Policies

Things Stumpy thinks you should know…

  1. Cancellation policy: We require a minimum of 24 hours notice to change or cancel an appointment so that we have an opportunity to fill it. We have set that time aside for your dog, and turned away other clients who would have taken it. Since we keep our prices as reasonable as possible, we cannot absorb no shows. We will charge you for your missed appointment before we can book you a new time. We may make an exception under particular circumstances, if you have never missed an appointment before and if some notice is given if it’s due to circumstances beyond your control such as outlined below. We apologize, but because we keep our rates reasonable, we simply cannot afford to absorb the lost revenue from missed appointments.
  2. If your dog is ill or has fleas / lice: Please don’t bring your dog in with illness or parasites. If your dog has fleas or lice, speak with your vet. If your dog has an undiagnosed cough, diagnosed kennel cough, or other symptoms of illness, please call us and we’ll reschedule. In circumstances beyond your control, if we are given some notice so that we can fill the appointment, we don’t charge for the missed appointment. If we discover parasites during grooming, we will bath the dog in a special product to prevent spread in the shop, and will need to charge your an additional fee for the additional time and product. We will recommend that you put the dog on flea control from your veterinarian.
  3. Dogs are kept separate: Your dogs won’t interact / play with another client’s dogs in the shop. This is for hygiene and safety reasons. Dogs are kept separate, and for almost all of the time your dog is with us, they are busy getting one on one attention from us anyway.
  4. Dogs must be vaccinated: We do require your dog’s vaccinations to be up to date for your dog to come into the shop. Puppies should be at least two weeks beyond their second set of shots to come for grooming. Adult dogs should be up to date on their vaccination schedule.
  5. Matted / neglected dogs: If your dog is matted, they will likely need to be clipped very short. We don’t want to make you unhappy, but de-matting is painful and inhumane. Hair will grow back. We like dogs and don’t want to hurt them, so while a few tangles might be able to be brushed out – we will charge for additional time – dogs with extensive matting will be clipped short and we will give you lots of tips on effective brushing and combing technique, and recommend a grooming schedule that will keep your dog looking and feeling great.
  6. Elderly dogs – the comfort trim: Age catches up to all of us if we’re lucky. If your dog is elderly and no longer up for a fancy trim, we will recommend a comfort trim. Think of your elderly dog as being like a person in long-term care. You want to keep them comfortable, clean and tidy, but they probably aren’t up for anything beyond basic. Short and sweet, is in the best interest of your elderly dog.
  7. Dogs must be well-walked: If your dog has bathroom accidents that take time to clean up and re-bath the dog after, we will need to charge you for the additional time. Trust us, we would rather not have the accident and not have to charge. It’s much easier if they empty themselves before coming in.
  8. More time = more cost: If your dog has behavior issues, that require special handling and extra time, or if your dog is overgrown, we will need to charge for that time at our hourly rate.
  9. Severe aggression / unsafe behavior will not be tolerated: We provide grooming services, and need to be able to reasonably and safely be able to provide those services. If your dog is a danger to us or to themselves, we will send the dog home and recommend a course of action going forward (i.e. working with a trainer, speaking to your veterinarian etc.)