The Gentle Spaw - mobile dog grooming

I have been using the Gentle Spaw services for about a year now. We use to go to grooming shops and felt it was too stressful for my dogs to be in a crate for 2 to 3 hours waiting. I was recommended for Gentle Spaw and couldnt be happier. They have their hands full with a 120 pound Golden Retriever, a 12 year old Golden Retriever that was a breeder dog, and a 3 year old Labradoodle. They are always on time, do exactly as I ask them to do with their grooming and I couldn;t be happier that I found them. We are lucky to have Groomer Maya help them out - she is wonderful and does a great job!! Thank you too Adam, we appreciate you both

I was able to schedule a groom for my dog, Milo, on short notice. I spoke with the owner on the phone about how Milo has had really difficult experiences with groomers in the past, and to please schedule him with someone who would be extra patient and sensitive. Milo is an extremely gentle dog, so fun and warm and playful, but has been really traumatized by some groomers in the past, so I took over (to the best of my ability) for a while, but as I’m not a professional it wasn’t a sustainable alternative for us. Ashley arrived (mostly) on time, and I spoke to her again about Milo’s situation, asking her to please be extra gentle. He was so scared of her that he wriggled out of his collar to avoid the groom, which he has never ever done before. I felt so awful giving him to her, but told myself it was for the best because he wasn’t letting me get to certain areas (paws, belly) and he needed those to be taken care of to be comfortable. When Ashley was done, she brought him to my door. She was very nice, but tried too hard to make it seem like Milo was totally cool with her so we would book again. She tried to show that he was comfortable being pet by her, but in response he shrunk away with his tail between his legs. Seeing this, I didn’t feel comfortable booking a subsequent appointment on the spot. Over the next few days, I noticed that Milo was really uncomfortable, especially around his bottom. I called the owner and explained the situation, and that his *area where he was neutered* was red and swollen, and I was worried it was developing into an infection. I didn’t want to leave a negative review at the time because I know they’re a small business, and the owner was polite and apologetic. I called my vet, who was also concerned about the situation, and told us things to watch out for. The Gentle Spaw owner asked us to send pictures of the area, which I did, to which they didn’t have any opinions or suggestions. In the past few days, with soothing treatments, Milo’s irritation and swelling has gone down, to reveal 2 scabs on the area. I will readily admit that he had some very minor mats on his underbelly, which is why I took him to get groomed by a professional, but to have two large cuts literally into the skin on such a sensitive area is not excusable. I have been going back and forth with the owner for a week now, and was mostly told that irritation can come if they need to cut close if there was matting. I understand it’s a nuanced situation, but I cannot recommend Ashley or this company in good conscience if they are not able to groom the smallest knots without leaving two notable, large cuts and leaving my dog open to infection, and going further to not even tell me that they had issues with that area after the groom. Ashley also didn’t even clean his ears or his teeth, which I requested (and paid for). She didn’t clip his back nails either because she said he was getting too upset, but this I’m actually glad for. I wish she had paid more attention to his needs when cutting his hair. We will obviously not be repeating business. I will say that the owner has been nothing but polite, and this is obviously not his fault. I hope he hires a different groomer.