Who takes their pet to be groomed?

[stormylady]

Quote:
Hi my groomer charges me 17.00 dollars per dog. I don't get anything really fancy, they are toy poodles they are pets and I don't show them or anything, all i ask that they be cut down low with top knot and tail poof, as long as it looks clean and they are comfortable Im ok with it. Also I do tip him, because he is such a great guy with them alway soft spoken but firm, never have I had one of them come home with so much as a scratch when with him, however there are a couple of pro groomers that have charged so much more like 35.00 to 40.00 to do one dog, they were not nice, not easy with them and had skinned spots and some nicks, and my dogs hated them! So if he wants to groom them for $ 17 . Im more than happy with that. Also he does a booming bussiness! And I don't think in the years that he has been doing my dogs Ive ever even heard a complaint about him. I do believe that if he did up his charge, all of his customers would pay without even thinking about it. Just love that man! Word of mouth is you best friend or your worst enemy when it comes to bussiness' that deals directly with people who are paying you for a service.

Sorry got alittle long winded there! LOL

I guess what Im saying is that even if he is not making as much per dog he has a long, steady and reliable list of clients that will keep him in bussiness over the years. Sandy

 

[ChickenToes]

My mom took her shih-tzu to a groomer once or twice a year to get him shaved. Those dogs are the cutest little buggers when they have short hair.

Anyway, as far as I know she never had to sign anything. I personally would be leery of signing anything, but that's just me. I would be happier just to turn the animal over to the groomer, and if anything happened, I would want the groomer to call me immediately so we could discuss it and figure out the next course of action.

Right now I have a Bloodhound that doesn't need grooming, although I have to brush her several times a week becomes she sheds like you wouldn't believe...

 

[klf73]

Quote:
"Dunk-a-dog." That is great!

OK, I guess I can see doing those cheap. But a poodle? Dang, y'all, you need to be gettin' PAID.

I'm guessing you could get a mini done around here for the $35 range. I'm so bad about letting mine all get shaggy at the same time, I'll call my groomer and say, "I've got X amount of dollars--come do as much as you can for that!" We have often bartered goods and services, too. We sold her a horse once, and that was my favorite deal, because we didn't pay for grooming for a solid year!

When I had my first *mini* show-poodle's pattern set, the groomer (not my regular--this was when she was out of state) charged me $125. And I brought the dog TO him already bathed and blown out!

I had a friend that had a long haired cat (never matted) and everytime I needed a haircut I called her to see if she needed her cat done and we would trade

 

[redhen]

Quote:
ooh, then NOPE, i would for sure not sign the contract..no way...lol...because if you nick my dog.(accidents happen)..maybe it will then turn to bite you...*its a dogs natural instinct sometimes...espically with a stranger...*..so then why should i be responsible for you getting bit?? so sorry, but no way, i would not sign that contract now...the rest seems fine to me though...

 

[TheNewMrsEvans]

Obviously I am used to being bit, scratched and the like, but if a dog takes out my eye with no warning...I think my health insurance would drop me then and there...When you are working for a shop they have insurance to protect the employees from things that happen on the job...I am all on my own, no insurance except my health insurance with my hubby's company. While I thoroughly doubt anything serious will happen, I am pretty frikin fast when I see teeth coming, what if it did? What would you do?
Like I posted before I have never hurt a dog except for the one I got too close on the wee-wee...and I called the lady apologized and put salve on it...he was fine...she actually laughed that he should know how to hold still while I clipper near his business

Obviously I would offer the groom for free, but in many cases for the crazy people that wouldn't be enough...
I just don't know how to protect myself without coming off as ridiculous...

 

[redhen]

Quote:
ooh, i totally understand you wanting to protect yourself from crazy people law suits!..i hear you on that! i would think thats a good idea to put THAT in the contract! but, the only problem i had was with, you making ME responsible for their actions while they are in YOUR care....know what i mean? because, how do i know my dog wont nip you if you nick her? i dont know that..noone knows 100% what an animal will do...so thats why i would not feel comfortable signing that contract...i do not want to get sued by you.(if my dog bites you..).....just as you dont want to get sued by me...

i understand accidents/nicks happen..and i never worry about it...BUT, if my groomer wanted me to sign something saying she could sue me if my dog bit her...i would not sign it...sorry...

 

[Cetawin]

Quote:
Oh I totally as well. I must admit that I would have chuckled to and hoped he learned to watch his business as well. If someone where clipping me there I would not breath! LOL

 

[horsejody]

My Lhasa Apso gets groomed. I have seen him being groomed, and his regular groomer loves him. He stands like a statue. When they reposition him he becomes Gumby and and can be molded to stand or sit any way they want. I have never had to sign a release. I wouldn't have any trouble signing your release, except for the part that says, "If an injury has already occurred, customer is responsible for the pet’s actions." I understand that accidents happen and wouldn't hold a groomer responsible for a nick or cut, but I don't think it should be my responsibility if my dog gets cut or pinched and he nips the person that did it. I think that those types of occurances are just the cost of doing business as a groomer. Of course a psychotic or vicious dog injuring a groomer is a whole different story.

As a side note, Leo had to go to another groomer when an appointment was unavailable at his regular place. The vet's office had a groomer on staff. So I took him there. When I picked him up Leo was sore, and it got worse as the day went on. I called the office and asked if anything had happened. I talked to the receptionist. The receptionist told me that she had seen the groomer handle Leo roughly (no he didn't misbehave - she was in a hurry). She had lifted Leo's back leg up to trim underneath. She lifted his one leg up so high and fast that both back feet were up off the table and he was yelping. The receptionist turned to look when she heard the yelps and saw Leo being held up by one leg. She told the groomer to knock it off. At the time she thought Leo was OK. The receptionist was not there when I picked him up, and the groomer didn't tell me what she had done. I was as mad as a hornet when I found out. The vet that owned the clinic apologized and treated Leo's pulled muscle at no charge. The poor baby was on anti-inflamatories and took 2 weeks to heal. That was Leo's only negative groomer experience. Unfortunately, Leo is an epileptic. He has never had a seizure at the groomer's, but it can cause a bit of anxiety and cause a seizure within a few days. His regular groomers are great people, but I have to leave him there for a few hours to be done. There is a pet store near us that will allow you to stay with the dog while he is groomed. We tried that last weekend, and Leo seemed very relaxed with me there watching. I paid extra for the service, but that's OK. As a side note, the grooming job was OK but not as nice as his old regular groomer. Man those people could make a dog look like a million bucks!

 

[TheNewMrsEvans]

What a cutie!
Well I just don't know how to put it in there if the dog goes ape unexpectedly and it results in me going to the doctor...I'm not afraid of being bitten...I was bitten in the thumb by a bulldog and it took about 2 months to heal, but the dog was vaccinated so I just took care of it myself...I'm only afraid if I have to go to the emergency to get my hand reattached...I'm obviously not going to do a dog that seems aggressive or continue doing one that turns aggressive, but all it take is 2 seconds for a dog to kick your butt if it wants to...they are way better equipped for battle than we are! Ug I just don't want to wind up hand-less with no way to pay for it!

Thanks again for all of your insight!

 

[breconbcs]

You can change the wording to be more along the lines of adding a yes/no question: Has your dog ever nipped or bit a person? Then add in further down: If the dog has a history or perpencity (sp??) to nip or bite, owner is responsible for all doctor/medical bills associated with any injury groomer receives.

Also the groomer I've used in the past as a question and answer section on her contract. Treats allowed, any bath issues, etc. She gets it on paper to protect herself. If I fill out he has no allergies and she gives him a treat or baths him with something and breaks out in hot spots or gets ill, I can't come after her for the vet bills cause she has in writing that I said it was okay to give/use.

This helps put an owner of a known biter on notice too cause some won't tell you - a lawyer could help clean up that wording. It's always best to have a lawyer look over your contract.