I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to the grooming center at Petsmart before adopting my four-legged baby, but in time I had to start looking into dog grooming facilities. The short fur my Shi-Tzu puppy started with grew quickly as he matured, and before long he looked like a mop on four legs with a little black nose and grooming became necessary. His eyes became completely covered, and I wasn’t about to place a pair of scissors near his face. Giving Zeus a bath was difficult enough since he acted like I was trying to drown him each time I placed him in the tub, and I didn’t want to risk poking him in the eye with a pair of scissors. Not only that, other than brushing, I don’t know a thing about dog grooming.
Petsmart immediately came to mind when I thought of dog grooming, and since it’s a local well known business, I decided to make an appointment for my little Shi-Tzu. I wanted to be able to see his big brown eyes and have him transformed from a four-legged dirty little mop to the handsome Shi-Tzu I knew he was beneath his thick fur coat. I hoped that the groomer at Petsmart in could handle his fear of water as well as his uncooperative attitude, and I was skeptical to say the least.
My Puppy’s Initial Reaction at Petsmart
I held my 7 month old puppy when entering Petsmart for the first time. I had never taken him out in public other than a walk down the street, and I didn’t know how he’d react to a store full of people and their pets. Surprisingly he behaved quite well – until the lady in the grooming department took him from my arms. At first he didn’t know someone else had him, but when he turned around and saw that it wasn’t me who was holding him he began to cry. This vocalization was unlike any other I’ve ever heard. Zeus constantly yipped without taking a breath as if he was being pinched, and it was clear he was very unhappy. I couldn’t imagine how anyone would be able to give him a bath let alone complete the grooming at Petsmart. I walked away with apprehension, and expected to get a phone call from Petsmart saying they were unable to even begin the grooming process.
Surprise, Surprise
I ran errands while my dog was being groomed at Petsmart, and I was told it would be approximately an hour and a half before he would be ready. I was surprised I didn’t receive a phone call from Petsmart saying they couldn’t complete the grooming. When I left the store my dog was clearly unhappy and uncooperative. Imagine my surprise when I returned to the store and saw a dog I barely recognized!
When I looked through the large glass window of the grooming center at Petsmart, I saw my dog sitting very still on the grooming table with his head tipped back as the lady carefully clipped the fur above his eyes. He looked like a professional show dog sitting on that table, and I couldn’t get over how well he was behaving. Best of all he looked fantastic. I could finally see his cute little face, and he looked as good as any Shi-Tzu featured in a dog show. Was this really my dog on that grooming table?
The lady at Petsmart that groomed my dog said that he cried for quite some time, and she showed me the whites of his eyes which were bloodshot and red. She assured me this would go away in time. She said that after he settled down he was very well behaved, and he did great for a first timer at Petsmart. She also said that each time I brought him to Petsmart he’d leave looking better than the time before, and eventually my Shi-Tzu would enjoy grooming. I was very impressed.
The expertise and outstanding service provided by the Petsmart grooming department in Merrillville Indiana was very impressive, and I highly recommend them – especially for those with a dog that has never experienced professional grooming. I don’t know what they did to calm my dog, but they won him over and made him look like a handsome canine instead of a dirty mop on four legs. Although Petsmart is slightly more expensive than some other area groomers, they deserved every dime of the cost.
The Cost
To have my 8 pound Shi-Tzu groomed at Petsmart in Merrillville Indiana the charge was $43.00. I will be taking my Shi-Tzu back to Petsmart once a month for a bath and a brushing, and it will cost around $20.00. Since my dog hates baths, and since I end up needing one by the time I’m done struggling, this monthly grooming service is well worth the cost.
Before I left Petsmart, I also made sure to give the groomer a well deserved tip. I can’t say enough about how great Petsmart treated my dog and how fantastic he looked when this very patient lady was finished grooming him. I’ll always take my dog to Petsmart for all of his bathing and grooming needs.
