Drop-offs & Pick-ups

I offer one on one, individual grooming appointments for each dog or a single family of dogs at a time. For this reason, I ask that you DO NOT arrive early for your approved appointment time, as doing so may interfere with the care, focus, and attention that I should be providing to the appointment before you. If this will be your dog’s first appointment with me and time is needed to fill out the necessary paperwork, sign release forms, and to discuss the services your pet will receive, I will allow time for that in your appointment slot and arriving early is not necessary. Please make arrangements with me beforehand if an early drop off is absolutely needed. Also, as this is a home-based business, I kindly ask that you do not visit the premises outside of my listed business hours or without an approved appointment so as not to disturb my neighbors or family during their personal time. I feel that it is very important for you, as a pet parent, to feel comfortable with the setting in which your dog will be taken care of and upon your first visit with me I will invite clients to view and access the salon area in which I will be caring for your beloved pet. Any subsequent visits after that must be approved by me beforehand so as not to disturb the peace and quiet comfort of the salon setting that I promise to provide all of my clients. When you arrive to drop-off your pet for their approved appointment time, please call or text me at 240-738-0250 and I will meet you at the front gate where we will discuss your pet’s desired services. I will give you an estimate of time in which I should complete your dog’s groom and then I will also call or text you 15-30 minutes before your dog’s actual completion time. I ask that you arrive within and no later than 15 minutes of your dog’s completion time for pick-up so as not to interfere with the scheduled appointment after yours. If a late pick up is absolutely necessary, please make arrangements with me beforehand, so that I may handle my other appointments appropriately.

During Your Dog’s Appointment

While every attempt is made to fully discuss and disclose any important health or behavioral issues at drop-off, occasionally certain issues do not arise or are not revealed until the grooming process is already underway. In the event that I feel a certain issue, whether it be health or behavioral related, makes it uncompassionate or unsafe for me to continue the grooming process, I will contact you immediately to pick up your pet. In the event that you are unreachable or that I feel your pet is in need of emergency care, whether due to a pre-existing condition or one arising from the grooming process itself, I will immediately transport them to the nearest emergency veterinary hospital, regardless of your knowledge or approval. Every attempt will be made to reach you and make you aware of the situation, but I will not risk your pet’s health or safety to gain your pre-approval for emergency veterinary care if I feel that the particular situation requires such an action. You, as the pet parent, are responsible for all fees incurred for such necessary emergency care, unless the veterinary hospital can conclusively prove that said care was necessary out of direct negligence on my part during the grooming process and in no way a result of a pre-existing health or behavioral condition of your pet.

Matted Pets

I do take and always have taken a very conservative and compassionate approach towards matted pets. As a responsible and loving pet owner, you should not allow your dog’s coat to become excessively matted, as matting is not only very uncomfortable and potentially painful for your dog, but also very unhealthy for their skin and coat and makes them overly susceptible to such problems as skin infections, bruising, and hematomas, as well as many more potential health issues. Matting can be avoided with regular professional grooming (at least every 6-8 weeks) as well as proper care and maintenance of their skin and coat at home (which is ultimately the responsibility of their owners, not the groomer, who at best, sees them once a month, if not longer between professional visits). In the event that your pet arrives for their appointment with matting, I will assess the severity of the matting at check-in/drop-off and advise you as to whether or not I can compassionately remove the matting. If, in my opinion, (whether due to the severity of the matting or the health, age, or behavior of your dog) I decide that I cannot safely and compassionately demat your pet, I will offer a close shave down of your dog’s coat to remove the matting in the safest length that I deem possible. Please understand that dematting a dog’s coat, whether through the detangling process or the need for a close shave down, does require extra time and will be an additional fee added to their regular grooming price ($2/minute additional fee). Regardless of the amount of time, care, and precaution that is taken to safely remove mats from a pet, at times, certain injuries such as razor burn, knicks, cuts, abrasions, hematomas, and possible lacerations can result from the dematting process, whether detangling or performing a close shave down on a pet. Also, certain pre-existing skin and coat conditions can be revealed after the dematting and/or shave down process. In the event that your dog arrives for their appointment with significant matting that I deem excessive and potentially harmful to their health and safety during the grooming process, then by signing my required release form you release Little B’s Barkspace, LLC from all legal and financial responsibility from any injuries and/or health or behavioral issues that result from the dematting/shavedown process, including any bills resulting from necessary aftercare, veterinary or otherwise.

Vaccinations

I do require that all dogs in my care have a current and up to date RABIES vaccination. The following vaccinations are not required but highly suggested:

* BORDETELLA (kennel cough)

* DAPP or DHPP (distemper, adenovirus/hepatitis, parainfluenza, and parvovirus)

*Puppies that are 6 months old or younger must be up to date on all of their age-appropriate vaccinations.

You may either email, text a picture or screenshot, or bring in a paper copy of your dog’s shot records that clearly show their name and the expiration dates of the required vaccines or have your current vet email a copy to me at becki@littlebsbarkspace.com. I also require clients to provide their current vet’s name, address and phone number to keep on file in the event that I need to verify your dog’s shot records over the phone or in case of an emergency with your pet.

Cancellations & No-Shows

Please allow at least 24 hours of notice if you need to cancel an approved appointment. Appointments that are cancelled with less that 24 hours of notice will be subject to a $35 cancellation fee, charged at my discretion, if I am unable to fill your appointment slot. If you are charged this fee, you will be required to pay it in full before your next appointment can be approved and booked. In the event that you “no-show” for your appointment without contacting me, or you contact me to cancel AFTER your appointment start time, you will be required to pay 50% of the estimated grooming fee for that appointment. This fee will be required to be paid in full before your next appointment can be approved and booked. Clients who repeatedly cancel or no-show for their appointments will be denied any future service, at my discretion.