Chicago woman drops off Pomeranian at Petco for grooming. 8 hours later, she’s still not allowed to pick her up: ‘I can’t stop crying’
There’s no denying people love their dogs and strive to provide them the best care. So, when it’s time for a haircut or bath, some pet parents may drop off and pick up their fur babies to professional groomers like Petco. It should be a worry-free experience. As the minutes turn into hours tick by, how long is too long of a session?
Eight-Hour Petco Appointment?
In a nine-second clip, TikToker Buky (@pearlandpaw) sits at her desk, appearing visibly distressed throughout its entirety. First, she places her hand on her forehead and looks around. Then, she runs her fingers through her hair and back to her face, fidgeting. All of this stems from anxiously waiting for a phone call from Petco about the status of her beloved Pomeranian, Pearl.
“Dropped off my dog at Petco to get groomed at 9 am,” the content creator shares in the text overlay. “It’s currently 4:48 and she’s still not ready to be picked up.”
What Did Viewers Think?
Buky’s video amassed 2 million views and attracted polarizing responses. Some attempted to lighten the situation with humor.
“Is she getting a balayage?” the top comment with over 23k likes joked.
“Duhh bc ur dog is getting those braids ready,” another quipped.
“Oh baby the dog is bald,” a third jested.
Meanwhile, it sparked anger in others who criticized her for not taking action.
“4:48? By 11am I would have gone right back!” one commenter stated.
“Why are you still at home?that’s my question,” a second said.
A third would’ve not left their pup’s side. “So yall leave pets when they go for a grooming? I sit and wait !” they remarked.
How Long Is A Petco Grooming Session?
According to the company’s website, appointments range from 2-4 hours as they work on several furry clients simultaneously. These services are broken down into five categories: 15-minute check-in, brush/trim, full hair cut, bathing/drying, and after care recommendations.
However, the breed, temperament, age, matting, and volume of the store can all determine the duration of the session. A Pommerian appointment can be nearly four hours long, Boops N Bubbles estimates, which is double Buky’s pup’s time. This begs the question: what happened at Petco?
Petco Appointment Explained
“I booked the first appointment of the day at 9am on Saturday at Petco. In my head, she’s gonna go in, she’s gonna be done by noon, which is when I have to go to an event for my dog treat brand,” she says in a follow-up video. “So, I go up to the location and there’s already three dogs in line. I raised this concern to them.”
Ultimately, she handed the stylist her friend’s number to contact after Pearl’s appointment and headed to the event.
When 1pm hits, the content creator received an unexpected call from Petco.
“They’re like, ‘Pearl’s biting and she doesn’t want us to cut her. So, it’s taking some time,” Buky recalls the worker saying. But it didn’t make sense to her.
“‘I’m sorry she’s biting you but that’s unheard of,'” she replied. Despite this out-of-character behavior, she updated her friend and stayed at the event until it ended at 2:30. Once she arrived home, she became sidetracked with other tasks.
Did Pearl Ever Get Her Haircut?
At 4pm, she called Petco for an update. “The guy on the phone was really shocked to hear that my dog had been there since 9 am. He transferred me to the grooming department,” she recalls. “The lady’s like, ‘Oh my gosh. Still hasn’t gotten groomed. She was fighting and biting. Can you bring her back tomorrow?’”
Immediately, Buky headed straight to the location.
“I go to Petco and I can’t stop crying. I was just so upset that my dog was kept there for so long and never groomed,” she says. “In that 30 minutes they could’ve groomed her the past eight hours, they finally groomed her. I took my dog and just came home.”
Although she has taken Pearl to the same location for a four hour hair cut without issues, this incident made the content creator swear off the pet company’s services. “She’s probably never going back to Petco again.”
@pearlandpaw ♬ original sound – Kinder
The Mary Sue reached out to Buky via email and TikTok comment as well as Petco via press email.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
