Pet De Lite

We just moved here and I took my 65lb Australian Labradoodle to get groomed. They did a fantastic job! He is 8 yrs old and is regularly groomed and this was one of the best hair cuts he has received. He smelled so good and they put a cute valentines bandana around his neck. The staff was very friendly and understood exactly what I wanted. They gave me a tour of the facility and it was very clean. I will definitely be going back.

I took my 3 year old staffordshire terrier mix to get her nails clipped recently at Pet De Lite. Nala is a sweetheart and doesn’t have an aggressive bone in her body, but does require a second person to hold her when getting her nails clipped since she is bigger and tends to pull her paw away when clipping.
The woman clipping appeared frightened of Nala and asked me to come back with her and the employee helping. That is okay by me, since her seeing me and petting her calms her a bit.
The clip job was not the greatest she has gotten, but also not the worst, so it’s not the reason I only give 2 stars.
Nala is a rescue dog, and she tends to get a bit anxious with loud noises and when there is a lot going on around her. The room where they were clipping her nails had multiple hair dryers on, dogs barking, and a large vacuum running. I understand the need to clean and do what they have to do, but I could tell she felt very anxious the whole time there. When finished, they left her tied to the table to go find a bandana which is a nice gesture, but it made her even more anxious waiting there tied up. A little treat after all that would have been ideal, and is what most place give once finished clipping.
I don’t think this was necessarily a bad experience, but if you do have a larger dog, or one that is a rescue, I’d think twice.

My dog Ziggy has been here twice and they always do a great job. I definitely recommend them!

It started out great but I wasn’t impressed with the result. Appointment was easy to get. I emailed them and was told I could bring my dog in the next day. I have a puppy and they said they would get him out as soon as possible. They showed me the back where everything was which was nice. I left and went to pick up my puppy 3 hours later shaking and scared. The lady said he’s a puppy that’s normal. Ok fine. I went to pay and asked the cashier what services were provided and he had no clue what they did to my dog. At one point he told me they brushed my dog’s teeth and a women came out and told me something different. The cashier slam a paper in front of the women and said HERE! I DON’T KNOW WHAT THESE MEAN! I just wanted to know what I was being charged for. My dog smelled good for two days but I was not impressed with the hair cut and seems like they cut and file his nails too. His nails were all chipped with a lot of broken pieces attached to it. I have no clue what they did with his hair but it looks and feels sooooo dry! Almost like they blow dry it for too long or trying to thin it out.

We have been taking our Yorkie, Ali, to Pet De Lite since we moved here in April 2010. Ali always looks beautiful after her grooming. I want her ears rounded, not tipped, and they understood and always do it for us. We have her hair cut short in the summer and then grow it longer in the winter. It is always done very well. I book her an appointment every four weeks and she always trots right in and happily comes back out after only about three hours. On occasion, I have had to get her in earlier or at the last minute cancel, but they are always accommodating. Grace is Ali’s usual groomer. Ali is nearly twelve years old and we have had numerous groomers over those years and we are very happy with Pet De Lite. They have never changed their rates in the last five years, which is extremely surprising.

So we’ve been there twice, the second time being the last ever. Where do I start? Good news first: the hair cut the first time was not bad.
The second time around they just did whatever the groomer arbitrarily decided to do. We have a cocker spaniel and his fur was quite long, and at some parts tangled (matted) –not extremely bad, but let’s just say he needed some grooming, which is why we took him to, well, the groomer.
I guess like previous reviewers indicated, communication is a little challenging with the staff. They did tell us that they would shave his fur, because it was too long (what? imagine going to the hair salon for an overdue haircut and them telling you that they would shave your head either you like it or not), to which we responded, please don’t shave to the skin, because it is still very cold outside and plus he looks bizarre once shaved. But they insisted that, nope, they needed to shave him. OK.
So we go to pick him up and they are like «it’s gonna be $ 10 more» (original price already high enough at $ 60, if you ask me) because his hair was so long and it is «very dangerous to groom them.» And why weren’t we told of this earlier on? Again, I DON’T get this! This is your job; this is your business… Would you rather me bring my dog already groomed for you? And how does one determine in an objective way what is considered to be «too much hair?» You certainly did not determine this by looking at him, as you did not advance the «extra fee» proposition when we brought him in!
So paid $ 70 for a shave down we did, although I think we should have paid a little extra for the wonderful yellow Gold’s Gym bandana (classy) you tied around his neck. But coming back, we will not do again.
Oh, and another interesting observation. Our dog was there for about 7 – 8 hours. Once he gets out he immediately squats and takes the biggest poop. Guessing they keep the pets in the tiny cage for the whole time, without consideration for their pet needs, as other groomers we have taken him before have. Yeah, that doesn’t make me feel guilty at all!

I love taking my Maltipoo here! I’m awful at keeping up on her coat, so she gets all kinds of knots and kinks. Pet De Lite always makes room for their customers, even when I make a last minute reservation. The staff is always friendly and my dog looks and smells fantastic when I pick her up.

Fair prices and nice workers, quality of work is good to.
My only complaint, albeit this is a huge one for me, is they need to have better phone/​communication skills. You are the business so that means YOU need to lead the conversation on the phone, not the customer. Conversations should not go like this (which I just had over the phone):
Pet de lite (PDL): Hellow PDL…
Me: Hi… I’d like to make an appointment
PDL: okay, when would you like to come in
Me: um. is today good?
PDL: yes, today 11 – 11:30
Me: okay, thanks bye.
can anyone tell me what I just made an appointment for? I mean I know exactly what I would like to make an appointment for, but I have a very strong feeling the lady on the phone does not know. Here’s how a conversation like this should go:
PDL: PDL how can I help you
Me: I’d like to make an appointment
PDL: Okay, and what would you like to make an appointment for
Me: A bath and a nail trimming
PDL: what type of dog are you bringing in?
Me: Jack Russel
PDL: Alright, and when is a good time for you
Me: Do you have any free time today?
PDL: We do from 11 – 11:30
Me: How about 11 then?
PDL: Alright, we’ll see you then
Me: Thanks, bye.
Customer service is not this difficult, so it really blows my mind when you as a business essentially are doing nothing more than just inviting customers in. But customers don’t call to be invited in. Lead the conversation on the phone, ask them what they need, give them a price quote, then give them a time to show up.

A bit pricey for baths ($ 133 for 2) but my pups both came back beautiful and smelling nice!

If there was ever anything wrong, and you tell a worker then Pet De Lite fixes it right away. I was recommended by two different Vets around the area for so many good reasons. I’ve been taking my sheltie there for years, and my schnauzer for over 10 years and never had an issue.

This is the only groomer I use consistently. When our schnauzer was ill, Kay the owner, offered to cut his nails while we held him. He later died, and she was very kind to us. Our new dog loves going there. As for the comment about smoking, I think there must be some confusion, as I have never noticed any smoking in three years that I have been going there. I trust them and don’t have to worry about leaving my baby there!

My dog did not get cut like I asked them to cut him. When I mentioned that she said oh, I didn’t think you meant that type of cut, didn’t even apologize. I honestly do not know if they used water on him. My dog still looked dirty and had stuff in the corners of his eyes. My friends kept asking me if I shaved him myself because it was such a bad cut. Then the workers were right out front smoking where you have to walk and they walk back in w a horrid smell of smoke while you are trying to conduct business. I gave them an extra star because unlike other groomers i called, I was able to get in on the same day, but I’m guessing this is because others have been dissatisfied too.

This is an awesome place!!! My dog usually shows his entire butt when I take him to the groomers, but this time he was great! The staff was super friendly and my dog looked awesome! I will be back!

I don’t think I could say enough good things about Pet De Lite. The shop is absolutely immaculate and the staff and owners clearly love the dogs. Each time we pick up our cockapoo she’s happy and looks great! They doll her up in a cute bandana and bows and she looks like a stuffed animal. Love this place, definitely try it out.

Clean environment and friendly staff. They are really patient with my little Shih Tzu, as she gets really nervous. And I love her teddy bear cut.

Having just moved to the Fort Belvoir area, I priced several groomers around and they were all pretty pricey. Pet De Lite was the cheapest and I waited until I had used them a few times before I reviewed them.
One of my dogs doesn’t need grooming but gets his nails clipped for $ 10. They also trim the hair around his paws and under his belly with the clippers, spritz him with a nice smelling spray, and give him his cute little bandana. Just $ 10. Nice!
My other dog is a cockapoo and we like him groomed really short so that he can grow into his curls and the maintenance isn’t so much. The first time they did it perfectly, the second time it was a bit longer even though I had reminded them to make it short. He still looks great, though.
The ladies are very nice there and let you come in the back for the nail cutting. The place looks clean and neat and there are bags and a trash can outside in case you need to pick up after your pet (my old groomer didn’t have this which was a pain so I thought I’d mention it).

I just got a new maltapoo and his hair was a bit out of control. I called them up and they gave me the best quote for his shave/​shampoo/​nail trim. Not to mention they were able to do same day cuts (all the other places had a one to three day appointment wait)-this works well because I’m very impatient.
The whole staff were super friendly, they made sure I took a tour of the facility and was comfortable leaving my puppy there. When I picked him up later that afternoon he looked FABULOUS!!! They did everything as I had asked, plus he was afraid of the sound of the clippers so the ladies used shears around his face so that he wouldn’t freak out too much. Not to mention the owner gave me a deal since it was my first time. He was a happy camper and so am I.
I’m definitely going to be a regular here, the ladies were great, the facililty was clean and the dogs are given plenty of TLC. I would recommend this place to everyone.

I’ve had my Mini Aussie, Arlo, for about almost six months now, and have been taking him randomly to different large chain groomers once a month. The last we decided on was the PetCo in Dale City, and only because they did a sugar cookie shampoo. But, for over $ 50 for a 11lb dog, I decided to look around.
Now, I am not saying Pet De Lite was much cheaper (it was under $ 50, tho), but it was MUCH BETTER!!! Arlo used to walk out of PetCo SHAKING, and whimpering. And the whole time, their groomers would say he was well behaved. Arlo walked out of the back room at Pet De Lite just as wiggly, happy and playful as ever! And everyone there seemed to love him!
When I initially walked in, no one was in the front office area, and I looked at the walls for a minute before I decided to stick my head back through the door to the grooming area, and I was completely surprised — it was spa –like! With water features, dog art work, and very soothing colors. It was incredibly clean, and smelled CLEAN — not antiseptic.
All and all, it was a GREAT experience, for my wallet, and most importantly, for Arlo. I’ve never seen him so fluffy, cute, and happy. We will definitely be back in a month, and for every month I live here. Thank you, Pet De Lite!

I tried Pet De Lite about a week ago. It was a great experience. My dog, Apollo, is a bit of a handful and normally (at PetSmart) ends up with a few hair spots and bloody ears. Pet De Lite was great with him. His haircut was great and wasn’t shaking when he left. I will certainly use them again.