Health and Medical Conditions

Procedures within the grooming environment can be stressful for some dogs, especially for senior, young, overweight dogs or those with medical concerns. The process may expose unknown medical conditions or aggravate a current one during or after the groom. In the best interest of your pet this agreement will give Top Dogs Grooming permission to seek emergency veterinary treatment if we deem it necessary for whatever reason. We will do the best to contact you first, before taking your pet for treatment, however this may not always be feasible. Unless we are deemed to be negligent all medical expenses are the responsibility of the owner. By agreeing to these Terms and Conditions you are expressly agreeing to the following disclaimer:

Elderly, Infirm, Overweight or Young Dogs Disclaimer
A full groom can take in-excess of 2 hours and is physically demanding as well as stressful for some animals. Whilst Top Dogs Grooming make every effort to provide additional support to elderly/infirm/overweight and young dogs we cannot guarantee that your dog will be able to adequately support themselves for the duration of the groom which may result in serious health risks. There is also an increased risk of other injuries such as cuts and grazes. Top Dogs Grooming reserve the right to stop the grooming process at anytime with payment in full being due on collection of your dog.

Vaccinations

By using our services, owners confirm that their dog is up to date with their annual vaccinations against Canine Distemper, Infectious Canine Hepatitis, Leptospirosis, and Canine Parvovirus. An unvaccinated dog may put itself and others at risk. Top Dogs Grooming takes no responsibility for any dog that may contract any of the aforementioned diseases.

Top Dogs Grooming may ask for proof of vaccination and veterinary information which must be provided.

Fleas & Ticks

Top Dogs Grooming is proud to be a tick/flea free environment. If your dog is known to have a parasitic infestation, we ask that your grooming appointment is rescheduled to a time when your pet is free from said infestation. 48 hours notice must be provided to avoid a cancellation charge. We recommend that you contact your Veterinary Surgeon to provide you with the best recommended treatment. If fleas are found on your dog, we will use a flea shampoo and be required to do additional disinfection of our premises and equipment. An additional £15 will be charged to your bill. If ticks are found an additional £5 will be charged to include removal. We will not be held responsible for any infection caused by the tick or removal thereof.

Coat Condition

Top Dogs Grooming practice humanity over vanity. If we are presented with a neglected coat and believe, in our professional opinion, it is kinder to remove the coat than it is to de-matt  this will be done in accordance with The Animal Welfare Act 2006. Whilst we will make every effort to identify this as part of the pre-groom consultation and coat assessment there may be occasions where the degree of matting cannot be fully identified until we commence the groom.

In this event we will make every effort to discuss with you, however if this is not possible we will, in our professional opinion, do what we believe is in the best interest of the welfare of the dog. By agreeing to these Terms and Conditions you are expressly agreeing to the following De-Matting disclaimer:

De-Matting Disclaimer
Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to an animal: – this includes prolonged ‘de-matting’ which is painful and detrimental to the welfare of the dog. If you bring in your dog with more than 15 minutes of de-matting work, we are required by the Act to clip your dog short humanely or refer you to your vet to do the same. We will only attempt to de-matt 5% of a dog – which equates to about 50p sized mat behind each ear, same size in the armpits and perhaps one or two in the groin or tail area. We have assessed your dog’s coat and found it to be matted, therefore it needs to be clipped short. This can be prevented by daily brushing with a slicker brush and comb. Will be happy to explain the correct way to brush your dog and suggest a grooming programme that will allow us to achieve the look you would like for your dog, this may involve more frequent visits to our salon and will certainly involve daily grooming at home. 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 occasional reveal sore, reddened and irritated skin, this is due to the fact that the skin has not been able to breathe, and air circulation is not restored. Clipping a matted coat can take longer and cause additional wear and tear on our equipment so a further fee may 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 that will be used as well as possible haematomas. In addition, you may see some behavioural changes such as head shaking, excessive scratching, licking and “scooting”. This is where the dog will scrape their back end on the floor to relive itching and irritations. Should you have any concerns you should seek advise from your usual vet.

Additional charges may be incurred due to the wear on equipment, additional products used, as well as time and skill needed to remove matting.

Behavioural Charges

Aggression
Owners have the obligation to inform Top Dogs Grooming of any known aggressive behaviour traits their pet may have to other animals or humans. Specifically, the owner must inform Top Dogs Grooming if they have been advised by pervious groomer(s) of any of the aforementioned behaviours.

Nervous/Anxious Dogs
Although Top Dogs Grooming caters to dogs with nervous traits, owners have the obligation to inform us of any such behaviours in order for us to cater to their needs to the best of our ability.

Behavioural charges will be decided by Top Dogs Grooming depending on the severity of the behaviour and the time, skill, and equipment required to groom the dog. If your dog should bite you agree to be responsible for all related medical bills, loss of earnings and equipment damage. We reserve the right to refuse service if we believe your dog may become a danger to itself or those within the salon. In the event any of these behaviours present during the groom the session may stopped at anytime and the full fee incurred.

Please toilet your dog before attending their appointment. Fouling in the salon may result in additional charges.

Bookings

At the time of booking you will be offered a date an APPROXIMATE time, this is due to the nature of the business when working with animals and travel as both can be unpredictable. Please allow up to 60mins either side of the appointment time. Wherever possible I will try to communicate with you if safe to do so and inform you if there will be any further delays and if the appointment is able to continue or not.

Pricing

Any prices provided are an estimate only. Additional charges may be incurred due to:
• Overweight dogs or oversized for the breed
• Unkept/neglected coats
• Aggressive, senior, nervous or timid dogs that require additional handling
• Fleas and/or ticks
• Dogs that require additional handling for whatever reason

Cancellations

We require 48 hours notice for cancelled appointments or the full grooming charge will apply and must be paid in full before re-booking.

General

Top Dogs Grooming are unable to groom pregnant or in season bitches and will not provide services for any dogs noted under the Dangerous Dogs Act. Should your Bitch be in season during the time of a pre-booked appointment 48 hours notice must be provided to avoid the cancellation charge noted above.

Hold Harmless Agreement

By using our services you agree to hold Top Dogs Grooming its owners, employees and directors harmless from any damage, loss, or claim arising from any condition of the  dog, either known or unknown to us. It is also further understood and agreed the terms of this agreement can change at any time, without notice, and will overwrite any and all prior signed contracts or releases. It is further understood this clause applies to any and all dogs groomed.

GDPR Statement

In order for us to provide the requested services, we are required to obtain and store a limited amount of your personal information. Such information will be stored in accordance with all relevant legislation, will never be shared with any 3rd parties or organisations and will only be used for the purposes of providing the requested or related services. You have the right to request and review any of your personal information. Please make any requests to Julie at samjoolie@btinternet.co.uk