PawPrint Essentials-Wee Ones Pet Spa Groomer Shaved My Havanese Bald Venice Florida

This groomer should still be avoided.  Your assumptions are all wrong.  You assume that I keep my Havanese dog's hair long.  I always keep my Havanese in a puppy cut.  I take him for grooming every 4 - 5 weeks.  You assume my dog was matted and tangled.  Wrong again.  I brush him every day and am well educated about the wire brushes and combs to use.  You assume Paw Print Essentials told me they couldn't follow the instructions and picture I provided them.  Wrong again.  You are lucky you have had a good experience with this establishment but not everyone has had your luck.  I now go to For Paws Only and they do an excellent job.  They give my dog a "1 comb cut" and he stays in a great Puppy Cut.  All you need to do is see the picture of my dog when he came back from Paw Print Essentials and you will be HORRIFIED.  Honestly, this is the truth!

While it is unfortunate that you feel you received poor service, I cannot help but post something as I have been a patron of Pawprint Essentials for quite some time now and honestly can say I have never been disappointed. 

The owner of this fine establishment is always looking out for the best interest of any and all pets.  The groomers at Pawprint are the only ones that can handle my little Chihuahuas.  Even the products carried in the store front are all there because they have been researched and are healthy for your pet. 

I guess what I'm saying is that it is regrettable that you had a poor experience but posting such a slam to such a decent and trustworthy pet store that this community appreciates and loves so much is not fair.  For anyone that cares, I recommend Paw Print Essentials for anything they sell or service(s) they offer.

Over the years we have had three of our dogs groomed at Paw Print Essentials and have always received EXACTLY the grooming we requested. They take only one dog at a time and have always been spot on in terms of satisfying our requests. We would never take our dogs anywhere else.

As a professional groomer and the owner of a Havanese show dog, I can attest that shaving this breed to the skin would cause it no ill effects whatsoever. In fact, the dog would be more comfortable than being matted to the skin.

Unfortunately, many Havanese owners feel that because Havanees are shown in the show ring completely long and natural, their dogs should likewise stay long coated. This is not the case. A long coated Havanese requires daily grooming, which I can attest to is difficult even for an experienced groomer like myself.

I advise my customers that unless you can go through the entire dog with a comb (pressed to the skin, not a superficial combing), don't expect it to come back long. On the contrary, we find that the people who come in complaining their dogs were shaved down by the previous indeed do not maintain the coats of their dogs at all.

Bring your Havanese in every six weeks for a nice puppy cut. If you want a long coated Havanese, bring the dog in every week or too. Don't blame the groomer for your shortcomings.

I can't imagine why you would want to harm the reputation of a person whose life's works is to service dogs. It doesn't sound like anything was hurt except for your bruised ego. Additionally, keep in mind it is just hair. It miraculously grows back!

We take the care of the pet's we groom very seriously. We have policies and procedures in place with regard to the grooming process. We access the pet's when they arrive and if it is determined that the grooming needed is different than the owner requested our policy is to speak with the owner while they are still there, or if we determine there is an issue we need to address after they have left, we call them to discuss our assessment. We will not even give a flea bath until we discuss the situation with the owner.

Our groomer is mature, professional and highly skilled. She has over 25 years experience as a certified groomer and she is also a vet tech. Through her assessment, she determined that Desi had matting and very severe matting in his legs. The owner who brought Desi for his appointment was made aware of the matting and was informed that Desi would need to be shaved since the matting in the legs was very tight. Our policy is that we list on the customer's card, on the date of the appointment, what was discussed and agreed to and if the customer is still at the store, we then have the customer sign the card on the date of the entry where the information discussed was written by the groomer.

Many pet owner's believe they have brushed their pet's thoroughly, however, they may look fluffy and beautiful on the outside, but he coat next to the skin can be a solid mat that gets thicker and tighter every day. Mats pull tight on the pet's skin causing them constant discomfort. Air cannot circulate through the hair and skin which can lead to major skin irritations and infections.

We realize the serious nature of shaving any dog. And shaving a dog is very time consuming. Extreme caution has to be used when removing tightly matted coats. You don't just shave off the hair! It is incredibly difficult and delicate work to release you pet, inch by inch, from the tight matting. Because of this very situation and the reaction pet parents can have, we are very clear on the procedures.

We do not run an "assembly line" grooming facility. We do a limited amount of groomings per day and by appointment only. There are rarely more than two dogs at time in the grooming area. It is a relaxed environment for both the groomer and the pets. They are treated like my own. We provide bottled water, aromatherapy candles to relax them, an immaculate grooming area + lots of TLC.

Do I stick by my groomer's assessment of what was needed for Desi? You bet I do! She has been with me for over a year and a half and this is the first time we have had an issue of this kind. Once we inform the pet's owner of our assessment they certainly have every right to just take their dog and go to another groomer. I highly doubt, however, that any reputable groomer would have done anything differently than we did.

I truly appreciate the opportunity to share who we are and what we are all about.

ruff + wags... Cheryl

Do you bathe your dog at home? Since you don't want your dog's hair cut, how often do you have your dog proffessionally groomed? How long is it that you WANTED your dogs hair? How long was it when you brought it in? Groomer's can go either way but ...........
Your statement indicates they may have tried to inform you that the condition of your dog made your wishes unlikely. Also, when a pet's mats are very severe and very tight to the skin it can make it very choppy with patches that go to the bare skin. This is not the fault of the groomer. Neither are the sores and bruises and irritation and whatever else happens due to the hair pulling on the skin. Also, many people who think they have thouroghly brushed their dog have only brushed the top coat and under that their can be plenty of matts very close to the skin. Were you expecting a hand scizzor which is much more expensive and many people do not realize they are even asking for or something more like a 3 or 4 teddy bear cut? Was the picture of YOUR dog from a month or two ago or a completely different dog? How many times have you had your dog groomed? I have to ask because this reaction is actually pretty common in people who should have their dog groomed every 4 to 8 weeks but only get it done every 6 months to a year or whatever and expect miracles or just don't understand what is and is not possible much less what is actually best for their pet.
Example that happened years ago; Some folks bring their cocker spaniel in. They did not want him shaved. Explained he was matted and that it was painful and too long, too expensive, and way to painful to brush out the poor dog and that they really weren't having him done often enough for them to upkeep a longer cut and it was not really good for the dog. Since they wanted to see the groomer less often they really needed to go shorter. They insisted. They thought it was just some tangles or whatever. Go to show them that it was just not possible to brush out that poor dog. No force used, dogs ear came off immediately. This did not hurt the dog at this time as the hair had actually wrapped and killed the ear. No blood or hearing loss or anything. It had happened long before that. That dog was so matted it had cut off the circulation to the ear but they thought he could be brushed out and left long............
I'm not saying your pup was anywhere near that condition, was an example only. If your dog is 'tangled' either more frequent trips are neccessary or maybe a shorter length is required. Look into the 3 or 4 teddy bear. Cute, some fluff, and less upkeep usually. And if you bathe your dog at home make sure you are following the proper steps as you can go from a dog with hair to a dog who must be 'skinned' with just one incidence involving water. *just my opinions*