Here's a groomer horror story for you....

Wow I would be beyond pissed.  I have to admit it seems like I run into too many of these horror stories especially when it comes to petsmart/petco.  It's one of the big reasons I'm thankful I don't need to take Kirby to the groomers for anything.  This really seems like major incompetence on that particular groomer's part.  If they felt they were going to have to do a full body shave they should have informed the owner before touching the dog. 

willowchow

It will probably take awhile, Willow's took about nine months to completely come back.  But, it did.

Oh that just makes me even sadder

 Poor Whisper!!!! I would be SMOKING LIVID if that happened to me. Manager or no manager I would be getting a full refund. If I paid using a card I would stop payment (you have 90 days by the way tell your friend)

I took Maxine to a new groomer. She was a mess (Golden Retriever) she had been blowing her coat and we went up north where she was in the lake the entire time so she was wet the entire time. Hence the need for grooming. I handed my dog to the groomer (think of a 5 letter word that rhymes with witch) She looks at Maxine and starts yelling at me she is a mess and will have to be shaved. I say no shaving, she said there is no other way. I said give me back my dog. I drove to a place we had gone to before but I could not find their phone number to make an appointment. They said they could take her, I said DO NOT SHAVE HER, mild clipping is ok but do not shave. She looked BEAUTIFUL upon my pick up and she was not shaved, bathed and brushed. Only near her ears and around her feet was she clipped. The first words out of my mouth ANY time I take her to a groomer is NO SHAVING. I do NOT like shaved Goldens.
 

Poor Whisper, I loved her fluffy white coat.  

meilani

One thing to keep in mind is that the first 3 pictures are over 2 years old.  Granted, I don't know much about grooming dogs but if a dog is professionally groomed on a regular basis is it possible for a dog to get completely matted where it would need to be shaved? 

 It depends on what "regular grooming" is and the dog's lifestyle. Even if the dog is groomed every two months but was heavily shedding and had gotten wet without being brushed out, it is possible the dog became quite matted. It also depends on the coat texture - if the dog has a correct Sammy coat, it shouldn't mat easily. If the dog is spayed or  neutered though, chances are good the coat is soft and wooly and mays easier than it should. It is all hard to say obviously since no one here has seen the dog.

 As for "what if it was a show dog"? I'd never trust a Petsmart groomer with a coated show dog and don't know anyone else who would, unless they personally knew the groomer. If I was having my show dogs groomed by an unknown groomer, I'd either want the groomer to be a show person themselves and/or groom other show dogs. Even the normal "neating" most groomers do on a coated breed may not be appropriate for the ring.

OH MY GOD YOUR NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS!  I just came from PetSmart in Camp Hill, Pa.  I looked in at the dogs being groomed, and the there was a dog exactly like the one you show in the picture and I do mean exactly, there was white hair all over the floor and that poor dog was almost bald!  I could not believe it, I almost went in and said what the H are you doing to that dog.  I wonder if that is what the owner wanted!  If not someone is going to be really ticked off.  I was ticked off just looking at the poor thing.

OMG - that's horrifying, sad and disastrous!  Poor puppy! But, I'll admit, the pictures and your writing style... i had to laugh.  I cannot imagine what the groomer was thinking. 

Was the Fuzzy injured in the fall? 
 

auburn2932

OH MY GOD YOUR NOT GOING TO BELIEVE THIS!  I just came from PetSmart in Camp Hill, Pa.  I looked in at the dogs being groomed, and the there was a dog exactly like the one you show in the picture and I do mean exactly, there was white hair all over the floor and that poor dog was almost bald!  I could not believe it, I almost went in and said what the H are you doing to that dog.  I wonder if that is what the owner wanted!  If not someone is going to be really ticked off.  I was ticked off just looking at the poor thing.

 A "shave down" is one of the most common things groomers are asked to do on dogs. People have heavy coated dogs, heavy shedders or dogs with high grooming needs and don't want to keep up with the grooming required for the dog to stay in full coat. Many dogs are not brought in except a couple times a year and have no grooming in between, so to save the dog from stress they are shaved very short. Other times owners want them short because that is easiest to care for and/or means less trips to the groomer while the coat grows in. IMO shaving is far better than allowing the dog to become a matted mess (not saying any dog mentioned here was). Dematting can be done in many cases but it is expensive (with good reason - it is a lot of work) and stressful for the dog.

 In some breeds such as Poodles, OES, Briards, Beardies, Yorkies, Maltese, Afghans and the such, dogs are generally not kept in full coat once they are done being shown. Such coats require a lot of upkeep and once they dog doesn't "need" the coat any more, even many show people don't want the work that goes with keeping it.

Ugh, poor thing!  A similar thing happened to me recently at Petsmart.  I took Benny in, asked to have him trimmed shorter all around and this is what I picked up on a 13 degree day in January:

He looks better now that he's a bit fuzzier, but I was furious!.

ETA:  He has been going there all his life and this was a "new" groomer who did him, so I do blame myself for not being specific enough, but I did not once say the word "shaved" at any point in our short conversation.

AgileGSD

meilani

One thing to keep in mind is that the first 3 pictures are over 2 years old.  Granted, I don't know much about grooming dogs but if a dog is professionally groomed on a regular basis is it possible for a dog to get completely matted where it would need to be shaved? 

 It depends on what "regular grooming" is and the dog's lifestyle. Even if the dog is groomed every two months but was heavily shedding and had gotten wet without being brushed out, it is possible the dog became quite matted.

Yep.  I brush my Coke 1-2 times per WEEK really well and he still matts behind his ears and on his rear sometimes, I just have to work at it for a while.  When we adopted him, he had a lion cut b/c he got so matted with his previous owners they just shaved his rear legs, butt, and tail!  It is still growing back in right now, and it definitely feels harsh and wooly compared to the rest of his soft, smooth coat.

 

Sera_J

OMG - that's horrifying, sad and disastrous!  Poor puppy! But, I'll admit, the pictures and your writing style... i had to laugh.  I cannot imagine what the groomer was thinking. 

Was the Fuzzy injured in the fall? 
 

 Fuzzy seemed ok when my friend dropped her off. Thankfully she wasn't hurt. 

georgie4682

Ugh, poor thing!  A similar thing happened to me recently at Petsmart.  I took Benny in, asked to have him trimmed shorter all around and this is what I picked up on a 13 degree day in January:

 

He looks better now that he's a bit fuzzier, but I was furious!.

 

ETA:  He has been going there all his life and this was a "new" groomer who did him, so I do blame myself for not being specific enough, but I did not once say the word "shaved" at any point in our short conversation.

HOLY SMOKES! Benny and Whisper have the same haircut! Yeah, my friend never mentioned shaving her completely nor was she told they were going to shave her completely. It's a huge mess and I'm quite sure it's going to be interesting when she gets back from Alaska. There's going to be some fireworks at Petsmart.

AuroraLove

What if that was a show dog?

She wouldn't be getting a sanitary, and she CERTAINLY wouldn't be getting groomed at a chain pet store. I groom a couple of show dogs, but they are NOT allowed to be groomed at Petsmart. Show grooming and pet grooming are two totally different worlds. 

 Oh, that poor dog! I would have been livid, too.  You'll have to tell us the "rest of the story", when your friend is back from Alaska!

This is horrible... and I wish your friend will complaint seriously when she comes back. What they did is the most horrible haircut I have ever seen!

I'm interested in getting a ticket, some popcorn and a soda for that "conversation" and fireworks show at petsmart.

Poor Fuzz isn't so Fuzzy anymore....bad season for it.

So did she contact corporate? Any new news?