Dogs are a part of the family, and groomers at The Shaggy Dog understand that. Owner Anne Rondeau and her employees treat people’s beloved pets as their own.
“I have customers who have been coming with their dogs all their lives,” she said. “They feel really comfortable coming here.”
Since 1998, The Shaggy Dog has been located at 6685-A Lake Worth Road, in the Shoppes of Lake Worth, just west of Jog Road.
Rondeau has always had a love for animals. “I grew up in a small town in Iowa around horses, dogs and cats,” she recalled.
Even as a girl, Rondeau knew she had a natural talent for grooming. “I think you kind of have to have that natural talent for grooming,” she said. “And it’s all about having patience when you’re dealing with animals.”
Rondeau and the other groomers enjoy working with animals. “It’s never a dull moment, and you never know what’s going to happen when you’re working on animals,” she said. “Every day is different and every animal is different.”
Groomers at The Shaggy Dog have more than 20 years of experience and understand how to treat all animals, Rondeau said. Groomers groom all breeds of dogs and cats with all-natural products.
For The Shaggy Dog staff, it’s all about giving the best service to their customers. Whatever the customers want for their pet, the groomers make it possible. “We have dogs like Cecile who come here every Friday for a wash and blowout, and has been coming here for 10 years,” Rondeau said.
Rondeau believes her customers keep coming back for the care and special treatment their pets receive. “We treat their dogs like we would our own,” she said. “We give them a good wash and blowout, and I try to keep my shop as clean as possible.”
The dog-grooming services at The Shaggy Dog are a little unconventional compared to other grooming salons because it doesn’t have any set packages. “Some dogs like wire fox terriers and schnauzers pretty much have a set cut, but we mostly do what the customer wants,” Rondeau said. “People like different things, so they should get what they want for their dogs or cats.”
Rondeau believes that her experienced groomers are what sets The Shaggy Dog apart from large chain dog-grooming companies.
“A lot of the groomers in those bigger shops are right out of school, and don’t have a lot of experience,” she said. “They do their own training, and the school is only two weeks long, and realistically you can’t learn that quickly.”
The Shaggy Dog charges by the size and breed of the animal.
“Most of the small dogs start at $48 and it goes up from there,” Rondeau said. “That includes everything like the bath, hair and nail cut, ears and anal glands cleaning, and the bow and perfume, which most places charge extra for.”
Tooth brushing and flee and tick dipping treatment is extra. “If there is a lot of matting, then we may charge extra, but that depends on how bad it is,” Rondeau said.
For additional information about The Shaggy Dog, visit the company’s web site at www.myshaggydog.com or call (561) 432-8004.
