Critter Outfitter

I just called to ask if she does dog grooming and she grumpily replied «We closed the shop two years ago I’d appreciate it if you take me off your call list» and hung up. I’m pretty confused! She was very rude.

For a neighborhood spot and convenience sake, this place is fine. Does the job, isn’t overpriced, and the owner, though she is a bit quirky, cares about animals. I’m not crazy about it nor will I miss it when we leave the neighborhood but if you need a local spot for grooming, this place isn’t bad. Isn’t amazing either.

Great service, answered all my questions. I’m not that eloquent at speaking but this is a store!

I honestly don’t get all of these negative reviews.
Now, I have a cat, so she isn’t groomed as much as a dog would be. I can’t speak much on that side of things, but I will say this:
The thing a lot of you aren’t getting about Valerie (the owner) is that she is REAL. She’s not going to sugarcoat anything for you and she’s going to tell it like it is… if you guys are New Yorkers I don’t see why you wouldn’t appreciate that! Yes, she’s talkative, but she cares about the animals and wants you to be well informed so you can do a better job at home taking care of them.
I’ve had a few experiences in this store. Once to go in and browse around when I was new to the neighborhood, and one to get my cat groomed. The first time, Valerie gave me tons of free samples, which my cat ADORES, by the way. The woman is doing something right.
It took about three hours the second time for my cat to get groomed. I made an appointment in advance for a Friday and I don’t think the time it took to get her groomed was unreasonable at all. They’re a small place and sometimes I’m sure they have a lot of clients some days. Patience is a virtue, my friends.
My cat came out looking and smelling wonderful. No complaints here!
Oh, and she also gave me a pack of raw frozen food for free, and my girl LOVES it. I’ll definitely be going back.

Very knowledgable and caring woman works there. You can tell she genuinely cares for the animals; you can feel safe leaving your pet there for grooming!

After reading reviews here, I felt compelled to write. I buy my pet supplies here, have my cat groomed here, and use their sitting services when I go away.
Valerie is very knowledgeable about pet foods, and I actually took her advise after hearing the same thing from my old cat sitter when I lived in Brooklyn. My cats are so happy with their new healthy foods, and I feel good about what I am feeding them. Definitely not the same price as grocery store pet food, but the same goes for the human food you buy at the store. Organic whole foods generally more than regular products.
For the grooming services… I always plan for my cat to be there a full day. I know on the weekends they service many pets, and I cannot bring her in during the week, so I just plan my day for a morning drop off and evening pick up. No big deal.
Pet sitting services… have always been great. Even when I was gone and my cat soiled my bed (bad habit she has, nothing to do with a clean or unclean litter box) and the sitter tried her best to clean up my bed (everything short of actually throwing my linens in the laundry). I was so impressed and thankful, as this is not something that I feel she is obligated to do. Picking up the mess, maybe, but not necessarily the soap and water aspect. I also get a daily text or email (you pick your preference) of how they are doing. Come home to a clean fresh pet area, as well as clean pet dishes and utensils.
Sometimes when i visit the store for supplies on the weekends, it can get busy, so i might wait a bit to be rung up. I completely understand, and actually glad to see a local business thrive.
The owner Valerie is also involved in many local activities, which keep the business community strong.

This is quite possibly the WORST pet groomer not only in NYC, but the tri-​state area. I used them a year ago for their grooming services to which they took not 1, not 2, but 6 hours to groom my dog. Mind you, she is 6lbs and not attempting to be an actor in Best in Show 2.
I foolishly figured that the last incident was abnormal and brought her in again today to be groomed. Valerie, the groomer, quoted me 2 – 3 hours max to give my dog a «refresher cute» in which she basically clips her face, her ass and her nails. Simple. It’s now 4 hours and counting and my dog is still not done. I call and they tell me another 30 minutes.
If you have all the time in the world and dont mind being misleaded, this place is for you. However, if you value accuracy and customer service– go elsewhere.

How is this place still in business? Customer service is poor, and pet sitting services are abhorrent – the owner LOST my apt keys while I was away. What a nightmare. Believe the other bad reviews and go elsewhere.

I had an absolutely amazing groomer in SF, so having moved to New York in June I needed to find a new place to get my mini Schnauzer gussied up. I choose Critter Outfitter based on Unilocal reviews and proximity to my apartment, but probably won’t be going back. The groomer (and owner?) was sweet, but talked my ear off for almost twenty minutes before taking my pup downstairs to groom. She also lectured me about what my vet does and doesn’t know and what foods I should be feeding my dog with the insinuation that what I was feeding him wasn’t good enough (and that I should buy a different kind from her). I know she meant well, but as I’m sure many dog owners can understand I just wanted to say, «Don’t tell me how to raise my dog! I’m doing the best I can!» But I could’ve forgiven all that if not for her groom job.
It’s not that the grooming was bad per se… it was that I couldn’t really tell what she’d done! My dog came out looking almost exactly the same as when he went in! At my old groomer, he came out looking like a totally different (and handsome) dog, but after nearly FIVE hours at Critter Outfitter, he looked only slightly less scruffy than before and I was charged $ 90. I honestly could’ve done a more extensive job at home with my own doggy clippers. Pleasant staff, good stock, but likely won’t be going back for grooming services.

I am a true believer in buying local, however most times I come here, especially when the owner, Valerie, is behind the counter, it takes way too long to pick up a bag of cat food or get some treats. She will ignore you and your 20 pound bag of food waiting at the register while she gossips with an employee or talks AT you about her cat.

Wonderful store for healthy foods and treats for your pets. (they don’t have your run of the mill low-​end foods) Valerie is extremely knowledgable about all of their products and recommendations for your dog or cat. And, will take the time to discuss all options available.
They also carry a large inventory of toys and accessories.
I only gave it four stars because they are on the expensive side. (I’m sure their real estate costs are high, never the less…)
Also, they have wonderful pet care people! My kitties are always well cared for when I’m out of town. I can tell they are getting lots af attention

Bad. Just avoid. Go to spoiled brats instead. The owner will talk your ear off and be very rude if she disagrees with your choices about your pet. Shes usually screaming at her frightened looking employees. I feel bad for those kids the few times she hasnt been in the store they have been great. The selection isnt great and i asked about ordering science diet (which my cat has done great on) and i got a 2 hour lecture. Ill walk the extra blocks to go to a friendly store.

We love Critter Outfitter, one of the great little shops and service providers in our quiet, residential neighborhood. Valerie V. and her fine team are the groomers of our little Maltese pooch, Kirbee, age 16. The store is also our source for dog food and other pet-​related items. We can’t recommend it highly enough.

And for the 2^nd time after taking him there my dogs anal glands need to be supressed. I have no idea what they are doing to my dog during his grooming but they need to hire people who know how to handle super hyper dogs and large breeds dogs. Mine happens to be both and all they do is complain complain and complain. My advice spend the extra money at Biscuts and Bath where the dog groomers are also dog trainers.

This review is for the cat sitting service. When we contacted Critter Outfitter about catsitting, Valerie rescheduled and was ultimately quite late for the original «interview» (for which she charges 15 dollars). THis should have been a red flag, but we’d never used a catsitter in the neighborhood and she seemed knowledgable.
We had asked to be updated with photos on a daily basis. This never happened. In fact Valerie was incredibly difficult to reach until she called to inform us that she’d opened the bathroom window (the only window in the house that wasn’t open with a screen) and lost one of our cats, she also told us we had, and had given her, fleas. Even after that, we had to repeated email, text and call her to get in touch.
When we returned home a week later, the cat was still missing and the signs she had posted around the neighborhood said the cat was black, our cat is grey. And our house, flea free before we left, was infested.
To recap: in the 7 days we left her in charge of our pets, one went missing, the rest suffered through a flea infestation.

I’m definitely one of those pet-​parents who doesn’t leave their dog with just anyone. I always feel completely confident leaving Jasper here to be groomed. They do an amazing job every time, and, most importantly, they really care about Jasper and all the other pets that come through the doors. Valerie is extremely knowledgeable about pet care and the rest of the staff are incredibly helpful and kind. I would never take Jasper anywhere else!

This review is solely for grooming, I have been assured that the pet store is amazing and the owner is very knowledgeable (which is how we ended up there in the first place). HOWEVER, we just got our puppy groomed there and it was a disaster. He looks like a shorn goat. In addition, his ear was nicked, so he cries when you try to touch it. His fur is incredibly uneven and once it grows out a little bit, we’ll have to completely re-​groom him.

This is the best pet shop in the hood. She does delivery which is a relief for a huge bag of dog food. Valerie is so passionate about your animal. Great grooming, my dog has difficult fur and she works through it and prevents knots.
She is always available and has a great pet sitting service. Totally worth it

I think it’s very strange on how I wrote a review on this horrific store and all of the sudden it dissapears off Unilocal. How ironic???

This is another business that makes my neighborhood so great. Super-​friendly service and good prices – delivery too. I haven’t tried the grooming yet, but the groomer seems nice.