Tarporley Tails Dog Groomers
Terms & Conditions
Your Pawpals Health and Welfare
When your dog is with us, their health and welfare is our main concern at all stages of the grooming process. Should we believe your dog is experiencing any fear or stress at any time, we will where possible employ alternative strategies to alleviate this. This may require extra time or sessions to overcome this problem.
During grooming it is possible pre-existing conditions are noticed, which you will be informed of, in order you can seek veterinary advice. Extremely rarely accidents can happen whilst grooming, or medical issues can arise. In the unlikely event of this happening you authorise us to seek emergency veterinary treatment.
Neglected / Matted coats.
We practice humanity before vanity. Should a dog be presented with a matted or neglected coat, it will be kinder to shave the coat back completely, this will be done in compliance with The Animal Welfare Act 2006 ( Sec 5. – Animals are to be protected from pain, injury and suffering) This incurs extra charges due to time and extra wear and tear on equipment.
In instances where the above is necessary, it can lead to skin irritation and other conditions. On some breeds the coat may not grow back in the same manner. Tarporley Tails Dog Groomers will not be liable for any effects which may arise from this.
Aggressive and Poorly Socialised Dogs
We reserve the right to refuse to groom any dog if we believe it may cause injury to itself or myself at our Salon. If a dog exhibits aggression or behaviour we have not been informed of prior to the groom, the session will be stopped immediately and the full fee incurred.
We must be informed prior to grooming of any previous history of biting or aggression. Your attention is drawn to the dangerous dogs act which holds owners liable for bites and Injuries.
Dogs Welfare
We will carry out a health check before and during the grooming session and will notify you of anything we find. It will be your responsibility to seek veterinary advice. We are not medical professionals and our health checks do not replace the need to take your dog to the vets for check-ups, advice and treatment.
If any parasites are found during the grooming session, we will treat this with specific shampoo. However due to the additional product used and decontamination costs, there will be an additional charge depending on the amount of work required.
If your dog requires urgent medical attention whilst in our care, Tarporley Tails reserve the right to seek veterinary attention. Any fees incurred will be payable by the dogs owner.
We will not subject any dog to unacceptable levels of stress. If your dog finds any part of the grooming process too stressful, we will not complete that part of the groom. If we cannot complete the full groom, we may implement a price reduction to reflect this.
If you fail to disclose any information regarding any physical or medical conditions, Tarporley Tails will not be held responsible for any injury incurred during the grooming process.
It is the owners responsibility to make us aware of any allergies or skin conditions so that we can use appropriate products/treats.
Grooming Feedback/Complaints
After each session we will inform you of any problems we have encountered, or any concerns arise with your dog. This is the time to inform us of any concerns you have in relation to the groom. The majority of our business is repeat custom, and we wish to maintain our standards and reputation.Tarporley Tails offer a 24 hour correction policy where we will modify a groom at your request if it is not satisfactory, free of charge. After this period, an additional fee will be payable.
Whilst complaints are rare, we do request that you contact the salon directly within 24 hours so that we can resolve the issue if possible.
GDPR
By using our services, you give Tarporley Tails permission to collect, use and handle your personal data in relation to, and for the purpose of, your dogs grooming appointments in line with GDPR Guidelines. Due to the nature of our service, we do require some personal information such as name, address and contact information. This will be stored in line with the Data Protection guidelines and is to ensure that we can provide the best possible service to you and ensure we can contact you in the case of an emergency. If you have not used our services for more than 2 years, we will safely and securely destroy all records we hold for you. If you would like this information to give to another groomer, please contact us and we can provide it to you.
Appointments/Cancellations
At Tarporley Tails we strictly operate by appointment only. When booking your appointment, you will be asked a series of questions about your dog to determine its requirements and how long the groom will take. An estimated time frame will be given but is just that – an estimate. You will be contacted approximately 30 minutes before your dog is ready to be collected. Our guide prices are based on the time taken to groom a well behaved dog that is groomed regularly, with a coat in good condition. Therefore prices are subject to change based on the dogs coat and behaviour during the groom. A deposit of £15 is required to secure your appointment, which will be deducted off the total groom cost. All appointments are therefore held only on a provisional basis and will remain unconfirmed until the booking deposit is paid to secure the desired appointment slot. If you cannot attend your appointment please provide at least 48 hours notice, last minute cancellations will result in your deposit being forfeited for the missed appointment slot. If notice of a cancellation is given within 48 hours, your deposit can be transferred to your next groom appointment.
Your dog will be given the opportunity to toilet during their groom but please ensure that they have had the chance to exercise and toilet before the groom.
Late collection
Any pets not collected at the agreed collection time will incur an additional charge of £5 per 30 minutes they are in holding after the collection time stated on the grooming contract.
General
Photographs and videos of dogs in Tarporley Tails care may be used for promotional material or posted to social media sites such as Instagram and Facebook. By using our services you accept and authorise all use.
Tarporley Tails holds appropriate insurance, however, it is not exhausted and we recommend all dogs are insured adequately to protect them and people handling them.
Animal Welfare Act 2006
Prior to the Animal Welfare Act, animal welfare law was largely reactive and action could only be taken once an animal had suffered unnecessarily.
Animal Welfare Code
The Animal Welfare Act was passed in 2006 and represents the most significant change to animal welfare law in nearly a century. Under this Act owners have a legal duty to meet the five welfare needs of their pets and whilst in our care we, as Dog Groomers, we also share the same responsibility.
The 2006 Act has introduced an important and new concept for pet owners and those responsible for domestic animals, e.g. breeders, those who have working animals or farm animals in England and Wales.
Preventing animals suffering
This means enforcement agencies and our inspectors can now act by advising and educating owners before their pets suffer. If this advice is not followed or the animal's needs are not being met then action can be taken whether through a formal warning or in some cases a prosecution.
What does the law actually say?
Section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act places a duty of care on people to ensure they take reasonable steps in all the circumstances to meet the welfare needs of their animals to the extent required by good practice.
What does this mean for those responsible for animals?
In short it means they must take positive steps to ensure they care for their animals properly and in particular must provide for the five welfare needs, which are:
need for a suitable environment
need for a suitable diet
need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns
need to be housed with, or apart, from other animals
need to be protected from pain, suffering, injury and disease.
De-matting Policy
If your dogs coat is severely matted, we will only attempt to de-matt the coat for a maximum of 15 minutes in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Tarporley Tails reserve the right to perform a complete clip off of the dogs coat if the matting is severe enough.
If a complete clip off is required, we will notify you before doing so. However if we cannot contact you and we believe that a clip off is necessary on welfare grounds, we will still undertake the clip off. We hold no responsibility for the style not being as approved or as expected. A full clip off can cause common reactions such as clipper rash or close nicks, for which we hold no responsibility for.
Severely matted dogs will incur an additional charge (minimum of £10) based on the time taken for either de-matting or a clip off.
If we feel that your dog is too severely matted to safely carry out a clip off, we reserve the right to refuse to groom the dog.
To de-matt would cause the animal tremendous stress and discomfort, often leaving a very thinned and damaged coat. Shaving the coat is quicker and gentler on the animal. Many dogs can be traumatized by unnecessary hours of de-matting, putting them off grooming for life. I consider shaving an act of kindness.
Matting leads to many skin conditions
Hot spots and sores
Skin Rash
Flea infestations
Fungal and bacterial infection
Yeast infections
Moist eczema
Urine and faeces scalding
Mites and lice
Maggot infestation
Eye and ear infections
Severe itching
Discolouration/staining of fur, also parasites such as fleas and ticks can be present without your knowledge, because the matted coat hides them.