Seattle Pet Groomers

"I've been to a number of dog groomers in Seattle over the years and is definitely the most reasonably priced and most friendly toward both pet and owner. Many groomers are either "dog" people and don't get along well with customers, or they are just not personable with either the animals or their owners, I have found. Normally, ...more it would cost me $80-$90 to have my poodle groomed, and while I know this is the standard going rate for people trained in poodle grooming, my poodle has never liked any groomer before this one. I can't say she exactly loves going to

, but she is definitely not as scared as she has been in the past with other groomers, which makes me wonder what was going on. Also,

does not use drying cages, which can be dangerous in some instances. The only trouble I've had here is that a few times the staff has forgotten to pluck her ear hairs like I've asked. This has to be done with poodles to prevent ear infections. However, lately they've been very good at remembering to do it. I've never tried any fancy poodle cuts here so I don't know how that would go, but they are great for the basic field or puppy cut. I totally recommend them for price and overall service."

"Normally, I have someone stay at my house with my dog, but I couldn't get anyone for this particular trip because we were also having renovations done on our house. I had used a bit in the recent past during days that I had to work while work was being done at home. I like the fact that they ran my dog through a few tests to ...more make sure she was socialized properly for their service. (As this meant that other dogs were likely socialized properly as well.) However, this is not usually my biggest concern when it comes to my dog interacting with other dogs as she pretty much adapts to any personality type. My biggest concern was the fact that they have grooming facilities in roughly the same area as boarding facilities with just a short wall separating them. My dog hates to be groomed and this seemed to make her nervous (after watching her in the video camera's while I was away). I have to believe this is an issue for other dogs as well, even if they don't mind being groomed. The nervousness of some of the dogs being groomed is bound of have an impact. (I am talking about the

location here. I haven't used any of the others.) The other thing I realized is that she might have been nervous because they don't take the dogs for walks outside and instead let them play in an indoor open area. This means they need to go to the bathroom inside which, for house trained dogs, is usually something they are not comfortable doing. Also while I was gone, their live cameras only worked about half the time, so I couldn't really see how she was doing for much of my trip. And finally, I provided the staff with an emergency recall word to use in case she ever escaped, as it's sometimes the only thing that will get her back. The word was "cookie" and the reason it always works is because she always gets a cookie when we use it. When we went to pick her up, the entire staff was calling her Cookie, which is just....really bad. Pretty much defeats the purpose of the emergency recall word and also diminishes its effectiveness. Based on this incident, I would say they have a staff NOT trained in animal behavior and pretty much apathetic toward doing their job well. My dog was VERY skinny when we picked her up. I'm not saying they didn't feed her, but I am saying that there was something about this place she didn't like. It took her awhile to get back to her old self. I just don't trust this place and wouldn't really recommend them."

" , the owner and operator of Suds in the City, is a gem. She drives out to your house, takes your dog into the van and delivers a clean, dry dog. does a great job and she is a pleasure to do business with. Our dogs love her too."

"we've taken him there every 2-3 months for the past two years, and the service has always been wonderful. They discuss with you precisely how you want your dog trimmed, and they've always been spot-on. Our dog even seems to have become accustomed to the treatment and is bouncy and happy when we pick him up. The staff have also been very cheerful and ...more make a point of recording and reciting you and your dog's name; yeah, it's cheesy, but it's also kinda nice. And before long, they really *do* know your names without looking it up. So, inexpensive and professional--not a bad combo."

" and her staff are very welcoming and friendly. They really act like they like our dog. As a groomer I don't think you hope the next dog that comes in the door is over 100 pounds and has two coats of heavy fur to brush, detangle, bathe etc. But they always do a great job on our Bernese Mt. Dog and they charge very reasonable rates."

"I often brought my dog to for bathing and grooming after a bad experience with another company where my dog was said to be uncooperative. did not have any difficulty with the dog and did a beautiful job. The cat who received the cut is normally very difficult, but ...more handled him with gentle authority and had no trouble.

works in her own home in a more calm and personable atmosphere and obviously loves animals."

"Their treatment of my dog was , the receptionist referring to her (without a humorless manner) as "the funny-looking dog" when I came to pick her up. The second time, my dog was evidently uncooperative for a groomer recovering from recent surgery and the bathing but not the grooming was performed. I apologized for my dog and ...more was agreeable to scheduling a second appointment but the

's staff was insistent that I pay the entire fee for *both* grooming and bathing or they wouldn't give me my dog back. When I objected, they were rude and confrontational. I've found another groomer who has never had any difficulties with my dog (see "

's TLC Grooming")."

"Theree - the dedicated cat groomer - has the patience of a . One of my cats is easy going, but the other is very high-maintenance and difficult. True to form, the first haircut went fine, but my second cat turned into a vicious snarling beast the second the clippers turned on. Theree tried to trim her on two separate occasions ...more and charged me half price for the final result, even though I probably should have had to pay twice - my cat was that bad. She is very patient with the animals and, after what I witnessed from my cat, incredibly brave for the work she does."