Mark and I recently decided that our dog was starting to look (and smell) more like Chewbaca and less like man’s best friend, and that it was time to take our favorite Goldendoodle in for her first trip to the groomer.  I was determined to take her somewhere that would not butcher or traumatize her, so I actually called around, compared groomers, read Yelp reviews, learned about pricing etc. (mostly due to the fact that I have some time on my hands).

Our initial thought was to take her to the ever so cute and trendy dog boutique on our street because we know them and buy a lot of Daley’s things there, but Mark had gone in and their pricing was $30 more than the other groomers I had spoken with, so that sounded like a no go. But, after much research, Mark decided to call them and see what the big price difference was all about. They explained to us that they only take one pooch at a time, while other groomers would take multiple puppies at a time and then cage the others while they waited for her turn. Then, when she was done, they would throw her back in a cage under blow dryers. Having chased the dog with my own blow dryer and having seen her reaction, this wouldn’t do! We rarely even cage her in our own home!!! Her appointment at the fancy dog boutique was set. 

We were ever so excited to get her in there. I was unable to take her, so Mark went, being sure  to tell them to get the matted fur out, but still keep the hair long, and to ask them what the deal was with the “anal gland extraction” that I was reading about on groomer sites, knowing that Daley would not be all about that, seeing as they can’t even take her temp at the vets without 3 people holding her.

Two hours later Mark returned home with the less attractive, canine version on Demi Moore in GI Jane…

Was this the same dog? What did they do to our puppy? Was this really done by the Ken Paves of dog styling? You could tell even the dog was traumatized! Did they make doggy extensions (they don’t)? Although we still haven’t gotten used to this change, we have been successful in keeping her away from mirrors, and learned our lesson about fancy groomers…They send you home with a fancy dog!

If we gain one thing out of this, let this story be a precautionary “tail” to any of you ladies who think that crew cut will be a nice change after a bad break up!