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Terms and conditions/Consent to grooming
What you need to know before bringing your dog to our salon.
Terms and condition:
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· Before grooming your dog, you must agree to read this document and consent that you are aware of our terms and conditions. From time to time the terms and condition may be amended and any changes can be found on our website, Somerset Dog Grooming (Facebook)
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Care of your dog: I will do my utmost to care for your pet whilst it is in my care. We value feedback on the service provided to you and ask that you discuss the grooming session before and after completion of the groom.
Please be advised that all dogs are tethered to the grooming table to prevent accidents such as jumping or falling.
Business Hours: Business hours are set and no deviations will be allowed without prior approval.
Upon drop off and pick up: All dogs must be leashed upon entry to the salon for the safety of other dogs, children and other dog owners. We have a mostly cage free environment for your pets apart from being tethered up so they don’t have accidents within the salon. This prevents damage to our salon and products. We may place your dog temporarily in a cage while other dogs are present in the salon to prevent unwanted behavioral issues ie aggression or anxiety. Please ensure your pet’s collar and leash are in good condition. Here at Somerset Dog Grooming we do not hold responsible for any chewed threw leads or collars that your dog has damaged.
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Aggressive dogs: Somerset Dog Grooming reserves the right to refuse to groom aggressive or difficult dogs with behavioural problems. The dog owner must agree to inform us if their dog is known to be aggressive or has ever bitten anyone. The owner understands that they will be legally liable for the consequences of all bites caused by their dog.
Health matters: It is important that you inform us of any health problems that your dog may have, particularly epilepsy, diabetes, arthritis, aches and pains, heart conditions, allergies, skin conditions and sensory loss such as deafness and blindness/partial sight. We examine your dog for lumps and bumps during the groom and should anything be found we will notify you upon collection. Grooming sick and elderly dogs will be at the owner’s risk but we reserve the right to refuse to groom a dog if we consider that it is too unwell to proceed. Please inform us if you believe or know that your dog has Heartworm. (This is relevant to clients who wish to use our Aromatherapy Spa Treatments.
Please be sure that your dog has been vaccinated and that it is up to date. It is best to wait after your puppy has had all its required vaccinations before being able to mingle with other canine friends.
Matted coats: At Somerset Dog Grooming we groom humanely. We will attempt to de-mat a coat only once, and only if we feel that the animal will not suffer pain. It is the owner’s duty of care towards their pet, to maintain their pets coat between professional grooming. If owners fail to attend to their pet’s coat, then in the interests of the animal, we will shave off a matted coat, to prevent unnecessary suffering due to neglect. We will always advise the owner before this is done. We will be more than happy to show you how to look after your dog’s coat. Please note: our normal grooming charge does not include dematting, any dematting will be charged extra depending on the severity of coat matting. We do not demat: Puppies, infirm/elderly or aggressive dogs. Matted fur or hair on your dog may result in us having to clip close to the dog's skin. This can in some cases cause skin irritation or skin nicks from the close shaving. You agree that Somerset Dog Grooming will not be held responsible for any affect that this has after the grooming session is complete. Badly neglected coats can be especially prone to this. The owner of the dog agrees to pay all costs for the grooming of the dog, including de-matting which is an extra cost, whether or not the groomer is able to complete the job.
Preparation of the dog: Toilet: A full bladder and bowel can be very uncomfortable for a dog whilst it is being groomed. You must ensure that your pet has been toileted before bringing him or her to the salon. It is unhygienic and unpleasant when dogs urinate or defecate on the premises. It may also result in the need to give the dog an additional bath, the cost of which we will have to pass on to the owner.
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Fleas: If your dog has fleas, we ask that you treat it yourself prior to visiting the salon. Should your dog be brought to us with fleas, we can treat it with medicated flea shampoos. There is a considerable cost involved following treatment of an infested dog as the salon has to be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. We therefore reserve the right to add a surcharge to the cost of the groom to cover this expense. If you need any advice about flea treatment for dogs, please call us on 0408 672 225 and we will try to help.
Appointment times: We try to make sure that our appointments are kept to time in order that the dogs do not spend any longer in the salon than is necessary. Also, we do not wish to inconvenience our other customers. We regret that if you are more than 15 minutes later than the appointment time you will have to make another booking. Please telephone first on 0408 672 225 if you expect to be late for your appointment. If you are later than 15 minutes it will be treated as a missed appointment (see below).
Missed appointments: Missed appointments are costly to our business and cause inconvenience to other customers who have to wait longer to have their pet groomed. We require 48 hours’ notice, please contact us by telephone on 0408 672 225 and we will be happy to offer you another date. Please note that if you miss your appointment without informing us we have to make a surcharge of 50% of the groom price. The surcharge will be added to your next groom. We regret that if this surcharge is not paid prior to next scheduled appointment we will be unable to groom your dog again.
Cancellations: There is no surcharge for cancellations if they are made more than 48 hours prior to appointment. Where there is less than 48 hours notice, it will be treated as a missed appointment (see above) and a surcharge will be applied.
Collection: You must collect your dog at the specified time as agreed upon at drop off. Failure to do this will result in a surcharge of $10 per hour.
Photography: From time to time we take photographs of the dogs in our care and sometimes use them for our website, Somerset Dog Grooming (Facebook) If you do not wish your dog’s image to be used on our website, please inform us of this.
Payment: All dogs must be paid for upon collection from the salon. We accept cash and have an eftpos terminal. Please have the correct cash as we do not keep cash on the premises.
Discounts – no discount is offered for more than one dog as the time taken to groom is no less than for a single one.
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Credit – please do not ask for credit as a refusal often offends.