Terms & Conditions 

​YOUR PET’S HEALTH AND WELFARE

 

Whilst your pet is in our care its health and welfare is our primary concern. It will only ever be groomed according to it’s tolerance of the process. If your pet is fearful of any of the procedures employed during grooming, a workaround or alternative will be employed. Occasionally during grooming a pre-existing condition may be discovered which you may not have been aware of. We will notify you of this so that you can seek veterinary advice. Although extremely unlikely, accidents can happen during grooming. We use extremely sharp, specialist equipment, but we are trained to use this equipment safely. Pets are not static models, so injuries can occur. In the event of an accident or serious medical issue arising during your pet’s groom you authorise us to seek emergency veterinary treatment.

 

GROOM FEEDBACK

You will be given detailed feedback after every groom. If you have any queries or need further clarification, please just ask or contact us at a later stage. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of your pet’s groom please let us know before you leave. Reasonable requests to alter the trim will be dealt with immediately or changes noted for the next groom. We are more than happy to disclose any details of your pet’s groom or advise you about how best to care for your pet’s coat.

 

 PRICING

Starting prices are for pets:
• That are used to being professionally groomed on a regular schedule (i.e 6-8 weeks between appoointments)
• Whose coats are well maintained between professional grooms (kept tangle, knot & matt free by regular brushing or combing)

 

Further costs

 You can reasonably expect to pay more than the starting price for:

• Matted, poorly maintained and/or overgrown coats

• Fleas found on the dog, leading to the salon being fumigated at cost.
• Pets which are difficult to manage or uncooperative during grooming
• Overweight pets or oversized for the breed standard
• Timid, anxious or nervous pets, which require frequent breaks & may need special handling

These cost more time, labour and/or products. The costs are passed on to you.

If we are unable to complete a groom due to behavioural problems or aggression you will be charged the starting price of the groom.
All costs are payable in full at the time you collect your pet.

 

SALON EXCLUSIVITY

If your pet will not tolerate the presence of other dogs in the salon there will be an extra charge for Salon Exclusivity, Please contact us to discuss this.

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 TIME KEEPING

Please be punctual. we work by appointment only; the appointment slot allocated for your pet’s groom has been booked at your request exclusively. I do not double book appointments, therefore a “no-show” is lost income. We provide a free appointment reminder by text and email, if your require a reminder by phone please ask us.

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Most grooms take between 1 – 3 hours or more depending on the size and temperament of the dog, and its coat condition.

You will be advised what time to collect your pet. It is advisable NOT to return to the salon before this time, as your presence may distract your pet during the finishing stage of its groom or call to check how long it will be as this takes us away from grooming to keep answering the phone.  It is essential that you collect your pet at the agreed time as once the groom is finished your dog will be eager to go home and may become unsettled or anxious and cause a distraction to the next dog being groomed.  Late collections may incur an extra charge.

Please phone us if you are running late. I understand that from time to time unforeseen circumstances may arise.

 

HOWEVER…

Clients arriving more than 15 minutes late for their appointment can be considered a missed appointment and may have to re-book, this will incur a charge of the cost of the groom.  If you need an earlier drop off/later collection time due to other commitments, please discuss this with us when booking. If your pet is collected after closing time a late pick up and/or sitting fee of £5 per 30 minutes or part of applies. If you incur any of the above mentioned fees, they are payable in full at the time you collect your pet.

 

CANCELLING YOUR DOG’S APPOINTMENT

I respectfully request at least 7 days notice if you need to cancel your pet’s appointment. The slot can then be offered to other clients.

 

NO-SHOWS & LATE CANCELLATIONS (of less 24hrs notice)

The Full price of your pets groom must be paid in full where failure to turn up to your appointment, or cancel within 24 hours of the appointment. This is because as a small business we cannot afford to not be working when we should be grooming your pet.

• For notice within 24 hours, a charge of 100% of the groom cost will be payable before any future appointments can be booked.

• For notice 48 to 23 hours before the groom, a 50% of the groom cost will be payable. 

If payment is made (within 7 days of the cancellation) then any standing booking fees will maintain rolling to the next appointment. ​

If the payment is NOT made in this time, all future appointments will be cancelled and no other appointments offered until the fee is paid. 

• Cancelling 7 days before your appointment will forgo your booking deposit, and a new one will be required to rebook. 

 

NEGLECTED & MATTED COATS

In the event that your pet’s coat needs to be clipped down to release it from matting or coat neglect, Diamonds In The Ruff, its owner and operator are not liable for any post-grooming effects of this procedure, which is not without risk. Clipping down is more labour intensive, but often essential. 

Any humane de-matting will be undertaken solely at my discretion, in compliance with The Animal Welfare Act 2006 (clause 5 – Animals are to be protected from pain, injury and suffering).  De-matting during a routine groom is limited to a maximum of 15 minutes and is only possible if the matting is minimal. For severely matted coats where de-matting isn’t possible, the only humane way to deal with this will be to completely shave off the coat.

You will be given an estimate of how long the matt release is likely to take & an estimated cost for the procedure.  A shavedown consumes significantly more time, labour, product & tool/equipment wear and tear than a routine trim therefore will incur an extra charge.  All shavedown costs are payable in full at the time you collect your pet.

Some dogs will have sores under their matted coats, or react differently once they have been shaved off as the blood flow returns to the skin that the matts has prevented. Shaving off matted pets also has more chance of clipper injuries due to the way the skin is being pulled by the matts. This is even more reason to ensure your pet is combed through daily, to stop these matts developing.

The Groomer takes NO RESPONSIBILITY in covering vet care costs for dogs that have sustained injuries from their matted coats removal, including and not limiting to grazes, clipper rash, cuts, bruising, alopecia, localised haematoma such as Aural, etc. These are all very common results of removing the matting. 

Please remember, matting on a large scale is considered neglect under the Animal Welfare act. 

 

AGGRESSIVE & POORLY SOCIALISED DOGS: THE DANGEROUS DOGS ACT

I reserve the right to refuse to groom any pet at risk of harming me or itself. If your dog is accepted for grooming & displays aggression that I have not been informed of during its session, the groom will be terminated immediately. You will be contacted to collect it. The full starting price of the groom will be levied.

You must inform me prior to grooming if your dog has ever bitten or displayed aggression. Failure to disclose this information may result in refusal of further services.

Your attention is drawn to the Dangerous Dogs Act, which holds owners liable for bites and injuries caused by their dogs.

 

Toilet Before Your Visit

Please ensure your dog has been given the opportunity to go to the toilet before arriving at the salon, whilst we understand accidents can and do happen we would really appreciate if they do it before they come so we can keep the salon as clean and fresh as possible for you and other clients.

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Social Media & image uses

Diamonds In The Ruff reserves the right to use your pets images on its social media, website, portfolio and for educational/training purposes. If you wish to decline this, please email us at info@diamondsintheruffpetspa.com to prior to your pets groom.