Raul’s Grooming Center

DO NOT TAKE YOUR DOG HERE
my dog had heat stroke and was deathly sick after leaving this place. She was a senior dog which means they should have been even MORE delicate. They did not give her enough water and did not treat her life she should have been treated. Do not put your dog’s life in danger. I would never trust this place with my dog’s life.

Here’s the thing– I’ve been to nearly every groomer in Redwood City to Mountain View. My dog HATES getting groomed. He is a rescued mini schnauzer and would always come back from the groomers with razor burn, nicks, ear infections and scrapes. It’s probably his fault, he doesn’t like to get his ears touched or his paws touched and he moves around; a lot. But I continued my search for a groomer that was patient enough to deal with my little neurotic man.
–Cue Raul’s.
Jimmy is the perfect match for Hank. My little guy goes in willingly and comes out with his tail wagging. He loves his Uncle Jimmy. I’ve never had any problems in the past two years with my guy and let me tell you, it’s refreshing. His cut is perfect every time. We got a labradoodle somewhat recently as well, and Jimmy was hesitant to take her because their coats can take a lot of time and some owners are very particular (I’m all about the natural look– so not a big deal to me). Jimmy met with her and they came to an understanding and now both my dogs are devout customers.
I appreciate the fact that Jimmy is honest with his clients (or potential clients) because he does not want to disappoint people, and has been doing this for so long that he knows what works and what doesn’t.

Whoever called Jimmy «the Soup Nazi» of pet care was spot on. I was treated so horribly at this shop that I registered on Unilocal just for this review. In prior visits, when I came to pick up our dog, he wouldn’t take my in-​state check from Wells Fargo (Woodside branch) because it had an out-​of-​state address printed on it. He argued it was an out-​of-​state check when he knows I live 5 miles away. I had to leave my dog to find an ATM to give him cash.
Subsequently, we brought our dog in for grooming and he refused to take him saying our dog was «abused.» Why, because he’s a long-​haired dog with matting??? Our dog is loved big-​time. Jimmy is an idiot, and frankly, for all we heard about Raul’s being the best, he never really «groomed» our dog. He sheared him like he was a sheep.

Refused to take my 15 year old Cockapoo who’s in great health because she’s, «too old»! That is a first. This guy seems to cherry pick and has no problem telling prospective clients to find someone else. Fine.

Came to get my sweet pitbull mix (very trained) groomed and he refused to take pitbulls. Told me his customers freak out when they see pitbulls. dont discriminate. you should accommodate to all breeds.

I have taken three dogs to Jimmy (the owner/​groomer at Raul’s) over the years and always been satisfied with his service. He’s competent, reliable, and nice to deal with. As others have observed, he actually listens to dog owners’ concerns and requests.
And contrary to one of the comments, I’m grateful that he doesn’t groom pit bulls. I don’t want my 20-​pound terriers anywhere near them. How many times have we seen reports on the news of pit bulls suddenly turning on their owners or on a dog or person on the street?

I called them and wanted to makle an appointment for my two Pitties (they work as Therapy K-9’s) they said; «We don’t take Pit Bulls».
If you work with animals– you should be less ignorant than the general population. P/B’s are one of the sweetest breeds of all. The bad owners, don’t tend to bring their fighting dogs to be groomed– so the fact that I’m doing so, should tell you something.
Dog owners should stay AWAY from this place.

I was really excited to find a grooming center with such great reviews. I just moved to the area so I called Raul’s grooming to set up an appointment.
The person who picked up the phone asked me a few questions, and said they can’t take my dog in because she’s too old explaining my dog may need special treatment due to her age, I said to him that’s a judgment you can’t do over the phone without seeing her, if my dog need any kind of special treatment I would be the first to find her such necessity. I’m disappointed with such comment, yes my dog is older but she’s in great shape and is doing very well for her age. I just don’t think you can make a decision over the phone in regards to my dog’s health without seeing her.
I noticed in other post that Raul’s grooming wouldn’t take a dog because he/​she was too young, so I agree with another post, looks like they won’t take anything that might seem a bit complicated to work with.

We’ve been taking our two Havanese to Raul’s Grooming Center for a few months now and we’re always very pleased. Jimmy knows the different breeds and how to «style» and my pups don’t come out looking like poodles (as they used to at PetSmart)! Jimmy and the other guy who works there are always very friendly and helpful. They are very reasonable priced (but only take cash/​checks). You have to book a few weeks in advance for a full haircut, but that just goes to show that their customers like the service they get. We won’t be going anywhere else again.

Note — They just told me they don’t groom dogs over 10 years old (!), nor do they groom newfoundlands. Three stars for honesty.

I took Ellie (my mini doodle) to Raul’s yesterday.
They listened to what I wanted (2″ on the body, keep the legs long but even them out, teddy bear face cut like a bichon) and delivered. The hair on her legs and body is shockingly even. I am VERY impressed. The face/​head were cut a bit short for my liking, but she still looks cute (I posted an after-​picture of Ellie so you can see).
The Center:
–The center is run by Jimmy and Jesus. Both are incredibly friendly, caring, knowledgeable, and warm.
– The center is impressively clean. Seriously, 5 stars.
Appointments:
–Raul’s books 3 – 4 weeks in advance, so call ahead. They sometimes have last-​minute cancellations. If you call at the right time, Jimmy may be able to squeeze you in (pretty unlikely though).
–This was our first visit to Raul’s. When I booked the appt, Jimmy recommended I come in for a «meet-​and-​greet» before the grooming appt. He wanted to make sure Ellie was comfortable with their clippers (she did fine). He said they they sometimes turn away dogs that get aggressive or have other behavioral problems, so be forewarned.
– Price: $ 60
The Grooming Appt:
– Drop-​off is in the morning (btwn 8 – 9:30AM, I think). Pick-​up time ranges from 12:30/1pm to 5:30pm depending on what time you dropped off your dog.
– During the in-​between grooming stages, your dog may be put in a crate … I only saw small dogs in crates. I saw bigger dogs hanging out on their grooming tables (leashed of course). I felt a lot more comfortable with this situation than having my dog run around freely with other dogs. Though next time, I will drop Ellie off early so she doesn’t have to hang out in a crate for as long.
Overall, I’m quite pleased with my experience at Raul’s. I’ll definitely try them again.

2 words… VERY IMPRESSED! I spoke to Jimmy on the phone a month ago about what I wanted. I was dissapointed in the last couple of haircuts, so I wanted to see what else was out there and this one was a lot closer to home. I checked on Unilocal and lots of great reviews.
Jimmy was very knowledgeable, professional, helpful and nice. The place is very clean and the staff are VERY nice, approachable, greeted me and my husband, and was very clean. Jimmy took the time out to really LISTEN to what I wanted.
A few hours later, we picked up our dog and was VERY impressed. I have to say, this is the BEST haircut my dog has had in the 18 months of her life. I’ve been getting her groomed for about a year now and at Raul’s it is THE BEST! Very even job on the face, around ears, neck, body, anal glands, genital area, and paws. Never had such precise work done. Pricing was awesome, too. I think we have a new permanent groomer. My dog was also very happy and calm afterwards.
Thank you, Jimmy and staff! We look forward to coming back!

I’m only taking a star off because they had to keep my dog all day which meant I had to fight traffic to come pick him up. Granted — I was the last one in – so that meant last one out. That being said — Dylan looks (even 2 week later) great. No unnecessary trimming or super stinky pet shampoo smell. He just looked and smelled clean and neat. He was energetic and happy to see me and didn’t act at all like he’d been stuck someplace he didn’t like all day. I would definitely rec this place for a happy dog/​happy owner combo pack.

I brought my yorkie here after I gave him a hair cut! They fixed his hair around his face free of charge! I will be coming to the professionals more often. Great service, super busy so he recommends an appointment.

Jimmy is very good with our little Dexter. He assures us he is happy and spening the day at the «Doggie Spa» and not to worry about him while he is there. He alwasys does a great job with his bathing and a very handsome haircut each time. Cash/​check only.

We have taken our tiny toy poodle to Jimmy for 5 years. He always does a good job and Cody loves going there. We are not good at home grooming and so after 6 weeks our little guy is a mess. We are never made to feel bad and only have to request «the regular» when we go in. Raul’s is a popular business so we always make our appointments six week in advance but when things have come up in our lives and we have had to change apts or get fit in at the last minute they do their best to accommodate us.

I am such a huge fan or Raul’s. I have a high maintenance dog, a Coton, and am so thrilled that I was referred to Raul’s. Jimmy is delightful, professional, interesting and caring. His prices are very competitive. My dog is absolutely gorgeous upon pickup.

Having gone to two or three other groomers I can tell you this one is one of the best. They were predictably cautious when I called to schedule my pit-​mix, but told me to bring him down. The dog was fine (he must be mixed with a pussy cat) and they all got along fine. They cleaned him up in a reasonable time and everything was good! No strange smells like other places or ridiculously long wait times or strange attitudes.
Only thing (but it is worth it) they don’t take credit cards.

Raul’s is a great grooming shop. We have a labradoodle, and he is not always mat-​free. (We try, but they have a lot of hair). Occasionally the dog ends up with a Wheaten terrier haircut. We have to remind Jimmy to keep it long.
My dog comes out fluffly and clean and happy. I am pretty sure they give the dogs some sort of downer pill. My dog is usually thirsty and _​_​_​mellow_​_​_​after Raul’s. I would give my dog a downer too – she gets extremely snappy during brushing. We have been taking dogs to Raul’s for over a decade, and the dogs actually seem excited to go in each time, so I don’t sweat whatever goes on behind closed doors.
Great prices, great service, great place!

I just picked up my 11 yr old dog from Raul’s. Omfg does he look good. Ok, so I have a Finnish Spitz. They blow their coats like a Chow Chow, if you know what I mean, and most groomers complain endlessly about how long it took them to brush him out, how they’re going to have to charge me more b/​c it was so much fur, etc. Raul didn’t complain a bit. I was charged $ 55 (maybe this is higher than his standard rate, but it’s still $ 15 cheaper than what I was being charged in North Bay) and it was worth every penny. My dog came out smelling wonderful, feeling incredibly soft (at least until my roommate’s Corgi got a hold of him and slobbered him up in greeting), and really happy.
My only complaint might be that the first thing my dog did when he got home after being there 8 hrs was dash for the water dish… which he emptied twice before he was sated. I’ll ask next time if they give them water.