Terms & Conditions

TERMS & CONDITIONS

Thank you for choosing Fab Dogz. Please carefully read through the following Terms and Conditions before booking.

All your data is confidential and will not be shared with any third party. Please inform me of any changes in your pet’s health or temperament or your personal details to allow us to continue to provide a service tailored to your pet’s needs.

YOUR PET’S HEALTH AND WELFARE

Whilst your pet is in my care, its health and welfare are my priority. While I endeavour to tailor each groom to align with the owner’s requests, it is important to note that each dog is an individual in terms of their ability and willingness to tolerate different processes and aspects of grooming. A groom will only be carried out according to your dog’s tolerance of the process. If your dog is fearful of any procedures during grooming, an alternative approach will be employed. Sometimes, during grooming, a pre-existing condition may be discovered which you may not be aware of. I perform a groomer’s health check while grooming to assess the health of the skin, coat, nails, mouth, ears and eyes and sometimes I may detect signs of ill health in other parts of your dog’s body too. I will notify you of any issues I find so that you can seek veterinary advice. Please note that a groomer’s health check is not a replacement for health checks performed by a qualified veterinarian. Although extremely unlikely, accidents can happen during grooming. Therefore, it is compulsory that you remain at the property where the groom is taking place so that in the event of an accident or serious medical issue arising during your pet’s groom, you are immediately on hand to seek emergency veterinary treatment from your registered veterinary practitioner. Should you, for any reason, not be contactable in such a situation, then you authorise me to seek emergency veterinary treatment.

Your dog’s groom will take place in my state-of-the-art mobile grooming van outside the property you have requested. It is important that you remain at the property throughout the groom and do not come out to the van during the course of the groom. Occasionally, an owner will request to be present during their dog’s groom, but this will invariably prevent your dog from settling and will therefore make the groom more stressful, dangerous, and of a lower quality. Because of the impact on your dog’s safety, my insurance provider, understandably, does not agree to cover situations when an owner is present in the vehicle during a groom. If your dog detects that you are outside the van, hears your voice, detects your scent, or is otherwise alerted to your presence, they will become very excited and/or unsettled. If this occurs, it may be necessary to terminate the rest of the groom for the safety of your dog, and the full price of the groom will still be payable despite not being completed. If you need to contact me for any reason during your dog’s groom, please phone me, and I will get back to you as soon as I am able, taking into account your dog’s safety and welfare at all times.

GROOM FEEDBACK

Upon completion, you will be given detailed feedback for every groom. If you have any queries or need further clarification, please just ask or contact me at a later stage. In the unlikely event that you are dissatisfied with any aspect of your dog’s groom, please let me know before I leave. Reasonable requests to alter the trim will be dealt with immediately or changes noted for the next groom. I am more than happy to disclose any details of your dog’s groom or advise you on how best to care for your dog’s coat between grooms.

PRICING

Every dog is an individual, and there are many aspects that will affect the price of a groom. Some can be predicted before the groom takes place, and at other times, there will be factors that affect the price that will not be evident until the groom is taking place. For this reason, any prices given are not exact quotations but are starting prices which are based on the assumption that:

1) Your dog is used to being professionally groomed on a regular schedule – a minimum of once per season, 4 times per year, but depending on the breed, more frequent grooming may be necessary, especially for curly-coated breeds that benefit from a more regular schedule of every 4-6 weeks in order to maintain their coat condition.

2) Your dog’s coat is correctly maintained between professional grooms (kept tangle, knot, and matt-free by regular brushing and combing).You can reasonably expect to pay more than the starting price for:

Matted, poorly maintained, or overgrown coats
Pets that are difficult to manage or uncooperative during grooming.
Overweight pets or those oversized for the breed standard.
Timid, anxious, elderly or nervous pets, which require frequent breaks and may need special handling.

These factors require more time, labour, and/or products, which will result in the groom being charged at a higher price. If I am unable to complete a groom due to behavioural problems or aggression, the full starting price of the groom will still be due.

PAYMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS

Payment for your groom can be made with cash or card. All clients are requested to keep a valid credit or debit card securely on file to cover late cancellations. However, if you prefer, you may pay for the full price of booked grooming services at the time of booking. If the latter option is chosen, you understand that the price paid at the time of booking is a starting price and is based on the assumptions mentioned above. Numerous factors affect the final price of your dog’s groom, and therefore you will be informed of the total price of your groom on its completion, including any additional charges due, and the balance will be due immediately.

When booking, I kindly request you provide a credit/debit card to be kept on file to cover any future transactions, including any no-shows or late cancellation/rescheduling of appointments. A minimum of 48 hours' notice is required to cancel or reschedule a booked appointment. Any cancellations/rescheduling made with less than 48 hours' notice must be charged for in full, and you authorise payment to be taken from your card on file in the absence of the full payment being made by any other means. Likewise, in the unlikely event that you fail to be present at the agreed appointment time for your dog’s groom, the full cost of any booked grooming services must be paid. You authorise payment of all due fees from your nominated credit/debit card. I give a 15-minute grace period for each appointment; after this window, the appointment will be classed as a no-show, and the full amount will be charged.If a groom cannot be completed on welfare grounds or because your dog exhibits difficult-to-manage behaviour, the full price of the groom (plus any additional fees incurred during the course of the groom) still applies and is due immediately when your dog is returned. Grooming fees paid at the time of booking are refundable up to 48 hours prior to your appointment. Any cancellations or rescheduled appointments made with less than 48 hours' notice are charged in full, and therefore the paid fees are non-refundable at that point.

MULTI-DOG BOOKINGS

As with all bookings, a carefully planned time slot is reserved for each dog’s groom, and appointments scheduled for multiple dogs on the same booking will naturally have a longer time slot allocated to them to accommodate each dog’s groom. Therefore, the cancellation policy stated above applies to each dog on the booking separately. Should one or more dogs from a multi-dog booking not be available to be groomed during the scheduled appointment, the full cost of all booked grooming services will still be due unless 48 hours' notice has been given to cancel or reschedule as outlined in the above cancellation policy.

PHOTOGRAPHS

Your dog may be photographed before, during, and after its groom. Photographs may be used on my website, printed materials, and social media. Please let me know if you’d prefer your dog’s photos not to be used for these purposes.

TIME KEEPING

Please be punctual. I 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; a no-show is lost income. Most grooms take between 1-3 hours or more, depending on the size and temperament of the dog and its coat condition. Please do not make yourself known to your dog while it is in the mobile salon, as your presence may distract your dog during the finishing stage of its groom. This could result in a situation where your dog becomes too excited/agitated for the groom to be completed. If this occurs, the full price of the groom and any additional charges incurred during the groom will still be due. It is therefore very important that you do not come out to the van, knock on the van door, or be present around the mobile grooming van where your dog will detect your scent or hear your voice, as this could create a less than adequate situation during your dog’s groom. If you need to contact me during your dog’s groom, you are advised to phone me or leave a message, and I will get back to you when it is safe for me and your dog for me to do so. Your dog’s safety is my priority. There must be someone present at your property/grooming location at all times throughout the groom. If, for any reason, I cannot reach you when it is time to give your dog back to you at the end of the grooming appointment, a late fee will be charged at an extra charge of £10 every 15 minutes or part thereof.

NEGLECTED & MATTED COATS

In the event that your pet’s coat needs to be clipped down to release it from matting or coat neglect, Fab Dogz and its owner are not liable for any post-grooming effects of this procedure, which is not without risk. When a dog’s coat becomes matted, it causes discomfort as the matts pull tightly on the skin and underlying health conditions may not be visible. When a matted coat is clipped short, it may occasionally reveal sore, reddened, and irritated skin due to the skin not being able to breathe and air circulation not being restored. Clipping a matted coat can take longer and cause additional wear and tear on my equipment, so a further fee will be chargeable in addition to the normal groom price.

The process of de-matting increases the risk of injury, including but not limited to cuts and grazes, skin irritations caused by the shortness of the clipper blades, and possible haematomas. In addition, you may see some behavioural changes such as head shaking, excessive scratching, licking, and “scooting” (scraping their back end on the floor to relieve itching and irritations). Should you have any concerns, you should seek advice from your usual vet.Any humane de-matting will be undertaken solely at the groomer's 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 matt release is likely to take and an estimated cost for the procedure. A shave down consumes significantly more time, labour, product, and tool/equipment wear and tear than a routine trim, therefore will incur an extra charge.

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 and displays aggression that I have not been informed of during its session, the groom will be terminated immediately and 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 future services. Your attention is drawn to The Dangerous Dogs Act, which legally holds owners liable for bites and injuries caused by their dogs.

DOGS WITH MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND/OR SENIOR DOGS

It is understandable that some dogs, especially ageing individuals, will naturally suffer from or develop health issues throughout their lives. It is your responsibility to inform me if your dog has any medical conditions that may be relevant to their groom. It is important that you are aware that when some medical conditions are present, grooming can be higher risk as it can cause stress that can exacerbate or expose new problems or even lead to a serious medical event or death. There are mental and behavioural changes in senior dogs or dogs with medical conditions, and they will therefore be groomed for comfort only and not appearance. Fab Dogz and its owner will not be held liable should any problem/medical issues occur due to pre-existing medical conditions related to age or otherwise.

I am unable to provide any grooming service for pregnant bitches and/or bitches who have recently given birth (still lactating and nursing pups). Any dog that has recently undergone surgery or another invasive medical veterinary procedure must be given the all-clear from your vet before you book your dog for any grooming services. It is your responsibility to ensure your dog has been given the necessary time to recover and that your vet is happy for your dog to be groomed before booking.

ACCIDENTS

There is always the possibility that an accident could occur. Even though I use extreme caution and care in all situations, possible problems could arise, including cuts, nicks, scratches, and the quickening of the nails. In most cases, this can happen when a pet is wiggling or moving around. Every effort will be made to ensure your pet is groomed as safely as possible. However, although it is very unlikely, there is always some risk of injuries or allergic reactions to grooming products or procedures. If you believe that your dog has been injured due to the grooming process, I will require a full written veterinary report stating the cause of injury whilst in my care so this can be passed to my insurance company for a full review.

FLEAS AND TICKS

If fleas are found on your dog during the grooming process, your pet will be treated with flea shampoo, and you will be charged an additional fee of £10 to cover the cost of the shampoo and for fumigating the mobile grooming salon afterwards to prevent fleas from being passed onto any other dogs. In the case of a severe infestation of fleas, I reserve the right to stop the groom and send your dog home without finishing grooming. Should this occur, the full cost of all booked grooming services will still be due. Please make every effort to ensure your dog is flea-treated and free from fleas before their appointment.Ticks found on your dog will be removed if it is safe to do so. Ticks can carry harmful pathogens such as Lyme disease, so if a tick is detected and/or removed, you are strongly advised to monitor your dog for any signs of ill health and consult your vet if you suspect your dog may be suffering from an infection.