Policies we have here at Smallwood Dog Grooming
Why we have these policies
Here at Smallwood Dog Grooming we have the following policies in place to protect you, your dog and myself. These are all below so you can read at your own leisure before the appointment.
All these policies and the inital details form are filled out on an app allowing you to sign on there and have a copy emailed to you should you want one. There is also a form for after the groom which we get you to fill out after every groom to ensure that you are happy with the service & treatment your dog(s) has received and the hair cut that your dog has had.
I understand these are time consuming to read and are a lot of details but they are there to protect your pet, you and me.
Find policies below
Cancellation Policy
Cancellations, Missed Appointments & No Shows Policy Agreement
Cancellations:
Whilst we understand that sometimes appointments have to be cancelled due to an emergency, we ask that you give us at least 24 hours notice where possible. This is due to us having a waiting list of clients that can be filled with another dog in need of a groom. All customers have to pay a deposit of £10 to secure the appointment and this must be paid within 48 hours of booking the appointment, after this time your appointment will no longer be secure and will be offered to others. If a deposit is paid after the 48 hours you will be offered a different grooming slot or refund of money.
We reserve the right to charge a 50% of the required service for appointments missed or cancelled with less than 24 hours notice, payable prior to any further appointment booking.
Late Arrivals:
Please be punctual. Arriving 15 minutes or more late for appointments will in most cases require re-scheduling and a missed appointment will require a 50% deposit for any further appointments. We will send a text reminder a day prior to the booking, to make you aware of your appointment date and time. The appointment time is entirely at your request. A late arrival will be considered a missed appointment and the deposit will become non-refundable.
No Shows:
On the occasion that you have missed your appointment we have been let down by an empty appointment slot, and as a small business this has a negative impact on us financially. We reserve the right to charge a fee of £15 for appointments missed before you can make future bookings because the appointment time was made exclusively for you at your request. We can send reminders upon request.
Late Collection:
We do not have the space and resources for your dog to stay after it has been groomed as we are a One to One service. This is due to health and safety reasons, as not all dogs that come into my salon are dog friendly, or need a calm environment. This cannot happen if you are late to pick up after your certain pick up time or 20 minutes after you have received your pick up message. After 20 minutes it will be a charge of £10 per 15 minutes that you are late.
Dematting Policy
De-Matting Agreement
It is the goal of Smallwood Dog Grooming to make your dogs visit with us as calm and stress-free as possible. Matted coats and de-matting can cause a lot of problems for your dog. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (updated 2010) “All animals are to be protected from pain, injury, suffering and disease” we believe that shaving off the matted fur is the most humane way to do it. This may seem severe but it's the least stressful and painful way to groom a matted dog.
These are some of the following caused by matting & the mat removal process:
- Sore spots and balding are caused by the mat pulling tighter on the skin
- Mats can prohibit the air circulation to the skin causing increased body heat in certain spots which in turn can cause bacterial/fungal infections.
- Skin pulling and binding results in chafing and abrasions which will cause pain and irritate your dog when they move.
- Working so close to the skin during de-matting/shaving can cause stress trauma or injury to the skin. Every precaution is taken to minimise this but there may be slight clipper irritation or nips (in more severe cases)
- Matting creates the perfect enviroment for parasites such as fleas, ticks, maggots etc. If we find any of these parasites lurking in your dogs coat we will be in touch to discuss further actions.
- Ears may become bruised or develop hemotomas due to the sudden increase of blood flow and shaking of the head, after being dematted.
- Your dog will be more likely to burn in the sun after dematting so please take precautions to minimise this after the groom
- Due to matting, yours pets coat may need to be clipped extremely short and show signs of skin irritation and sores. Dogs that have not been groomed regularly may become stressed and find the grooming session painful. It's our goal to make your pets grooming experience as stress-free as possible.
We have the right to stop the groom mid way through if we feel this is best for your dog, if they are getting too stressed or becoming uncomfortable. In these cases we may suggest that you come back a day later, or in extremely severe cases a vet trip may be suggested if they are aggressive.
Please note that all time will be charged for whether the groom is abandoned midway through as de-matting does take extra time and causes wear and tear on our grooming equipment. This will be an extra £12 on top to cover the cost of repairs. This does depend on the amount of Matting whole Body matting will be £35
De-Matting after care Form
Skin irritation
Severe matting on your dog may cause skin irritation. This irritation may not appear until 2-3 days after the groom. We have taken every precaution to reduce the risk of this happening. Irrigation can occur due to the conditions of your dogs coat when arriving for the grooming appointment.
Photos & Videos
Please note that we do often take photos & videos before, during and after the groom to document the condition of your dog's coat and note anything that was uncovered during the grooming process.
Important information
In some cases there might be a change in your dogs behaviour, this is only temporary and usually while they adjust to their new haircut, as this can feel strange as the mats can often pull on the skin. This usually resolves in 2-3 days.
If ears were matted please make sure that you DO NOT let your dog shake their head excessively. Please protect your dogs ears from shaking by wrapping them in a bandage if needed. This is because there is a possibility that a hematoma could form which has been caused from the matting. If swelling and bruising occurs on the ears please seek immediate attention from a vet.
Nails
As your dogs nails have been freshly trimmed they may be sharp as they have not yet been worn down on a hard surface. This can cause fur irritation to your dogs skin as they are sharp, and can expose and cause scratches in your dogs skin making open wounds where they have scratched. This is due to the matting that was pulling on their skin
. Please prevent them from scratching as it can cause further issues and please seek advice from myself or a vet on what to use on irritated skin.
Sanitary area
If this was shaved short due to matting it may be irritated due to urine and faeces being trapped against the skin in the matted fur. A short close trim may irritate this if the dog is not used to the grooming process, this can also cause irritation. Your dog may lick the area which can cause further irritation.
Irritation/ issues found while grooming
Please seek veterinary attention for any of the problems listed above. If your dog has or develops any skin or medical issues, we urge you to seek your veterinarians attention as soon as possible.
Please watch your dog closely over the next few days (4-5 days) so that they don't lick or scratch their skin. We are not responsible for any skin irritations, hematomas, nick, cuts or any health issues caused by severe matting as a result of a poorly maintained coat.
We are more than happy to help you decide on a grooming schedule that fits your budget and your dogs grooming needs.
Flea & Tick Policy
Policy Agreement
Please ensure that your dog is up to date with its flea and tick treatment, and is flea free before entering the grooming salon.
If you suspect your dog to have fleas or ticks please check them thoroughly before coming to your appointment and inform us as soon as possible.
If we find any fleas or parasites on your dog you will be contacted straight away. As we are a one in one out policy salon the groom will be continued, but you will be charged an extra fee of £18 on top of the full grooming amount as this is to cover the cost of the cleaning of the salon.
When contacted you will be advised to make a vets appointment depending on how bad the infestation is, and be advised to get fleas and tick treatment.
Please note that when any parasites are found that a special flea and tick shampoo will be used automatically. This is covered in your £25 extra charge.
If you know that your dog has fleas please contact us beforehand as this does impact massively on the rest of the day and day after. Affecting other people's appointments as they will have to be rearranged, due to a deep clean and smoke bomb having to take place.
If your dog has been treated for a flea or parasite infestation up to 2 weeks before we need to be made aware of on arrival. As they can still be infested with them even if it is a light infestation the groom will be rearranged. As it sometimes takes more than one lot of treatment to treat them.
We do understand that fleas can be hard to spot, however keeping on top of fleas and tick treatments as well as up to date injections and wormers are to benefit your dogs health. These can have a major impact on their physical health, this includes skin infections and lesions, hair loss and transmission of other parasites, they can also cause bacterial infections.
Signs of fleas on your dog:
- Itching & severe scratching
- Biting & chewing skin
- Hair loss
- Scabs
- Red & irritated skin
- Visible fleas or flea dirt on skin
- Change in behaviour
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Lethargy
- Not wanting to interact with others or play
How to treat your home if fleas are found
Fleas can remain in your home after your pet has been treated following these steps can help prevent a reinfestation
- Clean all bedding pet and your own, or any fabric that they have been lay on. Hot wash at 60c and above will kill them.
- Vacuum the entire house and with anything that is wipeable with disinfectant.
- Throw out the vacuum dirt into an outside bin in sealed bag along with a cloth used for cleaning
- Keep regular use of flea and tick treatment & flea collars if prone to them
Hot Weather Policy
In hot weather there is a greater risk of heat stroke, this can be exacerbated with the grooming process as there is significant time spent under a dryer.
When the temperature is above 24 degrees you will be given the option to rearrange, as this can cause heat stroke due to the outside environment.
There is aircon inside the building so it will be cooler when your dog is under a dryer for 30 minutes plus.
If I feel it is too unsafe for your dog to be groomed, it will be stopped. 15 minutes in high heat temperatures can cause heat stroke.
Heat stroke symptoms include:
- Heavy panting/ difficulty breathing & extreme thirst
- Bright red tongue and grey gums
- Drooling, vomiting & diarrhoea
- Undestadiness and lethargy
These can lead to serious medical conditions such as brain seizures, organ damage, internal bleeding, coma and death.
During this weather the grooms may take longer to complete, due to avoiding the dryer and towel drying. If your dog is showing any kind of heat stroke before the groom has begun, the groom will be cancelled and rearranged due to my professional opinion.
You will be contacted on the day of the groom, with the options that are available for you.
Smallwood Dog Grooming will not be held responsible or liable for any dog that has got heat stroke from the groom or up to 3 days later as symptoms can be delayed and you have been warned and given a heat stroke symptoms sheet.
Any dog showing signs or symptoms of heat stroke please seek immediate veterinary attention, as these can be life threatening if left too late. Some ways to cool a dog down is wetting ears, paws or putting wet towels around their legs.
I understand that it's my choice and decision (owners) to go ahead with the groom and I have been informed of the temperatures and risks that are involved in my dog being groomed in hot weather, as there is a potential risk to heat stroke and that the groom maybe cancelled or my dog may go home slightly damp due to the weather conditions and reducing heat stroke factors.
Double Coat Policy
Double Coated Dog Waiver
Smallwood Dog Grooming does not recommend shaving down double-coated dogs. Shaving a double-coated dog not only destroys the natural beauty and texture of the dog’s coat as it will never grow back the same, it also exposes the dog to harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun.
Unless you the owner deem it absolutely necessary for the health and well-being of the dog, we will not shave a double-coated breed. We aim to provide you with the best possible service and will only recommend what we think is best for your dog’s coat.
Double coated dogs have two layers of fur, a coarse longer topcoat that grows slower than the undercoat which is short and soft. These two coats grow independently of one another and will grow to different lengths.
We advise against shaving any breeds that have a double coat.
Here are a few examples of Double-coated Breeds-
- German shepherds
- Pomeranians
- Cairn terrier
- Golden retrievers
- Corgis
- Border Collies
