Terms and Conditions

Health and Medical Conditions
Procedure 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 Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd permission to seeek emergency veterinary treatment if we deem it ;necessary for whatever reason. We will do our 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, Overweight or Young Dogs Disclaimer
A full groom can take in-excess of 3 hours and is physcally demanding as well as stressful for some animals. Whilst Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd 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 custs and grazes. Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd 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. Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd takes no responsibility for any dog that may contract any of the aforementioned diseases. Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd may ask for proof of vaccinatin and veterinary information which must be provided.

Fleas & Ticks
Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd is proud to be a tick/flea free environment. If your dog is known to have a parasitic infestation, we will immediately send your dog for flea treatment at an extra cost. If your pet is overly infected with ticks/fleas, Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd may ask that your groooming appointment be rescheduled to a time when your pet is free from the said infestation. 48 hours must be provided to avoid a cancelation 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 treatment shampoo and we would be required to do additional disinfection of our premises and equipment. An additonal £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
Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd 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 to it is to de-mat, this will be done in accordance with The Animal Welfare Act 2006. Whilst we will make every effort to identitiy this as part of the pre-groom consultation and coat assessment, there may be occasions where the degree of matting cannot be fully identied until we commence the groom. In this event we will make every effort to contact 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 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 perhap 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. We are 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 tighly 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 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

Agression
Owners have the obligation to inform Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd of any known aggressive behaviour traits their pet may have to other animals or humans. Specifically, the owner must inform Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd if they have been advised by previous groomer(s) of any of the aforementioned behaviours.

Nervour/Anxious Dogs
Although Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd caters to dogs with nervous traits, owners have the obligation to inform us of any such behaviours in order for us to cater to the dogs needs to the best of our ability.

Behavioural charges will be decided by Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd 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 be stopped at anytime and the full fee incurred.

Please toilet your dog before attending their appointment. This applies to those that use the 'bark 'n ride” (pick-up / drop-off) service as well. Fouling in the salon may result in additional charges. Additional charges for Fouling in the car will be definate, this is due to the vehicle having to undergo a valet.

Time Keeping
Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd works to a strict time frame to ensure that your dog receives ample grooming time and one-to-one care. We expect to admit you at your given appointment time, if you are early we may not be able to grant immediate access and would ask that you wait until your allocated time. Likewise, if you are more than 15 minutes late, we may have to refuse your groom on welfare grounds as rushing the groom may lead to unnecessary stress and possible injury. A fee equal to the cost of the groom will be incurred. If you are more than 15 minutes late collecting your dog a late collection charge will be incurred.

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 handing
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. The cancelled booking together with the rescheduled appointment will become payable before any further booking is made. This will only apply to ones that are cancelled less than 48 hours in advance. In the event where you either forget your appointment or do not show up, we mark the booking as a 'no show'. Where you are marked as a 'no show' any further bookings will require you to pay the no show appointment plus the future appointment in advance. Further bookings will require the full upfront fee until Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd feel deemed to no longer charge you upfront. Discretion will be left up to Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd.

New Customers
Due to the amount of 'no shows' with new customers, a non rundable 50% groom charge will be payable upon booking the appointment. The 50% balance will be payable on the day of the appointment. Once Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd deem you to be a regular customer, the normal payment method will be applied, where you would pay on the day of the appointment.

General
Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd are able to groom pregnant and in season bitches. We will rely on the customer to inform us if your female dog is either pregnant or in season. If you find your dog to be aggressive during her season, please schedule an appointment after her season is complete. Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd are unable to groom a female dog which is in the last stage of her pregnancy due to restraints used. Should your dog 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 Four Paws Pet Grooming Ltd, 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 or pets groomed. It is also further understood that this agreement is on display within the grooming parlour, social media sites and webpage and by making an appointment you agree to these terms and conditions if not in writing then as a verbal agreement.

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 info@fourpawsuk.co.uk.