Devastated by Groomer

SimonDobbins

Hi, im new here and this is my first post. So i have a 1yr old English Springer (murphy), he is a field bread dog, so he is quite small compared to show dogs.

Murphy had one of the best coats that we have ever seen on a springer, a real stunning looking dog, everyone thought so from vets to other owners.

we noticed that he was getting small amounts of matted fur under his ears, so we took him to the groomer. We asked to have his ears de-matted and for a wash.

When we went back to collect our dog, the groomer had shaved off all his beatuiful coat, including all feathering on legs and tail. WE WERE DEVASTATED! now he has very short tight hair and altho he still looks lovely, he is not the dog he was.

we did not make much fuss, just took him home and praised him anyway as we did not want him to see grooming as a stressful time.

This is the scary part... Can anyone tell me if he will grow his great coat back including the great leg and tail feathers? How long will this process take?

Thank You For reading,
simon

Mischief

Wow Did you ask the groomer why they went against your instructions?
Did they say it was a mistake or something that couldn't be avoided because of additional matts that you may not have been aware of? Did they offer any type of explanation for the clip they did? That is strange because most groomers try to do exactly what you ask of them, even if they don't agree with the cut/style etc. Giving the customers what they want is usually a priority. It's just not good business to go against the clients wishes as it sure doesn't make for a return customer....wow.....I'm sorry this happened. I take it, they still charged you for something you didn't ask for?

I"m not familiar with Springer Spaniel coats, so I cant offer any words of comfort in regard to how long it will take to regrow or what condition it will be.

On a side note tho....If they cant offer you an acceptable explanation for what they did or at the very least apologize for their error, I would make it a point to bring it to the attention of all those around me, in the community -- to use caution when dealing with them and discourage friends, family etc... from doing business with them in the future.

Best of Luck

SimonDobbins

Hi mischief,

i was put in touch with her via my parents who send their basset hound to her. I asked why she shaved him and the response was "i thought it would be better for a dog that stays in the home". I was not happy. The dog may spend his time around the house yes, however he spends as much time outside and in the water, which living in Ireland i can tell you is quite cold!

I have made everyone aware, and i also today have just noticed that she has cut him in several places. I will no longer be using her service nor will my parents/friends.

Sheltiemama

How awful! I don't have an answer to your questions either but I was just appalled when I read your post!

I'd be furious if someone did that to my Shelties!

DeeSpark

Not good! It should grow back though? My last groomer (never again) cut my dog as well. Mum got him shaved for summer (and we will now stick to trims, he didn't seem to like being shaved and just didn't look right). But anyway the groomer left patches of unshaved fur and heaps of cuts! I'm not sure how long it will take the coat to grow back, but it should be back in a few months.

tankstar

Thats a shame that she would do such a thing. As a apprentice groomer myself. we do not go against owners wishs, UNLESS there is no choice, such as to much matts ect. If your correct about just the small matts behind the ears, id be furious and give them a call.

his coat will grow back over time.

GreatDaneMom

i would have given them a piece of my mind and either not payed or asked for a refund. not only did they go against your wishes but they cut your dog a few times. then i would have advised people not to go there. im not going to pay for a service that i did not ask for and was done poorly on top of it.

MySoulmateEmmy

I went to grooming school (though I don't groom now, it ended up not being for me) and we got in springer spaniels, and they have a very specific breed cut. if they did that breed clip, is one thing, or if he had un mattable matts, but to choose to shave the dog cus that is what the GROOMER wanted for the dog when there was no issues with the hair to begin with is very irresponsible for the groomer.. I'd be furious as well. I understand why you feel the way you do. It doesn't sound like that groomer knows anything about dog breeds much less what to do with each breed.

I hate to say it, but if it is a close shave I'd be looking at a few months or maybe more for the coat to grow back fully again. I am not sure how similar the coat would be as it previously was, but I doubt a drastic difference.

dogsrock

I can understand where your coming from years ago I had a terrier mix. She had a really nice long coat similar to a Skye terrier; we think she was part Skye terrier. She also had an undercoat. We took her to the groomer one time this was in winter. For whatever reason they gave her a schnauzer cut. Least to say it was quite a shock when we picked her up. Even more that they would do this in the middle of winter. She was still cute and her coat did grow back.

Ironwil

If a groomer is going to go against your instructions, they should call you first. I would have come unglued in that situation. You don't have to be a screaming lunatic (this isn't productive in any case) but don't be afraid to tell someone flatly that what they've done is unacceptable. The good news is that your dog's coat will almost certainly grow back just as it was. I've heard that shaved dogs sometimes don't regrow their hair properly, but I've shaved my Aussies in the summer for years (where I live it gets to be 115 degrees in the summer, and I can only walk them in the evening) and have never seen this happen.