Happy Dog Boutique Client Grooming Agreement
Happy Dog prides itself on providing compassionate pet grooming, and with that philosophy we will care for your pet as if they were our own. We will do everything possible to keep your furry friend safe, calm and comfortable.
Grooming is more than just making your dog look good, it’s also vital to the health and well-being of your pet. Bathing and grooming animals is much different than cutting a human’s hair. Dogs bark, move around, nip, and can become timid and overly anxious. Our number one priority is the health and safety of your trusted companion. In an effort to keep your pets happy, safe, healthy and looking their best, we have a few policies:
Respiratory Illness Acknowledgement
We have been learning about the unknown respiratory illness affecting a rising number of dogs in the country. There hasn't been any news reports of any dogs being affected in Baltimore or Maryland to our knowledge. Its origin, transmission and treatment are unknown at this time.
However, with the amount of people traveling between states over the Thanksgiving holiday and taking their dogs, we are asking that all of our clients please pay close attention to their dogs behavior. Veterinarians are advising dog owners to be on the lookout for coughing, sneezing, eye or nose discharge and abnormal fatigue.
We have spoken to our local veterinarians and they are guiding us on safety protocols which include, no communal water bowls (So we will be removing all shared water bowls outside and inside of our salon and boutique), we will continue to disinfect each dog area in between visits. While we are learning more about this respiratory illness, we are implementing a new protocol keeping each dog (unless from the same household) in their own separate room in our salon.
We can only allow one dog in our lobby for check in at a time so when you are arriving, please wait in the hallway until our front desk personnel has asked you to come in.
We are asking that all of our clients, please send us an updated record of your vaccinations. Bordetella will be a requirement. We will also be calling each client to screen for symptoms before each appointment day and during check in. When signing this agreement you are acknowledging that you have no knowledge of your dog experiencing any respiratory illness symptoms.
24-Hour Cancelation Policy
Your appointments are important to us! We understand that life happens and unexpected issues arise and we work hard to accommodate everyone’s needs. Our groomers work on a tight schedule and are directly impacted financially when they have a no-show or late cancellation. To keep our operation running efficiently, we do require a 24-hour cancellation notice.
Cancellations less than 24-hour notice will be charged 50% of reserved appointment.
No Shows or same day cancellations will be charged 100% of service fee.
As a courtesy, we do call, text and/or email to confirm the date and time at least two days prior to your appointment.
Late/Tardy Policy
We will always try our best to accommodate you if you’re running behind, stuck in traffic, etc. It happens, we know! However, tardiness affects the remainder of our team’s day by delaying them for the following scheduled clients. For this reason, we have established a few general rules for such situations. Clients will generally be allowed a 15-minute grace period. After that, we will call to check in on you. If you are able to make it in time for your entire service to be completed, great! If not, you may have to forgo parts of the service in order to keep within the time allotted for your pet and you will be charged for the entire service. Please always call if you even think you might be late; we’d rather know as early as possible so we can do our best to fit your pet in.
Safety/Aggressive Pets/ Extra TLC *Charges
Safety comes first for everyone during the grooming process for both our groomers and your pet. Not all pets are accepting of the grooming process. Muzzling will not harm your pet, and protects both the pet and groomer. Happy Dog reserves the right to muzzle pets who pose a safety issue, has the right to cease the grooming process when the situation becomes too stressful and/or dangerous for pet and groomer. It is the customer’s responsibility to inform Happy Dog staff of any known past aggression issues, large or small. If your pet becomes overly aggressive or bites at any time during the grooming process, Happy Dog will charge a TLC dog fee in addition to the regular grooming charge. We also highly encourage taking your pup for a walk to relieve themselves before they arrive for their grooming appointment. We completely understand accidents and are more than happy to accommodate clean ups. However, if your pup has multiple accidents that creates multiple needed baths, we will need to charge the extra TLC charge for time and extra resources.
Vaccinations
We require every adult pet to be current on their rabies, distemper and parvo-virus vaccines and for all puppies to have started their vaccine series. Please have the vaccination record with you on the first visit so we can record the information in your pet’s record. By signing this agreement, owners verify that their pet(s) are current on rabies, distemper and parvo-virus. Current veterinarian information and proof of vaccination shall be provided to Happy Dog upon request.
Veterinary Care
We make every effort to ensure your pet’s grooming is pleasant and safe. If your pet becomes ill or is injured and the services of a veterinarian are required, you hereby give us permission to obtain treatment if you are not available to do so.
Matted Pet/Mat Removal
Pets with matted coats need extra attention during their grooming session. Prevention is the best defense against matting by consistently grooming, including brushing and combing regularly at home, and/or scheduling “brushout” appointments in between grooms. Dematting has a fee of $15 per 15 minutes.
Removing a matted coat includes risks of nicks, cuts, or abrasions due to warts, moles, or skin folds trapped in the mats. Heavy matting can also trap moisture near the pet’s skin allowing mold, fungus, or bacteria to grow, revealing skin irritations that exist prior to the grooming process. After effects of mat removal procedures can include itchiness, skin redness, self-inflicted irritations, abrasions and/or wounds and failure of hair to re-grow. Shaved pets are also prone to sunburn and should either have sun screen applied daily or should be kept out of the sun until the hair grows sufficiently to protect the skin. In some cases, pets may also exhibit brief behavioral changes.
It is our policy to de-mat a dog’s coat only once in order to make the pet comfortable and to start re-building the coat. De-matting can be painful for your dog and is unpleasant for both dog and groomer alike. After the de-matting process, you should be able to maintain the dog’s coat between grooming appointments. Happy Dog reserves the right to refuse grooming if your dog becomes heavily matted again after the initial de-matting. Those pets with such heavy matting will have to then be shaved. We will not attempt to save the coat after this initial de-matting.
Senior Pets & Pets with Health Issues and Pre-existing Issues
Grooming procedures sometimes can be stressful, especially for a senior pet or a pet with health problems. Grooming may expose hidden medical conditions or aggravate existing ones during or after the grooming process. Because senior pets and pets with health problems have a greater chance of injury, these pets will be groomed for cleanliness and comfort, in styles that will not add to their stress. Happy Dog will not be responsible for accident or injury to an elderly or health compromised pet during their grooming process. We reserve the right to stop the grooming process at any time if we feel it is in the best interest of your pet.
Anal Gland Expression/Ear Cleaning: Happy Dog offers these services as courtesy care for your pet. If ear infection is suspected, it is the owner’s responsibility to seek veterinary care. Happy Dog only uses mild external expression for anal glands and makes no guarantees that anal glands will not become overfull, rupture or become infected between grooming visits as results vary for each pet. Pets with chronic anal gland issues should be expressed by a veterinarian.
Accidents
While we are extremely careful and use caution and it rarely happens, accidents do occur. Animals get anxious and move around routinely on the table, grooming equipment is sharp and possible problems could occur including cuts, nicks, scratches, quicking of nails, etc. In most cases this happens when a pet is wiggling or moving around or when the coat is matted. Happy Dog will not be held liable for accidents that are out of our control.
By signing your name & email in the box above you are signing this contract, I acknowledge I’ve read the client grooming agreement and I (or my Agent) agree to hold Happy Dog, it’s owners, operators, employees, officers and directors harmless from any damage, loss, or claim arising from any condition of the undersigned pet, either known or unknown in accordance with the client grooming agreement. It is also further understood and agreed the terms of this agreement can change at any time, without notice, and will overwrite any and all prior signed contracts or releases. It is further understood this clause applies to any and all pets groomed.