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Great Dog
Rating Details »
Categories: Pet Training, Pet Boarding/Pet Sitting, Pet Stores, Pet Groomers
Neighborhood: Northgate11333 Roosevelt Way NE
Seattle, WA 98125
(206) 526-1101
- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
27 reviews for Great Dog
My little puppy no longer looks like a scruffy mess! Thank you!
So this is my first venture into the world of doggie haircuts. I really didn't know much about them. My vet gave me a recommendation but after reading reviews on the place where she worked, I opted for somewhere else.
Yelpers review led me here. It was fairly close and offered lots of other services. First off, they were super cool when I had to reschedule due to illness. Something I really appreciate. They were able to get me in again quickly too. And knowing that my dog's name was a FFVII character just made me giddy!
He was still sporting his puppy fluff and could barely see anymore. When I came to pick him up, he was a new dog! He was cut so beautifully! He's a schnoodle which can be a little tricky to cut, but they did a great job. And he was in a wonderful mood because he got to play with all the nice dogs there too.
I'm set on going here to get his hair done since they did a great job, it didn't cost too much and the staff is incredibly friendly. It's nice they are also a pet store, doggie day care, and obedience school too.
Highly recommended!
First off, let me warn you, to use the doggie daycare and/or overnight boarding, you're going to have to go through a screening process. You have to fill out a pretty extensive application and then drop off your dog for a minimum of 6 hours of "temperament screening." After that, they'll tell you if your dog is approved or not.
We dropped off the puppy last week for his temperament screening. He came back exhausted! They loved him and he appeared to love them as well. They housed him with the other puppies and he had a blast. Well, the boyfriend and I just got back from a weekend trip to Chicago and picked up the puppy this morning after his overnight stay there. When we dropped him off on Thursday he definitely knew where he was and almost ran to the back before we could even say goodbye to him. He was ready to go. Good for him, bad for mommy's separation anxiety.
Well, when we picked him up today, he was a pooped little puppy. He spent the whole day resting up because he appears to have had so much fun.
My complaints: he did came back to us a bit skinny. I think he had SO much fun running around that he burned more calories than he took in this weekend. Our fault, maybe as we should have instructed them to feed him a bit more since he is a growing pup. My other complaint, and a minus one star for that, is because they don't have a webcam. I would've loved to have the option to check up on him over the weekend.
Doggie Daycare is a savior for your sanity if you have a 90 lb dog who loves to play!
The place is great, I checked out the back and it is dog heaven. It is incredibly well thought-out and clean enough that, with about 50 dogs or so in one area, you don't even have a hint of a smell of urine!
In short, this place is a paradise for dogs. I thought of docking it a star for the price, to give you an idea, when I dropped my dog off, other dog owners rolled up in the following cars: Lexus, Mercedes, BMW. It is somewhat pricey $30 for daycare and $43 (maybe more for "high season") for overnight care, but then I thought, you get what you pay for, and here, it is well worth the money.
I drop my dog off and I know he is in good hands, everyone I've spoken to (and seen interact with the dogs when I went to the back or when I drop my dog off) really look like they know dogs.
I highly recommend it as a treat for your dog.
Since last reviewing, Great Dog refunded the entire amount of my class and offered me another class for free. They also admitted their instructor was "stuck in a rut" as far as delivering content and suggested another instructor. Now, that's service.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/27/2009
I'm rating the puppy steps class. Just pay $3 for puppy socialization. The refund policy is strict,… Read more »
i live in bellevue. so driving to great dog was a long drive, but it was oh so worth it. Charlie looks fantastic! he actually looks like a cavalier now, and he has been oohed and ahhed to last him a life time. The groomers were nice and it's great that they don't keep the dogs in kennels. I also got to leave portia with charlie while she waited to get her nails trimmed.
Will i come here again? yes. even though it is a 40 minute drive. :D
Never have I ever seen my dog look so good! The groomer did such a good job cutting his hair that I'm tempted to ask her if she'd start cutting mine. I'm embarrassed to admit that while I was driving my pooch home from Great Dog, I was sing-songing "My dog is cuter than yours." And the bandanna they put on him before I picked him up was enough to melt my heart. Hercules is stylin'!
Not only does his cut look great, but I completely trust the staff there. The grooming room is pretty open to the front of the store, so you're able to see the staff interact with the dogs that are left in their care. And I'm happy to report that they were very sweet to all of the dogs and talked to them so they weren't as anxious.
To top it all off, the grooming for my VERY hairy lab/border collie only cost $50. I've paid twice that much for less than stellar cuts, so this is a steal, in my opinion.
After such a satisfactory experience with Great Dog, I will be happy to frequent their store for all my dog's needs.
Who cuts your hair? Yes, this question is usually directed at my dog. Seriously, people have stopped us at the dog park to ask where she goes for grooming. My answer was, and continues to be, Great Dog for the best grooming in town.
I highly recommend Lisa, who is a whiz with terriers. She always has great recommendations: "Let's tidy this up and leave this longer, and then we'll trim up these." I love to come back to the shop and pick up a clean, beautiful Wheatie. And Zoe always seems to hold her head a little higher after grooming, as if to say, "Hey, don't I look hot?!?"
Great Dog remodeled and took over the space next door. This means the grooming area is bigger (and the store is roomier for their broad variety of products for dogs and cats). During the grooming process, dogs are kept in open pens while they're not being groomed so they can relax and socialize and still get attention.
There's always parking available outside the facility, the rates are reasonable, and hours are good. Zoe gives them four paws, and I follow with five stars!
We brought our sweet old girl in for her annual summer cut on Monday last week. Great Dog was super friendly on the phone and I was able to get an appointment on the day I wanted. Our dog is a mix and so to give us an accurate quote, they asked about her weight and for an example of a comparably sized dog and look. We received a quote for $90 and it ended up being a little less. They were very relaxed about drop off and pick up time and even gave our girl an extra walk when we called to say we were going to be later than expected for pick up (we arrived as they were on a walk). Our sweet pup has hip displaysia, which I explained to them on drop off. They were very accommodating.
The lobby/entry area is set up a little strangely with a couple of desks side-by-side when you first walk in, but apparently they aren't for grooming check-in (?). And when it was time to pay, it was not quite clear to us that you go over to the retail area to pay the cashier there.
We are very happy with the cut and the customer service. Good job Great Dog!
I waited a couple of weeks after Charlie's appointment to write this review because I didn't want to overreact and embarrass myself in (internet) public. Keep in mind that I've had two weeks to cool down.
I dropped Charlie off before work and had a consultation with one of the girls. I explained to her what I wanted. I even showed her a picture of his last grooming to avoid the same mishaps. I must have said, "...not frou-frou," at least 3 times. I left feeling confident that my dog was going to look very handsome when I came back.
I came to pick him up after work and I literally couldn't pick him out from the other dogs. They had to show me who my own dog was! They shaved his neck! Did they call to ask me if they could trim his neck shorter? Yes. Yes they did. But did they tell me that they were going to UNEVENLY shave his neck? NO. They absolutely did not. Their excuse was that he had some matting. I knew about that matting and there was no reason his entire neck had to be shaved. He had a chicken neck! I was so upset. I know it's just hair and it grows back, but I spent $60+ to make my dog look ugly. I love my dog, but he looked BAD.
Ugh, and on top of that, I get slack from the groomer for "describing him inaccurately". My dog is a Shih-tzu/Maltese mix. That is what I told the woman when I called to schedule the appointment. The groomer tells me that he looks Havenese and that he's too big to be Shih-Tzu or Maltese. They were under the impression that he was a smaller dog, so were forced to spend more time than anticipated. Really? Did she really just say that to me?
Boo.
Our 6 month old puppy is very sweet with other dogs but has a lot of energy. We try to walk him a lot but what he really craves is puppy playtime and boy does this daycare satisfy that craving. He wags his tail so hard his butt moves whenever we enter the facility so I'm pretty sure he LOVES this place. He also spent 10 days there when we were on vacation and the quality of care at this place is just above all expectations as they had no problem giving him his medications or giving us updates over the phone. You can tell the people that work there truly care about the dogs.
I only give this place 4 stars instead of 5 because of the cost. Most doggy daycare/overnight places are cheaper but... as they say... you get what you pay for! I think this place is well worth it
Our water spaniel Rocky came back from his summer cut with abdominal burns, per the vet's diagnosis. Not serious but warn your groomer about hot clippers. Also, she ignored my request not to clip his sensory whiskers.
Comment from Leslie C. of
Great Dog
9/1/2009
Thank you for your honest feedback & I am sorry that Rocky…
More »
I stopped by Great Dog looking for an engraveable tag for my cat's collar. They only had the kind you order, and I wanted one that day, so the super friendly staffer actually told me the name of another store where you could get one done right away. That's awesome service, and I will definitely go back there next time I need something for my kitty. They're kind of tucked out of the way, but they are really close to Northgate Mall.
So I tried out Great Dog's boarding this past weekend as my uncle who usually watches my dog was out of town. My dog had a great time - he was happy and in great physical condition when I picked him up. I will most certainly use this service again.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/6/2009
Great Dog is a wonderful place! My dog and I have been through many of their classes - from… Read more »
I took my puppy to Great Dog for her first haircut. The gentleman I spoke to on the phone to make an appointment was extremely friendly. When I showed up, I was warmly greeted. The groomer that took care of my darling was very young. I did not catch her name but looking at their website, I'm guessing it was Connie because she's the only groomer without many years of experience (a recent grooming academy graduate).
Thankfully, my pooch was all taken care of in a little over an hour. I came back to find her looking very happy with a little bandana around her neck. For some reason (I should have asked) I ended up paying $46 for their services. Over the phone I had been told they charge $48 for a full grown maltese. My puppy is less than 5 pounds and I was only charged $2 less?? I was even told my puppy behaved superbly. Alrighty... I wouldn't complain if the haircut was gorgeous.
But it wasn't. My poor puppy has crazy choppy chunks of hair on the back of her head. It looks like I took the scissors to her hair, not a paid professional. Not only that but her hair is different lengths everywhere. It looks thinned out which makes her look scraggly. Her nails are also very sharp.
That said, I will not be returning. Perhaps their other groomers are worth it, but I suggest you ask for a recommended groomer when making an appointment.
My dog has been going to their adventure park fun once a week. It's been about 4 years and she still likes it. (She told me so!) She started with puppy obedience class then we were lucky to start going to the adventure park before they have a wait list.
Now that they have over night play care which is little more money than other boarding, but their care takers take really good care of our dog. We feel less guilty (just tiny bit) to leave her when we're on vacation. They always give us a little note that tells us how she was, and you can tell their staff really love our dog! Even when she comes home from adventure park they give us a note every once in a while and I really love to get those notes.
My dog is kind of picky and she sometimes freaks out at local dog park when bigger dogs come to surround her but according to the staff
at Great dog, our dog is doing great there. That makes me feel happy for her to have a pack of doggie friends. I also like their friendly staff members at the shoppe.
Best grooming my dogs have received.
I couldn't stop looking at my cutie-pie after her grooming session with Lisa--She did such a great job! My dog has separation anxiety so I was a little nervous to leave her there for 5 hours, but I really liked the place and the people and felt comfortable about it. She looked great and smelled great! A lot is included in the grooming--nail clipping, tweezing the ears, anal gland expression...I'm not sure what this would cost at other places, but with tip I paid $62.
Great dog is wonderful! We learned so much and have really benefited from their obedience class. Christine B. is an awesome instructor.
Highly recommended.
I have only been for quick doggie pedicures and they have always been quick, thorough and friendly. I am always a walk-in and they squeeze us in and we are in and out within 15min. The grooming area always looks clean and the other dogs happy! The shop also seems to have a great selection and the staff is knowledgeable of their treats/products.
It took 3 months but it finally happened. My return visit to Lisa and as I'd hoped she is still "Five Star" worthy !!! I have tried other groomers, most recently Kristi's, and Great Dog ran circles around them for service and more important the actual grooming. My Westies look like Westies and not a different breed. Five Stars and Five Woofs to Lisa !!!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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10/9/2008
I took Crazy and Crazier to get cleaned up since they were looking like Scraggly and Scragglier. I… Read more »
Zoe has been driving us spare the last few days. A combination of my arm still being in a sling (so I can't walk her quite as well as I was before), the wet weather, and getting the bus to and from work (another byproduct of my injury) meant that she hasn't got the exercise she was used to before I had the surgery. And the last couple of days *were* a bit crazier than most, with us not getting her out for more than about 30 minutes each day for a wander.
Plus, and not to make too many bones about it (hahahaha!) Zoe is (i) a Pit Bull and (ii) LOVES people and other dogs to bits. She's a lover, not a fighter. But what this means is that she sees another person or dog on the street while we're walking her and she JUST HAS TO SAY HELLO...OH MY GOD I'M GONNA BURST IF I DON'T SAY HELLO TO THIS PERSON OR DOG... I sometimes worry that she's going to wag her tail so hard her butt's going to fall off.
So we want to get her to meet *lots* of people and other dogs so that she loses some of the excitement and insistence on saying hello just by getting used to being around other dogs.
So we headed ourselves down to Great Dog for the weekly Saturday fun run. What a blast. Larger dogs (over 30lbs) are 11:45am-1:15pm. It costs $3 per dog; you have to sign a waiver and be totally responsible for your dog inside. They have staff to referee, but you have to clean up after your pooch and make sure they play nice. It's mostly indoor, with a small outdoor area, which means it's perfect on cold or our drizzly Northwest winter days.
Zoe had a ball. There were maybe 25 dogs there, all running around like crazy. Of course she made a pest of herself, but noone seemed to care, and all of the dog owners were enlightened human beings who didn't just go "Help me! Pit Bull!" They all thought Zoe was the sweetest, most adorable little girl. Which she is.
She made a lot of friends, played like mad with her new friend Sage, and was exhausted completely. She's been sleeping ever since we got home.
Come on up on a Saturday for the fun run -- we'll for sure be back!
Cady is almost halfway through her "Growl to Great Dog" class, and she's a star! Have we solved all her problems? Nope. Have we reinforced her insane desire to perform for treats? Yep. But we're not done yet. Just wait.
The class is really great, and Cady is getting a chance to pay attention to us instead of the other 5-6 distracting dogs who each have their share of behavior problems. We suck at the homework, but I can see how it's helpful. For example, Cady needs to be taken down a peg, an attitude adjustment if you will, by no longer being allowed on the furniture or on the bed with us. We are wimps. We made her sleep on the floor once in 3 weeks. She's as uppity as ever.
So we can't blame Great Dog for that, but we will be back for the scent class since there is no dog interaction, and whatever else they'll allow us to partake in. Fun runs? Probably not for this troublemaker, but maybe someday ... if we can just toughen up.
Sophie LOVES Great Dog, and so do we. All of her obedience training (Puppy Steps, Basic, Advanced CGC and Savvy Dog) was done here, mostly with Susan, and she has turned out to be one whip smart dog. Their training focus on positive reinforcement and good socialization has helped shape Sophie into a happy dog that loves other dogs and people, and can join us just about anywhere we go. Other great things about Great Dog:
- Excellent selection of food, one of the only places in town that carries the brand Sophie's sensitive stomach tolerates... makes even the selection of high quality foods at Bark & Railey's look underwhelming.
- Fun Run's! When it's raining outside and your high energy dog NEEDS to get some exercise, Saturdays at Great Dog is the time & place to be. $3 is so worth it for a dry safe place for the dogs to play (all dogs are screened for health & behavior first).
- Adventure Park. Their daycare is pretty crowded, so call in advance, but if you can get on their list for an adventure park day you will get back one totally exhausted pup. For about the same price as a daycare day, they drive your dog out to their 4 acre adventure park where they run around in lots of different terrain all day, drive them back, clean them up, and are ready to be picked up (probably sleeping for the next few days).
I've only gone for pet supplies, but this place seems great! They have a huge selection of goodies! I've never been able to find the products I'm looking for on my own (Cat supplies must not be their big seller), but I've always asked and they've ran into the back and got me what I need. Having mentioned that I am a cat person, I'm giving it 4 stars because pet stores never really have much for the cat person, this one included. I saw a sign that said they do work for the seattle animal shelter and I find that to be a amazing thing!
Fantastic! My husband and I have REALLY enjoyed our puppy classes at Great Dog and our 5mo old puppy has learned so much. The employees in the shoppe and obedience center are really knowledgeable and friendly. Our puppy classes were taught by Judi, one of the owners, and she was incredible with each dog (and their parents). The classes have also been diverse in dog size, which is nice. We actually started in the Sunday afternoon Puppy Steps class and REALLY didn't like the teacher. So we transfered into Judi's class and have been thrilled. We've also used the grooming salon and were equally impressed. The groomer only trimmed my pup's nails, but remembered him by name a few weeks later as we were walking through the shoppe. Amazing! Thank goodness we found this place, because we feel like we have a great community and "home" for our puppy!
Every time we walk our bullmastiff, Ned, down the hill near our house, he picks up the pace because he knows we're going to Great Dog Shoppe!
Great Dog is a well-rounded shop that does everything right. They not only have obedience classes, but also have a Saturday play-time for puppies and adults alike. An employee is always in the room to facilitate and it's a great way to wear Ned out on the weekends.
Most large chains have grooming departments that are hidden from the public eye, which has always concerned me. What are they doing back there? How clean is it? Is my dog being soothed or scolded? Great Dog is the opposite: their gromming area and retail area are separated only by a hip-high gate, so you can see all of the nail-cutting and fur-trimming for yourself. They even cut Ned's nails for free the first time, and when I cut too deep they told me they had Quikstop, but that I could also use flour - they made sure my puppy was comfortable quickly, instead of trying to get a quick sale.
Other awesome things Great Dog has done for us:
1. When our vet failed to catch a recalled dog food, Great Dog stayed open late so we could come in and go over new food options. We were led around the store, given multiple food options, refered to a different vet, and even given a discount on the food we purchased.
2. Their 'fun runs' and 'puppy play time' are monitored, and a sense of community is encouraged. Misbehaving, agressive dogs are not allowed at the fun runs, but when my puppy developed a jumping habit, they didn't make me feel like a 'bad parent' - instead, they offered to help with positive reinforcement. He stopped jumping the same day.
3. A few days after we had him groomed, I voiced my concerns about cleaning Ned's ears myself. The groomer took me back, put Ned on the table, and showed me what to use, how to use it, and the easiest vs. more experienced way of doing it...for free.
I can't give Great Dog a better recommendation, and after owning, training and showing my entire life, that says something!
If I could give Great Dog six stars, I would. More than just a day care, Great Dog offers obdience, fun runs, adventure park playtime, overnight care, grooming, plus a shop with a huge selection of food and toys for both dogs and cats. They cater to dogs of all sizes and levels of obedience. You can tell that Leslie and Judi truly care about all of the dogs and really try to make the most out of everyone's (and every dog's) experience.
