I appreciate you thoroughly reading through my policies and procedures as it may answer questions you may have about how the business is ran.

Health or Medical Problems

Occasionally, grooming can expose a hidden medical problem or aggravate a current one. This can occur during or after grooming. Examples of these are but not limited to: sores found under fur or matts, skin irritated from shave downs from extreme matting or shaving especially in tender areas, any tenderness associated with dogs that have arthritis or already hurt limbs. I do have experience in working with handicap and disabled dogs, if your dog has a handicap or disability, please let me know ahead of time. All medical expenses for veterinary care for hidden or aggravated current problems will be covered by the pet's owner.

 

Accidents

Although accidents are very rare, there is a risk when dealing with animals. Grooming equipment is sharp, and although I use extreme caution and care in all situations, possible problems could occur including cuts, nicks, scratches, quicking of nails, etc. In most cases this can happen when an animal is wiggling or moving around. Your pet's safety and comfort are my number one priority. In the event an accident does occur, you will be notified of the accident. If I feel you need to take your dog in for medical care, I will express this to you and take care of any medical expenses. 

 

Veterinarian Authorization-Medical Emergencies

In the event you are not home, and a medical emergency happens, I will attempt to contact you first. If I cannot get ahold of you, I will contact the emergency contact on file. I will transport your pet to the hospital on file or otherwise discussed vet preference. 

 

Current Vaccinations

All pets must be up to date on vaccines and show proof of them. This can be done through email, phone, or upon my arrival at the appointment. I recommend getting this done and out of the way ahead of time to save time as part of the check in process. I understand some pets cannot be vaccinated, if this is the case, I will need proof from the veterinary stating such. Failure to provide vaccination will result in a canceled appointment.

 

Fleas and Ticks

I ask that your dog is on flea prevention. Fleas are a big problem with mobile. It is a small space and fleas are great at finding places to hide. If you suspect your dog might have fleas, please tell me ahead of time as I would then have you as the last client of the day. I will have to properly treat my unit afterwards for prevention of spreading. If upon check in I see fleas and you are not my last appointment, your appointment will be canceled and rescheduled. I will use a flea treatment on your pet but please know this is only to kill the fleas I see on your pet it is not a prevention. You will need to treat your house and pet's belongings to further protect your pet from further infestation. Fleas do carry diseases so please take prevention seriously.

 

Dangerous or aggressive animals-refusal of services

Sudzy Pawz Mobile Grooming has the right to refuse any services at any time. In the event that your pet is too stressed or becomes dangerous to groom, I have the right to refuse, stop grooming or cancel services at any time before, during, or after grooming and the client will be charged a grooming fee(for what was done up until that point). I have the right to use a muzzle if seen fit at any point that I feel like I need to. Muzzles do not harm your pet, it protects them and me from getting hurt. In some cases muzzles calm a stressed dog, allowing the groom to continue. Muzzling is my last resort. I generally don't muzzle a dog unless I feel like it is a serious risk.Please inform me if you know your pet has any triggers of any kind that might affect grooming, or me handling them in any way. This is being respectful not only to me but to your dog as well. 

Interruptions during grooming services

For the safety of the animals being groomed, as well as myself, it is asked that you do not come to the trailer and stand by the window or knock on the door. Excited dogs and sharp instruments can be a really bad mix. When they see people they love they may act in a way that can be unsafe for me to continue grooming. Please also don't knock on the trailer at any time this can cause a jump of either myself or the dog or both and can cause injury. If you need to tell me something just call or text. I will have my phone with me just in case I don't mind at all, especially if you forgot to mention how you want something groomed or other important info.

 

Seniors

Senior pets require extra care, as they have gotten older new lumps and bumps have showed up along with extra traits you may or may not have noticed like temperament or tolerance to things. There are things they once tolerated than unexpectedly don't anymore. With grooming, senior dogs can have issues with tolerance to many things like brushing, blow drying, washing and handling. I want to assure you I want to make it as comfortable as possible for your senior dog so extra time may be spent on him/her to make sure they are as comfortable as possible. I believe in comfort over vanity. If I feel like the groom you are requesting will be too time consuming or painful for your dog's comfort I may recommend something else. If your dog shows signs of discomfort, lack of being able to stand, heavy breathing or any other indications it is too much I will stop the grooming and charge for what has been done. If I am not comfortable grooming your dog at that point I will recommend you go to a vet with a groomer on staff. They have a medical team readily available there so if a situation arises they will be there to take care of it.

 

Matted Coats

Animals with severely matted coats require extra attention. Mats in an animal's coat grow tight, and can ultimately damage the animal's skin, which provides a breeding ground for parasite infestations. Sudzy Pawz will not cause serious or undue stress to your pet by dematting such mats. Mats can be very difficult to remove, and may require the pet to be shaved. Removing a heavily matted coat can cause nicks, cuts or abrasions due to skin growths trapped in mats. Heavy matting can also trap moisture and urine near the pet's skin allowing mold, fungus or bacteria to grow, producing skin irritations that existed prior to the grooming process. After-effects of mat removal procedures can include itchiness, hematomas, skin redness, self-inflicted irritations or abrasions and failure of the hair to regrow. In some cases, pets may also exhibit brief behavioral changes. Prevention is the best defense by scheduling regular grooming appointments, every 4-8 weeks. If your pet needs to be shaved to remove matting, and in reading this, you acknowledge that you agree to this procedure, and any risk. Removing mats is time consuming, price will reflect time spent dematting. If the mats are able to be removed without causing stress to the pet, I can do so just know it will be charged accordingly. I do allow brushing for the first 15 minutes after that it is $1 a minute for time spent. Before shaving a dog completely down I will inform you. If you refuse I have the right to refuse service.

 

Appointments

Appointment times are given as window times. A dog can be expected to be groomed in 1-3 hours. I will give you a 2-hour window of when I am expected to be there. Because I am working with animals, sometimes dogs take longer or even shorter than expected to work on. Driving can also cause unexpected delays,with weather and traffic in play. I will call you as soon as I'm done with the previous appointment to let you know I’m on the way. I will also call you if I’m expected to be sooner or later as well. Please have your dog already out to use the restroom and ready when I arrive. For future appointments I will recommend you set one up when I am done. I will be in different areas during the week. When you set up, I can tell you when I am going to be in that area next.

 

Cancellations and Confirmations

Because I book on an hourly basis and cancellations can leave an empty block in the schedule that could have otherwise been used by another customer, I ask that any cancellations are made at least 24 business hours in advance. Finding someone to fill that spot may be impossible that day with last minute cancels due to routing schedules so I ask out of respect please inform me if you are not able to keep the appointment as soon as possible so I can reroute the area I will be in that day. If I cannot get a confirmation from you, I will not show up to your house. Your appointment will be canceled, and you will need to call to reschedule. I will not know if you are home or had an emergency so, please confirm your appointment.

 

Latch key service

It is one of the perks to having a mobile groomer service, for the fact that I come to you, and you don't even have to be home! I do ask that you are present for the first appointment so I can meet you and discuss what your expectations are for grooming, and how you would like me to enter your home. You can either leave me with a key hidden somewhere, or a garage code, or I can enter through a different door. Whatever you're comfortable with is fine with me. I ask that you leave your dog in an easily accessible area, such as a room or cage so I’m not chasing them around the house or searching under beds or tables. After grooming, I can then release them however you instruct whether it's back in a cage, or just free roam, or in a room of the house. Before coming to your appointment, I will call like usual to let you know I am on the way. When I arrive, I will also let you know. After completion of grooming, I will inform you and leave a reminder card on the counter for your next appointment. Payment can either be left on the counter for me or we can do an over the phone payment. 

 

Payments

I accept cash, personal checks and debit or credit cards. If a check comes back, you will be charged the check amount and a $25 fee the bank charges me. This will need to be paid before you can make another appointment. 

Weather and equipment reschedules

Sometimes things happen beyond my control, like the weather. With freezing temps pipes like to freeze, and with frozen pipes there is frozen water. When temps drop low enough it doesn’t matter how much I try keeping the pipes from freezing it's sometimes not possible. Icy roads, or heavy storms are other reasons I may have to reschedule. If schools close for the day due to the weather, there is a big chance I will also close for the day. I ask that you are patient as I will be just as frustrated when I have to reschedule as you will be. I will not risk my safety, nor would I ever expect anyone else too. I will let you know as soon as possible if I need to reschedule your appointment. 

 

Photography

Sometimes pictures are used as a form of education to show a style or what a coat type looks like with a cut or just to show off a cute dog. If you do not want your pup featured in any way no problem just let me know!