rebath and re blowdry the now pooey bottom and feet. I literally had that happen 5 times on one dog.. Thank GOODNESS it wasn't an OES, it was a small dog. And pee.. oh yea, they will pee on the grooming table. Oh and if one dog poops on the table then it is like a challenge to the other dogs to do it.. They all freaking do it.. (I'm so scared to push SUBMIT) |
| Also check into the qualifications of your groomer. There are groom teams and competitions they compete in if they are real serious groomers and if you don't have an experienced groomer or someone that has worked on OES before then find someone who has. Ask other people in your area who have big haired or OES dogs who they use for their groomer. Sometimes that can make all the difference. Don't just find out the name of the place, find out the name of the groomer too. Some have multilple groomers and you want the one with the experience.
Fiona |
| Thanks for an inside perspective Fiona. I think its useful to hear your experiences with grooming. I'm hoping that I'll be able to manage Tiggy's coat myself, for many of the reasons you mentioned. I can spend 4 hours on it and not be out of pocket, whereas a business has to pay the bills and earn a living.
Quote: I don't by any means condone the fact that they shaved the dog without asking you if it was ok. I wouldn't be real happy with that either,
I also agree with the above. I would be really cheesed off if they didnt call me to ask what I wanted them to do. And the razor burn would have really bummed me out too. PS Initially I thought what a great way of learning more about dog grooming and getting free use of a bath and blowers. You're one entrepreneurial lady. After your stories on the pooping and peeing I'm having second thoughts |
| I'd like to personally slap that hot razor blade on the chest of the groomers who don't pay attention and burn the dogs! I'm constantly changing blades, using Cool Lube and stopping the shave so I don't burn my pups.
I guess this is why I do the work myself. |
Quote: I'd like to personally slap that hot razor blade on the chest of the groomers who don't pay attention
Poor Aggie has a burn on her butt, my mind boggles I'll leave the restitution to you
By the way how is Aggie doing? I hope the itching is settling down |
| As a groomer is breaks my heart to hear these stories, why clippers are used so the blades get so hot and burn the dog is beyond me its so easy to keep changing blades and on a big dog 3 blades would stop this. I always ask myself would I like this to happen to me, no then why do it to dogs.
I groom 3 oes one of them is mine and you need to take time to groom these dogs out otherwise don't do them. I have found that the show seasons detangler works great on them it comes form the usa so it should be easy to get hold off no more working through matts for hours I use it all the time now. I really hope she gets better soon Val |
| How is Aggie? Is she all recovered from the clipper burns?
Did you get any joy from the groomers? Hope you had a great Christmas. |
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