The Pet Set PDX

When we dropped our pet off we were assured we would receive a call 20 minutes before he was ready to be picked up. That did not happen. The quality of the cut was so poor I wonder if the groomer had any experiance. His face was not cut at all; there is a blotchy consistency to what was cut; his ears were not cleaned; and his nails were not trimmed. If the ear cleaning and nail trimming were not part of the basic service we should have been advised and offered these services. This is no show dog but we need to take him to another groomer to get him cleaned up. Gives new meaning to "I wouldn't let them touch my dog!"

Vicky, the owner, lives in Vancouver and agreed to meet me near my home on her way into work so that I would be to work on time.  I picked up my pup during my noon hour.  My Shih Tzu can be very shy.  I chose this groomer due to Angie's List "A" ratings and the lack of kenneling, as play rooms are provided according to dog size.  I was told it was a slow day and myy baby rarely left Vicki's lap, snuggling and napping on her shoulder most of the morning.  I would give Vicky and "A" for TLC, as she really does impress me as having a genuine care for her furry clients.  
All of the services rendered a very clean result, with attention to detail, such as dew claws trimmed.  Ears were not as clean of little hairs as we have had in the past and the trim really left a lot to be desired; bangs too long, stray hairs left in the pits and an indefinite skirt without the stovepipe leg and fluffy paws.  The price included a pick up fee (I am assuming) and a small bag of Evangers kibble, rated "enthusiastically recommended," by www.dogfoodadvisor.com.  Vicky told me she sells it "at cost," however, I easily found the same price on all websites, or within a few cents.

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My dog came out clean, happy and handsome.  No sign of anxiety.  While the dogs wait, they hang out together in an open area where they can play and have freedom of movement, no kennels.  Love that!

Vicki, owner at Pet Set PDX, is the consummate dog person.....she loves dogs, and DOGS LOVE HER. 
We bring our Golden/Pyr mix every month for a visit to Pet Set PDX, and we are always so happy about Vicki's attention to detail, the pet friendly oatmeal shampoo smell, and her friendly staff.  Not to mention the awesome selection of pet treats that she keeps on hand.  Our dog happily BOUNDS up the stairs to her place, and that has to be a great sign of how well she treats her canine "clients". 

Great.  Such lovely people.  Vicky is sweet.  Prices are very good.

I checked out two other groomer locations before settling on The Pet Set.This was my puppies first grooming experience so I was concerned for the little guy. I just wanted him to have a bath and a trim. I explained what I wanted and they did exactly as I'vd hoped. He got the blueberry facial and bath and they made sure he had a good time with play toys until I picked him up later that day. The hair cut was perfect, they cleaned up his eyes just enough as I requested. His coat looked stunning. They even gave him a camo hanky scarf to wear out the door.

My otherwise nervous elderly Aussie was perky when I picked her up.  She was detangled, cut...her coat was glamorous. Very friendly groomer who seemed to sincerely care about my dog.

My dog was groomed sooner than I anticipated at 3:00 pm and was told I could leave her there until 5:00 which was a plus as I couldn't get there until then. Sometimes though they have asked me to pick her up early as they will close early if only a few dogs are there which I don't approve off. Business should maintain their posted hours and stay open regardless! My only complaint!

Excellent service. Called for appointment two days prior. Dog to shop by 9:30 AM and received call he was ready by 1:00 PM.

Great, I have been a regular customer for 21 months.

Vicki and Nikki are wonderful with my dog and cat. They are gentle and thorough and my dog doesn’t shake with fear. With these ladies, he always did with other frames. Also reasonably priced ! And the place is clean !

Loved the fact that our dogs did not have to sit in a kennel all day and were able to socialize with the other dogs. They provided everything that we asked for and the dogs were not stressed out at all. The only negative is that we live almost 25 miles away and driving to downtown Portland can be quite challenging at various times of the day. Now if they would only move out to east county!

This is an update on service from The Pet Set.  
In my prior review I expressed my dissatisfaction on the grooming that had been done on 
Shana, my dog.  It was awful.
Instead of just grumbling  to myself, I called and spoke with Vicky, the owner, and she told me to bring Shana back and she would  fix the poor grooming.  
Vicky did a marvelous job!  And Shana looks beautiful!  I couldn't ask for anything better.
Shana and I will definately go back to the Pet Set again.  

Before leaving to come home, I looked her over and found a few areas that hadn't been done very well and Nicole did fix them. (Among other things, her face was lopped sided and her tail had not been trimmed at all and was sweeping the floor). When I got home and took a better look at her the first thing I saw was that one ear was 1/2" to 3/4" longer than the other.   Her legs were still shaggy in the back and her paws were uneven.  Her butt had shaggy hair hanging down below her anus and there were hairs sticking out all over, some by an inch.  I think the reason I didn't notice them before I took her home was that she had been brushed so that she looked nice and smooth.
My intention was to return and have them fix everything, which I know they would gladly do.  But I've been having cramps in my lets and am having trouble walking.
On a positive note, Vicky and Nicole are very nice.  Their facility is kept very clean and they treat the animals kindly.  They do not cage the animals when they are finished with their grooming but are put into a large play-pen where they can interact.
I haven't decided whether I will use them again.

It was our first experience and overall good.

Friendly and helpful staff.  Groomer was very concerned to get the cut we wanted.  End result was okay, but there are a couple of things that we would want changed in next grooming.  Bangs were a little uneven, but I know from trying to trim them myself that they are very difficult to get straight.  Felt our dog was treated very well and appreciated the "small dog day" environment.  I don't think our dog was as stressed as when we have taken him to other groomers.

I rarely write reviews, but those I've written have only reported good experiences--until now. This experience was so OFF-THE-CHARTS BAD that I felt responsible to report it.
Yesterday was the first and last time I'll take my dog to the Pet Set PDX.
I arrived with my boy, who's an adorable, well-behaved Mini Australian Labradoodle that I'd adopted two weeks ago. It had been about eight weeks since his last professional grooming with his previous owner, so it was time for a tune-up.
I had been SO excited to take my boy for our first groom! His gorgeous silky, creamy-white, wavy fleece was about four inches long, and he needed a little trim. I communicated clearly with the groomer what I wanted: a full, fluffy look, keeping his locks longer for beauty and warmth this winter, with the typical doodle stove-pipe look to his legs (in which the hair is still long and wavy). In other words, a typical Labradoodle cut.
The groomer said she understood perfectly, added a few more gems about what special care they'd take of him and how he'd look when done: like a fluffy white cotton ball. Then she gave him a quick, full body rub, and off she went.
After more than six hours I'd heard nothing, so called to see if he was ready. I was told they'd call back in 20 minutes. Forty minutes later, having received no call, I headed out to pick him up (it was well after 5 p.m.).
What I saw after I arrived (and after waiting another half an hour) was devastating: They'd TOTALLY SHAVED HIS ENTIRE BODY AND LEGS RIGHT DOWN TO THE SKIN, leaving his head and tail virtually ungroomed and looking very disproportionate with the full shave they'd given his body, which was so close I can see his pink skin underneath it.
Additionally, his chops looked dirty and had a rag-tag cut, and has nails were still long and haphazardly clipped, if at all.
Now I've thoroughly brushed/combed this dog many times in the past few weeks, and did find a few very small mats, like the size of a dime, many of which I could easily tease out with my fingers. Some of them, I just snipped out. I'm sure there were a few more when he arrived at Pet Set.
But there is NO WAY any professional groomer could justify a full-body shave to get out the few, tiny mats he had. No way. And if for some unknown reason (she offered none) that she felt it was best to shave him, she should have called to get my permission (she did not).
Interestingly, I was the last client to pick-up their dog that day, though I'd arrived mid-morning. Perhaps they were expecting a blow-out? Perhaps they were overbooked and waited until the last minute to groom him? Perhaps somebody grabbed the wrong cutting tool? I don't know, because when I expressed my profound surprise and disappointment, all the manager and groomer would do is look sheepishly at the ground, offering no explanation or apology. The manager DID try to ply me with a gift certificate--which I refused as it would be NO GIFT at all.
So now my sweet boy will be wearing sweaters and rain slickers in the cold Portland winter. And he won't look like a Labradoodle for many months to come. Instead, he'll look like a skinny, poorly cut rat dog with an oversized head and weirdly fluffy tail--a sweet, gentle boy I'll love just the same.
I regret needing to write such a scathing review of a privately owned business. But I feel strongly that the story needed telling.
(P.S. I have no idea when the Pet Set PDX's building was built, so just guess because it's a necessary part of the review.)

They were great with my little guy.  He got to play with the other dogs there for the day and was a happy boy.  They did a great job with the schnauzer cut.

Perfectly!

Overall, it went great.  See the services performed section for more information.

I dropped of a dirty dog & picked up a clean one.

I have taken my foster dog here twice now for grooming.  Each time, she has looked amazing at pick up! 
I've had wonderful interactions there with the owner.  She knows that we're trying to get this girl adopted to a great home, so she has made sure to tell anyone who seems interested that she's available.When we first brought her in for grooming, she was a matted mess.  She likely had not been groomed in over a year.  Without any hesitation, they knew they could trim her up in an adorable puppy cut.
I love that they offer day care as part of their grooming package.  I can drop off before work, and pick up at the end of the day.  It saves me having to find time during the weekend for dog grooming. 

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We were referred to The Pet Set by friends whose dog is groomed there.  We decided to try them because we weren't that happy with the groomer we were using.  We have a 10 pound maltipoo so we were so happy that they offer "Little Dog Day" on Wednesdays so she wouldn't be overwhelmed by large dogs.  We were a little worried because our dog had been a rescue animal and still had a few abandonment issues.  Those worries were quickly put to rest.  She was treated so well and looked amazing when she was done!  They don't use any heavily perfumed products nor did they put those silly little ribbons on her.  I can't say enough about the quality of the cut especially for the price!  We were very pleased and would highly recommend this place.