Prices, timing & booking
What things cost, how long an appointment takes, and whether you need to book ahead.
How much does dog grooming cost in Woodside?
A full groom — bath, hand-dry, haircut, nails, ears and a sanitary tidy — runs $85 for a small dog up to 20lb, $105 for a medium dog, $135 for a large dog and $165 for anything over 80lb. A bath and brush without a haircut is $55 to $110 on the same scale. Those figures assume a coat in reasonable condition; a badly matted coat takes longer and costs more, and we will tell you that before we start rather than afterwards.
How long will my dog be with you?
Two hours for most small dogs, two and a half for a medium dog, three or more for a big or double-coated one. You book a time and your dog is groomed at that time — there is no holding bay here full of animals who arrived at eight in the morning and are waiting their turn. Cats are booked longer than the work needs, on purpose.
How often should my dog be groomed?
It depends on the coat rather than the breed. Curly and wool coats want every four to six weeks, silky coats four to eight, wire coats six to ten, and double and smooth coats eight to twelve. There is a full breakdown by coat type, including what to do at home between visits, on our grooming schedule page.
Do I need an appointment?
For anything involving a bath or a haircut, yes. Quick visits — nails, ears, a sanitary tidy, a paw trim — are walk-in whenever we are quiet, and Saturday morning is a dedicated walk-in nail clinic. Call ahead and we will tell you honestly whether there is a queue.
Safety & welfare
The commitments this trade can actually be judged on.
Do you sedate difficult animals?
No, and we never will. Sedation is a veterinary decision that belongs to a veterinarian who has examined the animal, and a grooming salon offering it is offering something it has no business offering. What we do instead is book longer, break the groom into pieces, and stop when an animal has had enough.
Do you use cage dryers?
No. There is no heated cage dryer in this building and there never has been. Every animal is hand-dried at the table by the person grooming it, and nothing is ever left alone with a dryer running. It takes longer and it costs us money, and it is not negotiable.
Do you express anal glands?
No. Plenty of salons do; we take the view that it is a veterinary job, that doing it routinely on an animal that does not need it is not harmless, and that we are not the right people to judge which is which. Ask your veterinarian.
What happens if my dog gets nicked or irritated?
You get told the same day, before you leave the building — not left to find it at home. Small nicks and clipper irritation are rare but genuinely possible, especially on matted coats where the skin sits right against the blade. We will show you exactly where it is, and if we think it needs a veterinarian we will say so.
Grooming is not veterinary care. Grooming is grooming, not veterinary care. This page describes a service we offer. It is general information, and it is not a diagnosis, a treatment or veterinary advice for any particular animal. We are groomers, not veterinarians — we do not diagnose, we do not prescribe and we do not treat medical conditions. If your pet has a wound, a lump, an ear or skin problem, a limp or anything that worries you, speak to a licensed veterinarian who can actually examine it.
How we handle your animal. We do not sedate animals and we never will — sedation is a veterinary decision made by a veterinarian, not a grooming shortcut. We use no heated cage dryers of any kind, and no animal is ever left alone with a dryer running. Every pet is hand-dried by the person grooming it. If your animal tells us clearly that it has had enough, we stop, and you get an honest conversation instead of a finished haircut.
Cats, puppies & rabbits
The animals that need a different appointment from an easy-coated adult dog.
Do you groom cats?
Yes, in a separate quiet room with its own door, no dryer noise and no dog within earshot. A full cat groom is $110, a lion or comb cut is $140, and nails and ears alone are $30. Cats are booked at roughly twice the length the job needs, because a cat who is not rushed is a cat we can actually finish.
What if my pet does not like being groomed?
Tell us before you book. Nervous and reactive animals get longer slots, one consistent person, and as many short introductory visits as it takes — we do not charge for those. If your dog has ever bitten a groomer, please say so; we will still take him, and knowing means we can do it safely.
Do you groom puppies, and from what age?
From about sixteen weeks, once a veterinarian has finished the first vaccination course — check with yours, since it is their call and not ours. The first appointment is $50 and is deliberately not a haircut: the table, the water, the dryer at a distance, a comb, a nail trim and home. It is the cheapest appointment we sell and the most valuable.
Do you groom rabbits and guinea pigs?
Yes — combing, nails and a coat check for $60, in the quiet room. We do not bathe rabbits, and we would gently suggest you do not either; the stress of it is genuinely dangerous to them. Long-coated rabbits in moult want us every four to six weeks.
Coat, skin & the medical boundary
Matting, skin and coat questions, and exactly where grooming stops and a veterinarian's job starts.
My dog is matted. Will you shave him?
Possibly, and if we think that is the kind thing we will say so plainly. We will de-mat where de-matting is reasonable — up to thirty minutes, which is our policy limit — but past that, dragging a comb through a felted coat hurts, and a short clip with a plan to grow it back properly is the better answer. You decide; we tell you honestly what each choice means.
Can you treat my dog's fleas or itchy skin?
No. We are groomers, not veterinarians — we do not diagnose and we do not treat. A flea and tick bath washes off what is on the coat that day, which is useful, but it is not a treatment for an infestation and it will not fix an itch. Anything on the skin, in an ear or under a coat that worries you is a question for your veterinarian first.
What do you need to know about my pet before the first visit?
Age, weight, breed or best guess, when it was last groomed, anything a veterinarian is currently treating, and how it behaves about being handled. If your pet is on medication or has a heart or breathing condition, tell us — it changes how long we work and how many breaks we take.
Are you certified or accredited?
No, and neither is anybody else in a meaningful sense — pet grooming is not a licensed trade in New York State, and the certificates you see on salon walls come from private companies rather than a regulator. We are not certified, accredited or endorsed by anybody, and we would rather tell you exactly how we work than show you a badge.
Read more
Where to go next
Our matting and shave-down policy
The full, honest version of the short answer above. Read the policy.
How we handle animals
Every safety commitment, written down. Safety and handling.
What it costs
The complete price list. Pricing.
Still have a question
Call or send a message
We would rather spend five minutes on the phone giving you a straight answer than have you guess and book the wrong appointment.