The Dog House Services Limited

Terms and Conditions as at 16th April  2024

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Thank you for trusting The Dog House Services Limited with your dog(s). We realise that we are in a privileged position and want to convey to you that we will do our very best to help you look after your dog. Our Terms and Conditions help us set out how we will engage with you and your dog, what you can expect from us and us from you. To ensure that this is done to the highest standard we ask that the following terms and conditions are adhered to for every appointment.

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If you have any questions, then please ask or email enquiries@thedoghouseworcester.co.uk. We are here to help you and we want to share our knowledge and experience to help you and your dog live the best possible life that you can. 

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Customer Declaration

Dogs will be accepted for grooming following signature of our Terms and Conditions. By signing, you are deemed to have accepted these Terms and Conditions, however, if you accept services from The Dog House Worcester Limited, you are deemed to have accepted the Terms and Conditions set our here, which are subject to change at any time.

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Arriving for your appointment

It is important you turn up to your grooming appointment at the scheduled time. If you turn up 15 minutes or more late, your appointment will be rescheduled when the next appointment is available. To reschedule your appointment a 50% non-refundable deposit will need to be paid. 

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We are open for grooming between the hours of 08:30-12:30 and 13:30-17:30. Drop off and collection times will be within these hours only. Please note that the door will be locked until 08:30, between 12:30-13:30 and again at 17:30. Please wait either by the window or in your car for your appointment time.

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In the interest of health and safety, we only have one person in the reception area dropping off or collecting dogs at any time, regardless of if you have a dog present with you or not. Please check through the window that the reception area is clear of clients/dogs before you enter. When it is clear to proceed, please ensure you close the door behind you. Thank you for your co-operation.

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In the interest of animal safety, please ensure you dog is always kept on a lead, including in the Car Park.

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Late collection

At drop off, you will be given a time to collect your dog(s). If you cannot or do not collect your dog at the given time, we will charge £5.00 per hour or part thereof. 

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Cancellations

We require 24 working hours’ notice for cancelled appointments. We reserve the right to charge you a fee of £50 should you cancel within 24 hours of your appointment.

 

No-Shows

1st Time No Show – On the first occasion of missing a booked appointment, we will not charge you a missed appointment fee. Before you book again, a £25.00 non-refundable deposit may be required to confirm your next appointment.

 

2nd Time No Show – On the second occasion of missing a booked appointment, 100% of the estimated groom cost from the missed appointment will be required before another appointment is made. In addition, all appointments moving forward will also be subject to a £25.00 non-refundable deposit.

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Refunds

A 15% administration fee will be taken prior to any refunds being made.  This is to cover payment processing fees that we,  as a business, have to pay for processing the receipt and payment of any financial transactions and also a small contribution towards our administration costs when processing the same

 

Customer Behaviour

We will not tolerate abusive, threatening, or harassing behaviour, either verbal or physical towards our staff members. If you are deemed to be behaving inappropriately, you will be asked to leave the premises and withdrawn from all services offered by The Dog House Services Limited. Inappropriate behaviour may be reported to the Police.

 

General Expectations 

We reserve the right to refuse to groom a dog that presents a risk of injury to itself or our staff. This includes, but is not limited to, aggressive behaviour, weight, and size. 

 

Toileting 

A full bladder and bowel can be very uncomfortable for a dog whilst it is being groomed. Please ensure that your pet has been toileted before bringing him or her to the salon. It is unhygienic and unpleasant when dogs urinate or defecate on the premises.

If your dog defecates or urinates during the grooming process and requires a second bath you will be charged appropriately. 

 

If your dog defecates on the premises, including in Reception, please double bag all waste and dispose of it in the allocated bin outside our Salon. 

 

Holding Facilities

Your dog will be kept in a secure, individual crate before and after grooming services. If you do not wish your dog to be placed in a crate it is your responsibility to let a member of our staff know. 

 

Anal Gland Expression and Ear Plucking

We can carry out the above services, but only if they are booked prior to your dog attending the salon and providing an appropriately trained groomer is available. Both services add time to the full grooming process, and not all staff are trained in the service. These services incur an additional charge. 

 

Sedated Dogs

We do not accept sedated dogs under any circumstances. Any dog found to be sedated will be refused service, or the groom terminated immediately at full cost to the owner. The owner will be withdrawn as a customer at The Dog House Worcester with immediate effect.

 

Fleas

If your dog has a parasitic infection, please treat them before booking your appointment to ensure they are no longer present. We will not treat a dog with a flea infestation and reserve the right to refuse or terminate the groom of any dogs with a parasitic infestation. Dogs found to be carrying parasites will incur a surcharge to accommodate the deep clean required to cleanse and sanitise the salon.

 

Matted Dogs

We operate a policy of practical before pretty. If we are presented with a neglected coat and believe, in our professional opinion, it is kinder to remove the coat than it is to de-matt or de-knot, this will be done in accordance with The Animal Welfare Act 2006. 

 

Whilst we will make every effort to identify this as part of the pre-groom consultation and coat assessment there may be occasions where the degree of matting cannot be fully identified until we commence the groom.

 

If your dog is matted or knotted we will not subject them to stress, pain and discomfort. We do not rescue coats or de-matt under any circumstances. We cannot guarantee that a whole treatment can take place in one session. The treatment may need to take place over more than one session or we may refer you to your vet to do the same. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 dictates that we will not spend more than 15 minutes clipping down, de-matting or de-knotting any dog in a single session. We reserve the right to refuse heavily matted dogs. Any clipping down, de-matting or de-knotting of your dog will incur an additional charge to accommodate for the time spent undertaking this, and the extra wear caused to our equipment.  

 

Matted or knotted fur or hair on your dog may result in us having to clip or scissor close to the dog's skin. We do not accept liability for any effects following the treatment of a matted dog or problems uncovered on a matted, neglected coat. This can include, but is not limited to, irritation, redness, burns, abrasions, nicks and self-inflicted irritations/abrasions from excessive rubbing, licking, scratching or biting.

 

If a dog has excessively matted or knotted ears, bleeding at the tips of the ear can occur when the matting is removed. We will do everything we can to avoid this happening, but it is sometimes unavoidable, so please be aware that there is a possibility it could happen. If it does happen, we would recommend taking your dog to the vet for a check-up, explaining that the ears have been trimmed due to excessive matting. We accept no liability for ear bleeding, haematomas or any secondary effects should matting or knotting occur on the ear.

 

We photograph and/or video every case of neglect brought into the salon, and we also save a sample of fur. We reserve the right to use these items as we deem appropriate. 

 

Dangerous Dogs

The owner (or other responsible person) agrees to inform The Dog House Worcester prior to grooming if the dog has bitten or has aggressive tendencies.

We reserve the right to muzzle your dog or ask you to muzzle your own dog or to refuse to groom if it represents a danger to our staff or other dogs in the salon. Unless this has been discussed and agreed beforehand, we reserve the right to turn your dog away without grooming it. If your dog behaves aggressively during the groom, we reserve the right to terminate the groom at full cost to the owner. Aggressive dogs will incur a surcharge.

 

We do not accept any dogs listed under the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991/1997.

 

Dog Behaviour

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Although The Dog House Worcester caters for dogs with different traits, such as those who are nervous or anxious, owners have an obligation to inform us of any such behaviours to meet the dog’s needs to the best of our ability.

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We will not force or pressure dogs of any age or status who are not accepting of services, either in full or part, offered by The Dog House Worcester. Where your dog is not accepting of a service, we reserve the right to abandon these services to maintain your dog’s welfare, at no discount to the owner.

Behavioural charges will be decided by The Dog House Worcester 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 stopped at any time and the full fee incurred.

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Elderly, Infirm, Overweight or Young Dogs Disclaimer

A full groom can take in-excess of 3 hours and is physically demanding as well as stressful for some animals. Whilst The Dog House Services Limited 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 cuts and grazes. The Dog House Services Limited reserve the right to stop the grooming process at any time with payment in full being due on collection of your dog.

 

Grooming of elderly, infirm and overweight dogs is done entirely at owners own risk. Grooming may expose underlying skin or health problems that we cannot be held liable for. 

 

Tranquil Tuesday

The Dog House Services Limited allocates one working day per week, a Tuesday, towards the grooming and care of elderly, unwell, nervous and aggressive dogs. Due to the temperament of these dogs, we reserve the right to terminate the groom at any time, should it not be in the best interests of the dog’s welfare to continue, or puts our staff at risk, at full cost to the owner. 

Additional charges apply for dogs whose temperament or health require more time to complete.

 

Nail Clipping

We offer a nail clipping service with our full groom, hand stripping and bath and deshed services. We reserve the right to withhold this service in reflection of the dogs behaviour, physical limitations or level of tolerance. If your dog does not allow us to trim his nails, we will not force him to have this done and the full groom price (or nail trim price) is still payable.

 

Pregnant Dogs

Please discuss this with us prior to booking and we may not groom dogs that are suspected or confirmed to be pregnant. Any dog found to be suspected of pregnancy, or confirmed pregnant, without our prior discussion, will be refused service, or the groom terminated immediately at full cost to the owner. 

 

Vomiting and Diarrhoea

If your dog has been suffering with vomiting and diarrhoea, please do not bring them to their appointment. Please ring us to let us know and ensure you dog has been clear for 48 hours before bringing him or her in. 

 

Emergency Medical Issues

Our first concern is for the welfare of your Dog so in the event of injury or illness we may take your dog direct to the Vets.

 

If your dog requires medical treatment whilst in our care, we reserve the right to take your animal to our preferred vet. If the care is required because of owner neglect or failure to disclose current conditions, you will be eligible to pay the charge for this treatment. Unless it can be clearly shown that we are liable, all costs in connection with this visit to the Vets, shall be at the owner’s expense.

We will make every effort to contact you if medical treatment is required however if it is urgent, we will go ahead with care without verbal consent. Signing of this policy is classed as consent for treatments should it be required.

 

Grooming may expose underlying skin or health problems which we cannot be held liable for. No responsibility will be taken for any irritation, abrasion, or hair loss due to any pre-existing skin condition, or as a result of the grooming process.

 

GDPR

Your dog may be photographed or videoed before, during and after it’s groom. These images and videos may be used for our website, social media, for learner evidence portfolios, and for use in our reception area. By signing, you agree for your dog’s pictures or videos being used for such purposes. 

The Dog House Worcester keeps detailed records of all dogs, treatments and responsible staff. Client data will be treated in accordance with the data protection principles of the Data Protection Act and will not be shared with 3rd parties.

 

CCTV is in constant operation within The Dog House Worcester, and we occasionally record telephone calls to review customer service, or as supporting evidence. By signing these Terms and Conditions, you agree to images and audio to be recorded of yourself. 

 

 

The Dog House Worcester Grooming School

The Dog House Services Limited is a Dog Grooming Training School and your dog(s) may be groomed in part or fully by a student. Students are always supervised by a fully qualified member of the team. If you do not want your dog(s) to be groomed or handled by a student you must inform us when dropping your dog off for their appointment.

 

Complaints

Any complaints must be received in writing to enquiries@thedoghouseworcester.co.uk within 48 working hours of your grooming appointment. Complaints will be responded to within 72 working hours in writing by the Centre Lead. Complaints made after 48 working hours will not be investigated.

 

Payment

The Dog House Worcester accepts cash and most major credit and debit cards. Payments must be made at the time of collection.

 

Prices

All prices given prior to the groom are a quote. Final cost will be confirmed at collection.

 

All prices assume the dog presented to us is in reasonable condition and temperament. Additional charges will apply for the extra time, restyling and products involved in grooming neglected or overdue coats, and for dogs whose temperament or health also requires more time to complete.

 

Any prices provided are an estimate only. Additional charges may be incurred due to:

• Overweight dogs or oversized for the breed

•  Dogs booked outside of their recommended grooming schedule

•  Unkept/neglected coats

• Aggressive, senior, nervous or timid dogs

• Fleas and/or ticks

 

Hold Harmless Agreement

By using our services you agree to hold The Dog House Services Limited, 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 groomed.