Durty Harry’s

Durty Harry’s has been our groomer while living in Boston, and they have been fantastic in dealing with my dog that can be very difficult. He is a 90 lb Great Pyrenees mix (large and very fluffy!) that has some anxiety problems. We initially came after another groomer had matted his undercoat, and Michelle and Brittany didn’t even bat an eye when he came in throwing a temper tanturm (he’s a bit of a drama queen), squeezing him in to their busy day to take time to ensure that he was properly groomed and comfortable. We have since returned several times for summer groomings, and they are so gracious in welcoming my anxious dog (both Charlestown and Brookline locations). Don’t hesitate to try them out — they are well experienced with rescue dogs, and have treated my extremely fluffy pup so well!

Brought my dog into Durty Harry’s to take care of her ingrown dew nail. The extremely kind and understanding employee took care of my pup in seconds. One happy pup and a grateful and relieved dog lover. Thank you Durty Harry’s.

I could not say enough great things about Durtys! Not only do I but my dog Harper LOVE IT here. From the warm welcome we got 3 years ago first coming here to every single time I go in. Brit is amazing with grooming and Michelle is outstanding. I don’t feel like I’m walking into a business I feel like I’m walking into a neighborhood family. The food delivery makes my life and the custom collars and bows are amazing. I frequent this place more not buying anything to stop in and say hello but also to get my dog groomed regularly and couldn’t be happier with having them in my neighborhood. Idk how ANYONE could say a negative thing about this place or the fab ladies who work there! I couldn’t imagine going anywhere else and can’t give a higher recommendation for any dog owner than this place! Total top notch!

After reading all the positive reviews, we thought it was safe to bring our Havanese here for grooming. MISTAKE. The groomer shaved her SO unevenly — she had mats in her fur so we knew it would need to be cut short but the chop job they did was totally unacceptable. Also, they nicked the bottom of her leg and she left with raw skin showing. Please see pics of the rattail they gave her as well. I had to take scissors and fix it the best I could myself. Horrifying.
And only 45 min-​1 hour to groom a fluffy, long-​haired dog? That seems a bit quick. Unfortunately, it will take her several months to grow out a nice coat again thanks to the ignorance and lack of expertise of this place. I’m grateful she at least didn’t get an infection on her leg!
This is actually the first time I have felt so compelled to write a review as others NEED to know what they could be walking into at Durty Harry’s.

Just took cooper there to see Brittany today. She’s amazing!!! Copper look so nice n clean and happy. I luv it!!!

Simply the best DIY dog wash and professional grooming services. The manager Brittany is super nice and professional. The shop is always clean and has an excellent selection of boutique collars and leashes as well as food that they will deliver to your home. I really wish I could give it more than 5 stars!

Durty Harry’s is my go to shop for everything. Whether its for a quick bath, buying the most chic collars in town, grabbing a new toy or treats or having an experienced person help me deal with some dog questions. DH is more than a store– it’s a community. Michelle, the founder and owner, has graciously helped, supported and been one of Boston’s biggest animal rescue advocates. Her endless compassion, dedication and devotion are the driving force behind the success of DH. Though we live in NH now, Durty Harry’s will forever be our number 1 shop.

We love Durty Harry’s. Even though we live in Wakefield, we make the drive to Charlestown because we love the owner, the ambiance, and friendliness of the place. We have two dogs, and use the self-​wash service. When we’re bathing one of them, the other gets to run around and play with any other dogs in the store. Our toddler comes with us, and loves to meet and greet with the other friendly dogs who come in for baths and visits (but of course, we make sure the dogs are child-​friendly first).
One other reviewer said the floors were dirty with dog hair. Well, when you have dozens of dogs getting baths and shaking out, and others playing and getting lots of pets and snuggles, there will be some hair. But I always see the staff follow up after our baths with towels and mops to keep the floors as clean as possible.
Another reviewer also commented on the limited scope of products in the store. First, this place is first and foremost a grooming destination. The fact that they have a wide variety of healthy dog food and treats, adorable collars, leashes, and harnesses, and a good selection of toys and other accessories is a bonus, in my mind. They don’t have the space to stock thousands of items like bigger stores. But, Michelle will special order anything that you want that she does not regularly carry, and if there is enough demand, she will make it part of her regular inventory. But honestly, we’ve never come in and walked away wishing they had something. And, with free in-​home delivery, that’s a service you can’t get anywhere else.
We were introduced to Durty Harry’s when they sponsored a fundraiser for Lucky Lab Rescue, the organization we adopted our dogs from. Since then, they have kept us coming back for charity events, customer parties, park outings, and more. They keep their customers engaged and informed through their facebook page/​community, and obviously love what they do. They know their regular customers (dogs and humans) by name, and welcome new customers with open arms too. It’s truly a community business, and it’s amazing that I feel so much a part of their community when I don’t even live all that close. But we make the trip because they make you feel like family.

As a first time dog owner, Durty Harry’s has become a home away from home for us & our pup over the last 6 months. A pup, that it’s worth mentioning, greets every single one of the dog walkers when we see them out walking other dogs/​on weekends/​in the store with the same excitement & enthusiasm that he does US when we get home from work, because they take such wonderful care of him every day. A staff that’s gone above & beyond to ensure that our dog is taken the best care of — leaving daily notes when they walk him, letting us know if anything seemed off/​concerning/​generally how his walk was. Our dog was very ill after ingesting a toy (as puppies do) a coupe of months ago & not ONLY did the DH staff bring him to the store to hang out the rest of the afternoon so that he didn’t have to sit alone at the house while we were still at work, but they also followed up his remaining walks that week with photo/​email updates on how he was doing/​that he seemed better. The relief & comfort in knowing that your pup is in good hands while you’re at work is so very valuable. The Durty Harry’s staff has become his second family & I wouldn’t have it any other way!
Beyond their genuine caring for each & every one of the pups they walk/​groom/​provide product for, Durty Harry’s does a TREMENDOUS amount of charity work for our community. & beyond that, the knowledge of dogs at that store is incredible. Michelle is always more than willing to answer food/​behavior/​any kind of questions you may have — & if she doesn’t know the answer, she knows where to find it.
I by no means want to make this post about ‘bashing’ other local chain pet stores — but do think that it’s worth mentioning that my experience in going to Petco Unleashed is usually being greeted by young, 18year olds who do not have the same knowledge or genuineness about them that the DH crew does.
My best advice to anyone looking at these reviews is to go see for yourself about Durty Harry’s — you won’t be disappointed!

We just moved to Boston from Raleigh and we were told to check out Durty Harry’s in Charlestown for training, toys and other fun dog accessories. Eek.
I’m not sure how there are such high reviews of this business, it’s dirty (I guess it’s in the name), unfriendly, and owned by a woman who thinks bad service is good business:
* the shop is a complete mess, very dirty floors, the smell inside is overbearing, and the selection of products is small, overpriced and limited.
* their dog walking service is a TOTAL joke. I have spent a lot of money with Durty Harry’s on their dog walking only to find that most if the time the walker never came to walk the dog (and the store owner lied about it, «we would NEVER do that…» BS). I called her out on it and she denied it, but se never responded when I told her our monitor showed that no one came. Out dog was left alone in the dark with no food.
* their self wash basins are usually broken and in a state of disrepair, leaking, the floor around the basins is rotting from the leak, the temperature gauge is wrong, etc. And, again, it’s over priced (especially compared to Unleashed down the street).
* the location is rather terrible, well off the beaten path, but this doesn’t impact my rating.
* last, we were judged by the products we bought and the products we thought we would order through the store. Uppity attitude but could not take my credit card fast enough.
There is a Petco Unleashed right down the road that is clean, doesn’t smell like rotting dog hair and bad breath, has a great selection of natural items, incredibly friendly staff and a wonderful self serve dog wash that is never out of order. I am not a fan of box-​store brands, but they figured it out and made it work.
Nope.
UPDATE: I was just accosted by the owner in private messages related to this post accusing me of being someone I have never heard of before. Great service.
UPDATE: Heard from a friend who has been going to Unleashed down the street that they wanted to support local business. He tried going in but the place was overrun with loose dogs all accosting him and his partner. It took a few minutes before he was asked to be helped. We commiserated and now head to Unleashed together.

Love this place and am so proud of the owner, Michelle, for taking a huge leap out of the corporate world to fulfill her dream of opening this place. Brittany is awesome too!

The DH crew is just simply the best. My pup Diezel loves all the dogs that frequent the store as well as the staff. Everyone is extremely friendly and they give back to the community and then some. Diezel may hate having to get washed, but he nearly drags me in to the store when we get close by because he loves it there that much. Thank you for all you do!

My Pomeranian poodle has been groomed at a number of places for the past four years. After bringing her here this past weekend she looked fantastic– best haircut yet! My boyfriend claims he pretends he doesn’t know her for a couple weeks after she first gets groomed because she looks so silly (he’s kidding!) but this is the first time she looks great after being groomed. The staff were very friendly and did a fabulous job!

I can’t say enough good things about Durty Harry’s.
First Brittany T is the best groomer in Boston, she doesn’t blink an eye at my very feisty schnauzer boy who is not the nicest when being groomed. She gives him a mohawk for me too, which I love because he’s a badass (obviously).
The owner Michelle is always giving back to the dog rescue I volunteer for and letting us use DH for wash a thons without asking for anything in return.
I go and hang out there with my pup and get her socialization it’s like a big happy family. Plus in the summer they host a party every Friday night down the street to bring the pups and have some food and beverages.
All the staff is friendly and helpful.
I love love love DH and everyone there!!!

Durty Harry’s is so much more than a pet shop! The best customer service with friendly and well educated staff to answer any dog related question! They’ve helped us transition to new food (Natural Balance– we love!), given great recommendations on dog friendly places in the area, and are just great resources for all things dog. DH also hosts Zen Dog Training where we did puppy kindergarten. I also reviewed them (amazing!) They are also very charitable, often donating proceeds of dog washes to various rescues and dog organizations. Very cool. They host summer parties in the dog park appropriately called «Ruff Week» and hosted Halloween and Valentines parties not to mention Santa Paws! Does it get any cuter? It does. Their awesome dog leashes, collars, and BOW TIES are the perfect accompaniment to your handsome/​pretty pooch. Plus a bevy of bully sticks, tracheas, himalayan chews, and other goodies to occupy the critters.
Brittany is the best groomer around! She won «Best of Boston» most deservingly. She gives our Cavalier the best puppy cut. And she also gives her our three legged rescue complimentary «manicures”/nail trims! She’s excellent at what she does. Oh and they will pick up/​drop off your dog for grooming. And home delivery of food!
This small business is 100% customer/​dog focused and so passionate about what they do. We can’t say enough!

To the person who is disappointed that DH’s wouldn’t board their dog. Why don’t you go to your usual boarder? And if you are looking for a new place to board don’t expect someone who has never boarded your dog to take it without ever having met your dog. DH’s boards in their home with their dogs. It’s for your dogs safety. You should write a review about how you commend them for being careful! DH boards for customers. Those of us that frequent the shop (s) and know the owner, staff and their dogs! I feel really good about that. And trust that my dog is with someone who loves dogs and won’t jeopardize safety for some PITA on the phone!

Lucky the Golden Retriever is a fequent custome at Durty Hary’s. He gets a walk every day around lunch time. He also fequently goes into the shop for a bath, treats or a new collar. He can’t say enough about Durty Harry’s — his usual routine is to sleep all morning after he has breakfast. He wakes up around lunchtime and moves from his bed to the door because he knows that one of «his girls» will be there soon. He loves stopping into the store to visit. I meet all sorts of people walking around Charlestown because Lucky knows their dogs from his walks.
Ruff Week down at the Paul Revere Dog Park is a great way to stat the weekend. Lucky is certain that every hot dog off that grill is for him.
I also get Lucky’s food from Durty Harry’s. If it’s not in stock, just ask Michelle and it will be there the next day. They even deliver for free.
Lucky has boarded with Michelle and Harry. Durty Harry’s isn’t a boarding sevice; they make this available on a limited basis to their customers. Dogs who are boarding are staying at Michelle or employees’ homes, with their dogs. By limiting this service to customers, Michelle and the team can assess whether all the dogs will get along.
I can’t say enough positive things about Durty Harry’s. Great people, great store and a wealth of infomation about dog friendly spots in New England.
Also, check out Harry’s Picks!
. This is a social media site catering to dogs and pets.

Anyone who knows me, knows I am pretty crazy when it comes to my pups. They are my babies and I only want people who truly love dogs to work with them and let me tell you, Durty Harry’s LOVES dogs! I have a 1 year old maltese and have brought him to quite a few places for grooming and this is the only place where I am absolutely certain that he will be taken care of just like I would take care of him. I have been to the Charlestown and Brookline stores and they are equally good. Casey and Brittany are exceptionally talented and I will never go anywhere else. I just adopted a 7 year old yorkie yesterday and she needs to be handled gently and I know when it’s time for her to be groomed they will do an amazing job. So, look no further and go to Durty Harry’s!

I brought my little man in this morning for a nail trim. I have tried, for years, to be able to do this myself, but my 20 lb dog gets herculean strength when he sees the clippers comes out and makes it impossible to hold him still and safely trim his grotesquely long nails.
Brittany was awesome. She endured some obnoxious drama from Jakers as he squealed, howled, thrashed and everything else he could do to make the job impossible.
And I also appreciated Brittany assuring me that this wasn’t the worst she’s had to deal with — but I don’t know how it could be much worse. :) I will be a loyal customer to Durty Harry’s!

We just brought our mini-​schnauzer here for a cut. He was quite matted (long story but didn’t get a haircut at the proper time because he was tramatized from an attack). Anyway, I was VERY surprised that he was ready within 90 minutes — sometimes Petsmart takes over 3 hours to groom my little guy. They did a WONDERFUL job; he seemed way less anxious when I picked him up (compared to a normal trip to the groomers). They cut him exactly how we asked, no issues at all. Full groom (including nail trim) was $ 60 — same as Petsmart. I will definitely be returning here for our next groom!