Chateau Animaux

This review is for the dog grooming portion of Howl to the Chief (formerly Château Animaux.)
I took my dog there on a Saturday. We wanted to try another groomer b/​c Boonie’s (on the Hill) was getting expensive for priority appointments, which our dog needs since he gets very stressed when left at the groomers. My wife made the appointment to drop off at 10 and was told he should be done by 4. When I dropped him off (promptly at 10) I was told he would be ready no later than 5. When I heard nothing by 5 I went there to check on him. I was told he was not yet finished and to come back in 45 minutes.
When I finally picked him up he was still being trimmed, but was so excited I had to take him immediately. His cut looked great, but they were nearly two hours later than we were told on the phone. We also suspect his nails were not trimmed. He drank so much water when I took him out I’m not sure if they let him drink while there for 8 hours, but it’s hard to know if his drinking was due to nerves.
We do however love the store and will continue to shop there. It’s back to Bonnie’s for us for grooming though, where he always gets a good cut and is always done in the time frame they give us.

This is a pretty good pet store. I’ve never been to the groomer there so I can’t speak to that part.
Pros:
–The guys who work there are always the nicest and very helpful.
–They have a good selection of super cute dog sweaters and seasonal items up in the front.
–They also have a good selection of dog treats at the counter. They’re a little pricey but they have fun cookies that make a great occasional treat! Nice to buy once in a while.
Cons:
–There isn’t a lot of room inside the store. Not very easy to navigate if you have a big dog.
–Selection on certain things is iffy– give them a call first if you’re looking for something specific. However, when I’m looking for something they don’t have, they’re always accommodating in setting up a special order.
Overall, a good pet store and worth the less than 10 min walk from Eastern Market metro!

The groomers here are good and super nice. I’ve taken my Golden Retriever here a few times and they’ve always done a great job. I have a few specific instructions and they always follow them exactly. Whenever we arrive they always spend time with my dog to make sure she’s comfortable there. My only complaint is that since they have moved down the street you have to navigate a flight of stairs which is difficult if you have a dog like mine that just wants to get the heck out of there when she’s done.

Do not take your dog here for grooming. I just had the second bad experience. This time I took off work this morning and walked my dog to chateaux for a 9am appointment that was scheduled a week in advance. I arrived at 9am and ended up standing outside in the rain for 30 minutes. I gave up and went home. I immediately called the grooming department and left a message asking what happened. No one ever called back. Later in the afternoon I called the main desk and she told me the groomer called in sick. Thanks for the notice… She assured me the groomer would call tonight to reschedule, I told her not to bother. What type of place are they running.

This store has a large variety of pet foods, collars, and leashes. The staff is helpful and nice. I like the older lady, grandmama, and the young woman with the Diana Ross hair style. There is also self service dog washing in the rear which I plan on using for $ 15, not bad. Oh, they also have gourmet dog treats which I haven’t tried yet.

Great neighborhood pet store. They offer a wide selection of products and they offer grooming services. My particular favorite is the very well-​appointed do-​it-​yourself dog washing area. Their pet food prices are the same as PetSmart and Château Animaux delivers. The only reason I’m not giving them five stars is because of what other reviewers on this site have noted, some of the staff at Château Animaux are inexplicably indifferent to their customers.

I frequent this store to pick up my pooch’s Senior Wellness and use the self wash. In the year I’ve been going they have only been out of food once and I find the pricing to be comparable — it may be a few dollars more a bag but I consider the convenience of being able to walk there and pick it up a much larger savings than having to drive to a big box store and deal with the headache that ensues in that atmosphere.
There is always availability at the self wash and I like that they offer one towel. I bring an extra along with my own shampoo — they don’t provide any.
I would agree that the staff isn’t the most gregarious but they are always helpful when asked.
I give them four stars because they almost always have my somewhat obscure food in stock, pig ears are in abundance and they let you walk in with your animal even if it simply because your dog won’t let you pass without entering.

Here’s the deal: they are local, they carry the rare and ridiculously expensive food I feed my dog and cat, and they have a loyalty program that means, because of aforementioned food, I seem to get $ 5 to $ 10 off nearly every purchase.
Also, the groomers here are very friendly and I don’t worry when I leave my «children.»
Other than that, the store staff are primarily cranky and disinterested. You’d think with the serious money I spend there once a month, someone could crack a smile.

After reading all of these great reviews, I’m thinking I may need to give Château Animaux another try. But, as of now, I’m not comfortable giving it more than two stars. I stopped in there a little over a week ago looking for a carrier for my dog and I wasn’t acknowledged by the employees at all during my time in the store. They didn’t seem to be with other customers, either. It seemed as if they were talking to their friends.
I was also sorely disappointed with their selection of carriers. I also looked at plastic crates while I was there and several of them seemed damaged and/​or dirty.
I’m going with two stars instead of one because they do seem to have a great selection of food.

Today was my first visit to give one of my Cane Corsos a bath. And at 150 lbs that is no easy task. I love it. Staff was very friendly. This is the only place for me now.

Here ends the Loopy Duck saga.
Went in last week and the same sales guy who I had originally talked to was working. And there on the wall were loopies! Buuuut… only the dog, cow, and gorilla varieties. I turned to the guy at the counter and made a joke like, «no ducks! You’re killing me!» and he immediately got all defensive saying I had never specified ducks. DUDE. I’m the crazy chick who’s been coming in once a week looking for the damn loopy duck. Clearly, the fact that you remember I requested loopies means I look freakin’ familiar. I find it very suspicious you don’t remember me asking for the duck variety.
Since I try to avoid stores that make me crazy, or at least LOOK crazy, I probably won’t be back to Château Animaux.

We go here at least once a month for the yappy hour. My boys LOVE this place. They go in, mingle with their friends, attend the hour long workshop provided for free, get some free cookies, and then go home and sleep. We’ve also gone for the other events, like last year we showed up on Halloween in order for the boys to show off their costumes (yes I am one of those pet owners, there is nothing funnier than a 55 pound Pitt bull dressed as a bumble bee or pink flower). The yappy hours also include wine, cheese and crackers for the humans, and I believe double points for the customer reward card. Everyone has always been super nice to us.

A great selection of dog food! You may find better prices elsewhere, but where else will you find a selection of quality brands in a convenient location? My dog definitely doesn’t need organic food, but I don’t see the point of feeding dogs piles of corn, wheat and other byproducts either. I don’t buy the cute things and leashes and grooming services, but the dog should have good nutrition, and that’s why I love Château Animaux!

It’s all about the grooming services here. Joe was recommended to me, and he is the best. Always friendly to me AND my dog… he seems to really love what he does, and my corgi loves coming here, which is not the case when going to other groomers for a few hours.
The retail store is ok, but too overpriced, and the owner is not especially friendly.

Great little pet store that sells quality pet food (I buy Innova) and treats in addition to grooming and health supplies. A tad pricey compared to shopping online but the convenience and customer service makes up for it.

5 stars for the grooming service, 4 stars for the store. Lots of high end dog foods, a glass cookie counter with all kinds of dog biscuits. It is really a nice store, but the small selection is expensive. If you have a lot of money and enjoy spending a lot of money on your pet, then this is the place for you :) I, however, have to wait awhile before I can fall into that category…
We had our Yorkie-​poo groomed here last week. Despite owning a small dog, I’m not a frou-​frou person, but I’m picky about groomers because I don’t want my dog to look stupid. They can tell when they look ridiculous, I swear it. Anyway, they did a really great job with her and gave her probably the best cut she’s ever had. We got a new customer price of around $ 56 (an estimate) which ultimately totaled $ 58, I think. The new customer rate was 10% off, so the regular rate is pretty similar. When I picked her up, I could tell she was comfortable with the two groomers and the other dogs waiting to be picked up were calm and cared for. Other places in the area insisted you drop your dog off at the a#$-crack of dawn so that your dog could go through their assembly line process with 9 different people and hopefully by 5:00pm, they’re done grooming your 8 lb. dog… That seemed ridiculous to me… I need my dog’s hair cut, I don’t need you to give her new legs, better ears, and screw it all in on an assembly line.
I really couldn’t be happier with how well they treated my dog and what a great, cute cut they gave her! We’ll definitely be back and I would happily encourage others to go here, as well. Good groomers at good prices who treat your dog well are hard to come by…

I really want to give Château Animaux 5 stars just for all the awesome doggy stuff. But I don’t have a dog. I did however consider getting one just so I could shop here. The aquarium supplies were limited, a bit pricey and the fish they had in stock were not all that unique. When I asked if they could order specific fish or supplies, I was told ‘nope’.
So if you have a dog, Château Animaux is fantasic. But if you have a non-​kanine pet, you still need to schlep into Virginia for your supplies.

UPDATE: Château Animaux’ annual howl-​o-​ween doggie costume contest is taking place this Saturday in Lincoln Park at 2 pm. Who is coming?
Chauteau Animaux allows me to impose my yuppie tendencies on my dog. .. turning my little French Bulldog Bogart into a yuppy puppy. Case in point: the store holds dog-​friendly happy hours on occasional Saturdays, serving the people drinks and the dogs treats. You’re just not going to find equivalent opportunities for self indulgence at Petsmart. I roll my eyes at the inanity, but I secretly enjoy it (now that I’ve joined the thousands of dogowners who live on the Hill).
Château Animaux is located down the street from our apartment, so it’s our one stop shop for emergency pet needs and impulse buys. They’ve got cute dog apparel and a comprehensive toy selection. They’re also knowledgeable about local vets, dogwalkers, photographers who specialize in pet portraits (no joke), the dog park scene, etc.
Go to the large chain stores for a normal selection of reasonably priced pet food. I mean, I don’t eat 100% organic. .. so I don’t think my dog needs to. .. But this is one classy joint!

Château Animaux has the standard cute collars, fun toys and decent selection of dog and cat food. (They carry the brand I give my cats, but not the brand I give my dog (a type of Wellness, so not that odd). However, they have said they can special order it.) They also host dog & cat adoptions, which I think is great.
The best part, however, is the self-​service dog wash. For $ 15 (plus a few dollars for every towel over one you use), you get a great clean, stainless steel tub at waist height (complete with an adjustable sprayer) and a blow dryer. You do need to bring your own shampoo (or buy a big bottle there) and brush or shedding device (or buy one there). They don’t look at me at all oddly though when I walk in with Target shampoo, three brushes, an extra towel and a small dog.
They would go up to five stars if the selection of foods was a bit better, they had single serve shampoo and/​or the staff was more knowledgeable.

I have to give this place a Colbert tip of the hat for its custom made martini glass healthy dog cookies and its outstanding collection of decent dog and cat food. If youre around Capitol Hill, then check this place out — the 4 legged ones will thank you for it!