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Dirty Dog Self-Serve Dog Wash and Full Service Grooming
Rating Details »
Category: Pet Groomers [Edit]
Neighborhood: University of Texas3016 Guadalupe
Austin, TX 78705
(512) 453-3647
- Hours:
Mon. 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Tue. 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Wed-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
14 reviews for Dirty Dog Self-Serve Dog Wash and Full Service Grooming
so i've got two beautiful dogs, only one of which requires grooming. imagine the most precious, 20 pound, 14 year old cocker spaniel, mocha. like most cocker's, mocha believes we are all here to service her. perhaps we are, but i digress...
everytime we've taken her to dirty dog, we are pleased with their service. her cut is always as requested and you can tell the staff there really cares for animals. though i've heard some complaints about their cleanliness or attention to detail, i have to disagree based on my experiences there. as long as mocha is happy, we're all happy!
four stars.
I've seen diy dog washing done right, and this ain't it. Dirty Dog is awful on many levels.
As a consumer, I had a bad experience at Dirty Dog because it's dirty inside, and the sink they gave me last time already had a big old clump of dog hair in the drain. The shampoo was not just watered down (you really do want to water down the shampoo you use on your dog, just not this much) but too watery. And the towels! I had to ask for clean ones, and instead of real towels, they gave me the same thin rags that busboys use to wipe tables. Come on, guys. If you don't want to spend money on towels, buy them at Goodwill. Don't give people busrags.
The real meat of this bad review comes from my experience as a dog professional. I didn't like the way they treated my dogs, but at least I have the skill to do damage control. Most dog owners don't. Dirty Dog's employees are terrible with dogs, and do things that make dogs uncomfortable. I wonder how often their employees are bitten - I've seen them do some really, really weird stuff.
A straight wash-n-dry at a good groomer isn't that much more than Dirty Dog charges, and it will last longer. And you won't traumatize your dog, or have to deal with fistfuls of someone else's dog hair.
We washed our dogs at home for years before we tried dirty dog (the DIY option). It keeps us from having to either trash our bathroom, or succumb to the fact that after we clean our dogs, they will race and roll around the yard and make themselves, well, dirty all over again. Plus, they smell good for a week, which is something we never accomplish on our own.
DD is pretty straightforward, yet brilliant: a giant utility tub, a waterproof apron, a warm hose with a high pressure (not too high) industrial dishwasher nozzle, non-viscous products ( in restaurant catsup bottles...great idea), a scrubbie or two, and of course, the absolute necessity: dog anchors. Anyone who washes their dogs knows that dog anchors are a key component to keeping your person from being dragged across the neighborhood with a writhing ball of foam. And for $25 for my two dogs under 25 lb, it can't be beat. The groomer would cost us twice that.
I do wish they would heat the dryers. Its pretty obvious these are vacuum cleaners turned on reverse, and, as much as both my dogs I take here hate the washing, they hate the dryer even more. Also, the price is right, but a furminator per stall would be killer.
We have never had our dogs fully groomed there so I can't speak to the grooming.
I normally either a) bathe my dogs at home for free or b) pay someone to bathe them and give them haircuts. But sometimes, when it's cold outside and I don't feel like leaning over the tub to bathe the dog and then to scrub the fur and mud out of the tub, I go to Dirty Dog. It's so nice just not to have to lean over! I happen to like the watery soap, it gets good coverage on my woolly mutt. And the blow-dryers are awesome, so she doesn't have to get in my car all wet and cold. It's definitely a splurge, but it's worthwhile occasionally.
I still bathe the little dog in the sink at home, though.
Lucy is a mutt but prefers to be called a "mixed breed"... she's kinda prissy like that. So she wasn't so keen on the idea of going to a place called "Dirty Dog" although she warmed up a little when I explained that it isn't a K-9 version of Sugars.
We've been twice and I think we agree that we'd give it 3.5 stars (if we could). The people are nice and overall do a decent job but I agree with Kat M... Lucy didn't seem to be cleaned or groomed super well... she had fleas when she got home (they didn't mention that) and she had marble-sized hairy knots behind both ears, which they didn't find. Also, they gave her the "lion cut" but it is really uneven... looks like Freddy Kreuger had a few beers then groomed Lucy with a dull chainsaw.
Overall I like "The Dawg" (as Lucy calls it) and we'll be giving it another shot... I'll keep y'all updated.
Lucy says "woof woof" (and then she hid in the bushes)
This place is awesome! Have you ever tried to wash your dog at home? Spend a half hour bent over your bathtub getting water everywhere and getting a sore back? Dog runs around crazy getting water everywhere?
At Dirty Dog the wash tubs are up off the ground so you don't have to bend over. They have a great way to secure your dog in the tub so they don't jump out. They have all the shampoo, conditioner, perfume, and tools you need to get your dog clean and smelling great! They even have dryers setup at the stations so you don't have to leave with a wet dog.
No messy towels or water everywhere for you to clean up. Just show up, wash up, and your done!
Big gigantic thumbs up!
Dirty Dog has exceeded all my expectations! Five Stars --- for sure!
My cocker spaniel, Kyoshi, needs to be groomed often! I tried several dog groomers in Austin but I was never satisfied. Finally, I stumbled across Dirty Dog a few years ago while driving down North Lamar and I had a dog washing experience like no other! In regards to the self-serve, I will never wash my dog at home again! The standup tubs are so convenient and comfortable that I actually enjoy washing her (although I know she HATES it.) The self-serve prices are based on the size of your dog. Since Kyoshi is 29 lbs, I pay $12 which includes shampoo, conditioner, nail clippers, ear cleaner, towels and a blowdryer - that will not scare your dog half to death. The grooming service is excellent as well and the staff is extremely friendly. I always feel comfortable leaving my dog there.
Dirty Dog recently opened a south location which I am SUPER thankful for...since I recently moved from central Austin to 78704!
Take your dirty dog there! Not only will you come home with a clean dog but your bathtub will be clean as well! : )
The Dirty Dog is good clean fun!
We have to take our dog there because we somehow ended up with the only Lab in the world that HATES water. She's also 50 lbs, so washing her in our tub is out of the question.
Dirty Dog is the solution we have been looking for. A self-service dog wash. Brilliant! It's cheaper than paying to have her groomed. We bring her in and we lift her into one their tubs. They have everything we need. The water hose, aprons, shampoo (flea, oatmeal, lavender, etc), conditioner, towels, blow dryer, treats!
Its definitely some fun family bonding time after she has been rolling around in the dirt out at the dog park.
It was worth the drive up to North Lamar, but now that they have the South First location open, it's even more convenient.
Given a choice between the two, I'll take The Dirty Dog over my dog staying dirty any day and twice on Sundays. The formula for the success of this place is pretty simple: provide some large tubs for easy washing, a variety of different shampoos, various drying opportunities; rinse, repeat.
As someone who would just as soon not dirty up his own tub, The Dirty Dog makes washing your four legged best friend a snap. You'll keep your pup smelling great, at least until she goes back out and rolls around in the back yard again.
The Good:
:: self-serve dog wash stations
:: they provide you with soap, towels, and blowers
:: cheap rates (i think we paid $12 or something?)
The Bad:
:: the place STINKS like a farty old petstore mixed with trash. seriously. way too stinky. get some air neutralizers and fans in there please!
:: the soap they provide you with is really watered down and not very effective unless you use a LOT. lame. they offer high quality soap for a fee
:: the towels are GROSS and rough. i don't expect to dry my dog off in smooth-as-butter towels but come on. these towels were small, really used, and rough. plus they had dog hair all over them! i didn't bother using any of the towels on my dog.
:: only a few stations for cleaning your dog. it can get cramped in there.
The Ugly:
:: none.
Would I go back? Definitely not. Nothing to write home about and not worth enduring the stink of the place. I'll keep washing my dog in the tub at home til I find a better place.
This place is OUT.
This was my first time getting Einstein (my old man looking Yorkie) groomed. I brought him here to get the full grooming service, so I don't know much about the self-serve part. They did a fabulous job with the cut and since I brought him first thing in the morning (9:30AM) they had him returned around noon. All of the employees were extremely polite!! I felt really comfortable leaving him there.
Probably going back to get a self-serve or even groomed in a few months!!
Although I haven't tried the self-serve option (I'd rather wash my dog in the tub at home rather than pay to wash my own dog), I've dropped my dog off here to get a bath and nail clipping. While they gave him a kicky dog scarf upon leaving, it didn't seem like he was all that well bathed, and I don't think he had been brushed. I ended up brushing him when I got home.
I recommend West End grooming if you want to drop off your dog to get groomed instead. If you're looking to wash your dog yourself though, this is probably a good place to go.
This review was written on behalf of Emma (pictured above) her owner gladly wrote it for her due to her lack of opposable thumbs needed for typing.....
"Woof....My person gladly takes me to Dirty Dog on a semi-regular basis for a shave. Since I have a really thick coat, I swelter in the summer heat. When I'm getting a shave at DD, I hate it at first - I'm a rather Nervous Nelly. But, my person takes time and isn't rushed at all. The workers at DD are nice and talk really sweet to me and all the other dirty dogs. The cool thing is, when I'm done with my new do, we just walk out! I don't have to hang around for my person to clean up - and believe me, I leave quite a mound of fur covering the floor. The only growl I have, is sometimes the electric razors are dull and it takes a little longer than usual. But, the nice workers at DD, gave my person a break on paying when she barked at them about it. I'm getting old too, so there are these cool stairs on wheels to roll up to the table and washtubs, so I can easily walk up....Woof"
We've brought our dogs here for self serve about a dozen times before and really enjoy being about to get our dogs clean without breaking our backs or our wallets. However you would think that a place that expects to get filthy and furry would have a better cleaning procedures and possibly an air purifier as well. As for full serve we only used them for nail clips and it's always hit or miss. There's been a couple of times where the groomer is absolutely fabulous and it's a quick and painless procedure. The last time we went the groomer cut 4 nails too short on one of my dogs and made him bleed. I could tell it was so painful for him so I took the others to get it done at their vet. The awful thing was that after she cut it too short, the phone rang and she answered the phone before she went to get the powder to stop the bleeding. She didn't even apologies or give us warning that she wasn't good at clipping nails. If it's skilled professionals you're seeking go elsewhere if you want consistency. I give them two stars because they're the only ones to offer self serve.
