Barkley Square

I’ve used Barkley Square for a few years now. Great with all my pets. Haven’t used the mobile grooming, just the walking and pet sitting services. The online booking service is very easy and love the email feedback from the walkers after their visits.

They were great. I had Christine come and walk my dog my dog while I was on vacation and my dog was staying with my father. I wanted my dog to get two long walks a day which I thought might be too much for my dad. This worked out amazingly well. Christine was terrific, my dog liked her and the journals were a great comfort that I could keep up with my dogs care while out of town.
Additionally, Diane, who seems to manage everything, is terrific. She is very easy to talk to, very responsive (and quickly too) and very patient with repetitive questions. Knowing that I could reach out to her anytime and I would get a detailed response quickly was such a comfort since this my first time using a dog walker.
I did a lot of research before hiring them. Some people just like dogs and feel that they are qualified. Some places, the dog walks walk dogs if they feel like it! My vet recommended a former employee, I called her and mentioned in my message I was referred by the vet. She never called me back. So finding Barkley Square (I was referred by a coworker whose wife owns another pet company but my father lives too far west for to be able to help me) was terrific.
I highly recommend them (but not if you want Christine the same days that I do obviously)!

I have had an overall great experience with Barkley Square’s home pet sitting service. They have been very accommodating and flexible with last minute scheduling or cancellations and their online booking system is very convenient. They also do an online pet journal which is nice and will do extra things such as water the plants and bring in the newspaper. The only thing that keeps me from giving that final star is that they haven’t always come during the requested time frame during the day, which isn’t a big deal. I plan to continue using this company when I am away and need a pet sitter.

This review is two stars because I had an appointment for a groom and shampoo that I purchased at Groupon. It is a clean friendly shop. My dog was treated well and I requested a hand strip for my wirehaired dachshund. The groom was perfect but I was charged 120 more than the groupon. Since I had not asked the price before the service I paid and gave a tip. The groom cost 171 total. That was excessive. I was contacted by the owner and she offered to make it good. I went back to the shop but the groomer did not know how to hand strip. I have such mixed feelings on this shop.
It is clean and my service was excellent but there is a breakdown when you ask for special service. I drove to the shop for a failed appointment both Sadie my pup and I were disappointed

I have a 2-​year-​old golden retriever and I’ve had nothing nothing but good experiences with Barkley Square. My golden unfortunately got hot spots after a bug bite and had to be shaved partially on his back by the vet. It’s been a month and his hair is finally growing, but he desperately needed to be groomed. The groomers (Liz and Brian) at Barkley Square were great. They really cleaned up my golden by giving him a great bath, trimming him all over and really brushing him out. My baby looks 100% better. They certainly earned their tip.

After three days, Barkley Square did reach out to me after their no call/​no show for my mobile pet grooming, sincerely apologized, offered me further discounts and an appointment the following week. As this was my second canceled appointment, and I hadn’t heard from them, I had already made an appointment with another groomer at that point and decided to stick with them. While I appreciate their willingness to make things right, my pet is very important to me. I’m not sure I’d trust them with my pet after my experience.

Barkley Square was awesome! I did the mobile grooming for both of my fur babies. They showed up early after calling to make sure that was ok. They were great with them, they were groomed and cleaned perfectly. Highly recommend.

Public Service Announcement: YOUR GROUPON DOES NOT WORK AT THIS LOCATION — DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME OR GO ‘RUSSIAN’ IN THERE.
Ordered $ 29 groupon for dog grooming and thought wow this is cool and really close to me! I can totally make this happen. Phoned in and was told they were flooded with groupon reservations and couldn’t be seen till after the new year (ordered ¹²⁄₁₂), I said Ok, we’ll wait it out and see you then. So here we are… Jan 9^th. I have my day planned… Drop Reese off, take care of car issues, gym and then lunch. I get a phone call from Anna asking if I can bring Reese in a little earlier. Perfect! I can start my day earlier. I rush out of bed, get dressed, prep Reese and we are in the cold car with hot coffee, ready to get the day going.
We head over to the Alexandria location and Reese is excited. She’s the only one there. There is only person who is confused why I am at this location and not the one in Falls Church. This location does not groom, they have the mobile groomers. Sorry that your groupon shows this address…
Are…You…Freaking…Kidding.Me? They said they have been ‘trying’ effortlessly to get Groupon to change the address, meanwhile I am there with NO COMMUNICATION from Barkley Square Pets about the address mix up and asked if I’d like to reschedule.
H*LL NO WE’RE NOT RESCHEDULING! If we can not pass the competence test of communication with the customer do you think I want sharp blades near my pup?
Sorry — but no, you have given me the «Eek! Methinks not.» star rating on Unilocal.Shelly was very apologetic on the phone, so that’s where they get a star by having the right person listen… maybe two stars, but I HATE wasting time, so ONE star it shall remain.

I wish there was a no star option in Unilocal.I had awful experience. The groomer was all about getting more $ rather than listening to what I was saying about my dog and what I want. It is funny that this place will not give more than 2 small treat to the dog throughout the grooming time. I went early to pick my dog and I saw through the window as how the groomer was handling my pet and it was awful. She was very rude to a poor scared pet. She did not even do a good job in the end. I will never go back.

We were lucky enough to have the mobile spa come to us. My dog Giuseppe was looking a little ragged and was becoming aromatic! Kristina worked extra hard to fit us in and Shelly did an amazing job on Giuseppe, my Westie! He looks awesome and knows it! Each time we go for a walk now, he prances! He looked so good, I had to get my hair done today! Now we are both prancing!

I used the mobile grooming service to have my very fluffy, but matted kitten. Since they were here I had them bathe the dogs and clip their nails. The kitten was gone for over an hour and I was so worried we were going to get a shaved down kitty back. Instead, we got a happy, cleaned up, very happy, and still fluffy cat.
We always ask that they not put the spray/​cologne stuff on the dogs and most groomers do it anyway. They didn’t and that is a huge plus for us.
They put a «tie» on my male dogs collar — too cute!

Both Krista and another lady (I didn’t get her name but I loved the way she groomed my puppy) are gone now. I had trouble with their online system so called and all the previous groomers left. This makes me sad. I liked this place but I probably will have to find a new place.
And their website, online reservation system, and phone are all troublesome to get through.

I used Barkley Square as a part of a weekend event that our local dog gym, Zoom Room Rockville held. We purchased a pawdicure/​bath/​nail trim/​tooth cleaning package from Barkley for a very reasonable price. The ladies in the grooming van were very friendly and finished with our dog Nugget within 30 minutes. They gave us some tips on products to brush Nugget’s teeth and also demonstrated ways we can cut his nails at home. Great customer service and a happy puppy– I am satisfied with their work and will use again.

Extremely unreliable. On three separate occasions they didn’t show up or call to cancel.

My review was deleted so I am writing another one. This dog walking company only wants your money! Very unprofessional and the manager says one thing while the accountant (Kristina’s husband) says another. They do not uphold their end of the contract. Their VIP service is a waste of money, you don’t really get a discount and there are only 5 walks you can miss. Then if you add them on to the end, like they do, and you miss one of those walks then they won’t credit you. I would highly recommend a different company that actually cares about your pet and treats you fair.

Registered my pets on their website — called and left a message to schedule grooming appointment — never was called back. Made online appointments for my pets — never heard back. Just called again — Mobile grooming not available for several more weeks. Ridiculous waste of time. I will find someone else. They’ve lost a possible good customer.

When I tried to use them again– the Mobile Spa wasn’t in service and Anna had left… used Pet Smart in Falls Church.

If I could give a negative star I would. Horrendous. Appalling.
If you have a pet who needs a mobile groomer, look elsewhere. Their’s quit. Except, they didn’t bother to call and tell me that and so I waited for the groomer to show up (for two days. she never did.) and was given all sorts of different stories each time I called to see what was going on.
The first time I called the shop it was because the groomer was a bit late. The lady at the shop assures me the groomer will be there soon. Ok, no biggie.
Two hours go by. Still no groomer. I’m an easy going gal but this is getting ridiculous. I call again. This time I’m told they have NO RECORD of my reservation. No name, address, dog info. Nothing. Um… what? I had literally JUST spoken with the same woman ABOUT my reservation. She had my info right in front of her. (Sh*t is about to get weirder folks)… The woman is incredibly rude and unapologetic. She literally says to me, «I don’t know what to tell you. There’s nothing we can do for you.». What?! Then she suggests I take a cab, with my two 100lb golden retrievers, to their shop for a groom. She offered to pay for the cab. I explain the reasons why my dogs need a groomer to come to the house. Mainly, I remind her that she JUST CONFIRMED my appointment in our prior call. She says she’ll check with the mobile groomer and get back to me.
Another hour goes by. No call from the shop. No groomer. I’m pissed. I call them again. They say they haven’t heard from the groomer. They’ll call her again and call me back.
Guess what? Another hours goes by. No call, no groomer. I call them. They’re CLOSED. I’m left with their voicemail system. Seriously? I leave a nice but to-​the-​point message saying that I’m still waiting for their groomer. I request a call from the manager.
By noon the next day, I still have not heard from these people. And still no groomer. I call again and ask to speak with the manager. The same woman I spoke with yesterday gives a long sigh (still no apology) and explains that there’s no way they can accommodate me at all because… the groomer quit. Oooook? What? At this point I begin to suspect that the mobile groomer quit long ago but they never attempted to tell me in the hope that I would just bring my dogs in to the shop.
I again explain the reasons why I use mobile grooming in the first place and that I really don’t want to give them my business but that I’m stuck with a Unilocal deal. I plead with her to speak with her manager. She later emails me later requesting my mailing address so she can refund me by check (thank God).
Guess what? 14 days later, three emails from me, and no check. No return email. No call.
I’ll be sure to update this review if I get anything from them but don’t hold your breath.
UPDATE: To give credit where credit is due, I received contact from two different owners or managers by email within hours of this review. They both apologized profusely and explained the mobile groomer quit without notice but that they should have handled the situation in a better and more timely fashion. They also assured me a refund would arrive soon and offered a discount if I return for services. I definitely appreciate the damage control.

Ana just left in the grooming mobile. She did my little Yorkie, Chloe. She did a wonderful job even though she said it was her first time grooming a Yorkie with long hair. Chloe was so relaxed when she came home. No barking dogs like at the groomer! Ana is fantastic and so sweet. I’ve already called her to schedule Chloe’s appointment for April! We love you Ana and can’t wait to see you again. Thanks so much and have a great weekend!!!

Very grateful for the service provided by Karing by Kristina and my cat’s pet sitter, Karen, after an emergency situation involving my diabetic cat was brought to their attention.
I’d mistakenly given the wrong dates of when I was going to be out of town, and realized this after I’d been out of town for 2 ½ days. My cat needs insulin injections and had never gone more than a day without them. I realized this late in the evening and this could have had serious consequences. But KBK responded to my after hours message very quickly, where I explained the situation the importance of having someone come out as soon as they could, as I did not know how my cat would tolerate/​react to going without insulin that long.
Kristina informed me she had left messages to my usual pet sitter (Karen), and the KBK scheduler. And even offered to go he self if the pet sitter couldn’t make it by the next morning.
The next morning, I breathed a big sigh of relief when the cat sitter/​Karen called my cell and let me know that my cat was fine, she was with him at that minute, and everything seemed OK.
Thank you!
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