My Dog's Bakery — Local services in Peoria

UPDATE: I called the shop this morning and got a chance to speak with the salon manager Sam. I explained my experience and Sam was super apologetic. She explained that my experience was not the standard and offered for Edison to come back in for a nail grind and another brush through. When I stopped in I got to meet Chelsea. She was also very apologetic. Based on her cut I could tell that she was a very talented groomer and had maybe just had an off day (I can definitely understand that). It was her sincerity, attitude, and efforts to make it right that reassured me that I got a wrong first impression. I couldn’t be more pleased bc it’s hard to find someone who knos how to shape Edison’s cut the way I like and she did that right off the bat. I am confident when I take him in next time this won’t be an issue. Overall very pleased with how the situation was handled and I’m excited to see how Edison’s next groom goes!

Original review: I’ve never actually taken the time to post a review before, but I am so disappointed with my grooming experience. This was my goldendoodles first time visiting this shop. He was booked at 3:00, which I had thought was a late spot for a doodle haircut (verrrry high maintenance coat) with Chelsea. I had been told she was one of the groomers that has been with them the longest. When I got there I was several minutes into the conversation with the groomer before realizing this wasn’t even Chelsea. She had left the building to go the gas station (what I was told). This was kind of off putting as this was her first time working with Edison and myself and I was trying to discuss his coat and cut. Edison has very tight curls and mats up in no time (I had just bathed and brushed him the week before) so I’m aware of how much hard work goes into grooming him. I told them to call me if they thought they needed to take him shorter in any areas. I received a call from who I assume to be Chelsea saying they needed to take his body a bit shorter, which is not a big deal. He has his summer haircut right now and is cute as ever. However, I dropped him off at 3:00 and came in to pick him up a few minutes after 5:00. Meaning Chelsea only spent approximately 2 hours on a full golden doodle groom and imagine my dismay when I showed up to the shop to find his groomer had already left allowing me no opportunity to meet Chelsea throughout this entire process. I was charged the max $98.00 (which I expected Edison is big and he has the really cotton-like tight curls). I felt the need to leave a review after spending and hour and a half going through Edison’s Afro brushing out the tangles left there. She had not brushed out the base of his hair. He still had tangles throughout it and I was left with a clump of knots and dead hair at the end of it (all of which should have been brushed out during his full groom). I paid $98.00 to have “most” of his nails cut, face shaped, and body buzzed. Note Edison was not in rough shape. He did not need a full body shave like an extreme matting case. The groomer didn’t want to take the time to actually work through his coat (also important to note that Edison is a gentle giant. He has no problem areas when it comes to patience and love and has zero issues with grooming). Had she taken the time, Eddie would have just laid there for her as he did for my sister and I tonight as we finished the work. She also missed trimming his dew claw on one of his paws (seems petty but I don’t have the supplies to trim them myself). I feel I paid a lot of money for a super impersonal and sloppy experience. I will be stopping back in tomorrow to get his other nail trimmed and to discuss in person. I also took video and pictures of the knots I took out of Edison’s hair post groom to show. The entire experience has left me unnerved and weary with trusting them...

The shop itself is great. Well laid out, good variety, reasonable prices (especially on duck feet!), and overall the best place to get dehydrated treats for the pups. But my family and I went in a year or two back, and somebody working at the shop (I think the owner) had about 5 GSDs roaming around. We had a guide dog with us at the time. He was in harness, meaning nobody should pet him, or distract him in anyway. However, these shepherds were all off leash and basically surrounding him and our pet dog. At first it seemed friendly, but then one of the shepherds did an air snap and growled at the guide dog. The owner just kind of brushed it off and did not put them away or anything like that. For those who are unaware, this is not only morally wrong but also breaking the law, and can end a service dogs career in just an instant. As stated before, this was a year or two ago so I'm not sure if the shepherds are still at the establishment or what, but I figured it was worth it to share my experience, specifically for other service dog handlers and or people with dog reactive or...

Grooming has been a nightmare. My dog was in shock after his first grooming experience, and it took several days to get him back to normal behavior. Second grooming experience was even worse. He had an allergic reaction to their products, even though we asked for hypoallergenic, and then had to go to the vet to get medicine. My Dogs Bakery did not offer to provide for any assistance, and naturally another vet bill due to something they caused came out my pocket. Finally, the third time they refused to even groom him, as they found he had a urinary tract infection. My Dogs Bakery indicated they would take him once the vet gave him a clean bill of health. Took him straight to the vet, obtained the appropriate medication, and then tried to reschedule grooming. My Dogs Bakery refused another grooming appointment as they claim it’s not a good fit.

In summary, they failed to take accountability for their actions, don’t keep their word, and overall were not very nice. Hopefully, you have no issues...