Happy Tails

I just moved to chicago and brought my dogs from los angeles having fear of who would groom them and be good. I read the reviews and called Ray and he made me feel comfortable and was even better in person and the job he did grooming was awesome! After the same old place for 10 years, he did great and made the transition easy. Thank you Ray!

I have been a customer of Rays for several years now and have ALWAYS had great service. I highly recommend Happy Tails to anyone with a fur buddy!

These guys are great! We can call sane day and they squeeze in not 1 but both of our babies! That’s unheard of in lakeview. They just squeezed us in today New Years Eve! To one who says they are not polite and friendly must not very nice themselves bc our babies included have always been welcomed with smiles and they interact with our dogs immediately! We love taking them to Happy Tails! I will tell them what we’d like done and they always abide happily. I’m lucky we found them when we used to live next door. We love you happy tails!

Fantastic job on my bulldog buddy! He went in a smelly mess having just been rescued from animal control and came out relaxed and smelling 100% better! And they LOVE the dogs they see!

Awesome job on my Jack Russell mix Eddie. Guys are great and responsive. I have no complaints. I also feel very comfortable dropping my dog off with them. He is well taken care of.

Abby M. Do it from home then if you can’t afford their extremely reasonable prices. Waaaaah. Did you tell the groomer what your preferences were? Likely not. If you have expectations then let your professional know what they are! Each time I brought my pup there, they fit me into their busy Saturday schedule. I witnessed no laziness on their part. What I did witness is two men working very hard who also engaged me and my dog who was clearly happy to see them.
My thoughts:
My Schnauzer acts happy to come here. Every time.
He was always cut to Schnauzer Standards. Every time. I was always proud walking out of their door.
The price for a cut was great. I just moved to DC and the price is 1.5 times the price I paid here in Chicago.
My pup knew the owner and liked him and was happy to be here every time — even though a bath and cut and a wait in a holding cage is never ideal, but my guy was still happy to be here…
The owner knew my pup (engaging) and always complimented me on his calm, friendly behavior. He was always engaging and always positive and caring. I can just tell that the owner has a good heart.
Perhaps Abby M or her ill mannered dog is the problem?
Samantha M.
The place has always been welcoming for me. To say that they basically «yanked her back there» is offensive and you are implying that they are negligent and criminal. I hope you are being honest and can back that up, because I have never in the many years I have been going here have I ever witnessed a «YANKING» or any disrespect towards any animal whatsoever. PERIOD.
They are busy. You can drop your pet off there and they can take many hours to complete their services especially on a busy Saturday. I have took it upon myself to call them and ask if my pup is ready at anytime convenient to me and they dutifully would tell me so. I pick up my phone, I put it to my ear, I dial their number, and call them… and guess what? They always answer no matter how busy they are and tell me if the guy is ready?!? WTF???
Finally if you do not have cash on hand to pay the very reasonable rates at Happy Tails, (those reasonable rates are I am sure partially due to cash only) then perhaps you should find another profession or a good solid accountant to help you manage your money or otherwise continue give your $ to a big box store like Petco. Because Petco, I am sure, really cares about you and your dog.
Bill

This is a no-​frills place run by two guys who seem to be pros at quick and painless grooming. What I appreciate most about them is precisely their efficiency. My little guy can be pretty skittish at the groomers. These guys get him in and out fast! That seems to lessen the trauma. Some groomers that are less experienced take longer and I have to listen to my dog crying and Unilocaling for way longer than necessary. Way to go. Gets the job done! Then I always treat my fur baby to a little something next door at Wigglyville.

He did such a great job on my dogs. They are rescues and have anxiety and they were very well taken care of! Will return and will most definitely recommend to anyone!

I love love love this place. My puppy has only gone here all his life, and he always goes from homeless to handsome. They do take cash only, but for the great work they do, I totally don’t mind!

I am usually so embarrassed bring my boys in to get groomed. And since our last groomer relocated, they were a little bit of a mess. Very matted every which way. I knew they were miserable. Always afraid to start a new groomer. Don’t know what they’re going to come out as. My in-​laws have been using Happy Tails and recommended them. They did warn me the façade doesn’t spend money decorating the place. It’s all business and that is just what Ray did. Gave my Westie a great haircut and was shaped how their hair was before. They were so matted they need to shave it all off. But he did it with style. The neighborhood is commenting up a storm how great they look. And the price! I paid more in Florida then I did here. I was amazed. I recommend them over and over again! We’ll be back Ray!

We recently moved a few blocks away and decided to try this place out, and it was not a welcoming environment. The guy who came to take my dog in the back did not say hi to her, was not at all trying to engage her or myself, and just basically yanked her back there.
It was an 11am drop off and the guy said to call them at 3. When I had called to set up the initial appointment, they said it should only take 2 – 3 hours so that was confusing. So, I called around 2 instead, and he nonchalantly said «Oh yeah, she’s been ready you can come pick her up» (Something I read here on Unilocal after my experience that had also happened to someone else). Then, I got there only to find out they do not take credit cards and had to go back and pay. I was charged $ 55 for a bath for my 20 lb dog; I pay $ 40 at PetCo for the same exact service. Before we left they told us we could come back throughout the next few weeks for a free brushing; I tried walking in twice after our appointment only for them to say they were «too busy» to do this. My dog was also pulling to get out of there, which she has never done at any other grooming salon.
I told them when I called to make the appointment it was our first time; one might assume they would be somewhat engaging to first time customers. It was weird they told me to call to see if she would be ready; every other grooming salon has called me when finished. They should have prefaced they did not take cards, and most definitely should not offer so-​called free brushing if they do not plan to actually be able to provide it.
Basically, they were lazy and disengaged. I will definitely not be going back there.

I was concerned about this business based on some of the feedback on Unilocal and that of a friend. The business is very informal. However, they did a great job on my black mini schnauzer. Best job from anyone here locally since I moved here from San Diego. Highly recommend!

I was skeptical about this place because of the mixed reviews, but I went anyway and regret my choice so much. What a waste of money. I posted a picture of his cut above.
I usually cut my dog’s fur myself because it’s just a buzz cut. But I wanted a professional to make him look better than I can do with $ 25 clippers in my bathroom. If you’re planning on going here, hire me instead. $ 50 for my dog to come out completely butchered. I can see where they did a quick line across his chest and his fur around it wasn’t touched. He’s a terrier mix so he has a little bit of a beard, and bits and pieces of it have not been touched so it’s all different lengths. This haircut is 100x worse than what I can do from home. How embarrassing for some «professionals.»

Our little Morkie was a hot mess. I am a stylist so his hair is important to me He loathes being brushed or combed out after a bath. I’ve been desperately searching for the right stylist for Mikey! I’ve had it with those knots. While shopping for some toys I saw Happy Tails. I tend to be a kind person but at first I thought «broke down palace», no way. Ray then appeared at the window and I liked him so reluctantly I handed Mikey over, expecting not to be thrilled. At pick up I saw a Cash Only sign, I thought that was shady, we paid and quickly left!
! Ray did a gorgeous job, he combed ALL the knots out and did a suburb job period! I am super picky (a little known fact) and he pleased me. Ray is excellent. Shame on me for judging their storefront, after it was clean. Concerning the cash only sign, at only $ 40.00 why should the bank get a cut, they rip off merchants anyhow. That must be how they stay so reasonable. Thanks Ray so much. Mikey found his stylist!

I am a bit ambivalent about this place. Been there 3 times total. The guys who work there are very helpful and they once expressed my dog’s glands without charging me. They are an affordable, no-​frills kind of place. On the other hand, they seem to take shortcuts in my dog’s grooming. Her beard has come back uneven, her tear stains not cleaned, the hair on her paws not shaved. The experiences have been a bit inconsistent.

I have a one year old miniature schnauzer, labradoodle mix. If you know anything about poodle mixes, you know they need a lot of grooming as their hair gets matted easily. I have been to Petsmart & PetCo multiple times to get him groomed. They charge about $ 75 for him and take 4 – 5 hours.
I decided to try Happy Tails because it is right by my house and we could walk. LIke I mentioned, I’ve been many times to get him groomed and this is the best place by far. Both men there were as nice as can be. & I got him back, perfectly shaved and clean in an hour for $ 45. His ears were cleaned better than I have ever seen them and he was perfect all over. I’ve had issues with Petsmart cutting him too close and making him bleed and they always blamed it on how «rambunctious» he is and that he doesn’t stop moving. They had no problems with him here. Every time we leave Petsmart, my puppy always seems like such a mess and takes hours to calm down. He was perfectly happy and calm as soon as I picked him up from Happy Tails.
I am very over protective of my dog and I recommend this place to anyone!

I just moved to Andersonville and am actually stressing about where to get my dog groomed. I loved Happy Tails. The two guys might seem weird at first, but they are so loving, caring, and patient with our pets.
My dog is a rescue from an abusive home who gets extremely nervous with strangers and NEVER had a problem there. He always came out looking professionally groomed. They listened to what I wanted, charged $ 25 less than Petco (where I had issues with nails cut too short), and I never had any issues (with nails, cut, etc). They are also great at trying to get him in same day when needed.
My only recommendation is to call one hour to thirty minutes before the time they give you as they were usually done faster than they thought. I just didn’t want him sitting there. I highly recommend this place!

I was almost scared away by the range of reviews but I took a chance and took my precious cat Muffin here. I called and made an appointment with a nice man and dropped her off Friday morning.
I was worried that Muffin might try to nip or scratch the groomers because of my personal experience trying to clip her nails and brush her has never ended well. I was pleased to pick her up an hour later with her sanitary shave and nails trimmed really well. The groomer, who I didn’t catch the name of, commended Muffin for being such a nice cat! I was shocked that she didn’t end up a psycho kitty. I am very pleased with the Happy Tails. It was quite reasonably priced. $ 24! Worth it and I will be taking my cat back here when the time comes.
Yes, it kind of has a cheesy 90’s décor, but don’t let that scare you away from Happy Tails.

We came here after a recommendation and I am very glad we did. I have gone to many places and asked for the summer cut and never get it. This place gave me exactly what I asked for, a very short cut for my Cavalier. She looked great! Ray the owner was very nice and friendly and you can tell he loves the fur babies! My charge was $ 40 which was more than reasonable and the most affordable place I have seen around here. We will definitely bring our dog back here. Cash or check only!

I’m kind of surprised by the bi-​polar reviews on this place… so much so that I almost didn’t give Happy Tails a shot but I’m glad to say I did!
I have a wonderful black lab mix named Raleigh, she’s the perfect dog in almost every way except for her unending /​insatiable shedding in the summer months. This Friday my annoyance came to a head and I called a bunch of groomers in the area to see if they could «work us in». In comes Happy Tails — we were in the shop 20 minutes later. She got the whole shebang — bath, shave, toe nail clipping etc at an amazing price $ 44 (cash/​check only). This place is no frills so let me say that up front, but come on ppl it’s a dog groomer — its not like she was going to the prom or getting married…:) I don’t need a fancy dog salon just good grooming at a good price and Happy Tails delivered.
I can’t speak to a breed that would truly need the «art» of dog grooming because mine is a low maintenance lab. However we will be returning to HT, their accommodating attitude and competitive prices can’t be beat!