Terms & Conditions

YOUR PET’S HEALTH

* You must inform us, as your groomers, of any existing medical conditions your dog may have. This is to ensure we can make all necessary considerations during your dog’s time with us.

* If your dog appears unwell, we reserve the right to cancel the groom at any point during or before the appointment. This is for the safety of your dog and to reduce the risk of cross contamination to other dogs that will visit the salon that day.

* We will not groom a dog that has received anaesthetic within the last 24 hours or has received a surgical procedure which requires stitches. The dog must be fully healed before a groom can take place.

* We cannot groom any dog that has been micro-chipped within the last 24 hours.

* We recommend that puppies wait at least one week after their second vaccinations before attending their groom. This is usually around 13 weeks of age.

* Pregnant or nursing bitches will not be accepted for a groom. This is for the safety of your dog. If you are planning on mating your bitch, we recommend that you get her groomed fairly short before the mating for her comfort before the pregnancy.

*If your dog is found to have fleas, a £15 fee in addition to the cost of the groom will be added to cover the cost of fumigating and deep cleaning the salon. Your dog will be treated with flea shampoo and the salon disinfected/fumigated.

* During grooming, we can uncover lumps, bumps, rashes, grazes and skin conditions not always visible at check in. We will take photographic evidence for our own records and inform you at collection (or via phone immediately if we deem the discovery to be more emergent). We take no accountability for these conditions and any veterinary treatment needed is the owner’s responsibility.

* Any dogs that are judged to be in need of immediate veterinary attention will be taken to the nearest available vet. This may not be your usual vet. You will be contacted as soon as possible. Therefore, please remain contactable throughout the entire appointment time.

* Fairy Dog Mothers have the right to cancel a groom if it would affect the dog's welfare to continue or there is a risk of injury to the grooming team. The full price of the groom would still be due.

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APPOINTMENTS

Late Cancellation/ Or Failure To Show Policy

We understand that life can be unpredictable, and sometimes you may need to cancel or reschedule your appointment. With sufficient notice, this is usually not a problem, as it gives us the opportunity to fill the slot or accommodate someone from the waiting list.

However, cancellations with less than 24 hours' notice can have a significant financial impact on the business. Short notice often means that we cannot offer the slot to someone else, as not everyone on the waiting list can drop everything and come at such short notice for a specific time, leaving us with an empty appointment that could have otherwise been filled.

To help protect our small business from the very real, detrimental, financial impact this can have, the following policy applies:

Cancellations with Less Than 24 Hours’ Notice:
A cancellation fee of 50% of the full groom price will apply.
Failure to Show Up Without Notice:
The same 50% cancellation fee will apply, and you will need to pay this fee before booking any future appointments.
Failure to pay any outstanding fees will result in the cancellation of all future appointments.

We reserve the right to refuse services to repeat offenders of this policy.

We reserve the right to require a deposit to secure future appointments. The deposit will be deducted from the price of the groom on the day of the appointment.

I appreciate your understanding that this policy helps us maintain the sustainability of our small business while continuing to provide quality, personalized services to all of our clients. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

Punctuality & Time Keeping

At our salon, we value your time and are committed to providing high-quality grooming services to all of our clients. To ensure smooth operations and fairness for everyone, we have implemented the following policy:

Dropping Off

Lateness when dropping off can disrupt the salon's schedule and affect not only your dog's grooming but also other clients’ appointments.

Arriving Late:
If you arrive late, we will do our best to accommodate your dog’s grooming within the remaining time available. However, depending on the time lost, this may result in a partial groom (e.g., a bath and brush only). This will be discussed with you upon arrival and will depend on your dog’s needs and the circumstances on the day.
Full Groom Charges Apply:
If a partial groom is provided due to lateness, you will still be charged the full groom price, as this is the time slot originally booked and still being taken.
More Than 15 Minutes Late:
If you arrive more than 15 minutes late, we reserve the right to cancel your appointment. This ensures that delays do not affect other clients or disrupt the team’s workflow. In this instance, you will be charged a late cancellation fee of 50% of the full groom price. This fee must be paid before rebooking any future appointments.

Collecting Your Dog

It is important to collect your dog promptly at the agreed time. Delays in pick-up can disrupt salon operations and may be distressing or unsafe for other dogs.

Collection Policy:
- 0–15 minutes late: Free of charge (but please try to be on time).
- 15 minutes and above - An additional £10 will be added for every extra 15 minutes you are late.
When you are 10 minutes late, we will attempt to contact you. If we cannot reach you, we will call your emergency contact.

Arriving Early

The minute a dog sees or senses his/her owner outside of the salon, they understandably become excited. They want to see you! They do not understand why they need to remain still to be groomed.

We, as groomers, work with very sharp scissors to complete the groom you have booked. In addition to that, your dog is often 3 feet off the ground on a table with a grooming lead around his neck.

If you arrive before your collection time (even by just 5 minutes), your dog’s appointment will be over, even if the trim is not completed. The full cost of the groom will still be due. We can’t risk an injury by trying to persist with a groom, using scissors or clippers on an excited and moving dog. Especially if we’re trying to trim near his face or pads. It isn’t worth the risk.

Therefore, please, for the safety of your dog and to ensure we can complete the groom, do not arrive early to collect your dog or hang around just outside the door where he/she could see or hear you. A moving dog and scissors do not mix. Thank you for your understanding.

(We realise you love to see your dog being groomed, but please follow our social media pages instead, to catch behind the scenes salon footage. We want to be able to give your dog a safe (and completed) groom.)

Why This Policy Is Important

Our team strives to deliver exceptional service to every client. Poor time keeping can create unnecessary stress for staff, dogs, and other clients. Maintaining clear boundaries helps ensure a calm and safe environment for everyone.

Communication Is Key

If you anticipate being late for drop-off or pick-up, please contact us as soon as possible so we can discuss available options. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in helping us provide the best possible service to all of our clients.

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AGGRESSIVE DOGS

At Fairy Dog Mothers, the safety and wellbeing of the dogs in our care and our grooming team is our top priority.

We kindly ask that all pet owners are open and honest about their dog’s behavior, especially if your dog has shown signs of aggression or stress during previous grooming sessions — whether with us or elsewhere. Full transparency helps us create the safest and most positive grooming experience possible.

Please note:

We reserve the right to refuse grooming services to any dog displaying aggressive behavior.

If a dog shows signs of excessive stress or aggression during the grooming session, we may stop the groom immediately in the best interest of the dog and our team. In such cases, you will be contacted, and a partial / full grooming fee may still apply depending on the time and work completed.

Aggression can include, but is not limited to: growling, snapping, biting, lunging, or extreme resistance to handling.

By booking an appointment with us, you agree to inform us of any behavioral concerns and understand that the groomer’s judgment on a dog’s suitability for grooming is final.

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PRICING

* We cannot give exact prices before an appointment, either at booking or drop off, as we cannot predict several factors that can affect the time needed in the salon & therefore the final price of the groom.

These factors can include but are not exclusive to:

Condition of the dog’s coat and presence of matting/knots.
Grooming schedule of individual dogs (how long since the previous groom)
Behaviour of the dog
Possibility of fleas, ticks or other parasites
Obesity
Medical needs of each individual dog
Skin conditions requiring specialised products such as shampoos etc
Your punctuality as an owner (please see our late collection policy above).

All of the above factors add time and work to achieve a finished groom & therefore will increase the price.

Therefore any price mentioned at booking or drop off, is an indication of what we would normally charge in the absence of these factors : A well behaved healthy dog, with a knot free coat, with no skin conditions, fleas or ticks, on a regular schedule, who is dropped off and collected on time.

* All prices are individual to each dog and its requirements, style requested, size, behaviour, condition of coat, time between appointments and amount of hair.

This does mean two dogs of the same breed could be paying different prices if their styles or schedules are different.

* We accept Cash or card payments.

* Payments must be made on collection of the dog or before. If you know you cannot pay for your groom on the day, please give us at least 24 hours notice to cancel your appointment. We are sorry, credit will not be given.

GENERAL INFO

* Please ensure your dog has a 15 minute walk (even on rainy days) prior to attending the grooming appointment. This is long enough to allow time to toilet but not so long that they want to fall asleep on the table and can’t stand up.

*Please don’t feed your dog for a minimum of 1 hour prior to the appointment to avoid any upset tummies.

* We reserve the right to refuse to groom any dog without giving reason.

* We reserve the right to refuse to serve any customer without reason.

* Your dog may be photographed before, during or after the groom subject to approval being given on the registration form. Photographs may be used on social media or other printed materials.

* At Fairy Dog Mothers’ we may take photos before, during or after the groom for our own records. These will not be shared on social media without your consent (written or verbal), or unless we need them as evidence in a possible welfare dispute.

*If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of your dog's groom, please let us know within 24 hours (preferably at time of collection). Reasonable requests to alter the finished look will be dealt with immediately or changes noted for the next groom.

* If you are in any way unhappy with our services or the groom, we would appreciate you contacting us directly so we can discuss the situation, before leaving any kind of negative review online. We take great pride in our service and want all clients to be happy.

* All Client data will be treated in accordance with the data protection principles of the Data Protection Act and will not be shared with third parties.

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MATTED COATS

When a dog's coat becomes matted, it causes the hair to pull tightly on the skin underneath causing discomfort.

Any underlying skin problems or irritations are unable to be seen. 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 your dog.

We will only ever attempt to de-matt around 5% of a dog's coat (about 50p sized matts behind ears or in armpits etc).

If, after assessing your dog's coat, we find it to be excessively matted, it will require a short clip.

This can reveal hidden sores or irritations caused by poor health or hidden skin conditions.

The process of de-matting increases the risk of injury including but not limited to cuts, grazes and possible haematomas. In addition, you may see some behavioural changes such as head shaking, excessive scratching, licking or 'scooting'. We accept no liability for this behaviour or any injury caused by dematting a neglected coat.

An additional fee for de-matting a dog will apply at the discretion of the groomer. This additional charge covers wear and tear on equipment, additional products used as well as for the extra time and skill needed to remove the matting.

Fairy Dog Mothers have the right to amend these terms and conditions at any time without prior notice.