PetSmart — Attraction in New York

MID SIZE DOG OWNERS BEWARE! I have an almost 3 year old Australian shepherd, high energy as expected with his breed but knows all commands & listens when told to do something - not to mention he is as sweet as can be. I’ve used PetSmarts all over NY for grooming but will NEVER return to this location again.

I used their website and based on their time availability I made an appointment with Dani S. We dropped off our dog with very clear instructions that we wanted him cut down as short as possible (he’s been getting easily matted due to the long winter length). We provided a photo to the groomer of exactly what we wanted & she put the photo on her phone.

Upon returning to pick him up, I was told he was reactive (first red flag). Then I was told he had some matting behind his ears that she was able to get out and still keep some length (immediate confusion kicked in because we had asked he be cut down as short as possible). I asked to see my dog and let her know his coat was too long “well this wasn’t communicated to me” was the response I was met with. I verified that she had the photo example, which she showed me she did on her phone & then she tried to say “well it’s a bad photo honestly.. I’m done for the day…you’ll have to bring him in again some other time”. We went back and forth for a bit before I asked to speak to someone else.

They tried to tell me that there was a miscommunication with my husband having dropped the dog off and me picking him up. Obviously miscommunications can happen at times, but when you have a photo guide to follow and you even verify that you have said photo, at a certain point shouldn’t you admit you messed up? To try to diffuse the situation, the store manager gave me 30% off the service, but realistically if you went to a restaurant and ordered a meal you never received should you be charged?

I literally have NEVER left a bad review but feel compelled to let other people know to not make the same mistake as I did by going here. I’ve also noticed since Monday that not only was the length wrong, but the whole cut was a total hack job (uneven all over and still matted in areas - photos included). It’s evident that Dani S does not know how to deal with a dog like mine & PetSmart should have parameters in place that prevents groomers who don’t have experience with certain dogs from being booked. Or better yet if she realized she was incapable of properly grooming my dog, they should have called me immediately and denied service for that day with that specific groomer. Her comment about him being reactive is completely reflected in his horrible haircut. So here I am just having paid for a haircut and my dog looks worse than when he went in and the manager somehow thinks discounting this plus my next service there would have done a justice. You shouldn’t have to pay twice for ONE service to...

This review is ONLY about the grooming salon, not the store. WARNING- DO NOT TAKE YOUR DOG TO KATHLEEN THE GROOMER HERE!!!!! She RUINED my dog!! I can't even look at him. I brought my dog in yesterday for a 10am appointment (which she was late for.) And boy do I regret it. I brought a clear picture of what I wanted him to look like (pic of him cut the way I liked) which Kathleen didn't seem to pay any attention to. I asked her multiple times if she wanted me to email it for reference and she repeatedly told me she knew what I was looking for. (I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH-KATHLEEN HAD NO CLUE WHAT I WANTED AND ENDED UP DOING COMPLETELY HER OWN THING!) I stressed that I was particular and she assured me she knew what I wanted. She said it would take 3 hours, but it actually took 6. Not professional but understandable. We called at least twice while he was there to check up on his progress which the staff claimed was fine. Needless to say it WASN'T. My girlfriend went in to get him and as soon as he came out a wave of anger came over me. SHE HAD SHAVED MY GOLDENDOODLE DOWN TO THE SKIN IN A FREAKING BLIZZARD!!!!! He looks terrible! She shaved his LEGS down to the skin as well!!!!!! Which is NOT the correct way to cut a doodle. Then my girlfriend informed me that WITHOUT CALLING OR ASKING US they decided to go over him with a shorter blade than we had requested. We called this place MULTIPLE times, they couldn't mention to us then that they were having issues? Pathetic and inexcusable. She obviously had no idea how to cut a goldendoodle and instead of informing us that she was incapable, she decided to use MY dog as an experiment. SHAME ON YOU KATHLEEN! I literally was in tears as soon as I saw him. He looks absolutely disgusting and there isn't a single person who saw differently. She basically gave him the complete opposite of the cut I asked for. Which was actually way MORE work than the groom I PAID her to do. I'm beyond upset. I demanded a refund, which I got, but that doesn't give my dog his hair back. Also my girlfriend gave her a 20$ tip that she did not in ANY WAY deserve. Kathleen is a completely incompetent groomer. If she were my employee I would fire her in a heartbeat. Please do not take your dog to Kathleen. Now I have to buy my dog a jacket because he is freezing outside. People used to stop us to say how beautiful he is but since his cut yesterday he has only been stopped by one person who commented on how I needed to find a new groomer. Obviously I will never ever go back to Kathleen the ruiner of...

this review is for cat grooming only the store alone is great I took my long hair cat here for the "bath and brush" package. I booked the grooming through their online service, they did not have my cat's breed so i specified that she was "domestic long hair." The grooming service was supposed to include a bath, sanitary trim, paw fur trimming, nail clip, ear cleaning and minimal brushing. Things like perfume were listed as add-ons that i did not request. When i went back to pick up my cat i paid but I did not inspect her until i got home because she was stressed and I just wanted to leave. At home I realized no sanitary trim or paw fur trim had been done, and she reeked strongly of a gross perfume. Her fur did not look like it does when I bathe her, usually it looks fluffy. It was greasy and flat. I cannot prove that she was not bathed but it truly did not seem like she was. When I called to ask why the services were not performed, and to confirm that my cat had been bathed, the woman told me "yes I remember your cat being bathed absolutely" but then the woman told me that my cat was a short hair Abyssinian and that's why they did not do a sanitary trim or paw trim, proving she had no idea what my cat even looks like. Their system somehow reverted my cat's breed to the default. Regardless of this, I checked and the package has the same price and services regardless of what breed you pick, and my cat is OBVIOUSLY a long haired cat, that needed the full package regardless of what breed she was wrongfully listed as. To say they didn't provide full service because on paper she was short hair when in reality she is clearly a long haired cat is preposterous. However they did provide a refund, and her nails were trimmed VERY well. I also saw the cat groomer doing a lion cut on a different cat and she seemed very experienced and skillful. So if you go, clear up the package you are getting and make sure they will provide full service. Maybe in the future i will give them another try because the prices are good and i think the next time they wouldn't make the same mind...