SALON POLICIES & SERVICE AGREEMENT

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Pets are accepted for grooming services under the following circumstances:

• The pet is fit, deemed healthy, and of sound mind. The grooming that takes place on pets with known medical conditions or an elderly pet will be at the owner's risk. Please discuss ALL KNOWN MEDICAL ISSUES with your groomer so it can be noted in your pet's profile.
• Any pet administered a prescription sedation medication to alleviate anxiety prior to its grooming appointment must be reported to us as some medications do run the risk of side effects such as seizures. Should your pet experience such, your groomer will immediately stop the service, call you for an immediate pickup, and keep your pet comfortable until your arrival. As such, THE DOG SPAW cannot be held liable for any side effects incurred from a medication you administered prior to the grooming process.
• The grooming process may expose pre-existing health or skin conditions that are not visible to the eye. As such, THE DOG SPAW cannot be held liable in such instances.
• The pet's rabies vaccine must be up to date (as required by law). We will also honor rabies titers or a medical waiver that has been issued by a licensed vet.
• In the event of an emergency, in your absence, you authorize THE DOG SPAW to contact one of the nearest veterinarian (depending on salon location) and authorize the veterinarian to treat the pet as necessary at your expense. 
• Payment is to be made at the time of service. Payment can be cash, check, credit card, or gift card. Returned checks will incur a $35 charge. Our rates are based on the breed, size, age, coat condition, and duration of the groom/service. Nail cutting and ear cleaning are part of all our grooming service packages unless the process is too stressful for the pet or too dangerous for the groomer. 
• Tips are greatly appreciated by your groomer directly in the form of cash or Venmo. We do not accept tips on credit card payments.
• We do NOT offer anal gland expression unless discussed with your groomer prior to your pet's service.
• For liability reasons, THE DOG SPAW has its salon video monitored for our protection and your pet's. In addition, we reserve the right to terminate service to any pet that our groomers may not feel comfortable going completing whether for severe health reasons, age or behavior.

PETS THAT ARE MATTED: 

• De-matting (a/k/a removal of knots) will only be performed on a pet in areas not deemed "too sensitive" or when the groomer feels it's not going to be too stressful and/or uncomfortable for your pet. However, if this is not the case, a complete coat removal (shave down) will be recommended so that a new, healthy, and even coat can grow in. The length of coat left on your pet will be determined by how tight the matting is on your pet's skin as the blade needs to get under the matting in order for it to be done correctly. When such a procedure is performed, please note that it will dramatically alter your pet's appearance for at least a few weeks until a new coat grows in.
• Shaving your pet down may expose pre-existing health or skin problems that were not visible to the eye nor caused by our groomer. As such, THE DOG SPAW cannot be held liable in such instances. In addition, some pets may experience a mild irritation/reddening of the skin after a shave down; depending on how tight the matting was on your pet's skin. This is common as blood circulation is also normalizing back to the surface of the skin and can last up to a few days. In most instances, a vet visit is NOT necessary. Any vet visit incurred because of normal and common "shave down" side effects will be the sole responsibility of the pet owner. However, your groomer will be happy to discuss ways to help keep your pet comfortable until those side effects subside.

PETS WITH PESTS:

• Should your pet's groomer find evidence of fleas, it is salon policy to perform a natural flea bath. As such, an additional fee starting at $15 will be added to your service bill.
• Should embedded ticks be found on your pet, we will remove up to 4 at no charge. There will be a surcharge added should there be more than 5 ticks.

ARRIVAL & PICK UP TIMES:

• It is expected that you arrive for your appointment on time. However, we understand that instances arise. Should you be running a FEW minutes late, please call the salon servicing your pet with an ETA so we can inform your groomer.
• Should you be running 15 or more minutes late, it's under the discretion of the groomer to do one of two things: A. Perform what she can in the time you arrive for the time that was allocated for your pet's service, or B. Request for you to reschedule to another date & time should your pet's normal service be very time-consuming.
• Please walk your pet to relieve itself in the designated potty areas outside our facility to prevent any accidents happening in our salon. Pet waste disposable bags are available outside our building.
• You will be contacted at least 15-30 minutes prior to your pet being ready to be picked up. Because we allocate enough private suite space for each client coming in each day, we expect you to pick up your pet within half an hour of the pick-up ready time. Should your pet be waiting after half an hour, we may impose a $5.00 surcharge for every 15 minutes thereafter.

CANCELLATIONS:

• Cancellation and rescheduling of an appointment by the client require at least 24 hours' notice to avoid the last-minute cancellation fee of $25. However, in the event of inclement weather, a family emergency, or any other uncontrollable circumstance, the groomer has the discretion to waive the last-minute cancellation fee.
• We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule a grooming service should your pet's groomer have an emergency or is sick that prevents her from coming to work. However, every effort will be made to shift your pet's grooming service to another groomer if the schedule allows it on the same day or reschedule at a time convenient for both the client and the regular groomer.  

NO SHOWS:
It is considered a "no-show" when the client has confirmed an appointment but simply does not show up for the appointment and neglected to contact us or the groomer to cancel or reschedule. In instances like this:

• A credit card must be kept on file in order to schedule any future appointments.
• We reserve the right to charge the FULL grooming fee due to the loss of revenue caused by a "no-show" which must be collected as well in order to schedule a new grooming appointment. Therefore, please make every effort to call to cancel or reschedule when possible to avoid such situations.