Salon Policies

Your animal is very important to us. We would like to assure you that every effort will be made to make your animal's grooming experience as safe and pleasant as possible. Safety comes first for everyone during the grooming process: people as well as the animals. You are required to execute a Grooming Release form prior to any services being performed. 

Current Vaccinations:

All dogs being serviced in our grooming salon must be current on their Rabies, Bordetella and Distemper vaccinations and provide documentation of such. Flea and Tick prevention must be up to date year-round to ensure pets are not put at risk of catching fleas or passing them on. All puppies must be current on their puppy series vaccines including Bordetella. Copies of documentation must be provided. Failure to present vaccinations at the time of appointment will result in refusal of services. It is up to the owner to stay current on vaccinations and check your pet has the correct vaccines prior to your grooming appointment. 

Cancellations/No call-No Show 

Because we book on an hourly basis and cancellations can leave an empty block in the schedule that could have otherwise been used by another customer, we ask that any rescheduling or cancellations be made at least 48 business hours in advance and no less than 24hours. A fee of 50% of the service will apply for cancellations less than 24 hours in advance. If you do not call to cancel and do not show up to your appointment, this is considered a “no call, no show” and a fee of 100% of the service will apply. The fee is required to be paid before another appointment may be scheduled.

Fleas/Ticks

All pets must be up to date year-round on flea and tick prevention. If a pet is found to have fleas, the grooming session will be immediately cancelled and pets must be picked up promptly. There will be a deep cleaning fee of $20 to ensure fleas are not passed on to any other animal on the premises. Appointments will be rescheduled only when fleas have not been present for 10 days.

Matted Coats

Pets with severely matted coats require extra attention. Matts in a pet’s coat grow tight and can ultimately damage and tear the pet's skin, which provides a breeding ground for parasite infestations and infections. An Tara will not cause serious or undue stress to your pet by de-matting excessively matted coats and may require the pet to be shaved down. Removing a heavily matted coat can cause nicks, cuts, or abrasions due to skin growths trapped in the matts. Heavy matting can also trap moisture and urine near the pet's skin allowing mold, fungus or bacteria to grow, producing skin irritations that exist prior to the grooming process. Matts break down and weaken the skin and can cause tissue to die off and tear the skin. There is no way for your groomer to tell if the skin will tear due to matting, therefore the groomer will not be liable for any tears in the skin caused by your pets coat not being brushed out. 

After-effects of matt removal procedures can include itchiness, skin redness, self-inflicted irritations, abrasions, and possible failure of the hair to regrow. In some cases, pets may also exhibit brief behavioral changes. If your pet needs to be shaved to remove matting, you acknowledge that you agree to this procedure and any risk presented. There will be an additional charge for this process: it is very time consuming and causes extra wear on grooming equipment. De-Matting will be charged at $15 per 20 minutes for small areas of matting. For Pets with excessive matting (head to toe and extremely compacted) Fees start at $150. The groomer will assess the coat prior to any service being started. Sometimes coats look fine and until pets are in the tub, we cannot tell the full extent of matting until the pet is wet. The groomer will contact you prior to shave downs and verbal consent will be needed to continue the groom. 

Extended Stay

Dogs that are left in our care for more than 30 minutes before their scheduled appointment and/or for more than 30minutes after we let you know your pet will be ready for collection, will incur a charge of $1 per minute after the 30-minute grace period. Dogs that soil their crate resulting in the need for an extra bath due to not being picked up on time, will incur a charge equal to 50% of their regular bath price for this service. (Should you wish for your dog to stay and play, they are welcome to join daycare at a rate of $25 for the day.

Accidents:

Although accidents are very rare, there’s always a risk when handling live animals. Although we exercise extreme caution and care in all situations’, grooming equipment is extremely sharp and possible accidents can occur. This includes (but not limited to): cuts, nicks, scratches, or quicking of the nails. In most cases this can happen when a pet is wiggling or moving around. Your pet’s safety and comfort is our number one priority. In the event an accident does occur, you will be notified immediately.  If the groomer feels it is an accident requiring veterinary attention and the pet owner is not on-site, the groomer will seek immediate veterinary care for your animal. Owners should exercise pets prior to visit to help burn off some energy / excitement thus making it less likely for an accident to occur. 

Pet Matter

There has been an increasing number of customers who have taken their pet to go potty and left without picking it up. If you do not have a sanitary bag, please ask inside and we can provide one for you. Clients that do not pick up after their pet will be fined $50 for each offence. Cameras have been installed to help us identify repeat offenders. 

Health or Medical Problems:

Occasionally grooming can expose a hidden medical problem or aggravate a current one. This can occur during or after grooming. All medical expenses for veterinary care will be covered by the animal's owner upon signing this agreement.

Sedated Pets

If you sedate your pet for its appointment and do not inform us of it, you understand that we will not be held liable for any repercussions related to the sedation. If your pet requires sedation to be groomed, a veterinary letter must be obtained. A licensed, registered veterinarian should sedate your pet before their grooming appointment at An Tara Grooming. Owners should inform the groomer of what medication has been administered, when and how much was given. Should complications arise resulting in emergency care, your groomer will have the appropriate information to inform the veterinarian. 

Dangerous or Aggressive Animals -- Refusal of Services

An Tara has the right to refuse any services at any time, in the event that your animal is too stressed or becomes too dangerous to groom, the service will be stopped and owner will be contacted. The client will be charged a grooming fee for the services rendered until that point.

Veterinarian Authorization -- Medical Emergencies:

This release gives An Tara Grooming full authorization to seek medical treatment from the nearest licensed veterinarian in the case of any medical emergencies while your pet is in the care of the groomer at An Tara. Owners will be notified as soon as pet is admitted into veterinary care or before by another member of staff where possible. All veterinary costs and expenses will be the responsibility of the animal's owner.

Other Fees

Special Handling Fee – if your dog requires a second handler to be safely groomed, a fee of $10 or more will apply. Fees are based on the amount of time a second handler is required and size and weight of animal.

Expedited service fee – If you need your pet do be done in a hurry you should let us know in advance. A fee of $25 plus regular service fee will apply. Expedited services can only be carried out on a 9AM appointment or last appointment of the day. The same fee of $25 applies to next day services if we have to squeeze your pet in. We cannot always guarantee that we can squeeze your pet in during peak seasons. 

Payment

Payment is due at time of pick-up. We accept cash, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Apple Pay, Contactless and Venmo. Customers who have cancelled on three consecutive occasions will be asked to pay prior to booking the service to hold their spot. 

Satisfaction

Your satisfaction is important to us. If you are unhappy for any reason, and would like something adjusted, we will be happy to make any adjustments when you pick-up your pet from his/her appointment. We also understand that your pet is excited to see you when you pick them up, making it hard to closely evaluate the haircut. If, once you get home, you decide that you would like something adjusted, please call us and we’ll make arrangements. You must call us and bring your pet in within 24 hours of picking them up from their appointment, otherwise fees may apply for a bath and brush out service. An Tara Grooming employees will not shave or style a dog with a dirty coat as it can lead to infections if dirt gets into the hair follicle and may also blunts shears and razors. 

Service Contract 

I have reviewed this Service Contract for accuracy and understand the contents of this contract. I affirm that I am the rightful legal owner of the dog(s) for which services are being rendered. I authorize this signed contract to be valid approval for future grooming services, permitting An Tara to accept telephone reservations or emails for service without additional signed contracts or written authorization. I understand that pricing is subject to change. I have read, signed, and agreed to the above.