What I never liked about Pedigree Pet Spa is my dogs’ groomer always let my dogs out of the gated grooming area without their leashes on, and if anyone were to come in behind me, my dogs could have run out of that open door into the street. Groomers should be a lot more savvy and safety conscious than this. I had been taking my dogs there for over a year, and the groomer did this every time. In addition, I had a very upsetting experience on October 9, 2018 at Pedigree Pet Spa. I had dropped my dogs off early at Pedigree Pet Spa at 12:45 for their 2:00 grooming appointment. I had called the day before and asked Samantha if I could drop off Both dogs ( one is a nine-month-old pup) earlier as I had work commitments. I had a busy day of dog training appointments, so I walked my dogs at home at 11:15, ran out to another dog training appointment, got home at 12:30, got them quickly into the car, and dropped them off at 12:45 p.m., because I had another appointment at 1:15. It was a very busy day for me. When I dropped them off, I let Samantha (who has been our groomer for over a year now) know that I’d be stopping in around 4 p.m. to give my pup a quick walk, as she’s still a pup and it seems five hours is generally too long for her to go without a *** except at night while sleeping. I got back to Pedigree Pet Spa just after 4, as I said I would, and My Terrier was already groomed, walking around. My pup, was on the grooming table being brushed out by Samantha. I asked Samantha for her leash so I could give My pup a quick walk. Erica, the owner, was there at the beginning of my interaction with Samantha, groomer. She was putting her baby in the stroller, and left as the following negotiation between Samantha and I was starting to become weird. I am shocked that an owner would leave as her groomer was having a disagreement with a customer, but she did. In addition, I wrote to Erica a couple of days ago and have not heard back from her. Given her behavior, I have to determine that she just doesn’t care about her clientele or how her groomers behave towards them. When I asked for my pup’s leash so I could take her out to *** Samantha responded rather crisply, “She’s really matted. This is going to take a while.” I said, “I just need her leash so I can let her *** Has she had water? If she has, she definitely needs to *** by now.” I am now aware that I am negotiating with the Samantha to ALLOW me to walk MY puppy. “Yes, she had water. But, I don’t want to be here all night,” Samantha said. (I don’t want to be here all night?!?) I said to Samantha, “All I need to do is let her *** It’ll take less than two minutes. She hasn’t had a *** since 11:15 and that’s five hours ago.” I’m aware at this point that my puppy is basically being held hostage from me by the groomer and I’m having to bargain with the groomer now to walk my puppy. I felt intimidated and upset. To wit, when I dropped them off, she said they’d be ready around 6:00, and my pup was already up on the table and My mature Terrier was finished by 4:00, so she had about an hour left. She said, “Well, you got here at 1:00, so that’s three hours ago.” I had to explain to her, “She didn’t *** at 1:00. Last time she peed was at 11:15, five hours ago, as I said.” She said, “She can’t hold it for five hours?” OMG. At this point, I couldn't believe I was having this discussion with the groomer. I say, calmly, “She will try, but she won’t go indoors and she will hold it until she bursts, which I don’t want her to have to do. She’s still a puppy with an immature bladder, and if she’s coming into heat soon, which she could be, she has to go even more frequently.” I am exasperated at this point. I could have had my pup out for a *** and back already instead of this discussion and negotiation. Samantha said, “The brushing is going to take a long time. It’s really matted around her harness. You should take her harness off so she doesn’t get so matted.” I say, “ Well, that’s why we take her to be groomed.” BOOM. The point of even paying for grooming! Then, I had to explain to her, “We leave her harness on at night because she wakes us at around 5 a.m. most mornings because she has to *** and we need to get her out quickly when she wakes us. It’s hard to get her harness on quickly at 5 a.m. I also give her a good brush every week. I’ll concentrate more around her harness area. Now PLEASE GIVE ME HER LEASH SO I CAN WALK HER, or just give her to me as she is and I’ll take her home.” I am explaining myself to the groomer and having to negotiate her allowing my puppy a quick walk so she can *** Samantha said, “Stop yelling at me.” I think she was just trying to divert the discussion, because I was not yelling at all. Anyone who knows me knows I am not a “yeller.” I said, “I’m not yelling, but I’ve asked for my dog’s leash five times now and I AM upset that you won’t give it to me. You do not want to upset me further because you do not want to see me angry. GIVE ME MY DOG NOW. I AM TAKING HER HOME, AND TEDDY, TOO.” I am strident and assertive at this point, but definitely not yelling. I have part of this interaction on video. I started recording when I became concerned that she might actually not give me my dog, that she might have an accident being made so uncomfortable by the groomer, and I didn’t know how far she’d keep escalating this and refusing to give me my puppy and her leash. Finally, at this point, she leashed both my dogs behind the gated area ( for the first time ever behind the gate, as I mentioned) and handed them over to me. I will also reiterate about what I don’t like is that Samantha regularly allows my dogs out without their leashes, and then she hands me my dogs’ leashes. I have never liked this because I’m always concerned that someone could open the entry door and my dogs could run out. Actually, yesterday was the first and only time she leashed them before she let them out. I took my dogs and walked them quickly. My pup, peed immediately, a river. My terrier also peed immediately, but I wasn’t concerned about his ability to hold it longer as with my pup. I went back in to pay. I could hear Samantha talking to the owner on the phone in back. When I came back in, I called out, “What do I owe you.” At that point Samantha got off the phone and came up front to the desk. She said, “Are you having a bad day?” She was trying to put her bad behavior on me. I don’t like that tactic. She was much more meek and quiet at this point than she was a few minutes ago and looked a bit upset, where she hadn’t seemed upset a few minutes earlier. I said, “I wasn’t having a bad day until I got back here and you gave me a hard time. Are YOU having a bad day?” She said, “No. I’ve never seen you behave this way before, though.” I responded, “You’ve never treated me this way before.” Some more back and forth, all on video as I was recording the interaction for the sound. At one point I gave her a verbal jab, as she was calculating the bill, and said something like ‘Now you won’t have to be here all night’ or ‘Now you get to leave early,’ in response to her earlier comment to me that she didn’t “want to be here all night.” She did not respond, but looked embarrassed, which she should have after her behavior. She charged me full for my terrier and half for My pup, who was bathed, anal glands expressed, ears cleaned and nails cut. I didn’t argue with the price, though I didn’t leave a tip as I do usually. I had been subjected to a very upsetting interaction. Samantha was argumentative, unreasonable and unprofessional with me. Why did I need to ask and explain five times before she’d allow me to walk my own pup? Needless to say, we are never going back and have already found another groomer.