Dog Grooming Policies

When booking with Wiggle Butts Pet Co the owner/carer of the dog agrees to the Terms and Conditions as below:

Pricing & Payment

All prices posted are a "Start From" price.
The 'Start From Price" is based on an average dog breed or type, prices may change dependent on dogs size, coat condition, temperament and grooming requirements.
A deposit is required to book appointments for all new clients. The deposit is non-refundable and 50% of the quoted appointment price. A SMS will be sent with deposit detail upon approval of the of the booking form.
The final price will be advised in the Pick Up text message.
Payment must be made on collection of the dog, eftpos or cash is accepted.

Appointments

Owners are advised of appointment times, please adhere to your specified drop off time.
A reminder message is sent the day prior to your appointment, please confirm your appointment by replying to this message.
If you are running late for an appointment, please notify Wiggle Butts asap. Arriving 15 minutes or more late for appointments, will in most cases, require re-scheduling and a missed appointment fee of 50% of the quoted groom price will apply.
Whilst we understand that sometimes appointments have to be cancelled due to an emergency, we ask that you give us at least 24 hours notice where possible.
We reserve the right to charge a fee of 50% of the quoted groom price for appointments missed or cancelled with less than 24 hours notice.
Clients who cancel more than 2 appointments with less than 24 hours notice will not be re-booked.
If your dog has been unwell (vomiting, diarrhea, infection, coughing etc) the owner agrees to advise Wiggle Butts and reschedule the appointment.
Upon drop off, owners will be given an approximate collection time. A text message will be sent prior to the end of the groom with a specific pick up time and must be collected within 15 minutes of this time.
Uncollected dogs will be charged a pet sitting fee of $10 per 15-minute interval.
In the event a dog is not collected within a reasonable time frame, and the owner has been notified, the local council will be contacted to collect the dog.
Dogs must be on a lead or in a pet-safe carrier at arrival and pick-up.

Additional charges may apply for the following reasons:

Dogs which require additional time to perform the job (e.g. seniors, difficult dogs, hyperactive dogs). We reserve the right to charge an additional fee for dogs we deem as difficult that have resulted in more labour/time-intensive work.
Poorly Maintained Coat / Matted Hair requires additional time to perform the job and extra tool maintenance. We reserve the right to charge an additional fee for dogs we deem as matted.
Fleas: if fleas are found on a dog’s coat a fee of $25 will be charged. This covers the extra cost of cleaning & fumigating of the salon. If an owner is aware of fleas on their dog, they agree to administer a flea treatment 24 hours prior to the grooming appointment and will also be allocated the last appointment of the day to limit transfer of fleas to another dog.

Dog Health & Behaviour– Humanity before Vanity

To prevent further pain and suffering, matted dogs will be shaved off, we do not de-matt (please see matted hair policy below for further information).
Grooming of sick or elderly dogs is entirely at the owner’s risk.
Grooming may expose underlying skin or health problems that we cannot be held liable for.
The owner is responsible to advise Wiggle Butts of any pre-existing health conditions.
If the dog has been unwell (vomiting, diarrhea, infection, coughing etc) the owner agrees to advise Wiggle Butts and reschedule the appointment.
Please do not feed your dog 2 hours prior to grooming.
Please toilet your dog prior to their appointment.
The dog is vaccinated and up to date. An unvaccinated dog puts itself and others at risk.
Clipping of a double-coated dog (such as a Pomeranian, Japanese Spitz) may cause problems for the hair regrowth, expose underlying health conditions and/or cause body temperature regulation issues. Please speak with Wiggle Butts for more information regarding this.
It must be clearly understood and agreed that whilst every attention is given to your dog(s) they are accepted at the owner’s risk. Our first concern is for the welfare of your dog, so in the event of injury or illness a vet may be called/seen and unless it can clearly be shown that we are liable, all costs in connection with and in the carrying out of this instruction shall be at the owner’s expense.
Wiggle Butts reserves the right to refuse to groom a dangerous dog. It is the owner’s responsibility to notify Wiggle Butts of their dog has behaviour issues and/or has previously injured anyone.
A groom may be terminated if we believe the dogs or our staff’s health and safety are at risk. In this instance the owner will be contacted to collect the dog asap.
Even though we groom one – one with your dog, there may be times other dogs are in attendance (as well as Wiggle Butts dogs), if your dog is reactive to other dogs please advise in advance.
Wiggle Butts will not be held liable or responsible for any mishap caused by a non-disclosure of the dogs’ medical condition or behaviour.
In the unlikely event that veterinary treatment is required, which has an imminent impact on a pet’s health, the owner gives consent for Wiggle Butts to seek treatment for the pet at the closest veterinary clinic.

Customer Details

All personal details are kept on a secure computer server via WIX (the website host)and only the owner of Wiggle Butts has access to these details.
Clients are requested to complete a registration form prior to their groom.
Wiggle Butts may take photos of your dog to be kept on file. These photos may also be used for social media/marketing, please advise Wiggle Butts if you do not wish photos to be used for social media/marketing.

MATTED HAIR POLICY

Matted Dogs require extra time, care and tools during their grooming session.

Due to matting, your dog’s hair may need to be shaved extremely short to the skin and may show signs of skin irritations and sores due to matting, wet undercoat and dirty coat.

Matted coats can cause a variety of skin & health problems.
Matted fur does not allow for air circulation to the skin, causing hot spots, bacterial and fungal infections.
Fleas, ticks, maggots and other parasites may be lurking in the coat causing further skin infections.
Matted fur also pulls and binds, causing pain to your pet.
The skin underneath can be raw and inflamed.
Matted coats will not dry properly and can lead to rotting fur and skin.

It is the goal of Wiggle Butts to make your pet’s grooming experience as stress free and as comfortable as possible. We will not cause pain and suffering to a dog for the sake of trying to keep a longer coat. Our motto is Humanity before Vanity.

Due to the condition of the dog’s coat, Wiggle Butts may determine that the only humane thing to do is to shave the dog’s coat down. This is a short clip, removing all the matting.

There are risks involved in shaving a matted dog, including nicks, cuts, abbrassions and haemotomas. There may also be the chance that your pet's skin will become irritated during the clipping process. Afterwards your dog may exhibit behavioural changes, itching, redness and failure of the hair to re-grow. The matted hair rests tightly against the skin – the only way of removing mats is to use a short blade to clip between the skin and mats. Our groomers are very careful, but the possibility of njury exists as we have to work so close to the skin. Understanding these risks, you authorise Wiggle Butts to proceed with shaving the dog’s coat.

Please note, more than 1 grooming session may be required if your dog is severely matted.

Wiggle Butts will be happy to show you how to care for your pet’s coat so that matting does not recur. Please schedule a follow-up appointment to speak with our groomers about the best methods for maintaining your dog’s coat.

The pet owner releases Wiggle Butts from any liability associated with the above-mentioned process and any and all medical problems that may be uncovered and/or occur during the grooming process.

Should any dog need veterinarian care after or during the process, the owner agrees to pay any and all veterinarian fees.

DOUBLE COATED DOG POLICY

Dogs such as Pomeranians, Japanese Spitz, Pug's etc have what is called a double coat which consists 2 layers; and undercoat and a topcoat. The topcoat consists of longer, coarser hair whilst the undercoat is shorter, softer and dense. This double coat is designed to repel water & dirt (topcoat) and insulate and regulate temperature (undercoat).

These types of coats have specific grooming requirements, including regularly brushing out the undercoat so that it is able to continue to regulate the dogs temperature correctly.

If this coat is not properly groomed, it can cause skin issues and/or cause the hair to become knotted, impacted and make it hard to be brushed out, which in some cases means that the coat must be shaved.

It is not recommended to shave a double coated dog as:

The coat is not guaranteed to grow back, or may grow back patchily,
Shaving the coat does not necessarily keep the dog cool, as the "insulation" has been removed,
Shaving will not reduce shedding, it only makes the coat shorter,
It increases the chance of sunburn and/or skin cancer.

Pomeranians, in particular, are prone to Alopecia and/or Black Skin Disease, which can be caused by underlying medical condition/s and can become prominant once the coat is shaved.

At Wiggle Butts Pet Co, we advocate for keeping Double Coated dogs fur long and groomed regularly, rather than shaving. There may be circumstances where shaving the coat may be required such as;

Elderly or medically compromised dogs or,
Severely impacted coats

If requesting your Double Coated dog to be clipped short, you agree that you have read the above information and aware of the risks.