★★★★★
"Was nervous because our golden Charlie is 13 and has bad hips — usually a groom wipes him out for 2 days. Sarah brought a hydraulic table and went slow with him. He walked back inside totally normal."
Senior Dog Grooming
Your old friend still deserves to feel clean.
Senior Dog Grooming in Charlotte — Mobile, Low-Stress, Hydraulic Table
Hydraulic table so they don't have to jump. Shorter sessions with breaks. No standing for an hour, no slippery tubs, no waiting in a kennel. Grooming, scaled to the dog they are now.
★★★★★
4.9 · 127 reviews
45–75 min · sit-down breaks
Same Full Groom pricing
0inStairs to climb
HydraulicLowering table
1:1One pup, full attention
BreaksAs often as needed
Built for our oldest clients
Avg client age: 11.4 years
If your dog used to bounce into the salon and now hesitates at the curb — we know. The standing, the stairs, the noise, the wait in the kennel between bath and dry — none of it was designed for a 12-year-old with stiff hips and cloudy eyes.
The reason we started doing mobile grooming was for a senior dog. Sarah's own dog Murphy was 13 when he refused his last salon visit. Pawsh is what came out of that.
If your old friend just needs to feel clean again — without the day-of dread and the day-after wipeout — we can do that.
What's different about a senior groom
Same Full Groom — slowed down and reshaped around old bones.
Hydraulic lowering table
Your dog never jumps. The table comes down to driveway level, your dog steps on, and it lifts to working height. Easier on hips than the couch.
Non-slip everything
Rubber mat in the tub, rubber mat on the table. We use a chest sling for dogs who tire of standing — not a noose-style loop.
Built-in breaks
Sit-downs every 15–20 minutes. Water bowl available. We never groom on a clock — the dog dictates the pace.
Lower water pressure
We dial the sprayer down and warm the water 2–3 degrees above standard. Easier on arthritic joints, gentler on thinning coat.
Quiet HV dryer (or towel-only)
Loud blow-out is hard on dogs with vision loss — sudden noise spooks them. We use a quieter dryer setting, or skip it entirely.
Knowledge of senior conditions
We know to avoid pressure on dysplasia hips, what fatty lipomas feel like, where not to brush on a CCL recovery. Tell us your dog's history and we work around it.
Pricing
Same prices as a regular Full Groom. More care, no surcharge.
| Dog size | Senior Groom |
|---|---|
| Small Under 25 lb | $95 |
| Medium 25–60 lb | $115 |
| Large 60–90 lb | $145 |
| XL / Doubles 90 lb+ | Quoted |
We don't charge extra for breaks, lower table use, or sling support. Some shops do. We don't.
Perfect for
If "grooming day" has become a hard day — this is for you.
We groom senior dogs every week. Most are here because the previous salon either pushed too hard, or refused them entirely. Neither was the right answer.
- Dogs with arthritis, hip dysplasia, or recent surgery
- Vision-impaired or fully blind seniors
- Dogs who take 1–2 days to recover from a salon visit
- Pups on heart meds or diuretics (we accommodate bathroom breaks)
- Hospice-care dogs who still need to feel clean
- Dogs who've been "fired" by another groomer
What to expect
The dog dictates the pace. Every time.
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Pre-groom check-in
We text the day before to confirm meds, mobility, and any new diagnoses. If today isn't the day, we reschedule — no fee.
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Driveway entry
Hydraulic table lowers to ground level. No lifting your dog, no stairs. They walk on, we lift them gently to working height.
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Bath, dry, cut — in chunks
We work in 15–20 minute pieces with a rest in between. The dog is never standing for the full session.
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Hand-off and report
We walk your dog to the door, send a photo, and text you anything we noticed — new lumps, sore spots, ear inflammation. So you can check with your vet if needed.
Recent senior grooms
Old friends, feeling fresh.
What senior-dog parents say
"He walked back inside totally normal."
★★★★★
"Our cocker Doris is 12, on heart meds, mostly blind, and the salon told us last year they couldn't 'safely' groom her anymore. Sarah came to the driveway, took 60 minutes with three sit-down breaks, and Doris fell asleep in my lap that night clean for the first time in 8 weeks. I genuinely cried."
★★★★★
"Sarah texted me before the groom about a small lump she found near our shih tzu's collar — turned out to be benign, but we wouldn't have caught it for months without her flagging it. That kind of attention is worth more than the groom itself."
FAQ
What senior-dog parents ask us.
Is mobile actually safer for a senior dog?
For most seniors, yes — meaningfully so. No transport stress, no waiting in a kennel between bath and dry, no other dogs barking, no slippery tiled floors. Your dog is groomed in one continuous calm session in a familiar place.
My dog is on meds. Anything I should tell you?
Yes — please text us the day before with any medications (especially diuretics for heart conditions, NSAIDs for arthritis, or anything affecting bladder/bowel control). We'll plan breaks and water access around it.
What if my dog can't stand for a full session?
Then we don't ask them to. We have a chest-and-rear sling for support, work in shorter chunks, and split a groom across two visits if needed. We've done that many times.
Have you been refused service by another groomer?
If yes — please call us first before booking. We want to know the history. We accept dogs other shops have declined more often than you'd think, but we like to know what we're walking into.
How often should I groom an old dog?
Often shorter, more often — every 4–5 weeks for shorter sessions, instead of every 8 with a long one. Their coat, skin, and stamina all do better that way.
What about hospice-care dogs?
We absolutely groom hospice dogs. We'll do whatever the dog can tolerate — even just a damp-cloth bath, a sanitary tidy, and a coat brush if a full bath isn't an option. Call us first and we'll talk through it.
Book a senior session
Let's take care of them, the way they took care of you.
If you'd rather talk first — call. We want to hear about your dog before you book.