Why My Puppies love Paw Studio Grooming & Boutique in Maa, Davao City
Davao City — If you’re a pet lover like me, living with two puppies in a 1-bedroom house is just synonymous with raising two children as a busy and hard-working parent. You feed them. You clean after their messes. You go to work and come home to a dirty house. But you still give them love, toys, and whatever your wallet could afford. And in return, they gift you with a thoroughly-chewed shoe or bits of tissue paper lying on the living room floor. Indeed, this is the most thrilling relationship I had in ages.
This week, I have two dirty puppies at home that are waiting to be cleaned. One is frantically scratching itself with her small, untrimmed paws from day to night, while the other looks like a soiled doormat. It’s a chaos bonanza waiting to get worse the more it sits around.
I am beginning to wonder if getting two long-haired, white puppies is the best choice for pets. I could say that I was at my wit's end looking for a credible pet groomer in the city. If not overpriced, most pet salons I come across have a bad online portfolio.
I am very happy that I found out about the services of Paw Studio Grooming and Boutique at Gem Village, Eden St, Maa, Davao City.
After weeks of searching for pet groomers in the city, I gave my full trust to them because of their excellent customer service. They made sure to give me the best answers to my questions. Most attendants from other pet grooming shops are very condescending over the phone especially if you have too many questions to ask. The staff here are very relaxed and friendly.
I brought my two puppies, one Maltese and one mixed breed puppy (MalShi), to their shop in the late afternoon.
I was greeted by two pleasant female staff. They let me fill out a form and immediately proceeded to sanitize their workstations for the safety of my puppies. I could say that I am in awe at how gently they handle and interact with my fur babies.
They have a mini station where you can select clothes, accessories, and some treats. I took a few items from the closet. Compared to what I normally see in malls, the goods here are reasonably priced. They have cute dresses that would typically range around PhP 200–700 whereas low-quality pet clothing in the mall has ridiculous pricing.
I selected a white floral blouse for my female pup and a black, checkered polo for my male pup. I intend for them to wear this during their free photoshoot later.
I also made sure to grab some treats from the shelf. I took a bottle of dried chicken breast and dried pollock bits. One bottle for each puppy.
My puppies had no problem in acclimating. The ambiance is very cozy and reminded me of a chic coffee shop; but instead of selling coffee and cookies, they sell grooming services and pet paraphernalia and what-not.
I availed the Glow Up Package for Toshiro (Maltese, 3 months, M) because he’s the hairier one in the duo.
The Glow Up Package was priced at PHP 900
Inclusions: bath + dry; ear cleaning; nail trim & file; face, paw, and sanitary trim; creative cut; teeth cleaning; anal sec expression; keratin treatment; and perfume.
I believe the price varies depending on the size of the dog. Mine was a small one, obviously.
Nezuko (MalShih, 3 months, F), on the other hand, got the Tidy-Up package. She did not need a drastic makeover because her fur is relatively cleaner and shorter than her pair. I was charged PhP 450 for the Tidy Up service. I believe it included basic bath + dry; ear cleaning; nail trim & file; face, paw, and sanitary trim; and perfume.
After the service, their staff took the liberty of informing me that Nezuko has external parasites and needs to be taken to the vet for intervention. I was not surprised about the news but Nezuko has been anxiously scratching her fur in the past few days since our trip to Makilala, North Cotabato where she got a chance to mingle with a few house dogs. I bought her a flea shampoo last week but unfortunately, my intervention is proven not effective. This unravels my deep-buried trauma from when I was still in vet school — the inability to solve real-life medical cases. Good thing I dropped out in my 5th year. That’s for another story.
Going back, the kind staff showed me some of the specimens collected and I was able to tell exactly that these were fleas. They had trouble identifying it because they were only accustomed to seeing ticks. It must have been their first time encountering fleas on puppies. Inside the glass cup were at least 5–6 brown fleas suspended in an alcohol solution. I must say kudos to them for discovering this.
Good thing I have scheduled a vet appointment. I’ll make sure to bring this up with my veterinarian on my visit next week along with a minor ear infection brought about by their play-biting with each other. Some wounds have opened and they obviously need to be treated.
Right after the photo shoot, they sent me a Google Drive link containing multiple photographs of my puppies. I was ecstatic and very excited to share them on my Instagram feed. I immediately did so.
Before leaving the store, they accompanied me to the door and handed me a free loyalty card. The loyalty card featured a few freebies that I could avail of if I visit there more often. This is a very kind gesture and an impressive marketing strategy as well.
The staff here gets an A+ rating from me. You could feel the staff’s passion for the chosen profession and it’s a tell-tale sign that they’re not just in it for the money but for the genuine care and service of our pets.
One phrase to sum up my experience. 5-STAR SERVICE!
