Terms and Conditions

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Here at Pickles Paws I am trained/qualified in dog grooming/handling, and canine first aid. My aim is to provide a stress free experience for your dog whilst being groomed, placing their needs above all else at the forefront of any grooming experience they receive. The welfare of the animal will always come first and due to this there may be occasions whereby I need to use my discretion on how to practically groom your dog outside of what may have been requested by an owner, this is to avoid any unnecessary suffering or discomfort to your dog. I am happy to provide advice and support to owners to educate them on how to maintain their dogs coat between grooms, if unsure please ask.

Upon a dog being placed into my care the owner agrees that Pickles Paws can use their discretion to groom the dog in a manner which ensures no unnecessary suffering or discomfort as listed under the (Animal Welfare ACT 2006) is experienced for in the event the canines coat is in a poor condition.  Pickles Paws agrees to provide a safe and nurturing environment for any dog placed within our care ensuring the dog is treated with respect, care due and attention, and most importantly, lots of love and affection to help promote a stress free experience for your dogs. 

Matting / Coat Condition 

Should a dog placed in the care of Pickles Paws is assessed as having a coat in poor condition resulting in excessive knots or matting an additional fee will be applicable. The additional fee will be based on the severity of the mats and knots and will cost between £5 - £10. In the event of a full coat clip off being required a flat fee of £15 will be added on top of the price of the original service fee.

Clipping off a matted coat presents a higher risk of injury to the dog due to working so closely to the skin with a shorter blade. The owner understands that whilst all due care and attention will be provided by Pickles Paws, in the event an injury is caused the owner waives the right to hold Pickles Paws legally responsible and accepts the risk of potential injury which may occur from a matted coat. Pickles Paws will advise on how to care for your dogs coat to avoid any future occurrence.

In the event a dog is repeatedly being brought in with a matted coat, this is very painful for the dog and is considered neglect, should this occur Pickles Paws reserves the right to refuse service and charge in full for the appointment.

Behaviour & Aggression

The owner agrees to notify Pickles Paws at the time of booking whether their dog has ever displayed any behavioural difficulties such as; aggression or biting. Pickles Paws reserves the right to cease or terminate services to any dog(s) which display behavioural difficulties which may cause harm either prior or during the grooming process for in the event the dogs behaviour may inflict physical harm towards the groomer or themselves. Dogs behaviour will be assessed on a case by case basis and Pickles Paws will consider all reasonable and practical handling techniques and tools for the dog in the first instance. In the event a dog is required to be sent home due to their behaviour to include but not limited too; biting, aggression, snarling, thrashing, scratching causing physical bodily harm, Pickles Paws reserves the right to send the dog home and charge the owner for the full cost of the appointment.

For dogs who display behavioural traits outside of the norm but are manageable safely a difficult handling fee may be charged at the discretion of Pickles Paws up to a maximum of £10.

Medical Conditions

The owner agrees and accepts that Pickles Paws cannot be held legally responsible for any pre-existing or undiagnosed medical conditions/incidents which occur at the time of grooming outside of the control of the groomer and the owner agrees to waive any right to pursue prosecution for in the event one may occur. The owner agrees to disclose all relevant medical conditions at the time of booking and update Pickles Paws of any changes to ensure the correct care can be provided.

Images / Social Media

The owner agrees that images, videos and the name of their dog may be used in promotional, website and social media content pertaining only to Pickles Paws, in the event the owner wishes to waive this right, they agree to contact Pickles Paws via email to inform of their wish to waive this right.  Upon confirmation of receipt of email from Pickles Paws to the owner, Pickles Paws agrees to not use any imagery or video content of the owners dog.

Upon the owner placing their dog within the care of Pickles Paws, the owner accepts the outlined terms and conditions and agrees to these terms.

Deposits

New clients are required to pay a 20% deposit to secure their appointment, this is payable within 24 hours of the appointment being made, should payment not be made within this timeframe the appointment will be released to another client.

Cancellation/Missed Appointment Policy

For all bookings made, for in the event the customer needs to cancel or rearrange their appointment I will require 48 hour’s notice. This is to enable me to have enough time to offer your appointment to a potential alternative customer. Should an appointment not be cancelled or rearranged within this time frame then the following fees will be payable: -

48 Hours Notice - No Fee payable

24 Hours Notice - 50% of appointment cost payable 

Same Day Cancellation / Missed Appointment* - 100% of appointment cost payable

*A missed appointment is classed as missed after 10 minutes has passed from their original appointment time.

Please note your dog will not be booked in for any further appointments until the outstanding amount payable is paid in full. Any outstanding balance is due within 24 hours of the late cancellation / missed appointment. I am a small business, therefore your understanding of my cancellation/missed appointment policy is really important. 

In the event of a fee being payable a payment link will be sent via text message which will be displayed as SumUp, payment is required within 24 hours of the payment link being sent.

It is the owners responsibility to ensure they attend their scheduled appointment(s) at the time and date agreed between both Pickles Paws and the owner at the time of booking. Whilst all efforts will be made to send upcoming appointment reminders, Pickles Paws does not accept any liability for in the event the owner misses their appointment date and time,  and the above fees are payable.  Owners are required to document their appointment(s) at the time of booking.

Late Collection Fee

Due to me being a one-on-one salon I book all appointments with a 10 minute cross over time between clients, therefore I respectfully request that you arrive promptly at your assigned collection time which will be confirmed at drop off.  Sadly if you are late to collect your dog(s) this impacts my next appointment and or break for the day and has a knock on effect on the rest of the day.  In the event you are late to collect your dog by 10 minutes an additional fee of £5 will be added to your grooming total, increasing by £3 for each further 5 minutes that pass at my discretion on the day.

Fleas

Should a dog be found to have fleas during the grooming process, an additional fee of £15 will be payable on-top of the original grooming price.  This fee is to cover the costs of any flea treatment used during the groom, and also to sanitise the grooming salon after the dog has left. Please ensure to notify me at your earliest convenience should your dog have fleas as in the event a dog has fleas the salon cannot serve any further dogs for the remainder of the day and has a large impact on being able to run my services.

At Pickles Paws Dog Grooming I strive to provide an all-round service for both the owner and their pet, in the rare event that you are unhappy with the services I provide please speak with me at the time of collecting your pet to enable me to help resolve any concerns you may at the time they occur and remedy a solution. I value all clients and their dogs and working together to create a safe, comfortable environment for your dog is the utmost of importance to me.

I, the owner agree to the outlined above terms and conditions set by Pickles Paws Dog Grooming upon placing my booking.