Most pet owners are familiar with how traditional groom shops work. You load your pet into the car and head off to the groomer. Once at the groom shop, your pet spends the day being cleaned and primped. One person may check them in, while another brushes and bathes, and yet another wields the clippers and scissors. Your baby hangs out in a cage while not being worked on, which is probably also where they are dried – by a hot fan hooked on the cage door to blow on them automatically, as controlled by a timer. Hours later, at the end of the day, you drive back to pick up your pet and bring them home again.

Groom shops can be happy, high energy places, but if they are good, they are busy, and if they are busy, they are typically LOUD with the sound of cage dryers and yaps of other dogs who are also spending the day there. Lots of dogs come home from the groom shop exhausted from spending practically the whole day in a state of high alert! For dogs who are nervous, elderly, or in precarious health, a day at the groomshop can be a real strain. And sometimes pet owners find the transportation back and forth to be a hassle, especially when they have several small children to ride herd on as well, or if their pets dislike car rides, gets carsick, or is just too hard to get in the car. And many people simply don’t have the time to add two more trips into their day. In these circumstances, finding a good mobile groomer can be a godsend!

Mobile groomers bring their grooming salon right to your doorstep, and most appointments take only about an hour from start to finish. Once a relationship is established, you may even be able to have your dog groomed without having to be home yourself – saving you even more time. With a mobile groomer, your dog never has to be in a cage, and there are no cage dryers to worry about (we’ve all heard the scary stories about deaths from cage dryer accidents). With a mobile groomer, all blow drying is done by hand and only one person handles your dog throughout the entire process. Mobile grooming is much less stress on your dog, and much more convenient for you!

But a caution:  if if sounds like mobile pet groomers are guaranteed to be a godsend, it’s not necessarily that easy! Like any personal service, the quality of your experience depends on the quality of the people involved and how they operate their business. Great mobile groomers treat your pet with love and also run their business like a business. When you call to arrange service, expect to encounter competence, politeness and a professional manner. Prompt appearances for appointments is another important factor in whether or not a particular mobile grooming company is the best for the job. A groomer that is always late or never shows up can really put a crunch in your day.

Godsend Groomers:

• Are friendly and respectful.
• Communicate well.
• Show up on time.
• Treat your pets as if they were their own.
• Are mindful of a pet’s fear.
• Carries all needed equipment.
• Makes owners feel at ease.
• Cleans up their mess.
• Gives great results!

Nightmare Groomers:

• Are abrupt on the phone or don’t communicate at all.
• Regularly miss appointments or don’t show up on time.
• Have no voicemail or are hard to contact
• Forgets their equipment.
• Makes owners feel as if they aren’t appreciated.
• Are rude and inconsiderate.
• Are rough with pets.
• Ignores the emotional signs of animal fear.
• Leave behind a huge mess.

When looking for the right mobile pet groomer to care for your pets, check with friends or other pet owners in your area for their recommendations or even warnings. Look at the company’s website and social media pages to see what they say about themselves – and what comments their customers have made. Use online review sites such as Yelp. Check out the company’s rating & see if any complaints have been filed with the the local Better Business Bureau. Keep in mind as you conduct your due diligence, that sometimes personal friction or a inappropriate expectations will cause people to complain or post a bad review. So if you see a single bad review, take that into consideration and perhaps discuss whatever concerns it may raise with the groomer you are considering. However, if a groomer has multiple bad reviews, you might want to pass them by and look for another.  Mobile groomers truly can be a godsend — if you find the right one!