My golden retriever, Miller, (who turns 2 years old in April) has never been professionally groomed. Back in San Diego he'd either get hosed off at Dog Beach in Coronado, or we'd humiliate him in front of his neighborhood friends by drenching him with the house hose outside of our garage.
His nails, and especially his dew claws, were starting to rival the talons sported by the fine women of MTV's Jersey Shore. After a road trip to the snow for NYE and a long weekend of WWF-style wrestling matches with our friend's black lab, he was sufficiently grimy and I finally felt that paying a professional to clean him up was worth the loot.
Miller was the first appointment of Saturday morning. The owner originally estimated 4 hours to get him all spiffied up, but she called in just 3 hours. When I picked him up his personality was upbeat and he didn't bolt for the door like at the vet. This leads me to believe a morning at the doggy spa was significantly less traumatizing than getting his regular shots, even with the pedicure.
The facilities were extremely clean and they did a wonderful job scrubbing down Miller. 4 stars only because I thought the grooming was on the pricey side when comparing with places like Petsmart. But then again the intimate setting made me feel like it was probably a more calming experience than all of the action at a typical pet store. And they even gave Miller a new toy as a parting gift!
I will definitely bring Miller back here again, but since he doesn't really require much fur styling like other breeds, another visit will probably have to wait until his nails grow out.