Bow & Meow Pet Spa

so were do i start!, we have a beautiful bundle of joy dog called tosca! she will be 5 in august. soooo from day one of having her we have had horrible experiences with groomers! she was cut yes cut! on a couple different occasions while being «groomed» i cannot tell you of our anger, hurt, and disapointment in not finding a professional!
till we found the wonderful, professional, lovely did i say wonderful? ursula (owner) from bow &meow pet spa! oh my god! the difference!
we were recommended by our vet (also wonderful, really the best) dr diaz from vca on chicago ave, anyway he turned us on to bow and meow… about 1 ½ –2 years ago. we love her, our dog tosca loves her and she is licensed!!! not all are! beware! she (ursula) is a true animal lover.
she is so kind and helpful. and rocco! rocco! this is the head dog over there… lol he is part of ursula’s at home family… he is a service dog and a gentle giant, you will fall in love with him… everyone does.
so, in closing… if you dont think of you pet as a pet, but think of them as part of your family… if they hold a place in your heart as much as anyone else does… be a wonderful mommy or daddy and take them to bow and meow, you will be beyond happy that you did. and your fury family member with thank you with kisses for making what can be a stresfull and turning it into «fun’…this is a cage free place, and «clients» are seen one at a time.
rocco, will greet them at the door and show them in for «spa day»
oh!!! i forgot, ursula gives every pooch a free blueberry facial! and they all love it!

Love, love love Bow and Meow!!! I have been taking Dominick there for almost 2 years now. Every time I pick him he looks fresh, smells incredible and is super happy. Ursula is awesome, super friendly and you can tell really cares about the pups and their well being.
Highly recommend them if you are in the area, by far the best dog grooming shop I have ever been to!

Our dog can be quite the handful. He gets extremely excited when he sees other dogs and if he can’t play or go up to them he will be very upset and loud, especially when we leave him at a strange place. We always make sure we bring him to his appointments when no other dogs will be around and Ursula is always extremely accommodating. They work their magic and our Aussie comes out looking amazing! Love the blueberry facial and the bandana he gets every time.

We just picked up Joey, our English bulldog from here and he looks amazing! I don’t know why some have said bad customer service because Ursula was awesome and super friendly. Also free nail trimming when you bring them every 4 weeks which should be done for our bulldogs anyway. Definitely brining our French bulldog along with our English next time!
Also, she emptied out Joey’s anal glands which we appreciate since we don’t have to smell it. Convenient location, good pricing and personalized service. Also they only take an hour as supposed to taking your dog to a chain where they keep them half the day.

Ursula and her team always do great with my four pups. They come home clean and tired. Most of the times they get to see you there buddy Rocco, pretty sure he helps to tire them out.

LOVE… absolutely love.
Our neighborhood pet shop, and our first pat, beautiful Pomsky, Astro.
Supporting neighborhood business, did my search and read some mixed reviews. So i was a bit concerned. Called the shop anyways for our puppy’s first groom job. Ursula said she was available in a few days. In rush i was to get Astro a baldy like myself. Ursula recommended two other shops close by and asked me if i wanted their phone no.
I loved how she went about doing that… so I told her i’d rather deal with her… glad i did.
She loves animals… she spent a good few minutes just playing with Astro. Incredibly sweet to all animals and customers we met there… real helpful to me by giving lots of good info… did a fabulous job. Price was lower than i expected and well worth it.
Highly recommended.

My dog Doakes got groomed today on 5÷27÷15, and he looks great! Loved the outcome here, the owner is very hands on. I think any bad reviews on here may be due to the owner caring so much about the dogs. I loved the experience and Doakes’ haircut and will return. :). I posted a picture separately.

the absolute worst customer service… in the world. we only stuck around because of the great work her staff did, but our recent visit was the last straw.
a few things about the owner:
— her rudeness is overwhelming
— she has no respect for her customers
— the WORST attitude, ever.
& their service seems to be declining. which truly was this places’ only saving grace (they cut the nails of all paws, except one. how do you miss a paw?!).
over this place. on to the next!

Took my Mini-​Golden Doodle here for her first grooming. Ursula was very nice as was her staff. She took the time to ask questions about how I wanted Nola groomed and gave great advice on types of brushes to use on Nola to help with her mats. Ursula told me Nola would be ready for pick-​up about an hour and a half after I dropped her off. I received a phone call 30 minutes prior to Nola being finished telling me that she was doing great and that she would be ready for pick-​up in 30 mins. When I picked Nola up, she looked awesome! She was a big fluff ball and she smelled amazing. I will definitely take Nola back. Pricing is fair as well.

I love this place and so does my dog! I have been taking my shipoo here for over a year now. They take such great care of him. I tried other dog spas and was not impressed. Ursula is very attentive and actually knows a lot about dogs. He comes home smelling great and looking cute! :)

Ursula and her team are fabulous! Our dog, Nora, comes out looking amazing every time. We have come in before with paint on Nora, some crazy hair and long nails, all to be fixed! Ursula provides excellent care and is great with Nora and all dogs. I highly recommend Bow and Meow!

WOW! Amazing place. Perfect job grooming. Got my dog in the day after I called to make an appointment. Super friendly, awesome customer service, so easy to deal with, and after 6 months of living in Chicago looking for the right place for my dog, I was referred to these guys by a friend and we didn’t regret it!

If I could give Ursula and Bow & Meow 10 stars, I would. Our morkie, Gabby, has been coming to Bow & Meow for almost 5 years (since she was 4 months old). Immediately, we were struck by how genuinely Ursula cared for Gabby’s well being, as well as ours. Since then, Ursula has started to almost feel like extended family. She has watched our family blossom from dating my husband, to getting married, having a baby, etc… After our baby arrived (16 months ago), Ursula commented that she thought Gabby had looked like she lost some weight. Turns out we were so busy learning how to be new parents that Gabby had started to feel a little left out and a bit depressed. After talking to Ursula, I took Gabby into the vet to ensure that everything was ok. Turns out that Ursula was right: Gabby had lost three pounds. (That’s a lot for a small dog). We were able to quickly turn things around thanks to Ursula. From an aesthetic standpoint, her attention to detail really shows after each and every grooming. Moreover, Gabby doesn’t mind getting groomed! And she loves to give Rocco kisses (that’s Ursula’s adorable boxer). What makes me want to bring this review up to 10 stars is that I had asked Ursula if I could take Gabby in for a grooming session tomorrow, but we were having difficulty working out a good time for both of us. And I had just finished telling her that I was at home with my son who had been fighting a 105 fever (pretty scary for parents). Immediately, Ursula offered to come pick Gabby up, groom her, and drop her back off. I was so blown away by her thoughtfulness and generosity. I know how busy Ursula always is, so I was extremely grateful to say the least. Thank you, Ursula. You are a real gem. I would never dream of taking Gabby anywhere else.
PS. She also referred us to Marcia at «For Dog’s Sake», where all of Gabby’s nutritional needs are met with the same love and care that Ursula shows to pets.

I have a dog that’s almost 17 years old who has bad vision, fairly serious arthritis and a sometimes nasty disposition. Prior to coming to Bow & Meow, we had been going the same groomer for many years. Sugars previous groomer recently closed her shop and is no longer unavailable. Going to a new groomer was pretty traumatic and the minute I met Ursula, I knew we were in the right hands.
Ursula was very concerned for Sugar’s comfort. I told Ursula that Sugar loathes other dogs, so she opened the shop early to groom Sugar before the arrival of other clients. I was really touched by her thoughtfulness.
The final result was absolutely amazing … Sugar looked GREAT!
Ursula, thanks so much!

I have two old, stubborn cats that like to hold a grudge for services like these. I thought for sure my cats would HATE me after getting bathed and then shaved.
I have never been more happy to say that I was wrong. Both of my grumpy fat cats came back beautiful and calm. When my cats are stressed about a new environment, they pant like dogs. They didn’t pant or wail like they were just publicly embarrassed with their new lion cuts. My cats looked like they knew how good they looked and they were struttin their fuzzy stuff.
If you have a cat and you want another reason to smile — go and get it a lion cut from Bow and Meow. I laugh every time I walk by one of my cats and can’t resist giving them a pat on their bare tummies.
Jokes aside, good service from good people. Your faithful furballs are in good hands here.

Let me start by saying that my dog will be 14 in January, and he’s a bichon, so I’ve definitely had my fair share of groomers in the past. I’ve been taking Charlie to Ursula for a few years now, so I believe I can say wholeheartedly that Ursula and her team are the BEST in the biz.
For starters, she DOES NOT crate your pet which does wonders for your pets nerves/​stress levels when they’re getting groomed. Secondly, she works in small time increments which also does wonders for your pets nerves/​stress levels. Think about it: your pets are stuck in a small cage all day at most grooming places and they’re getting their hair cut, doesn’t seem like a fun situation right?
I used to pick up Charlie from groomers like that in the past, and he’d be completely shaken up and freaked out, and with Ursula it’s a completely different situation. He LOVES her, and I think the shorter appointment times WORK for him, and Ursula has him looking like a complete SHOW DOG when I pick him up. Seriously, over the years Ursula has gotten Charlie’s white coat so bright it’s almost as white as it was when he was puppy. It’s incredible.
So, do your dog or a cat a favor and make an appointment with Ursula, STAT. I promise you won’t be disappointed. Not only are her and her team fantastic groomers but they truly care about the well-​being of your pet!
PS: I’ve seen a lot of people on Unilocal complain about her prices being too high or her being too picky about pick up and drop off times. Her prices are actually pretty reasonable if you bring in your dog regularly for «bath and tidy» (it’s a service she offers for those pets that are brought in every 4 – 6 weeks). Of course it’s going to be more expensive if you only bring in your pet for grooming sporadically, there’s more work to be done, and more work requires a bigger price tag. And as far as timing goes, she works pretty quickly, I’d suggest getting errands done around the area (i.e. Running to Target on Elston, getting an oil change or a car wash, getting work done at the Starbucks on down the block) there should be no reason why you should be straying too far away from the area, and she does this so that she can focus solely on your dog and they can have the place to themselves while they’re there. If being prompt, thorough, and attentive are details that you feel can be overlooked when it comes to your pet, then take your business elsewhere and don’t get pissy when Ursula «freaks out» on you. She’s doing her job.

Like most pet owners who are obsessed with their dogs and perceive their dogs to be people in dog bodies, I had to find someone to treat them as I treat them, they are my babies. I have 4 small dogs and I get them groomed every 4 – 6 weeks. Coming from the Southside of Chicago, where do we go… WELL I was truly Blessed to find Ursula at Bucktown Bow and Meow!
Ursula is a TRULY loving and caring pet person! She cares for each and every dog and cat as if they are her own. She gets to know you and your pets as the «people» they are. In fact, Ursula is so perceptive with animals if she sees something that doesn’t seem right she calls you and tells you right away. In fact, my smallest baby, Phoebe, 2.5lbs, probably wouldn’t be with us today if it weren’t for Ursula. She noticed something wrong with her back leg, we went to several doctors and specialist who could find nothing and just kept telling us it was her knee «that happens in small dogs», she go to the point she couldn’t walk at all. IT WAS URSULA who noticed and sent us the the right place, turned out she had a spinal cord malformation. Thanks to Ursula she is pretty much cured, however, Ursula still treats her like «fine china» (her words).
Ursula and her staff are alway very accommodating when it comes to making appointments, helping me carry my 4 in and out and I can tell everyone on the staff just LOVES my dogs!
When you drop your pets off you are always told about what time they will be ready! but you will also get a call (on every phone number you give) about and hour before, letting you know for sure when your pets will be ready for you. This is wonderful because it again shows me that they truly love and care for my dogs, all dogs would rather be with the owners (or in my case their Mommy) more than anyone else, no matter how good your pet is they never love going to the vet or groomer more than being with YOU and I find Ursula is very conscientious of this, being a pet owner herself.
Again, the best part is Ursula herself! She is a very charming woman and you can tell that she really cares about animals and her customers. That is the kind of customer service you want for your pet babies.
One time I went in for grooming and Ursula had found a small chiwawa running in the middle of Armitage and Damen, she abandoned her care and went after the woman that was running thinking it was her dog. She didn’t catch the woman and Ursula was so upset. The dog had a collar, but no information, had no chip. Ursula and her staff spent many tireless hours talking to everyone they knew, putting up signs all over the neighborhood and places of business, calling vets etc. She took the dog in and took care of her for a long time. No one ever claimed the sweet baby and Ursula found her a loving home! WHO WOULDN“T WANT SOMEONE LIKE THIS TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR BABIES??? I can tell you I love her and her staff and would take my babies no where else!
Ursula, her staff and their caring loving nature, along with the wonderful job they do on and with my pets = PRICELSS!!!

Go here at your own risk.
They do a nice job with your pet, but the owner is a raving lunatic. She chewed me out recently for being late to pick up my pet. I wasn’t several hours late to pick up my dog, i was 45 minutes late and boy was she awful. I appreciate the blueberry facial, but I just can’t deal with people that are off the wall.
And here is the tip I didn’t leave, learn to treat your customers well or you won’t find yourself in business for long.
I will happily take my business elsewhere.

After several good experiences here, I just got chewed out by the owner after being 15 minutes late. And when I say chewed out, i mean she called me «a cheap ass» told me to take my dog to Petco, flicked me off and said «your mother is a fucking bitch».
So what exactly happened? Here it goes. I am told that I have an 11:30 appointmeent and at the latest my dog will be ready by 1:30. I say great, give me a call and i’ll come get him. At 12:30 the owner leaves me a message saying he will be ready by 1PM. I’m in the middle of a meeting, so don’t receive the message. At 12:55 she calls again and says your dog is ready. I still don’t get the message as i’m still in a meeting. At 1:10 she calls my wife and says my dog is ready, come get him. At 1:20 she calls her again and says my dog is crying, come get him. I am finally out of the meeting. I drive to Bow & Meow, but stop and grab a cup of coffee to go, and arrive at Bow & Meow, pulling up at 1:40, 10 minutes beyond when they said he would originally be ready. My phone rings as i’m parking, its the owner and she says your dog is crying come get him. I respond that I got the messages and am outside. I walk in, and they bring out my dog who is perfectly happy, and is wagging his tail.
Me: Hi, 5 phone calls is unnecessary, one will suffice in the future.
Owner: Your dog was crying.
Me: He seems to be ok. I got here as fast as I could and am only 12 minutes late.
Owner: I called you at 1PM.
Me: Well, you still originally told me 1PM. In the ffuture, just leave me 1 message and I will get him as soon as I can.
Owner: Maybe you don’t care about your dog. We also have a policy.
Me: Look, I care about my dog, I just don’t need 5 harassing calls. I didn’t leave him all day.
Owner: Perhaps you should take your dog elsewhere.
Me: Perhaps you shouldn’t call so many times.
Owner: «Take your dog to Petco ya cheap ass»
(at this point I start walking out)
Me: That’s how you talk to customers? You just lost my business.
Owner: You are a bully.
Me: F-​You
Owner: Your mother is a fucking bitch (as she follows me out the door and flips me off)
Me: Enjoy the Unilocal review i’m about to write you.
The owner then proceeds to call and harass my wife, telling her i threatened her.
What a piece of work this woman is. Perhaps the customer isn’t always correct, but who chews someone out like that for being a few minutes late. I don’t care if i’m an hour late. You don’t think other people in this city groom dogs just as well?
Bow & Meow will never get another red cent from me or anyone I know.

I scheduled an appointment to take my Cocker Spaniel here for grooming, and was so disgusted with the attitude of the groomer that I ended up walking out and taking her elsewhere.
My dog has been getting groomed every 8 weeks at another place, however Bow and Meow is right down the street from and they had good reviews so I decided to check it out. The receptionist was very nice, however when the groomer came out to ask initial questions regarding my dog and the type of cut I wanted her to have, the service couldn’t have been worst. She barely said hi, started touching my dog and saying how matted she was, and how she wouldn’ t dare try to cut her b/​c it would be animal cruelty. After going on and on about how bad of shape she thought my dog was in, she then said that the least she could do was still give her a «puppy cut» for $ 70. Are you kidding me???
For the record, cocker’s get matted very easily since their hair is long on their legs and especially in the winter season with all the snow, mud, etc. With that said, my dog is still in good shape… it was just time for her to get groomed, hence why I brought her here to begin with.
Luckily I ended up getting a last minute appt at another «dog boutique» type place due to a cancellation and couldn’t have been happier with the service. I didn’t receive a lecture, bad attitude, or poor service that obviously Bow and Meow specializes in. I definitely would not recommend this place to anyone else.