Terms and conditions

General

Grooming is an essential requirement for your dog and is a significant part of ownership — pet’s need physical maintenance. Regular grooming is vital to their health and comfort.

Elderly dogs are welcome at your own risk. They are always given extra time, and great care and kindness extended.

Puppies

If you would like us to groom your puppy, it must have had all its vaccinations. If it hasn’t yet been vaccinated, it will not be groomed.

Sick animals

Dogs will be not be groomed if they show apparent signs of sickness.

Dogs in heat

We do not accept female doggies (bitches) in heat. If you bring your dog to our salon and she is in heat, you do so at your own risk and we do not accept any liability arising from issues related to the dog in heat.

Doggy health and welfare

When your dog is with us, its 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 help the dog. It may require extra time or more sessions to overcome any such issues.

During grooming, it is possible pre-existing conditions are noticed, which you will be informed of, so that, you can seek veterinary advice. In extremely rare cases, 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.

We undertake the dog grooming job on an understanding that dog parents carry out regular home grooming. As a part of regular home grooming it is the dog parents responsibility to check for injury, sickness, parasites and illnesses. If we notice anything unusual, we will let you know, otherwise we assume that parents are aware of pre existing conditions.

Salon exclusivity/timing

At The Fairy Tails, we operate strictly by appointment policy. Our appointment slots are timed and given for admitting the dog to our salon. There is no set finishing time. It ensures we are not rushing to complete your dog. The grooming process takes as long as the dog requires it to take. Our estimated finishing times are just that – an estimate.

Pricing

All quoted prices assume:

  1. The dog’s coat is well maintained free from knots, matts and tangles.
  2. The dog is well behaved, shows no aggression and groomed at our recommended periods.
  3. The dog is not overweight or oversized for the breed.

    Whilst we are happy to work with nervous/ timid dogs, these may incur extra charges due to the extra time and handling skills required.

    All charges are payable before you leave the salon with your pet. Payment can be made by card, cash or BACS (payment before the appointment).

Cancellations and no shows

We appreciate that sometimes you may need to rearrange your dog’s appointment. We do not charge any cancellation fees, but 24 hours notice is much appreciated. We do operate a no further appointments policy for no shows.

Neglected/matted coats

We practice humanity before vanity. Should a dog be presented with a matted or neglected coat, if our opinion is that it will be kinder to shave the fur back completely, this will be done in compliance with The Animal Welfare Act 2006. It incurs extra charges due to time and excessive wear and tears on equipment. We photograph and record any such cases which fall under Sec 4 – Unnecessary suffering, Para – Prevention of Harm and our obligation under Sec 9 – Duty of person responsible for animal to ensure welfare, Para – Promotion of welfare.

In instances where the above is necessary, it can lead to skin irritation and other conditions. When necessary, removing a heavily 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 and urine near the dog’s skin, allowing mould, fungus or bacteria to grow, causing skin irritations that existed before the grooming process. On some breeds, once the coat has been removed, it may not grow back in the same manner.

After-effects of mat removal procedures can include itchiness, skin redness, self-inflicted irritations or abrasions and failure of the hair to regrow. The shaved dogs are also prone to sunburn and should either have dog safe sunscreen applied daily or should be kept out of the sun until the hair grows sufficiently to protect the skin. In some cases, dogs may also exhibit brief behavioural changes. Prevention is the best defence against matting by scheduling regular grooming appointments. If your dog needs to be shaved to remove matting, by booking an appointment, you acknowledge that you agree to this procedure and any associated risk.

The Fairy Tails and its staff, in any event, will not be liable for any effects which may arise from such instances or cases.

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 any members of staff at our salon. Owners MUST inform us if your dog bites, has bitten or is aggressive to people, other pets or specific grooming procedures. We reserve the right to refuse or stop services of your dog at any time before or during the grooming process and charge a “difficult dog” fee of £15 in addition to the regular grooming charges. If your dog should bite anyone, the owner agrees to be responsible for any, and all related medical bills.

You will be informed of any such issues.

We must be informed before the grooming of any previous history of biting or aggression. Your attention is drawn to the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 which may hold owners liable for bites and Injuries.

Toileting

Please allow your dog plenty of opportunity to go to toilet before attending their appointment to avoid any accidents.

Anal glands

We do NOT empty anal glands. It is a veterinary procedure.

Ear plucking

We do not pluck ears unless there are loose hairs that gently come away from the ear when rubbed. Ear plucking is painful for the dog and can further irritate an ear canal already prone to irritation and lead to ear problems that may not have occurred otherwise. Plucking the hair from a dog’s ear canal leaves minute openings (essentially, tiny wounds) in the skin where bacteria can simply settle more quickly.

Additionally, because:
(a) dogs generally don’t like the feeling of hair being plucked out of their ears and

(b) plucking can leave the skin irritated, a dog may be more likely to scratch at his ears and shake his head, which will only make any ear problem worse.

Seek advice from your vet regarding ear plucking.

Grooming feedback

After each session, we will inform you of any problems we have encountered, or any concerns we have referenced your dog. This is the time to notify us of any concerns you may have concerning the groom. The majority of our business is repeat custom, and we wish to maintain our standards. We often take pictures to show examples of before and after work and to use for training and information. Should you not want photos of your dog to appear on social media please inform us at the time of the groom. We also ask that should you have a problem; you should contact us as soon as possible.

Customer details

Your details are held in confidence by us, as a reference to the safe grooming practices of your dog. The only time they are shared would be on request by another groomer with your permission to allow reliable assessment and grooming of your dog.

Current vaccinations/veterinarian Information

By using our services, owners verify their dogs are up to date with vaccinations for canine parvovirus, canine distemper virus, leptospirosis, canine infectious tracheobronchitis and infectious canine hepatitis.

Fleas/ticks

The Fairy Tails dog grooming strives to be a flea/tick-free salon. If your dog has a flea or tick infestation, we will ask that you reschedule your grooming appointment once the flea or tick problem is under control. Dogs with a flea or tick infestation carry a risk of anaemia, infections, tapeworms and other health problems. We recommend that you contact your veterinarian for advice on the best treatment for your situation. A topical monthly flea preventative may be the most effective choice. Treating all pets in the family, as well as treating your home will help in keeping fleas and ticks under control for the long term. If fleas are found on your dog, we will bathe your dog in flea shampoo and have to treat the salon; this will incur a £10 charge on your grooming bill. If ticks are found an additional charge of £5 will be added for their removal.

Free pick up/drop off service

Our free pick up and drop off service is available for dogs booked in for full grooms. We do not offer pick ups/drop offs for bath and brush appointments.

For morning appointments, we offer collections between 8:15 and 9:30. We will then return your dog around midday, usually between 12:45 and 13:30.

For afternoon appointments, we offer collections between 12:45 and 13:45. We will then return your dog late afternoon, usually between 16:30 and 17:45.

Please note: we recommend very nervous or sensitive dogs be dropped off to us at the salon and collected by the owner

We reserve the right to change any part of our terms and conditions policy at any time.