A Review of Ocean Beach’s “Hair of the Dog”

Robin of “Hair of the Dog”. All photos by Judi Curry.

 “Hair of the Dog”
4783 Narragansett Ave.
Ocean Beach, CA 92107
619-223-3080

 The first time I googled “Hair of the Dog” I was taken to a lovely looking bar in Portland, Oregon that had a fascinating menu. Somehow, though, I did not think that they were also dog groomers, and I had to do a little more research. Perhaps you will be as surprised as I was to find that there is a dog groomer only 3 stores away from the cleaners on Sunset Cliffs and Narragansett. (There is the cleaners; then a house – I didn’t even know there was a house there and my daughter told me that one of her childhood friends used to live there.) Next to the house is an accountant’s office, and next to that office is Robin’s “Hair of the Dog” grooming place. And … she has been there 20 years! Who knew?

I have posted many pictures of Buddy, my 12 year old Golden Retriever, in the swimming pool. It is his “security blanket” and goes in when he is stressed. (What does a 12 year old Golden get stressed about?) Recently he has been having physical therapy in the pool because his hips are giving him trouble.

Needless to say he smells like a wet gymnasium – and the house is also beginning to take on the offensive odor. I usually take him to the OB Dog Wash when I can no longer stand the odors emanating from Buddy’s fur, but with the broken shoulder and trigger fingers on the other hand, I cannot manage the bath right now.

I had to wait several days before Robin had an available appointment for Buddy. He is a LARGE dog – weighs in at over 115 pounds – and Robin wanted to make sure that she had the time and kennel big enough for him. I figured I had put up with the smell for weeks; a few more days wouldn’t matter.

I stopped off a few days before his appointment to pick up an information card that she wanted to have filled out. At the time she was working on a Husky that had been sprayed by a skunk. Yep, I could tolerate Buddy for a few more days. She was cheerful; didn’t leave the Husky until he was secured; and seemed excited to have Buddy there this week.

There is no question that the place is cramped; and there is no question that fur flies all over the place. BUT … she was working with the Husky; clipping out spots of fur, and I wouldn’t have expected anything less than what I saw.

Finally, today, was the BIG day for the big dog.

Buddy hates driving in the car.  So I bought a 4 door Camry for him to be able to get in it without trouble. Wrong! It is difficult for him to get on the seat from the ground, and he’d just as soon not get in it at all.

At 6:30am I took the car out of the garage and parked it on the curb outside the house. I walked him at 7:45am and at 8:15am we were at Robin’s. She was already working on a yapping dog – how does she stand it – and took Buddy in immediately. He was curious about this new place, and I managed to slip out without his even noticing I was gone. (I hope.)

I told Robin that I wanted a “modified summer cut” – because since he spends so much time in the pool I was afraid that if his fur was too short he’d get sunburned. I was also concerned with the fur between his toes, for I have found that he has trouble standing up if he is on wooden flooring. He won’t let me cut out that fur – maybe he is ticklish – but I figured she knew how to do it better than me.

Suffice it to say – it was a long six hours before I went back to pick Buddy up. And what a beauty he was. Fur trimmed; no fur between his toes, ears dry, etc. The only think that Robin did not do that I wished she had done was to trim his nails, but she said she didn’t have the strength in her arms to cut them, so I will need to take him to the vet’s office to have them trimmed. He was very anxious to get out of the place, and jumped into the car without any enticement whatsoever.

When I arrived back home – 1 ½ minutes from the groomer’s, I pulled up to the curb and let him out of the car. I let him into the house, where he proceeded to drink a gallon of water. I walked out the door, got in the car, and drove around to the back to put the car in the garage. By the time I walked into the backyard, Buddy was swimming in the pool. Damn! But he was trimmed; smelled good; and seemed very happy with his day.

I cannot say enough nice things about Robin. She listened to what I had to say about Buddy; she made a few suggestions in his trimmings; she was professional; she seemed to really love him, and I will take him back again – just as soon as the gymnasium smell comes to the forefront again. And by the way – her prices are very reasonable!