Dogma- Grooming and Pet Needs

My dog’s favorite place in Carytown… every time we approach the intersection, she pulls towards the shop.
Staff is very helpful, playful with the animals, courteous, and the shop is clean. Pricing is also very competitive. I use Acana brand dog and cat food and their pricing is lower than other local shops, especially those within walking distance of my home.
Bring your pet in a let them decide if they enjoy it.

Cute little shop with high-​quality food selection, some toys, some accessories, and a grooming & boarding service. Our car broke down in their lot, and the manager was so kind and let us hang out inside to stay cool until the tow truck came. Even though they closed at 5pm, she welcomed us to stay as long as we needed. Very glad that we stumbled across this place!

Hands down, the best groomer I’ve been to. The staff is so nice and knowledgable! I’m always very happy with my dog’s haircut and they know her when we come in! The staff genuinely loves animals; which makes me feel totally comfortable with the services they provide. They also are very supportive of pet adoption. They are kind enough to let Angel Dogs set up shop in part of the store on Saturdays! I highly recommend Dogma!

Everyone that works at Dogma are polite and friendly and greet you as soon as you walk in the door. I’ve brought my dog Oggy in for a nail trim/​grind because I am terrified of clipping his nails and he hates when I do it. For some reason Oggy is STOKED every time to go there to get his nails trimmed, so they must be really gentle and relaxing for him. Plus it’s on a walk in basis and it’s at a good price.
I took my dog in yesterday to be groomed. Mind you this is his first time being groomed. He’s some sort of Italian Spinone or some sort of Griffin mix, anyway, he’s about 63 lbs. And he’s always super excited to be around other dogs or smell where other dogs have been. BASICALLY HE CAN BE A HANDFUL a.k.a DEMON. So I was worried how he would react to being there all day and being kenneled. But once I saw him he looked beautiful! He smelled great and he was showing off how pretty he looked, he was stoked like he had a great day!
They did an excellent job of following my vague instructions «umm he needs a oatmeal bath, and I guess could you trim around his eyes or something? Just make him look good.» AND BAM he looked great, smelled great, and he’s a lot less itchy (he’s got sensitive pink skin.)
I would highly recommend bringing your dog here because you can rest easy knowing that your dog is being well taken care of. Will definitely bring Oggy back again because I’m sure he’s wondering when he gets to go back again.
Plus they have a small shop with plenty of toys, leashes, accessories, food, etc. Yeah they might be a little pricer than Petsmart or Petco, but c’mon people, support small businesses. And Dogma is always looking out for other local non-​profits and charities. So to me, bitching about the price of a leash there is ridiculous. If you want to support a corp that will offer you lower prices and doesn’t care about your dog or dog’s well being, then don’t go to Dogma. Dogma treats your pooch like their own and actually cares about animals!!! That’s what is important.

We’ve had mostly good experiences here, but the typical 1 month wait to get an appointment has made us look elsewhere. I also didn’t love how badly our fur baby needed to use the restroom every time I picked him up, which is not typical for him. It doesn’t seem like they take the dogs out.

Owner is so nice and friendly! Loved taking my little guy here when we lived in the area. They have a great selection of treats and accessories too!

We brought our dog, a Bichon, into Dogma today for the first time. He is 2.5 years old and so he’s had a few different groomers. I dropped him off this morning and told the person who greeted us our woes of the past and what we really wanted (and certainly not a typical Bichon cut). I was not the one to pick our little man up today, but when I walked in the door at home I fawned all over our little guy because he looked so adorable. This is the BEST haircut he has ever gotten. Meg thank you so much for doing such a great job with our little man. We will be back to see you!
Well we’ve now been to dogma 3 times and have only been pleased the first time. On our 2^nd visit dogma had lost the information card on our dog and so he was treated like a new client. We told them what we wanted and they repeated it to be sure. When we picked up our dog they hadn’t trimmed his tail AT ALL. Our Bichon looked like a bunny with a close shaved body, as asked, and a fluffy cotton tail. Needless to say we were confused.
The third time we went we told them to be sure to trim the tail, as they hadn’t last time. When we picked him up he had a Nicely shaved body and a tail that now looked like a dust mop. 3 visits over 6+ months & no one trimmed his tail hair at all. Needless to say, this time when I got home I took my pup straight to the bathroom, took out my own set of clippers and shaved my dogs tail to match his body myself.
We have not gone back to dogma since, and have actually gone back to our old groomer, who actually does what we ask & recognized our dog.
Dogma isn’t worth the hype, price, or waiting list.

I regularly take my furbaby (pit bull) here to get his nails clipped. The staff always greets him with a smile and open arms, fawning over him. They’re great. I always recommend Dogma when someone is looking for a grooming place.

They lost a customer today. I took my dog in for a grooming, an older guy who recently had bloat surgery. We hadn’t gotten him groomed due to the wound healing process (that and it took 4 weeks to get an appointment). So yes – I knew he was a bit matted.
When I pick him up (yes, it was an hour later than promised), I asked the woman at the store to help me pick out a squeaky toy. Bought a bone as well, then went home $ 126 lighter (not complaining, just setting the scene).
I get home, play with the squeaky for my dog for 30 seconds and the squeak stops working. No worries! I’ll just call and I’m sure they’ll let me return it.
Nope. I literally made the purchase 15 min ago. So they don’t stand behind their products. Getting annoyed, but not even a deal breaker yet!
I should have mentioned his face was cut very unevenly. There were chunks missing. He gets matted around his face, it’s his hair type. It happens, and most groomers can figure out a way to even it out. I’d planned to take a scissor to it this evening. I was not so happy ($ 86 for said grooming), but I was fine fixing it myself, and making a mental note that at Dogma you have to be very explicit up front with what you want.
But I ended up bringing it up with the woman on the phone. Maybe I shouldn’t have. The woman on the phone goes off on me, makes me feel guilty for letting my dog get so matted (remember, recent surgery and hair type). I mention we’ve never had a problem with this in the past, she pours on the attitude. She offered to schedule another appointment to fix the cut, but sorry, too little too late. I told her I didn’t like the way she treated her customers. She hung up on me.
What a repellent attitude, the type that should really come back around. As the bumper sticker says: «My Karma Ran Over Your Dogma.» Now, off to find the scissors…

The groomers at dogma were so friendly and patient with older cockapoo. They did a phenomenal job and she definitely looks better than any other haircut from any other groomer! We’ll definitely be coming back!

When I called Dogma to make my puppy’s first grooming appointment, I didn’t really know what I needed. The woman who answered the phone told me that it is best usually to just have an «introductory» session with puppies so that they can get used to the clippers — brush, bathe, minor trimming (scooping the eyes, between the pads, sanitary, etc.), and nail clipping. It was nice to have a business suggest a service based on what they think is best for the client, not what would make them the most money. They were able to get me an appointment for the next day (today) and I have to say, I didn’t think my puppy could get any cuter but Dogma did it! She came home smelling wonderful, with the fluffiest, softest coat. The trimming was done expertly as well, and I will definitely return when we need more grooming services.

Our very large dog (110 lbs) gets the nails trim and grind here about every 2 weeks. We do walk-​ins for his nails. They’re always super fast and we rarely have to wait. We usually end up buying some gourmet treats or chews while we wait, they have a good selection of all natural stuff. All the staff is very nice and they love our big lug. Price is very reasonable.

My big gripe about Dogma is the receptionist (I assume that’s who I was talking to), and the individual who booked my appointment. Overall they are not particularly friendly, and they do not inform you of the amount of time that is needed to process your dog (I called the morning of to find out), or what questions they have for you and your expectations if it’s your first time. So, in short, poor customer service with a dash of attitude.
Here’s the long story:
When the man booked my appointment and said the dog would get an all over cut I wrongly assumed that meant there was a standard length they would cut, but I did not even know I was making that assumption. I do not have any experience with dog groomers because I’ve never had a dog who required grooming. However, I wanted to treat my newly adopted dog to a spa day. After talking to the receptionist over the telephone the morning of the appointment for a little over 5 minutes I still did not feel like I had a good sense of what to expect when dropping my dog off. She said it could take around 15 minutes because they’d want to know exactly what I wanted. I was taking my dog in before work, so time was of the essence. I told her what the man told me when I booked the appointment, and that I had assumed there must have been some standard length by the way he described the appointment, and that I did not have any particular expectation, nor was I concerned, about the length of the dog hair. I just wanted him to get a fresh start for new growth. Her response was «Well, it’s not like we have the dog in front of us, we can’t see him, we need to know what you want because you don’t know what you want.» (I felt like I had conveyed what I wanted very clearly and very politely). She could have been more patient and pleasant, and could have spared me the snarky attitude when I requested that the dog receive an all over hair cut and I was not particular about the length of his hair. She then decided to bring my own hair into it saying «You don’t go to your hair dresser and just sit in the chair, you have to tell them what you want.» Well, that was rather presumptuous on her part because I don’t have to take 15 minutes to describe to my hair dresser what I want, and I actually do «just sit in the chair» because my hair dresser actually has the ability to read my mind. Look, I get it. I didn’t know what I was going into, but now I’m never going to book another appointment because the two people I spoke to did not show me they even cared about my business. I’m about to drop $ 75 on a hair cut for a dog, how about showing me you care that I’ve chosen your business. How about replying «We will do our best to get you in and out as quickly as we can this morning, and if you don’t have a lot of particular concerns about the style of hair cut, this shouldn’t take long, don’t worry!»
Customer service is vital. If you don’t seem to care about my personal schedule (i.e. getting to work on time), and argue with me about hair length, and tell me I don’t know what I want then you have not instilled in me a sense that you really care about my business and my dog. I did not feel confident that if I had any future concerns or questions after the fact that they would be adequately addressed. I would have probably been their most laid back customer to date in terms of expectations, but the receptionist completely blew it.

I am brand new to Richmond, and after reading the reviews about this place, wanted to spoil my dog with a great place … BUT …
Starting with a new groomer, I had a long talk when i dropped off my dog. Even showing them pictures of how his old groomer cut his hair before. After all this, they still trimmed my dog’s head/​face too much despite my requests for how I wanted my dog’s hair cut,. When I asked to speak to the groomer to ask if she’d received my request for his face to not be cut except between the eyes, no apology. Then I asked to speak to the manager, Dede. She told me that if i wasn’t happy, that I should shop around and find another groomer, and she added there are plenty of groomers in Richmond.
I will never darken the doors of this establishment again. That was terrible customer service. I really feel i was reasonable requesting my dog’s haircut that’s he’s always had, pretty easy — everything short except the head/​face … kind of like a lion’s head. I was completely willing to work with them and wanted to see if we could communicate better, instead I had a rude woman belittle me and tell me to find another groomer. I was okay with being disappointed the first time if they would have made me feel it was a safe place that I could take my dog to a second time and get the haircut we wanted in 8 weeks when he’s due for his next one. Instead, I feel unwelcome and worry they would not treat my dog kindly.

We use Dogma for trimming our dog’s nails. Being too timid to cut them, we leave this to the experts. Not only does the staff tell us how adorable our dog is (duh), they are super nice. We have never noticed any issue with their work and our dog is always happy to get her nails done. Too many places can cut them too short, but not Dogma.
Dogma also offers food, toys, treats, and all critter accessories you could need.

I started taking my dog here in December of 2011. I preferred them over Petsmart because they seemed like they were more patient with the animals. My dog has had 1 haircut with them and has had his nails trimmed on several occasions. Until yesterday, I hadn’t had any problems with them. I brought my dog in for a summer cut (I got his last summer cut at Petsmart and hadn’t had any issues). I knew he was a matted some, but this isn’t anything new as they had cut his hair before.
I had a bad feeling when I dropped him off but just ignored it until I received the phone call that he was ready to be picked up. The woman was very hesitant on the phone and just wanted to ‘warn me’ that they had cut my dog’s neck and then glued a chunk of hair on top of it so he looks ‘differen’t.’ I just sat there thinking she would offer a discount or apology and got neither. I went to pick him up and I got nothing but excuse after excuse. I looked at the spot and there was blood around the cut, which obviously means they cut deep enough to draw blood. The woman actually had the audacity to tell me that my dog didn’t feel it. Are you kidding me?! How does she know that?! A cut that deep would be VERY hard to ignore.
She then proceeded to tell me on several occasions that he was sweet but not the easiest dog to groom. Um, this was the first of me hearing something like that. Plus, aren’t they supposed to be trained in knowing how to handle all types of dogs? She also told me that he would probably get cut again next time. Awesome. Definitely will NOT be bringing my dog back to this place. All I was looking for was an apology and all they did was try to place blame elsewhere. It’s one thing if your dog walks out of there with a bad haircut, but an entirely different thing when they harm your animal. I saw a review below that stated a similar occurrence. I only wish I had seen that before I took my pup in this last time. I would not recommend Dogma to anyone who has a dog that won’t sit 100% still during a haircut. God forbid they get cut too.

I have been going to Dogma since they were in their original building next to the Carytown McDonald’s. Their relocation into the old Tropical Tree House was a great fit and a fine way to refurb that building, Having an unusually uncommon breed of dog (Papillon), I have seen my share of grooming nightmares. Even with specific instructions other places seemed determined to make my pooch look pitifully punked, but e staff at Dogma took time to read my handwritten instructions and made sure that my dog was groomed to perfection. The retail segment has prices a bit on the high side (Homegoods even has a pet section now for example) but overall, I found this to be a great place for non-​chain store pet grooming, Parking is easy in the adjacent lot and appointments are taken seriously! The prices were also very far below what I paid in the DC metro area!

5 star grooming, appalling customer service. My dog looks great after being groomed at Dogma but they apparently have so much business that they don’t feel like they have to offer even a bare minimum of customer service. They won’t estimate a time when your dog will be ready. I dropped my dog off at 7:45 am When I called at 4:30 pm to see if I should stop on the way home from work, they refused to check on her status, saying «it’s not a service we are able to offer». I was then scolded for calling because «we have customers in line». So your only choice is to suspend your afternoon/​evening plans and wait for them to call you.
As much as I’d like to support their very talented grooming staff, I won’t be spending any more of my money at Dogma. There are far too many reputable groomers in town that care, at least a little, about their customers’ convenience.

I’ve taken my dogs to many groomers in Richmond and Dogma is, hands down, the best of the bunch. They really love animals, my dogs get excited when we pull into the parking lot (which says a lot!), they do a great job, exactly what you want, and their prices are reasonable.

The store front is a little cramp, but they have quite a bit for their size. Their dog food selection is all of the highest quality and the toys and collars are unique.
What they really excel in is their grooming. I’ve taken 2 of my dogs here and they have come back good as new. Really, they looked great and didn’t seem as stressed here.
I also give them kudos for donating their grooming services to the SPCA. I’ve seen them turn beasts into beauties. Thanks guys!