Soggy Paws

READ BEFORE YOU HAVE YOUR PET GROOMED AT SOGGY PAWS! I've been going to the South Loop location for almost 2 years and had not had a problem until recently. They've always over booked and will frequently cancel appointments on you, but since I've been taking my dog there since he was a puppy I let that go. In 2 years I had only cancelled an appointment once because my dog had gotten sick the night before the appt & they were quick to charge me a $30 cancellation fee, but again I let that go. Well last month they again called to reschedule, this time because a groomer had quit. When I picked up my dog the groomer said everything was fine and he had behaved. I thought he was fine, that was until I got back home.

Once I got home my dog went to lay on his back and I noticed he had blood in his eye like a popped blood vessel. His eye lid also started turning black & blue and he developed a scab under one of his arms where he had been shaved too closely. By this time Soggy Paws was closed so I took my dog to the vet. The vet said he had trauma to his eye and somehow his eye had been hit. He basically had the equivalent of a doggy black eye. I paid $65 for the grooming & $120 vet bill.

I called Soggy to let them know my dog had been injured while in their care and asked for the owner to call me. I was told the owner would be there in a few hours and they would have them call me, well the owner never called!

It pisses me off that my dog was injured while in their care and the owner couldn't be bothered to take time out of his schedule to call me. My dog was hurt by one of their employees and even if it was accidental they should have taken responsibility and I deserved at the very least a phone call! When I picked my dog the groomer said everything was fine and didn't mention to me anything about his eye. Even if she had somehow hit his eye by accident, while I would have been upset I would have understood that accidents happen, but to not be warned and to discover the injury later was infuriating!!!

They are busy growing their business and opening more locations but they are doing this while sacrificing quality service. I think they did a better job of hiring groomers before but now they'll hire anybody since they have so many appts booked. Go to Soggy Paws at your own risk, but if you care about your dog than I would suggest you go somewhere else!

Posted 02/27/09 | Report Abuse

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I was one of the dog adoption volunteers who witnessed the exchange between "Tami A" and her companion and the "groomer" from Soggy Paws. (First of all, Tami, get the facts if you are going to review something..)
Yes, the man was trying to get some excess hair out of one of our rescue dogs. He was trying to throw it behind him into the vestibule but due to the high winds that day, unbenounced to him (because it was behind his back) the hair blew around the corner. Now, that isn't the most sanitary thing in the world, but it's just DOG HAIR. This woman lives in UPTOWN, for God's sake! Unfortunately you have to step over drunks, crack whores and human feces just to walk down the street..and she's worried about dog hair? I would imagine had she not approached us all with (and I quote): "this is really gross. The hair is blowing ALL OVER THE CITY. You should do that inside" and took a different tone and tack, the outcome would have been different. (additionally, the comment "there are more disgusting things" was not made by a Soggy Paws employee. He actually said nothing). To write a "review" of a place you have never been in over something so trivial shows a lot about you. The amazingly friendly, responsible and professional owners of Soggy Paws and their multitide of customers will be fine without ever seeing you and your friend step into their business. Oh, and after you left on your superior horse, he stopped combing the dog and picked up the hair he could despite your bitchy attitude and approach.

PROS: Clean, friendly, great selection, great prices, my dogs love it, generous
CONS: Too busy of a grooming schedule

Posted 08/17/06 | Report Abuse

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I was out for a walk one afternoon to find that Soggy Paws was grooming a very large dog on the sidewalk. There were huge clumps of fur being brushed off the dog. The groomer tossed all of the clumps of hair to the side and the breeze blew it all over the streets. When I approached them about putting it into bags I was told "there are more disgusting things." Although this is true that doesn't justify this thoughtless and careless behavior.

Posted 08/05/06 | Report Abuse

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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I'm sorry. I'm not a comedian. But I I couldn't resist the opportunity. To the individual who compares used kleenexes and soiled diapers to dog toys. You must be still wearing diapers :-) if you lack the intellectual ability to distinguish between one-time use items such as kleenexes and diapers (I hope they are one-time use for you :-)) and dog toys, which are presumably durable, multi-use items.

PROS: Blah
CONS: Blah

Posted 12/10/05 | Report Abuse

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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Readers of this site would be well advised to be wary of reviewers that have been coached by the owners of Soggy Paws. It appears that Soggy Paws has been whining to their friends and have told them "their" side of the story. And these friends are now retro-actively posting positive comments about Soggy Paws on this site, to keep their rating up.

I commend these people for showing such loyalty to Soggy Paws. Hopefully, Soggy Paws' business is limited to this "tiny", loyal following.

Perhaps, Soggy Paws is a decent place to wash your pet after a visit to Montrose Beach. But beyond that, I would avoid any products they sell like the plague. Better to buy directly from the manufacturer or online. You have a better chance at any decent Customer Service and can avoid their markup.

Cheers,
Vikram

PROS: None.
CONS: Lousy attitude

Posted 12/09/05 | Report Abuse

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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I love Soggy Paws! When we first moved to the Uptown area, the owners really helped welcome me to the community. Our family depends on Soggy Paws to keep our pooch clean, well-fed, and entertained. A note to new dog owners: dogs do destroy toys! I kind of associate returning a destroyed dog toy with returning a used Kleenex or a soiled diaper, but I guess people have their own prerogatives as far as exchanges go. Soggy Paws has a huge variety of fun, quality dog toys for a variety of types of dogs! The staff and owners have been nothing but friendly to us in our experience!

PROS: Close to the dog beach/park, great service, quality products
CONS:

Posted 12/09/05 | Report Abuse

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We love it at Soggy Paws, Their shop is the only "wash" my dogs have ever pulled me toward! The staff is friendly and helpful. The products are great and I've never had a problem dealing with them when my little bulldog destroyed an indistructible toy. They have always treated me and anyone else I've seen in the store with courtesy and respect.

PROS: Iwash for a good price and they clean up the mess!
CONS: aromatherapy, healthy treats, food that is not byproduct filled

Posted 12/08/05 | Report Abuse

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I have been a customer of Soggy Paws since the week they opened. I have always found owners, Paul and Kevin, t be fun, comforting and ver knowledgeable of their products and manufacturers. We ahev trusted the care of our Dog to their groomers, as well. We are very pleased to announce our dog (a blue ribbon pup) has never looked so great and come home so happy. I have seen some of the other review on this site and think the two folks who dislike the customer service are very wrong. Why embelish that?
Try Soggy paws out. You do the work, they clean up - you go home; Im In!

PROS: Customer Service, Knowledge of Products, Environment
CONS: Parking

Posted 12/08/05 | Report Abuse

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The place is way too expensive and the customer service is definitely NOT the nicest in Chicago! I was kept waiting for a very long time. The staff was not very knowledgable about their products. Most products don't have price tags. Buyer beware!!!

Posted 12/08/05 | Report Abuse

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I absolutely love Soggy Paws! As soon as you come in someone greets you and there is always water ready and availble for all the pups that come in. They have a fabulous phrase, "Wash Your Dog. Dry Your Dog.Go Home. We Clean Up the Mess." How great is that? Our dog has clogged our drains numerous times but with Soggy Paws we don't have to worry about it. They also provide aprons, brushes, curry combs, towels, a professional grooming blow dryer and a small drying room that has a constant airflow, too cool (too bad our dog is too big for it!). They sell tons of toys, bones, treats and even food for both dogs and cats. If the food bag is too heavy for you to carry they'll bring it to your car, now that's service! I have recommended them to many of my friends and clients! All of which have had only positive things to say about their experiences. Kevin and Paul (the owners) are fabulous and so helpful, I'd be lost without them! Support your local businesses, they are diamonds in the rough.

Posted 12/08/05 | Report Abuse

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I have never been as displeased with a customer service experience as I have at Soggy Paws recently. I recently bought a couple of dog toys for my puppy at the recommendation of one of the co-owners at the store. He said they were excellent toys and were indestructible. At roughly $13-15 each, I would expect them to be perform. After just a couple of days, both toys were damaged beyond use. I have bought $5 toys at Petsmart that have lasted me 6 weeks.
When I returned to the store and asked them for a replacement/refund, I was told I should directly contact the customer service of each of the Dog Toy manufacturers. And they proceeded to give me the contact numbers of each of them. Unheard of. A store that won't directly deal with their customer and asks them to take it up directly with the manufacturer. So after trying to call the manufacturers, one of them, JW Pet, nicely enough, sent a replacement toy, that lasted about 5 minutes. The other, Bamboo Pet, has not returned any of my phone calls. When I called the store back to inform them of my experience, they said there was nothing they could do about it. Apparently, they have no problems dealing with the toy manufacturers themselves and therefore feel that we should continue to take our problems up with them directly.
This type of customer service experience is attrocious, in my opinion. Especially with a small, so-called neighborhood mom-and-pop store. I expect this type of behavior with large, uncaring multi-national corporations.
I sincerely hope that this level of service catches up with Soggy Paws soon. They deserve to be out of business ASAP.

Posted 12/08/05 | Report Abuse

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I've just discovered Soggy Paws and my dog loves it! The concept is simple -- a clean, fun environment for washing my (messy) dog. They've got 5 or 6 raised tubs and a ton of sweet smelling doggy shampoos & treatments. Who knew that dog aromatherapy existed...or that it works?! They also sell pet food, toys and other supplies.

Posted 03/07/05 | Report Abuse

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