pet groomer

front desk agent

pet bather

membership sales

general manager

Scenthound

Scenthound has a high turnover rate for a reason.

I have a pretty thick skin, but this company wore myself and many other employees down fast. If you choose to work here, be prepared to get yelled at for any basic mistake that their inadequate training does not teach you. You will be expected to have your own schedule working unrealistically quickly within 4 days of training, even if you have never worked with dogs prior.

The work itself isn’t unbearable. The other Scent Techs and Trimmers will usually have your back and everyone works as a team fairly well. The company often preaches one of their values as “one pack,” meaning that their company is like family. In my honest opinion, it felt more like a high school clique than a “pack” of any kind. As a minimum wage employee, you will be expected to make hour-long trips up to their corporate headquarters in Jupiter for meetings that benefit you in zero ways possible. You are payed for the hours you are at the meeting, but the meetings are about one hour long, and I don’t believe anyone was payed for the hours it took to commute there and back.

As someone who was hired here with no previous experiences working with dogs, there was little patience and understanding with my mistakes. Multiple people from upper management would yell at me to reprimand me and then followed up with false reassurance that it would never happen again. If you report your mistreatment to upper management, they will not defend you. They will always take the side of the other managers.

It becomes very apparent the longer you work at Scenthound how little upper management values your work if you struggle to keep up with their unrealistic schedule. You are expected to bathe a dog and complete a nail grind within a 15-minute time slot, which does not account for the dog’s emotional needs and ability to resist you, especially for the nail grind. In addition to upper management devaluing your work, be prepared to eavesdrop on them speaking badly of other employees, sometimes for reasons having nothing to do with their work. Also be prepared for quick jabs and passive-aggressive comments relating to your work ethic if you are not a star employee.

On the surface, Scenthound’s values of prioritizing the health of the dogs seems respectable, but it is very strategic and far from the truth. I witnessed several preventable injuries and disregard for the dogs’ wellbeing. Upper management cares far more about their numbers and income. More importantly, upper management cares about protecting the people in their main circle while driving their newer employees out through both passive-aggressive comments and verbal reprimanding. As an employee, I did not feel like I was a part of the “pack,” or that my work was even respected at all.

Overall, I’m immensely disappointed by my experience working at Scenthound. The work itself isn’t too bad, but the work environment would drive me to break down crying in the bathroom and feeling like I was in high school all over again. There are other dog bathing and grooming jobs in the area that will pay more than what Scenthound will pay you, and will not leave you feeling like you are a burden on the company.

I could leave a very long review but in order to spare myself the anguish I will try my best to summarize.
-The company puts no effort towards caring for staff, for example, cramped break rooms with barely enough space to put your lunch away in the mini-fridge shared between 10 people, no benefits offered, minimal or no training in either process or safety. 
-The company cares more about money than the wellbeing of the dog, for example we were often told to "make it work" when a dog was too scared to allow us to bathe or blowdry them, often times the dogs would hyperventilate or potty in themselves. And offering dematting as a service (after I specifically asked about this in the interview and was lied to and told we will not demat dogs) 
-There is no training. I was specifically hired as a "groomer in training" my first day I was shown how to operate the bathing equipment, shown how to read our bathing schedule, and left to our own devices expecting to work
-The time constraints and expected quantity of baths is unrealistic. They classify dogs from 1-3, 1 being smallest, and 3 being the largest.  For a bath you are expected to blow dry the dog to 80% dry, regardless of if they purchased a blow dry package, for small dogs they would give you 15 minutes to bathe, dry, and clip nails. For large dogs you get 30. These times are purely based on size and not coat type or length. Meaning you could have a samoyed and they expect you to be done in 30 minutes. Additionally they would schedule dogs back to back with no gapping. Often times my schedule would have another dog coming in every 15 minutes. God forbid a dog is giving you a challenge with their nails or any service, because if so you are on your own. Everyone is so busy with their own schedule that they can't help, and management acts like they cannot leave the front desk. But then you get in trouble if you get behind or services are incomplete 
-This one's minor but I feel like it reflects a lot on the company, they expect you to clock in on your phone but do not provide a wifi connection
-They hire any and everyone, which don't get me wrong is good to an extent but they are incredibly misguided. They will hire people that may require extra training or support and will not provide either of these things, but instead reprimand or look down upon these people for not being as good at their job as management expects. 
This job I would only recommend as a short term position, maybe as a summer job or truthfully if you would eventually like to groom or just bathe dogs this could be a good way to get some training (maybe) and move to somewhere better. 

I enjoyed most of my time working here, however, I accepted this position in hopes to grow and learn how to groom dogs. they continued to hire and train people to do what I wanted to do (they had 0 experience). The people are super kind, even the managers, but they are too nice to the point where things are not getting done properly. There were many times clients had concerns and wanted to speak to management and either management simply would not be there,  or would be working on dogs so I would be told to basically tell them exactly what I had already said which results in an even angrier client that still wants to speak to a manager. when management finally decides to speak to the client they would then refund them or remove things like the late fees that I was told to charge them with which usually was the cause of the unhappiness in the first place. So basically I got treated like a punching bag for no reason. these people would be 30-45 mins late to their appointments, I would be told to check them in anyways which put the whole day behind and everyone, clients and employees alike would be upset and stressed. . I would never get my lunch break on time, sometimes I would get it as late as 3:30-4:00 (we closed at 5). Not to mention management doesn't open and close the store.. the front desk person does, which causes a lot of issues. If you get sick and have to call out, sometimes there's nobody there to  open because management is not around. Some managers do not even have keys to open each store in Charleston (they are all owned by the same person so you will most likely float around) For a normal employee making minimum wage I do not think they should be responsible for opening and closing the store. I was always the first one there, the last one to get lunch and the last to leave, sitting there by myself 90% of the time with nobody else in the store, feeling very unsafe until I was allowed to leave. I ultimately left after being told they had to cut back my hours to train people. I will say it is great to be able to work with dogs, and I think the business model is very unique, it is just not being run well.

Typical days consisted of bathing dozens of dogs (per bather), and being expected to groom back to back all day with no breaks. You are expected to bathe every single dog within 15 minutes, every dog other then HUGE doodles/super long haired dogs have a 15 minute slot for blow dries (it could be a husky or a chihuahua its all the same to them), and grooms are booked similarly with only a 30 minute slot (unless it is a HUGE hairy dog). Your day is booked back to back allowing no time for lunch or anytime allotted for difficult dogs. If you fall behind you are left drowning on your own.
Management was HORRIBLE, especially towards the end of my employment, no one took COVID-19 seriously, masks were never worn, the salon was never cleaned, etc. Management always promised you the option to advance (usually it was the hope of doing mobile grooming) but would routinely hold it over your head and never gave it to anyone.
I learned the bare minimum for grooming, we were not allowed to do anything other then "puppy cuts" so you will NOT learn any specialty grooms, meaning you are absolutely STUCK here. They say this is because they are "dog first" and thus care for the health of the dog more then the looks, but this is simply their way to get away with the lack of training.
Workplace culture was very much everyone just trying their best to survive the outrageous expectations. During my time we had a wonderful team who tried to help one another but most times we barely had time to deal with our own dogs.
Pay varies based on location but during my time bathers made MINIMUM wage, and groomers made $10. TIPS WERE SPLIT WITH EVERYONE, including management who never so much as touched the dogs. We were paid on the 15th of the month and the very last day of the month, however if these days fell on a weekend we would we paid on Fridays, making it almost 3 weeks between paychecks sometimes, not usually being paid more then $700. You also do not get any PTO until your first year, at which point you only get 5 days every single year.

Training is quick-you're given a day of shadowing, you get some videos to watch  and then you're thrown on in. This results in a lot of stress and discouragement at the beginning, but you find your groove pretty fast. 

However, the downsides are that sometimes there are unspoken rules that you aren't trained on, and can result in you looking stupid for both bathing and trimming training. This is unavoidable for some things, especially if you have no experience in bathing/grooming, and can make for a good learning experience-but some things could be better explained, especially since it can impact the health of the dog, your own ability to do your job right and keep it, and the mood of higher ups.

Your coworkers, from front desk to fellow bathers/trimmers are the best part of the job, especially if they like what they do. They're reliable, make the day work no matter what comes their way, and answer your questions when you need help. Most days are smooth like butter because of them.

However, you can be brought down by the negative attitude of the people above all of you despite this, and if you aren't careful you can find yourself burnt out, discouraged, and anxious even after you've found your groove for bathing/trimming. This is especially the case when people you know are good at what they do are fired left and right, and higher ups are openly hostile to employees because of their personal issues or because they could care less about your work being impacted by horrible behavior and equipment. It's unfortunate, but it's painfully obvious at times that profit takes precedence over employee and dog safety and wellness, hence the high turnover rate.

Overall, Scenthound is a great start for your grooming career, but it is best to stay for as long as you need to hone your skills and then branch out to new horizons as soon as your confidence starts to bud.

Due to being cross trained, I could start my day at Front Desk, this requires me to make phone calls to Leads (interested parents asking for information about the company or even to book an appointment), engage in Sales (memberships or Non-Anesthetic Dental Cleanings), maintain cleanliness of the Front, engage with pet parents, etc. and then be asked to assist in the Bathing room where I assess the dogs in the bath, bathe and provided any extra services (Shedding, Problem Skin, Deep Conditioning Treatments, etc.). 

I have learned that confidence is key. Whether it’s explaining and suggesting certain services a dog needs to a parent who is difficult, to working with difficult (nervous/aggressive) dogs, confidence goes a long way. 

I think the hardest part of the job is Front Desk. They are the face of the store. If you lack confidence as I did (and am still working on) it could be hard to present that to the parents. If you are soft spoken and generally shy, it could be something hard to get used to because it is out your comfort zone. Front Desk position would probably be the most important position, they assist in booking appointments which in turn affects the schedule for workers. While both Bathing and Front Desk are hard jobs, Front Desk is the one to get the most appreciation. Without a good Front Desk crew, the store itself would not work well. 

I believe the most enjoyable part of working at Scenthhound is truly building relationships with the dogs. Seeing them grow and get comfortable with the services and developing bonds with them is the most satisfying part of the job. 

Overall, the job itself is not bad; however, many of the challenges stem from upper management. There is a tendency for leadership to be very encouraging and supportive at first, but expectations often shift in ways that can feel exploitative. For example, employees are frequently expected to work events while still being required to remain under 40 hours, which can create difficult scheduling situations.

The workplace culture also appears to include a significant amount of favoritism and a “suck-up” dynamic. Advancement opportunities are often discussed, but in practice they seem to depend largely on personal relationships rather than consistent performance.

Communication within leadership can also be concerning. There is a noticeable amount of gossip among higher-level management, which contributes to a two-faced atmosphere. Managers receive bonuses based on performance metrics, which may influence certain business practices, particularly around membership sales and client billing. At times, clients may be charged for reasons that can feel questionable.

Managers are also expected to attend regular weekly meetings as well as monthly corporate meetings, which adds to the workload. Additionally, there were situations where the regional manager misrepresented circumstances, placing blame on others in order to protect their own image.

Finally, the company appears to have a high turnover rate. In the relatively short time I was there, new staff members were being hired continuously. While the company promotes opportunities for growth, these opportunities often seem temporary or dependent on leadership preference rather than a clear development path

i loved my team while working there only at my location. Schedules are always overpacked and we would be assigned to do 20 to 30 dogs sometimes even more per day. Rushing to do dog baths. A 15 minute dog bath for a small dog is not bad because they are small and they are mainly easy to work with. However, medium to large dogs should be at least 25 minutes for a PROPER bath which is what the customers are paying for. Most of my days, i found myself rushing dogs and not cleaning them properly due to the overpacked schedule and the stress induced with it. Not ever dog is easy , some dogs are aggressive, others fidget a lot, we need space in the schedule to work around those dogs who need more attention than the average well behaved dogs who are easy to work with. What doesn’t help is the front desk rushing us and constantly asking us to hurry up to finish dogs. The way the days are set up on how to do things needs to be changed ASAP or this business is going to go downhill very fast. I could write a whole essay on what i think this business needs changes on and what i think is wrong. On top of everything, staff is underpaid and overworked. A fast food restaurant could pay me more than what i earned working here. Working with dogs should not be a minimum wage earning. I wanted to stay working here , but due to staff changes, i had to leave. This location is not the same anymore. Everyone that left this place was due to the pay this company gives. Raise your pay and maybe your employees will stick around longer.

When I worked at Scenthound I only worked there for 4 months before quitting. Management was horrible. I was constantly micromanaged. I was constantly being watched. I was always looking over my shoulder. When I needed help no one was there to help me. One of their values are Seek Growth but guess what they punished me for going to a groom school by cutting my hours and my pay. Management was firing people for no reason and because of that I was constantly nervous about going into work. It turned out the day I quit was the day I was supposed to get fired because of the lack of dogs on my schedule which wasn’t my fault but management’s fault for not putting dogs under my name. It is a very stressful work environment scheduling you 3 X-Large breed dogs back to back on a schedule that already has 10-13 dogs on it. Along with, I was being punished for doing my job and having my dogs under control. I learned absolutely nothing at Scenthound. They had me groom a dog when I don’t even know how to groom. The most enjoyable part of my job was just being around the dogs. The workplace environment was complete garbage. All of the employees were stressed and taking it out on other employees. The stress on the employees were rubbing off on the dogs which was making us more stressed on top of that constantly being watched and mircomanaged.  I would not recommend working here unless you like to be micromanaged to the point of insanity. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
You wont get to become a Trimmer faster anywhere else but everywhere else will not consider you a groomer

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The quality of your work does not matter, only the quantity. If you do not agree or work like this (6+ heavily matted dogs a day were common) then you will be in for some extreme high school mean girls style disrespect from people who have no knowledge on the industry at all besides money 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
All of the employees excluding the manager are treated poorly so you form a nice little trauma bond friendship with your coworkers for as long as it takes to find somewhere that actually cares about the dogs 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
I trained for 2 weeks to be a Trimmer (not groomer) and the manager refused to schedule my dogs accordingly and then would throw a fit that there was not enough time in the day to groom 6 heavily matted dogs. They would also pretend to check for matting, tell the owner it'll be an hour, then send the most matted dog you've seen in your life back and then call you nasty names behind your back to the entire company because the customer is upset that you could not complete an impossible task that someone with no knowledge promised them you would. They will not learn from this and it will always be your fault.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Pet groomer 13 salaries reported	$19.23 per hour
Front desk agent 3 salaries reported	$14.67 per hour
Pet bather 3 salaries reported	$13.50 per hour
Membership sales 8 salaries reported	$16.29 per hour
General manager 1 salary reported	$52,500 per year

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