Who takes their pet to be groomed?

[aberfitch]

6 chickens got a bath today!

 

[luvmychicknkids]

Yeah, these days, people are CRAZY!!! I think it is necessary to have something signed if you are taking care of anything for someone! I don't currently have a dog that requires grooming but had a poodle growing up. She was a nasty loittle thing and actually got kicked out of one "doggy salon". LOL Her final groomer was an amazing lady. She would come out looking like she had been hit by a train, holding a poufy, sweet smelling, bow clad Katrina...she would smile and say "she was a little angel" and I KNEW she was lying!!!

 

[amamaofmany]

My mother was a dog groomer from the time she was 16 until she got too much arthritis to continue. My parents owned a pet store for a number of years, and then they sold it & bought the grooming shop mom trained in. I was her Chief Dog Washer for years & years. I had no desire to EVER be a groomer! I think the reason mosquitos and fleas don't bite me is that I still have dip in my bloodstream!

Mom never needed a customer to sign anything back in the 60's and '70s. If she made some kind of mistake, she would not charge the person for her work and would offer something besides - shampoo or treats or other things she sold. She had the most loving and loyal customers on the planet and always worked to do good by them.

Now, I had to bathe some nasty animals. Things that bit and scratched and came at me with fangs, teeth and claws. I hated some dogs quite specifically and still (at age 44) remember the names of my Arch-nemesis dogs and cats.

Robby, the Yorkie, who wasn't happy until he hanged himself at least once trying to jump off the table or out of the tub. He worked at it, finding every means possible to get tangled in something so he would hang. No matter what we did, how we harnassed him, how carefully we arranged the world around him, he managed to hang himself by the neck in something - I personally think he was suicidal. Maybe he was. Couldn't take all the bows and foofy fragrances he had to endure.

Weenie-boy the shi'tzu who was all lovey dovey and gooey eyed until your guard was down. Then without warning he BIT! and there was no muzzle mom could buy that he couldn't get his blunt little nose around. He always got me.

Great White the (I thought at the time) 900 lb cat who was aptly named for the shark (Jaws was the film of the year) I HATED him. He would always find a way to jump onto me when he was slippery and soapy, dig his claws into my body through all my clothing & my canvas apron and chew on my face.

DId I mention I hated him? Passionately?

Good luck with your own grooming business, though. While I had a few animals I feared like death itself, there were hundreds of great animals over the years that I loved. Edgar, the singing airdale (he aspired to the opera and could put Beverly Sills to shame) and Lardo, the most enormous great pyraneese I've ever seen, who was as gentle as a stuffed toy. He was too big to wash in tub of any kind, so I washed him right on the floor over the floor drain.

But you know, when I think of my mom and get to missing her badly, I will go out of my way to visit a pet store, just to stand in the unique smell that come from petstores that have animals in them. I get all teary eyed --- then laugh maniacally because my days of washing and wearing someone else's critters are OVER!

 

[thewarriorchild]

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Been there done that, I love the wart one, like we are supposed to know...maybe make a dog piture and let people fill out any warts or things that need to be noticed? I used to do hard dogs, ones even the vets wouldnt do... muzzles were involved on occasion and I never got bit but a freind got bit by a OES and it was in her face.

While I thought this hysterical and almost wet my pants when I was learning to groom we had a HORNY airdale that would come in. My partner went to groom something on its front paws or something and it took the opprotunity to grab onto her and hump away. I thought I was gonna bust, I had enough control to get him off but my partner wasnt to thrilled. I don't know why.....

 

[thewarriorchild]

Quote:
I have done sedated dogs, they can be a pain for being limp and unable to stand and are like grooming a rag dog if to much. I just NEVER give the pills myself!

 

[monarc23]

i groom my own

 

[Lunachick]

My sister is a professional dog/cat groomer. She does my Pomeranian, we do her taxes.....plus we take care of each others pets when we are away...it's all good.

 

[Terri]

There are already laws set up in NC, for pet grooming salons, you do not have to have client sign release forms for boarding/grooming. You must have proof or Rabies vaccinations.
It is pretty much a given, pets move, most groomers move faster, but things happen. I always call client and "say your dog is a matted mess, i will not put it thru 3 hours of dematting, would you like to come and pick him up".

 

[klf73]

I am a professional groomer, went to school for it almost 18 years ago. Although I don't do it now because the hours were not condusive to child rearing. I would never sign it, my personal opinion. I would hold anyone responsible for snipping, cutting, etc my pet. I NEVER caused any harm to any of my clients. I would expect them to hold me responsible if I did. I had someone bring a cat to me. Apparently her daughter had tried to *cut some mats out of this long haired cat*. Well, I started shaving this poor cat down and found a nice sized cut under the mats, her adult daughter cut the cat. I stopped, did not finish the cat, called the owner. I told her after the cat was healed I would finish and did not ask her for payment (my personal thing). She insisted on paying me for my time and never brought her cat to the vet (I called her to check on the cat) but had a family friend check the cat out. This is how I was trained to handle something like this.

I worked for a friend whose boyfriend bought her a shop, I couldn't afford my own shop, and watched her smack a puppy because he wouldn't behave. I quit as I NEVER mishandled my clients animals and couldn't just stand there and watch her do it.

I would get something signed letting them know about how I would restrain their dog etc. but again would expect to be held accountable if I cause harm, that is what they taught us in school. If you harm the animal you are responsible for the vet bill that follows. With that said, most of the things listed are avoidable with proper training, clipper burn, nail quick cutting, cutting part of an ear, there are tricks and lessons to prevent them if trained.....

If you can not safely do the dog, then apologize and move on. If a dog is a total freak there are vets that have groomers in house that will cut their hair while they are sedated if need be. A professional is responsible for their actions, just my 2 cents....maybe I am just old fashioned

I know a lot of people just decide to groom and have seen horrible things happen because they figure *it can't be that hard*. I also think this trade should be handled the same way a hairdresser is, after all, our animals deserve the same level of care........

good luck in your endeavor

 

[ninjapoodles]

I'd be OK with most of it, but...the part about nicks, cuts, and clipper-burn? Yeah, I understand that stuff happens. We've owned and shown MULTIPLE poodles for years, after all. I shave my own dogs down most of the time. But when I want them to look extra-nice (I am NOT talented with scissors-shaping), I pay my amazing groomer. And when I pay a professional, I expect them to look darn-near perfect. I would be HUGELY disappointed if a dog of mine came home from a professional groomer with clipper burn--aside from a pre-existing skin condition, there's just no excuse for something like that. And we clip our dogs' faces, feet, and tails with a #40 surgical blade. I have never, in all my years of poodledom, had a dog get clipper-burn after grooming. All you need is sharp, clean clippers and the time to take care (I understand that that's easier for me to do at home than it is for someone with 10 dogs lined up waiting, though).

I guess if I were the groomer, and there was something about the condition of the dog that made that sort of thing likely, I'd call the owner during the job and let them make the call whether they wanted me to continue or not. Then I'd advise them about followup vet care or using a skin cream or whatever was called for.

I'm slightly more lax about quicking a nail--it happens to the best of us. But once you learn your way around those feet, you really do learn to spot the quick, even in black nails. I would expect, though, that upon quicking a nail, the groomer would stop, apply stiptych, and let the bleeding completely stop.

You might add a clause stating that you may choose to muzzle any dog who, in your opinion, presents a threat to you. It wouldn't bother me one bit, but I know that some people freak out at the sight of a muzzle.

DEFINITELY have a whole different fee schedule for heavily matted dogs! Those are the ones who are going to wear out your equipment faster, take up more of your time, and be more irritable because the process will be uncomfortable for them. You could lose the income from 4 dogs in the time it takes you to deal with one that's a big mess--charge accordingly.

One other little pet peeve I have as an owner of poodles (and this would apply to breeds like bichons, Bedlington terriers, etc.) is that not everyone who grooms dogs knows how to properly groom a poodle. If you use a clipper-guide only, and don't do any hand-scissoring, be up-front about that with the owner. Scissoring skill is the #1 thing I choose to pay for with my dogs. During the time my groomer relocated out of state for a couple of years, my heart was broken time and time again by groomers who assured me that they "knew how to do poodles." That said, lots of poodle owners would be happy for you to have their dogs to practice on. Knock a few bucks off the price, and practice scissoring. Have someone who's really good at it scissor half the dog, then you do the other half.

My favorite clip on a non-showing dog is a highly stylized sporting trim. It looks sooooo easy, but it is CRAZY hard. Any groomer who can do a good poodle sporting trim has earned my undying respect!

Good luck, and be prepared to work hard! Sometimes I help my groomer just to do MY dogs (I mean, there are seven of 'em, it goes faster if I wash and fluff), and those are the days that I absolutely understand how hard she works for her money. OOOF, my back!