pet groomer

scheduler

director of fleet services

operations lead

member services representative

Happy Spa Dogs Mobile Grooming

It's quantity over quality, which means the dogs suffer for it, and the client gets half-hearted work. There's no time to slow it down for dogs that need extra care - a slower blow-dry, slower on the nail trim, slower on the clipping, more time for matted dogs (And there are A LOT!), and there definitely is not time to go over the coat more than once so the cut is definitely uneven, just maybe not to the untrained clients' eyes. The training to be a bather was really rushed, and there is no official training materials - you just get throw in a van with another employee for a few days and then you're on your own so hopefully you saw everything. This is even if you have no dog handling experience which is dangerous for both you and the dogs. All the vans need maintenance at any given point in time, and it does usually affect your ability to work which cuts into your commission. This includes things like bad transmissions, no air (heat, a/c, defrost) in the cabin, wonky generators, broken water heaters, and pretty much constant check engine lights. There is bad communication about things that need to be replaced or are broken so even if you say something, you or someone else will get stuck with the same problem. You're lucky if there's clean towels outside of the days they come in, and even then, sometimes they don't, and they're out of other things they promise to provide pretty regularly. No one is held accountable for leaving vans in bad conditions whether that be uncleaned, or the gas or water on empty, which means you get stuck running late to your appointments. And if someone calls in, you may get stuck with a van that has all their equipment that you either have to work around, or carry it in yourself to the office. They'll push back your first appointment, but leave the rest of the day so you're just running late with overlapping appointments. The only benefit offered is health insurance, which I had to nag about and still never got any information about even well after 90 days. They took away PTO, and replaced with sick pay only because they have to offer it. They're super weird about you missing a day and expect you to make up the hours, even if requested in advance. And if you don't make up the hours, it affects your weekly earnings average which can bump you into a lower-paid commission tier so you better work, work, WORK! There are no paid holidays - you have to make-up any closed holidays up too, and they'll just schedule you without asking to do so.

You can make a lot of money, if you don't care about quality and/or the dogs - they're not lying about that. They will (or did?) pay for grooming school (or you get trained by another employee) but it was super rushed, even when the instructor requested we stay longer, they wanted us back making money ASAP. The 4 days on, 3 days off is nice. They throw some cool parties and outings but they are NEVER paid, and you will have to make-up the hours if it's during work hours on a day you're usually scheduled. They preach family environment, but it definitely did not feel like that, especially with the way people leave the vans for their fellow employees. A company making that much can afford to give their employees some better benefits and working conditions. I understand the point of a company is to make money, but having some integrity goes a long way. I'm too detailed and honest to do half-hearted work, especially on sentient beings.

Pros-
- You don't have to make your own appointments
- You don't need to worry about taking payment
- Management takes care of conflict resolution issues with clients
- The groomer culture and environment is close knit and good people, those that can handle the fast pace and independent work that is required in mobile work and stick around become family
- No hierarchy of groomers hoarding dogs, days are typically always full schedule of dogs to groom
- You have creative flexibility with each haircut
- 4 10 hour day work schedules. Keeping in mind that this is mobile. Some days may be longer than others due to uncontrollable events such as dogs taking longer than expected, traffic, etc.
- Management tries its best to balance company and groomer needs
- Some groomers have been working here since the company started. This is the first grooming company I have worked for with such a large group of groomers
- Tips are great, the pay is a decent living wage

Cons
- Days can be long. Typical van grooming life
- It's important to keep track of your daily schedule, making sure times for grooms are correct
- Can be a bit lonely working solo in your own van, if you aren't used to it
- Benefits are lacking

Overall this has been a great company to work for. The pay is good. The company is growing and always looking for the most successful way for both groomer and the company to grow. It's important to be able to adapt to this culture and environment, and come in with expectations that can be negotiable. Each day is fun, talking to clients individually, working solo is relaxing (I can listen to my own music, podcasts), driving to areas that I would probably never see in my lifetime behind gates. I also find new and fun places to eat and shops/areas to visit I didn't know existed through my driving day. The company has a huge clientele and keeps growing. 

I had the misfortune of falling for the advertised $100,000+ annual potential. While this is technically possible here, you will fall short if you are unable to groom a whole dog in no more than 45 minutes. 
Their pay structure is dishonest (you will make 45% commission as long as you maintain a $900/day average, meaning you will need to groom around 9 dogs per day. If someone cancels on you, no-shows, or you simply don’t have a full schedule, they will absolutely still hold you accountable and your commission will drop to 35% even for things completely out of your control. )
There is no support from management, but rather favoritism and antagonism. They do not maintain their vans properly, thus why half of their fleet is already falling apart. You WILL be assigned a broken van periodically (at least once a week depending on how much management likes or dislikes you) and this equates to no AC, or needing to plug into clients homes. It’s quite unprofessional for a “luxury service” and I’ve had fuses blow in clients homes because they simply do not have adequate electrical to support the high power requirements of the vans’ blowdryer, AC, ETC. 

I admit I fell for the listing promising $100,000+ even having been a groomer for almost a decade at the time. But for me even regularly pulling 13 hour days (working through my lunch hour) I still couldn’t manage to maintain the sales average to make 45% commission. They have groomers fresh out of SDGA with barely any actual experience on the road completely on their own which is WILD to me and management doesn’t care about quality of grooms. Which is probably why I couldn’t keep up with their schedules since I actually care what the dogs I send out end up looking like. Also scheduling of appointments was insane (15 minutes to get from mission valley to Chula Vista at 3 pm on a Friday isn’t exactly a reasonable expectation guys) don’t do it. Even if you’re someone who sees it as a good opportunity to get into grooming, it absolutely is not and will set you up for failure in your career. 

I really enjoyed my time working at this company. The work environment was welcoming, and I felt supported by both management and my coworkers from the start. The team communicated well, and there was a strong sense of collaboration that made daily tasks more enjoyable. I appreciated the opportunities to learn new skills and take on responsibilities that helped me grow professionally. Management was approachable and willing to provide guidance when needed, which made a big difference. The expectations were clear, and I always felt like my contributions were valued. Overall, it was a positive experience that helped me build confidence and develop important workplace skills. I would recommend this job to anyone looking for a supportive environment where they can learn, grow, and be part of a team that works well together.

You will experience groomer burnout. In order to receive 45% commission the company requires you to make $900 a day in sales. And the only way to achieve that number is by grooming each dog in 45 minutes. That means skipping steps and cutting corners. The haircut won’t be even but it’s the bare minimum. If you miss work, you HAVE to make up the days that you missed even if you planned and let the office know ahead of time. 

No vacation time. Only 3 days of sick pay.

Poor working conditions. Vans are constantly breaking down. During
winter, water heaters don’t work that means dog will be bathed in cold water. During the summer, the AC doesn’t work but you’re still expected to work in these conditions.

Owner of the company has no grooming knowledge and sets unrealistic expectations on the employees.

A typical day at work is chaotic. You may or may not have a van. If you are lucky enough to have one there is an abundant amount of issues with it. I've learned that they work you to the bone. It's not 40 hours your goal is to hit a quota and if not you're punished with pay.  The manager/owners like to gaslight you and feed you a lot of BS and there are new random policies daily. You don't make 100k and you're lucky if you even make 45%. I worked here for a month or so and would never ever even recommend someone taking their dogs here. 

Let’s see how fast you can groom a dog!
You have 45 minutes!
That means 5 minutes to wash a dog, 10 minutes to do prep work, 15 minutes to blowdry, 15 minutes to do the haircut! It doesn’t matter how stressed the dog is. you have to rush rush rush because there are other appointments waiting to get done quickly. You also have to pay for your own shampoo even though the company makes a TON of money. Also expect to have no social life cuz you’re going to be dedicating all your time working for this company. It has a huge turnover rate for good reasons. You’ll make good money working here but i promise you’ll be miserable if you stay.


What is the best part of working at the company?
the pay was above the median for Orange County

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
the owner and his unrealistic expectations

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Work everyday with no days off. Groomers work in broken down vans and ownership doesn't care about the groomers or dogs. The owner only cares about the money each van can make them

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
long hours with no breaks. they make us clock out for lunch BUT not actually take a break and work through our lunch

function + cleanliness of vans. Manager. Schedulers. Lack of supplies. Lack of QUALITY education. Toxic coworkers. Payroll lags. WATCH YOUR TIPS. Good luck trying to sign up for healthcare! HR basically nonexistent. Only care about money- not your health.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Pet groomer 6 salaries reported	$92,500 per year
Scheduler 3 salaries reported	$21.67 per hour
Director of fleet services 1 salary reported	$105,000 per year
Operations lead 1 salary reported	$70,000 per year
Member services representative 1 salary reported	$105,000 per year

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