I would love to be able to give a 0 star rating as i am extremely disappointed with my experience with Petco grooming today. My dog has a known heart murmur, and Petco’s groomers have been aware of it for the past four years. During that entire time, I have always provided a veterinarian’s note stating that his heart murmur is stable and that he is okay to be groomed. Every note has specifically stated that his “heart murmur is good and is ok for grooming with a groomer.”
Today, I sent Petco an updated veterinarian’s note for their records approximately four hours before his appointment. Despite having the updated note, no one contacted me to tell me that they had now decided they would not groom him.
My original appointment was at 2:00 PM, and Petco asked if I could move it to 4:00 PM. I was completely accommodating and rearranged my schedule to make the 4:00 appointment work. I drove my dog there, only to be told when I arrived that they would not groom him. If their policy or decision had changed, the professional and courteous thing to do would have been to contact me when they received the veterinarian’s note—four hours before the appointment—so I could make arrangements with another groomer.
Instead, I was allowed to rearrange my day, make the trip to Petco, and only then was told that they would not take my dog. After four years of accepting him for grooming with the exact same veterinary documentation, changing the decision without notifying me beforehand was extremely frustrating and unprofessional.
I understand that groomers have policies regarding a pet’s health and safety, and I respect their right to make decisions they believe are appropriate. What I do not understand is why I was not informed before making the trip, especially when they had received the updated veterinary note hours earlier.
Unfortunately, after this experience, I will not be returning to Petco for grooming or using them for anything else. They have had issues over the years regarding what documentation they require, but I was willing to work with them. Today, however, they crossed a line by changing their decision after four years and waiting until I physically arrived to tell me.
I highly recommend Salty Dogs instead. They have always been professional, accommodating, and excellent at what they do. They are in high demand, which is why I wasn’t able to get an appointment with them a few days ago, but I would much rather wait for an appointment with a groomer I trust than deal with this kind of experience again.
Petco could have simply communicated with me before my appointment. Had they told me they were no longer willing to groom my dog after receiving the new veterinary note, I could have taken him somewhere else. Instead, they wasted my time and put me in a position where I had no opportunity to make other arrangements. Extremely disappointing after four years of doing business with them.