Mutts Cuts Terms & Conditions - 2023

 

ACCEPTANCE OF SERVICE

Mutts Cuts accept your business for the purpose of offering grooming related services to maintain the health and wellbeing of your dog. We can only accept dogs which are believed to be in good health. On arrival every dog is checked over prior to the groom, however our limitations on a health check is for the purpose of grooming. We accept our limitations as groomers and therefore we are unable to diagnose any health conditions. We do on occasion find issues which may raise concern and we will always advise you to seek further veterinary advise.

 

REFUSAL OF SERVICE

We do not accept ill dogs into the salon. We reserve the right to refuse a groom should we deem your dog is unwell, needs veterinary attention, the groom requested is not in the best interests of the dogs health or welfare, or it is deemed unsafe for either the dog or handler for any reason. We also cannot accept XL bully breeds due to our insurance not covering us to have these in.

 

FLEAS

If you are aware that your dog has fleas we need to be made aware at time of booking, prior to the appointment. We tend not accept dogs with fleas, this is to prevent cross contamination with other dogs. Please notify the salon as soon as you are aware to allow us to reschedule the appointment to avoid them passing them on to other dogs. We reserve the right to refuse to groom a dog with fleas until they have been successfully treated.

 

If fleas are found during the groom we will treat your dog with a flea shampoo, which will kill any fleas on the body. However, you will need to treat your home, bedding, car, etc., and take the advice of your vet on flea prevention for your dog. Should we discover fleas on your dog it will incur an additional fee of £10 to cover the cost of the flea shampoo, and products needed to protect our salon. Prompt collection is also required to enable us to flea treat the salon prior to our next client. Delay in collection will incur an additional late collection fee.

 

BITCHES IN SEASON, PREGNANT OR NURSING

We do not accept bitches in season in the salon for various reasons (we can accept them in the van as we work 1 on 1 in the van) If you notice your bitch has come into season and their grooming appointment is due please call to reschedule. We do not accept pregnant bitches due to the additional risks associated with pregnancy. If you are intending to breed and your bitch is normally in a clipped style, then it is advisable to have a short clip off before she is mated. As we do not groom bitches in season this will require careful planning on the owners part. It is not advisable to have a nursing bitch groomed until all the puppies have been fully weaned from the bitch. We do not recommend having bitches groomed if her litter is less than 8 weeks old.

 

EAR PLUCKING

If you require your dog's ears to be plucked of excess hair, we will need an email from your Veterinary Practice, to confirm that they recommend your dog's ears to be regularly plucked. On each visit it is the owner's responsibility to request for the additional service of ear plucking to take place during the groom. Please note we use finger and thumb only to remove hair gently, we do not use any tools and will not remove hair if the ear appears infected, inflammed, or if the dog shows discomfort.

 

ANAL GLANDS

Please note we do not under any circumstances express anal glands and will direct you to your Vet should you or we feel your dog's anal glands require attention.

 

LATE ARRIVAL FEES  (salon)

If you are more than 15 minutes late arriving for your dogs appointment we may not have time to complete the groom and it will count as a missed appointment. Please contact us if you are running late. At drop off we will agree a collection time for you to collect your dog after their groom. If you do not collect your dog at the agreed time a late fee may apply. This is charged at £7.50 per 15 minutes (from 15 mins late) and charged pro rata. Your pooch will be keen to see you again and crossovers with unfamiliar dogs and owners may be stressful for them; we like to reunite you as soon as we can.

 

MISSED APPOINTMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS

Missed appointments and cancellations result in loss of income, have a huge impact on the business, more so now than ever before, due to the rising costs of running a business and ever increasing cost of living. If you miss an appointment with no prior warning 100% of the normal groom fee will be applied. Please give a minimum of 48 hours notice for cancellations where possible. Late cancellations of less than 48 hour notice will incur a 50% groom fee cancellation charge. If less than 24 hour notice is given 100% groom fee will be charged. Any charges incurred will have to be paid before booking your next appointment. Cancellations are sometimes unavoidable, we understand emergencies in life happens and we will use our discretion where applicable. Please be aware that if you do need to cancel you may not be able to get your dog in for a number of weeks as a waiting list system is used.

 

If you miss an appointment or cancel less than 48 hours before your appointment on more than one occasion, the full cost of the groom will be taken as a non-refundable booking fee for future grooms. Please note we will do our very best to rearrange your appointment(s); some clients are quite flexible and we are usually able to swap an appointment slot for you, as long as we have plenty of notice. However, if we are unable to offer an appointment within the following 2 weeks after their original booking, your dog will be placed onto the waiting list. Depending on a number of factors, this may or may not affect future block bookings, please ask for confirmation for your individual dog's needs.

 

PHOTOGRAPHS

Mutts Cuts may take before, during and after photographs of your dog(s) for training and development purposes or marketing and promotional activities. We take photos of matted dogs which again may be used for training and development purposes or marketing and promotional activities.

 

Please note that we also take photos of fleas, ticks, evidence of any injuries on arrival or any unfortunate injuries during the groom. Please be assured that these type of photos are for our personal record only and will not be shared on social media.

 

MATTING

Please note the groom fee does not include any additional costs for dealing with matted coats. Should your dog be presented with a matted coat then there may be an additional fee of between £5 to £20 on top of the normal groom fee. This is to cover any additional time and costs incurred. Clipping off a matted coat may take additional time and can cause additional wear and tear to the clipper motor, as well as blunting the clipper blades. There is a separate form for severely matted coats, along with an advice and information sheet which will be given out to owners at time of groom.

 

ACCIDENTS

Although we will take the utmost care of your dog whilst in our charge, accidents can happen. Dogs are liable to sudden movements and we cannot be held responsible should this happen. You will be given a full explanation of any injuries when you collect your dog, including advice further action if needed. If we deem veterinary attention is required, you give your permission for this to be accessed should an emergency occur.

 

AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR

We will do as much as possible during the groom to keep your dog calm. However, if your dog becomes aggressive during the groom, we will stop the groom. On collection of your dog we will discuss options to help your dog overcome fear based aggression during grooms. Muzzles, buster collars or hammocks may be used where there is a benefit, for example if your dogs nails are overgrown and causing discomfort. If your dog has exhibited aggressive behaviour in the past you must disclose this information to the Salon Manager before any grooming takes place. Changes in behaviour must also be reported prior to the groom. If your dog has had a recent health issue it is also important to report this to the Salon owner, as some conditions may cause changes in behaviour (for example a recent ear infection). Nail Clipping is a complimentary service, if the dog will not allow nail clipping without showing aggression or putting up a strong fight they will not be clipped.

 

COMPLAINTS

Prior to the groom, an initial consultation will take place to discuss how you want your dog to be groomed. In the unlikely event that you are not satisfied with the groom, please communicate this to a member of staff as soon after the groom as possible so that where appropriate it can be rectified (this may incur additional cost if you have changed your mind from the consultation agreement).

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

If you are happy with the way we have groomed your dog, both in terms of how he or she looks, or the caring way in which we treat all dogs, please feel free to post photos on social media, including our facebook page www.facebook.com/muttscutsgrooming or tag mutts cuts grooming if the photo is on your timeline. We also appreciate reviews left on any of our social media platforms too. If you are dissatisfied with the groom please discuss with the Salon owner any issues you may have before posting negative comments on social media. In this way, we have the ability to respond directly to you and perform any corrective grooming as required.

 

RESTRAINTS

Whilst your dog is being groomed, restraints will only be used to prevent injuries (such as falling off the table). Your dog will NOT be left unsupervised on the table with or without restraints. Muzzles, buster collars or hammocks may be used if your dog is not happy about front paws or nails being touched, this will only be used while working on these areas to prevent accidents and you will be informed if a muzzle was needed.

 

DATA PROTECTION

As part of the Data Protection Act, it is now necessary for Mutts Cuts to inform you of the information we keep about you and your dog, how it is used and stored, and to receive permission for specific information to be stored and used. The client information form completed on registration with Mutts Cuts is kept electronically only and stored safely on the Salon owners laptop and Mobile Phone. Only Mutts Cuts staff members have access to these forms. All accounts are password protected and data is electronically encrypted.

 

The following information is transferred to your Dog's file: details given about the dog, your name and mobile number These files are also kept electronically only. We keep a record of what blades and comb attachments have been used along with details of areas the dog dislikes. Your name, dog's name and mobile telephone number are entered onto the Salon owners Mobile Telephone to enable communication with you about appointments, and to advise you when your dog is ready for collection. No other details are held on the Salon owners mobile phone other than your appointments. The mobile phone is protected by password. The only other information held electronically is your email address. This is used to send you details on appointments and offers. The PC has a firewall and is only accessed by Mutts Cuts Salon owner and staff.

 

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