Thank you for selecting Grateful Grooming for your dog’s grooming needs. Your pet is very important to us and we ask that you take a moment to read through the below policies. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to a member of our team for further explanation. We reserve the right to update our policies at any time. You may find the most updated copy of this form on our website under the Services Tab.

Guaranteed Appointments

A credit card is required to hold all grooming appointments.  This card is stored on a secure server by our merchant services provider.  

Approximate Fees

If a client requests a quote of the expected fee, we will do our best to give you an accurate estimate.  However, quoting a price of a groom can be very hard since there are many different factors that go into this process.  Once our groomer starts working with your dog we might discover things we were not aware of and there could be an extra charge.  The most common reasons for a price to go up are due to undiscovered matting or unknown behavioral concerns, both of which will require more time to safely groom your pet.  Our special handling fee is calculated based on the amount of extra time required to safely groom your pet.  

Cancellation Policy

Your scheduled appointment time is dedicated exclusively to you and your pet(s); we do not overbook appointment times.  We believe that we can offer our very best grooming services when we have enough time reserved to provide both high quality products and services.  We make every effort to accommodate your scheduling needs and remind you of your scheduled appointment via text, email and phone call 48-hours in advanced of the reserved time.  In return, we respectfully ask that you help us by keeping your scheduled appointments, arriving on time and notifying us by 12pm the day prior to your reserved appointment if you are unable to do so.  When given advance notices of cancellations, we are able to accommodate clients on our waiting list needing our services.  When we do not receive adequate notice, we will enact the following:

• For the first missed/late cancelled appointment, we will offer to reschedule your appointment and provide a courtesy reminder of our cancellation policy.  If we do not already have a credit card on file to guarantee your reserved appointments, one will be required to reserve any future appointments.
• For the second missed appointment, we will call you to inform you that this is your second missed appointment and we will charge a late cancellation fee of $35 to the credit card used to guarantee your pet’s appointment.  After the second missed appointment, the cancellation fee will be equal to the amount of the appointment scheduled.  

Medical Alert

Occasionally grooming can expose hidden medical issues.  Most common issues will become more apparent throughout the course of the grooming process.  If an unknown issue is discovered during the course of grooming, the staff will call the owner immediately to discuss the concern if it affects the dog’s health/safety or outcome of the grooming service.  If the discovery is not of immediate concern the staff will discuss with the owner upon pick-up. 

Matted Coat Release

Dogs with matted coats require extra attention.  Mats in a dog’s coat are tight and can damage or tear the pet’s skin. Grateful Grooming will not cause any unnecessary stress to your pet by dematting a pet, rather we will carefully shave the matting from your pet.  Removal of excessive or very tight matting often reveals hotspots or other skin conditions that are hidden under the mats that, if found, will be discussed with you upon pick-up.  Removing a heavily matted coat can cause nicks, cuts or abrasions due to skin growths trapped in the mats.  Hematomas are often an after effect of a heavily matted coat and most often occur on ears, but are possible on any area of the body.  A hematoma occurs when a blood vessel bursts as a result of pressure/trauma to the area and causes a pooling of blood under the skin. A hematoma on an ear can rupture due to the pet shaking the head from side to side.  If a dog is determined to have matting, the staff at Grateful Grooming will do what is necessary to make the dog comfortable and shave him/her as needed to remove the matting.  There will be additional fees incurred due to the extra care and handling required to safely remove matted coat.  The matting fee ranges from $10 - $75 based on the severity of the matting.  

Low Stress Grooming

We work hard to provide a low stress setting for all of our clients.  For the safety of your pet and our team members, if your dog becomes aggressive or stressed during the grooming process we reserve the right to stop the grooming.  You will only be charged for the grooming that has been done up to that point.  

Late Arrival Policy

We understand that life is full of unexpected occurrences; however, if you are more than 10 minutes late for your appointment, we may need to reschedule.  Please call us to determine if we will be able to accommodate your late arrival or if your appointment needs to be rescheduled.

Pick-Up Policy

Because of limited space, unless pre-arranged, we ask that all dogs be picked up within 30 minutes of us informing you that your dog is ready to go home.  Any dog not picked up within 15 minutes of our business closing will be charged an after-hours day care fee of $25 per hour.  This fee is to compensate for adequate care for your pet(s) as we have your pet’s best interest in mind and hold a high standard of pets in our care.  

Skunked Dog & Fleas

Due to the extra time and supplies required to groom a dog that has been determined to have been skunked or has fleas, there is an additional fee of $25.  

Photographs

We like to show off how cute our client’s pets are to the world and will share photos we take throughout the day on our website and social media platforms.  If you prefer that we do not share photos of your pet, please just let us know and we will respect your wishes.