Pretty Paws by Samantha

I take both of my Cavalier King Charles in for a Puppy Cut every few months for the past few years, with keeping the fanned tail and long ears. They always do a great job! I always ask that they go as short as will look good and it always looks evenly cut and they smell SO good! I love the early morning drop off and afternoon pickup. Prices are great for the Bay Area as well!

I went to Samantha, because she had a few good reviews.
You know in life some people have great experiences with the reviews and then their are the nightmares that some of these groomers do.
You know gettingour babies get haircuts, baths etc, is the same with us.
Most groomers or hairdressers do what they want. of course not all.
I have a sweet poodle who is my angel. Everyone loves her.
I came to Samantha early in morning, and gave her very clear instructions on what I wanted for my dog. I asked her if I could stay and watch, because I had another experience which was horrible at another shop, and they took off all my doggie’s beautiful fur.
You really don’t know what they do when your not there.
But they love getting the greens and Samantha has dogs and their parent constantly coming in and out.
So Samantha did not listen to me when I picked up Fluffy and gave her a very uneven haircut.
I only noticed this when I got home.
I called Samantha and she sounded annoyed. Some people like to blame you for their mistakes.
So I had to go back there, and I saw her trim her in the areas she missed, and just chopped her hair.
She is a nasty lady, and is tired with plenty of money. Perhaps she should retire.
She did not appreciate me being up front with her.
I never write mean reviews, but she deserves this. Just BEWARE of her.
Have her repeat what you told her. If it works.
Excuse me for the long review, but I wanted to share this with you.
I hope she reads this and gets mad.

Nice job with our dog. If you call really early on day you want grooming, they take you if they have space. Really appreciate that.

Our 2 girls are Tibetan Mastiffs and rescue dogs. The first few times they went to Samantha’s they were terrified and one of them even had some potty accidents, but the groomers were so patient and nice and loving it worked out great. Now after 2 years they love to go and are absolutely beautiful when we pick them up. They are big girls, about 85 pounds each and the prices are very reasonable. They are also very very full of hair and Samantha deals with that perfectly! I would recommend these guys to anyone especially if your dogs are a little fearful.

Great experience. I dropped off my dog (daschund mix) and my friend’s dog (German Shepard) for haircuts at 8:45. They were done before 1pm, and the lady called to let me know they were ready.
They both came back looking gorgeous. My little one was $ 32 and the big one was $ 54, plus tip. That’s nail trimming, ears, anal glands, bath, and haircut. Way cheaper than I’m used to paying. They look great, no nicks (as some other reviews said), though they were glad to leave. It’s pretty loud in there and seemed kind of stressful for the dogs (but mine doesn’t even like when I blowdry my own hair at home).
They only take cash or checks, but you can pay first or when you pick them up. You probably should make an appointment. We made ours the day before.

I have been taking my toy poodles to Samantha at Pretty Paws for over 15 years. The latest two poodles are 9 years old and have never been groomed by anyone else. In reading some of the reviews that were negative in the 2008 time range, I also had some disappointing times with the groomer, however, Samantha always addressed my concerns. Samantha has new staff that are excellent at their jobs and very caring. For the past 2 years, I have not had any concerns and Laura who grooms my poodles, does and outstanding job.
As a side note, my little girl poodle would not be alive if it were not for Samantha and her staff. She collapsed while waiting to be groomed and they rushed her to the vet and called me and my husband. She had an Addisonian crisis (did not know she had Addison’s Disease. that was how she was diagnosed). If Samantha and her staff had not been observant and quick to react, my puppy would have died.

Our silky terrier, Baguette, loves going to Pretty Paws for his grooming sessions. We’ve had stressful experiences before at other grooming places and Pretty Paws continually provides consistency and great grooming services. Everyone who works here are very welcoming, genuine, and caring. They always greet us and our dog with the biggest smiles. All the dogs getting groomed here get along with each other so well that it shows they all had a good pampering time while being groomed and waiting to be picked up by their owners. We always get what we asked for (teddy bear face, gentle on the paws, etc.) and the staff here is always accommodating. Our dog receives lots of compliments on the final look after each appointment.

We have a Royal Standard Poodle, he is a big guy, about 100lbs.
Joey, our poodle, has been going to Pretty Paws for the past eight years. We continue to take him there because the quality of the grooming is excellent. Samantha is attentive to what changes we desire, as depending on the season his coat will be longer of shorter. Another reason we see Samantha is that she and her staff consistently exhibit care and kindness to the pets they groom.
The other reason we are clients is clear as when I ask Joey if he would like to go see Samantha. His response is consistent, he rears up on his back legs, barks but really more of an excited Unilocal,then runs to the hall closet where his leash and halter are located, and out the door we go! By Joey’s response, he is eager for the visit, a satisfied customer, as am I!

I have gone to Pretty Paws by Samantha for many years. And would never think of taking my dogs anywhere else. Her groomers are kind and gentle with my Shit Tzu dogs, who are often scared of any grooming. And when I say lets go to Pretty Paws, its like saying lets go for a walk, lots of excitement. I like how the staff are always attentive to my needs and always give lots of love to my dogs. I have told all my friends about Samantha and many bring their dogs from all over the SF Bay Area to Pretty Paws. Do you know that her staff can pick up your dog and bring home, if you live in Foster City. Wonderful service if you are not able to drive.

My dog hates going to the groomer! Every time I take him to petco or petsmart they call back and tell me they cant finish cutting his hair because he is too scared!
I took him to Pretty Paws today; they took the time to make him feel comfortable and they did a great job cutting his hair! I asked for a mohawk all the way down his back and the rest of his hair short, and they did it exactly how i wanted it. They told me he was no worse than the typical maltese, and he did a great job!
When I picked him up, he was happy to see me, but he wasn’t scared like he usually is. I will definitely be taking him back to Pretty Paws for his future groomings!
=]

I’ve been taking my two King Charles Cavaliers to Pretty Paws for a few years now. Every time I say to them «Do you want to go to pretty paws»…they know exactly what I’m saying and start barking like crazy. Samantha and her crew take such good care of my babies. I’m moving away from the area and it’s going to be very hard to replace them. Thanks for all the love you showed to Mochi and Miso over the years!

Our dog loves pretty paws, & so do we! The staff is friendly & our dog looks great. They know their business.

I had never had my dog groomed, but as she hates when I give her baths thought I would try it. I stopped in and asked for a quote for a bath, express her anal glands and clip her nails. As she is a lab mix she doesn’t need clipping. I was quoted $ 37 which seemed reasonable. I dropped her off early, and asked them to call as soon as she was done. It took 1 ½ hours and as promised they called. She was clean and pretty, and the staff were all really nice and loved my dog.
The negatives were the one who expressed her glands told me they were empty. That was surprising because I take her to the vet about once a month to get them done and they are always full. It had been over a month so I kinda had to wonder if she knew what she was doing. Also, I was charged $ 42…no bigee but more than I was originally quoted.

I took my 13-​month old Lhasa Apso here a few weeks ago for a shampoo. I met the owner Samantha in the morning, and she is a very friendly and personable owner. I felt that I was in good hands.
I picked up my pooch ~ 2:30pm and he seemed to have a good time with the other dogs. However, I noticed when I got home his intensive licking on his tummy. I looked closer and noticed a couple of nicks on his body. His hair was also not fully combed and had some matts on his coat.
I was a bit disappointed with the service but the prices are reasonable. It was worth a try but I don’t see myself coming back here. bummer.

I brought my BF’s two Pit Bulls here today.
I called prior to arriving, they said to come in and they will put all the other dogs that are running around up, since I didn’t know how Nina would act with a bunch of dogs running around. Or how owners of other dogs would react to having a few pit bulls there.
I walk in, everyone is friendly they put all the loose pups away and I go grab Nina.
She was really excited, sniffing around the front area smelling all the other doggies — when they let us go through to the back to give her a bath she was no problem and all the other dogs were very tame. It helped that the guy giving her a bath was very nice and gentle with her.
I asked that they cut her nails and give her a bath, they were very good and even noticed her sensitive skin and asked if we wanted a hypoallergenic shampoo — awesome!
I then asked if they would take Capone my BF’s other pit bull — they said sure I came back 10 minutes later with Capone and though hes a big boy they were understanding — and charged the same price.
Now, keep in mind — pit bulls have a bad wrap — why did I ask that they put the other dogs up? Because of simple fear from other dog owners, and how they may react to having a few pits running around.
Capone & Nina were very happy leaving here and the service was amazing, everyone was friendly and everyone working here was so nice and caring.
Thanks Pretty Paws — Nina & Capone are very happy & clean doggies!

Do Not Take Your Pets Here!!!
We asked that our dog had a little shorter hair cut than usual so instead of a slight trim, they SHAVED our dog from head to toe! she is practically bald!
Paying for this disgusting hair cut, the workers had no gratitude and didn’t even say «Thank You».
We will never take our dog here again, and hope no one else does either

This place made a cut on my puppy’s penis. Nuf said
I should have sued you people.
ZERO STARS!
Please, if you love your puppy, do not take him/​her here!

My dog Mario ended up in the emergency room with a collapsed trachea while being groomed here and almost died. Samantha denied that they did anything to cause this. Needless to say, I NEVER brought Mario back here. He is now groomed by Superpups in San Mateo (see my glowing review of Superpups:
).

My dog has been going to Pretty Paws for the past 2 years. Yes, sometimes he’s come back with a hair cut that’s a little too short. But Samantha and her team have figured out what looks best on my little maltipoo.
Samantha and her team are really friendly and run a pretty tight schedule to get the dogs done in time. Once my dog is groomed, he can roam around the floor with the other dogs, instead of being locked up in the kennel. I like the idea that my dog is comfortable with the team and gets excited to go to Pretty Paws.
The prices seem competitive with other groomers nearby.

Too much like a factory /​assembly line with no personal recognition of what the pooch may require that is a little special (e.g., watch out for this or that). A friend who goes there gets frustrated because they don’t listen to their request for grooming around the face — that is a good example.
Saw a couple at the eye vet who’s dog was injured while being groomed there.
I prefer 1 on 1 care though a mobile groomer. Yes — it is more expensive but these outfits where it’s generally a mess, where there are so many dogs stacked on top of each other, where one hour’s worth of work is spread through a torturous day and where workers are transient — it’s well worth it. Plus they come to you — how valuable is your time?