My initial reaction was to give this place one Reba. The second Reba is what I call the "benefit of the doubt" Reba. The Little Ark Grooming Shop looks like it could be a nice place to take your pet but my experience was very much one star. I called Little Ark on a Sunday morning to see if I could get my dog, Jarvis' nails trimmed. He's 10 and does NOT like this process so I have to sit with him through it. I used to take him to the Petsmart in Daly City as I lived closer at the time. But since I now live in Hayes Valley, this is way more convenient.
So, I showed up at Little Ark at about 11am on Sunday. There was nobody in the lobby but there was a female employee in the back with all the dogs, she was trying to get to one of the kennels and yelled "move!" to a dog in her way. Now, I say that to Jarvis all the time when he's under my feet. But, he's MY DOG. I don't expect him to be yelled at like that at a groomery. Is that hypocritical? Oh well. Anyway, that was strike one.
So, she came to the front and said "can I help you?" I said "Yes, I'd like to get his nails trimmed" to which she quickly replied "Is he good through it?" I said "No" and before I even got to explain, she ROLLED HER EYES. Really? Strike two. Anyway, I finished my sentence after her dramatic eye roll "No, he doesn't like it and needs me to sit with him" She said "Ok, we'll do it right here then" She quickly pulled out the cutters, I got my dog comfortable on the floor with me and she went to work. She didn't say a word, just trimmed his nails. I guess I'm used to the girls at Petsmart who would reassure him while they cut his nails. That's fine though, I reassured him. No filing, no frills. Just cut and "That's it. Done" I said "Good boy! All done" to which he gleefully jumped up. This was apparently a bit much for her as he's tall and she turned her face away dramatically and said "Ok! Ok!" as in "get your big dog out of my face" Oh, I'm sorry. I thought this was a grooming shop. It's like hiring a nanny that holds your baby at arms length. You signed up for this, don't act you are sitting on my couch as a guest and my dog jumped in your lap. Strike three.
Bottom line, she is the reason for the low rating. I have a feeling this place probably has some very animal friendly staff. I mean, it's in the Duboce Triangle, right outside the Castro. Probably the most animal friendly neighborhood in SF. But, this girl? Uh-uh. Not animal friendly. I guess I'll continue to make the drive out to Daly City. Jarvis is 10 and deserves five star treatment. He doesn't deserve to be treated like a burden from someone in the wrong job with a one star personality.
Two very generous Reba's:
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