Ruff Is Ready

As an update to my previous note, when I had to take James (my dog) to get his legs trimmed yesterday to fix the horrible cut Aaron gave so he wasn’t so disproportionate looking, the groomer said he constantly tried to bite him. James had never once had a problem with groomers beforehand, so Aaron really did a number on him. Really, really disappointing.

I took my 3 year old lhasa apso to Aryan and was very pleased. Before grooming, he asked me for the specific cut I wanted and even showed me different lengths before I decided on one. I really appreciate that he only takes 1 dog at a time as my dog has very bad anxiety and needs one-​on-​one attention. It was very quick — she was ready in about an hour! — and only $ 60 which is by far the cheapest I’ve seen for a «boutique» groomer.
I will say that I was slightly sketched out by the basement drop off location, but the haircut was quality and convenientently located so I can overlook this.

I took my minature schnauzer today the owner was absolutely professional, gracious, patient with me and my six month old puppy. This was my baby’s first real grooming so I was sooo nervous leaving her. When picked up she was absolutely Gorgeous and she knew it!!! I’m am so happy with Ruff is Ready, I’m hooked there is no alternative for my little girl!!!

I thought we were doing ok, although the grooming was more generic than tailored to my dogs’ breed. I was ok with that because I don’t show them, and don’t hesitate to touch a raggedy grooming. However I was disappointed about being fired because my dogs are too big (40 lb)

We really like Aryan, but more importantly, our dog really likes Aryan. Our dog is often skittish and anxious around anyone but us, but he happily goes with Aryan (who doesn’t, btw, bribe with treats). He is one of the only groomers in the area who only takes one dog at a time. His basement studio does leave something to be desired, but this is a downtown location.
We’ve gone to him for almost two years, and are happy with how cute our dog looks after– but best of all, how our dog enjoys going to the groomer.

Absolutely horrible experience. I agree with Sandra G’s review completely. Not only did Aryan refuse service to us because our 25 pound Lhaso Apso mix was too big for his «preference» (even though the website suggests that he will cut dogs up to 45 lbs), he was extremely rude, sarcastic, and unprofessional. Even though I called ahead of time to get the details and left work for the appointment, we were turned away based on a «judgement call» at the scheduled appointment time. I am not sure who Aryan’s clientele is, but I would discourage anyone from trying this place.

I couldn’t be happier with the service at Ruff Is Ready. Best of all, as others have noted, you get a dedicated, 90-​minute time slot, which means as soon as s/​he is dropped off, your dog is attended to, with no sitting around in a crate for hours waiting her/​his turn. I got a text giving me the 20-​minute warning, and exactly 90 minutes after the drop off, my girl was ready.
And man was she cute! Pomeranians are somewhat difficult to groom, since their major fluffitude makes for an all-​or-​nothing proposition. Aryan did a great job, he takes credit cards, you can book online, there truly is street parking just around the corner… there’s nothing not to recommend. To the contrary, I’ve already referred several folks with small dogs to Ruff Is Ready.

Ayran groomed my dog June for the first time this week and did an excellent job. I couldn’t have been more pleased. The location is great as is the price and the quality is top notch. And Ayran is nice as can be. We were very pleased by the entire experience.

I’m new in town and asked around for referrals. I was admittedly drawn in by the price tag of $ 50. The average prices i have found elsewhere in DC were closer to $ 80. I recently moved from Sacramento and I was paying $ 45 for a GREAT groomer and that was the high end of the 4 I tried there.
I have a 10 lb Havanese. He has a beautiful coat and I wanted to keep it longer because of the weather. I thought I explained that, though the groomer said he didn’t scissor cut and could do ¾ at the longest. I explained i wanted the face cleaned up, legs as short as possible without making him look weird and belly pretty short, cause he picks up EVERYTHING like a sponge when i walk him.
I came back to a decent cut on the legs, but the body was much shorter and the face was choppy and uneven.
I’ve been told by more than one groomer that my dog is easy to work with, so I don’t think it was an issue with a wiggly dog.
I guess my biggest lesson is to ask if they scissor cut for the detail work. and to be MORE clear about wanting the body left longer.
The groomer was nice enough and let my dog play with his (i ran a bit behind picking him up), but in this case, i guess you get what you pay for.

My husband and I are new to DC and we have a 30lb Labradoodle (Lucie) that needed grooming. I found this place on Unilocal and the reviews seemed pretty good so we thought we would give it a try. My dog is 30lbs and the website states they will groom dogs up to 39lbs. My husband brought Lucie in for her 11:30am appt today and walked in, to a person eating. Did he not check his appts? Then the person asked if my husband could walk the dog around the block so he could finish eating. Call me crazy but I don’t think this is how someone in the customer service business should greet new clients. Anyway, my husband reluctantly returned to the groomer and the groomer said that he really did not like grooming large dog’s and prefer’s smaller dogs, even though 30lbs is acceptable according to their website. Is this person just a lunatic??? Not to mention his totally unprofessional behavior and wasting my husband’s time traveling across town. Consider our horrible experience, your warning NOT to bring your dog here, regardless of their size. In addition, it’s a disgusting, dingy, dirty basement facility. One more thing, I also thought this was a very mean thing to do to my dog. This person cannot give a sh*t about animals!

affordable? check
online booking? check
good results? check
knowledgeable? check
parking in vicinity? check
i really can’t think of a item that isn’t on the list. it’s well worth it.

I brought Bruno my mini poodle to Ayran Athey at Ruff Is Ready for the first time today, and was thrilled with the great haircut that Ayran gave Bruno, and was amazed by the very reasonable price of $ 50! But the best part was truly that Ayran schedules 1.5 hr appointments and only works on one dog at a time!!! This means that Bruno is not locked in a cage for hours on end as has occurred with other groomers nearby, who wash all the dogs at once, then dry them, then do their nails, then cut them, etc, ultimately resulting in a very long day at the groomer and and unhappy dog.
Instead, Ayran’s basement location is truly a one-​dog experience. It’s not posh or fancy at all, but Ruff Is Ready gives personal one-​on-​one attention to the dog he’s grooming at the time. Ayran told me that Bruno was kissing him throughout the grooming, which truly made me feel at ease and quite happy! When I arrived 1.5 hrs later to pick up Bruno, Ayran made sure that I was happy with the cut, and then even took out his clippers one more time to shorten Bruno’s mustache to my satisfaction.
I’ve just found a new groomer and couldn’t be happier! One final note… Ruff is Ready only grooms «small» dogs under 35 lbs.

They did a great job on my puppy’s first hair cut, and the most reasonable prices in town! Can’t beat that!

I took my two babies, Shih-​poos, here for their first hair cuts. I was very nervous to take them anywhere but Aryan really cares about dogs and does an excellent job. He did exactly what I wanted and they looked great. I will not take my dogs anywhere else in the city.

Updated Nov 2011: R is R used to be great… until it became so popular. Now you have to make appointments weeks in advance and the service is hit or miss. Darn.

I brought my Cairland Terrier (Cairn/​Westie Mix) to Ayran today for his first professional grooming and I love the results. I actually planned on bathing my pup on my own then realized he needed a full makeover (hair clip, nails trimmed, bathe and blowdry) and I just wasn’t up for it. I came across the previous review on the shop and decided to give it a try. I called him up and he was able to fit me in for an appointment right away. The shop is conveniently located within about a 15 min walking distance from my home. The prices are very reasonable compared to most places in the the area. Ayran was very attentive in the brief consult before the appointment during which he asked if I had any preferences or any areas of concern. I told him that I put my full trust in him and he did not let me down. I will be visiting Ayran at Ruff Is Ready again and would recommend this place for anyone in the area looking for quality groomer at a great rate.

My husband and I have been taking our Coton de Tulear to Ayran for 2 years. Our little guy has never been groomed by anyone else. Never having been a dog owner in the past and realizing that despite being small, our long haired little furball would need frequent grooms, I searched around for any place in DC or MD who was willing to take on a Coton and had reasonable prices. I stumbled across Ruff is Ready deep in a Google hunt. I had called numerous other groomers who would not touch Cotons (they get quite matted) or who were at least double the price. We figured we’d give Ruff is Ready a shot. Ayran is always very patient with our little mongrel, despite his poor puppy behavior (which sadly continues despite his maturity). Ayran was also very patient with us as new dog owners in the beginning and offered some useful recommendations on how to keep our little one looking fresher between grooms. Back in the early days when we were less experienced and our pup was particularly matted, Ayran spent excessive time combing him and helping him be healthy, clean and beautiful. We appreciate Ayran’s patience and consistently positive attitude. Keep in mind that you will not be visiting a fancy doggie salon — the grooming is done in a basement apartment. The services, however, are top-​notch and the prices are more than reasonable. We always enjoy the time during the groom as an excuse to wander the city and grab a nice lunch — there are some great restaurants nearby. All in all, we have enjoyed a consistently positive experience at Ruff is Ready and highly recommend it (although we request that you not take the particularly coveted Saturday appt. times away from us.) :)