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Policies, terms and conditions

NEW customers :

You will be asked to accept online, and /or sign an acceptance of these terms on your first visit to SPRUCE. Customers will be asked to approve or sign against these terms before carrying out any grooming.

 

DEPOSITS: You must pay a 50% rolling deposit to join SPRUCE books. Your first groom charge must be paid in full, and your booking deposit will be held and refunded when you notify us of no longer needing our services. It will not be refunded in lieu of a no show, or cancellation fee, within 48 WORKING hours of the appointment.

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  • PRICING:  Starting prices are for pets that are used to being professionally groomed on a regular schedule (i.e 6-8 weeks between appointments), whose coats are well maintained between professional grooms (kept tangle, knot & matt free by regular brushing or combing). You can therefore reasonably expect to pay more than the starting price for matted or poorly maintained coats, unco-operative, overweight or oversized pets for the breed standard, and timid, anxious or nervous pets, which require breaks & may need special handling. These cost more time, labour and/or product. These costs are passed on to you.

  • We do not de-matt neglected coats. The best way to remove matts under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 is to shave them off. If a pet’s coat needs to be clipped down to release it from matting or coat neglect, SPRUCE is not liable for any post-grooming effects of this procedure, which is not without risk. A shave off consumes significantly more time, labour, product & tool/equipment wear and tear than a routine trim therefore will incur an extra charge.   

  • After 3 Health check reports for matting we will recommend a max. 6- 8 week repeat appointment. Grooms which take place outside of the recommended schedule will likely cause unnecessary discomfort to your dog and incur an additional fee due to time and equipment strains.  

  • TIME KEEPING: Please await our call or text before picking up, unless we PRE-agree a pick-up time.

  • A late cancellation fee of 50% groom price applies if you are unable to give 48 WORKING hrs notice. This includes cancellation for fleas, but discretion will be applied in other unavoidable situations beyond the customers control. Missed appointments will be charged at 50%.

  • Late drop offs and pick-ups = additional charges of £5 for every 20 minutes. If you are more than 30 minutes late for an appointment, we may have to cancel your appointment and charge a missed appointment fee of 50% of the regular groom.

  • BEHAVIOUR: It is the responsibility of the owner to inform us of any aggressive tendencies. The Dangerous Dogs Act holds owners liable for bites and injuries caused by their dogs. SPRUCE reserves the right to refuse to groom any pet at risk of harming SPRUCE staff or itself. If your dog displays aggression that we have not been informed of the groom will be terminated immediately. If we cannot safely complete your dog within the guidelines of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, Section 9, due to behaviour, aggression, or otherwise, we will call and let you know. The full starting price of the groom will be levied and payable before releasing the dog. The accuracy of the initial price estimate will be determined by whether the dog exhibits normal behaviour

  • TOILETING: Please ensure your dog has been given the opportunity to go to the toilet before arriving at the salon, so we can keep the salon as clean and fresh as possible for you and other clients. Tolieting in the salon will incur extra (re-bathing, re-drying and cleaning) costs at our discretion.

  • ACCIDENTS: Although extremely unlikely, accidents can occasionally happen during grooming. You accept this by bringing your dog for grooming. You authorise us to seek emergency veterinary treatment if required.

  • Fleas on any dog cause additional cleaning and chemicals to kill them, = an additional £10 per dog. If fleas are found on your dog (usually in the bath), we will phone and advise that your dog needs collection, and whilst we wait, give your dog a flea bath. Half the groom fee will apply in addition tot he £10 flea cost.

  • The treatment of anal glands is considered a veterinary practice and are excluded (as is teeth cleaning) as per the RCVS Guide to Professional Conduct.

  • Ear cleaning is included, where minor hair/debris removal is involved in a non-infected ear. Where infection is present, or there is any possibility of a ruptured ear drum, this is a veterinary matter.

  • All customers will be asked to sign a copy of the Data protection- GDPR 2018 policy from June 2018.

  • All costs are payable in full at the time you collect your pet, and proof of bank transfers will be required.

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LEARN TO GROOM YOUR OWN DOG            

 

You have booked to attend a 1/2 day course at SPRUCE dog groomers Cricklade, where you will be provided with the required information and have demonstrated the required skills to be able to groom your own dog. We cannot guarantee that you will have the capabilities to complete a full groom after the course, but commit to do our best to equip you as best we can.

If for any reason we are unable to groom your dog (e.g. through illness or behaviour/ other issues) we will do our best to provide an alternative dog with similar requirements if we have 48 hrs notice. We will need to know in advance if your dog has any behavioural or health issues to consider. The date and time booked has been mutually agreed. If you need to change this course within 7 days of the course date, you will be required to pay a £20 administrative fee to move to an alternative mutually agreed date. If you wish to cancel your course, you will be refunded 60% of the cost paid. All course fees must be paid 2 weeks in advance.

The course will need to begin at the booked time, and if you are late we will reduce the content accordingly.

By signing this contract you agree that you are happy with the proposed content and structure of the day. PLEASE READ THROUGH THIS IN ADVANCE AS THERE ARE SOME POINTS TO BE AWARE OF AND PREPARE FOR.

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This is a half day course specifically designed for those wanting to learn to groom their own dog at home. 

You will learn how to create the style you like and gain the skills you need to work at home on your own dog, saving a lifetime of grooming costs and giving you a new set of skills. 

 

Course outline

  1. Protecting your health and safety

•    wear flat nonslip shoes or boots that are comfortable with your feet completely covered to  protect them from heavy equipment and claws

  • we will provide you with a hair proof tunic to protect you from dirt and water

  • Tie long hair up so it doesn’t dangle and can’t get caught

  • Don’t wear dangle earrings/ necklaces or ornate rings as they can get caught up and cause injuries to you or the dog

  • You will be provided with ear defenders to use to protect your hearing with loud equipment

  • We provide nitrile gloves for handling unpleasant secretions

  • Please don’t eat in the studio (eat in the kitchen area instead) and if you drink please use a lidded mug or bottle and keep the drink away from tables and electrical equipment

  • Please consider, in advance of coming to the salon, what’s the top five or 10 risks to health and safety might be firstly for you as the groomer, and secondly to the dog. We can discuss these when you come in and do a tour of the salon when your course begins. 

 

  1. Health and safety/tour of the salon

  2. Overview of the equipment and their use in groom stages

  3. Completing a Grooming record

  4. Grooming process

    1. Table height and dog restraints

    2. Health checking the dog inc. teeth

    3. Coat assessment of the dog

    4. Discussion on breed, coat type and pet styling (pre-bath clip?)

    5. Selection of shampoo, dilution and bathing, inc. facial 

    6. The drying process and introduction to brush and comb equipment

    7. Drying technique and coat condition sprays and their selection

    8. Nail clipping , pad trimming,  sanitary trims and ear wipe/ plucking

    9. Breed styling: Breed Standard and pet cuts- owner decisions

    10. Equipment selection and blades explained

    11. Use of clippers and comb attachments

    12. Scissor finishing the dog’s body, legs, feet and tail

    13. Scissoring the head

 

  1. Sterilising equipment and spray disinfectant

  2. Grooming record update, inc. Grooming frequency recommendation, healthcheck report for  notes next time, etc

  3. First aid course recommendation (Sophie bell- Animal Love)

  4. Grooming equipment list for consideration and Suppliers recommendations (Groomers ltd, Christies, Amazon):

 

  • Table, adjustable equals hydraulic or electric

  • Restraints

  • Bathing- tie up loop

  • Professional shampoo and conditioners

  • Drying – blasters or combination dryers (Simpsons of Langley- Supajet)

  • Slickers and comb- fine/ coarse

  • Conditioning sprays (Julie Harris coat management)

  • Clippers (Heinigers/ Andis)

  • Blades- numbers 7, 10,40 min

  • Comb attachments (WAHL)

  • Scissors - small bullnosed for clearing eyes, straight scissors and curved scissors.

  • Nail clippers/ bloodstop powder

  • Ear plucking powder and wipes

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Data protection- GDPR 2018

Spruce takes your privacy seriously and is committed to protecting your personal information. This policy sets out how the information you provide to Spruce is used in providing Spruce services. All customers will be asked to sign a copy of this policy from June 2018.

 

What data and why?

Spruce  (‘I’- Heather Muir, as the business owner) collect data inc. your name, address and contact details, so that I can contact you with regards to your booking or any problems encountered during the groom. I also collect details about your dog that may affect and support the grooming process and the safety and well-being of your dog.

I keep a record of any health conditions I may notice during the groom and inform you of these upon collection. This data enables me to prioritise the health and safety of your dog. I also occasionally collect photographs of videos to use on my social media pages to better inform customers reviewing my services.

 

How your information will be kept

Your records and information including privacy agreement will be kept in a file and locked away out of hours. Your details and phone numbers will be on my mobile phone for ease of use. Information on my mobile phone is protected by fingerprint and/or passcode access which are unique and only known to me.  You are entitled to review any of the information I hold about you and any requests for such information will be met within 1 month of the request.

 

How the law applies to Spruce

I will only use your personal information if I have asked you and have a signed record of your consent to do so. I will not rent swap or sell your personal information to other organisations for them to use in their marketing activities. You can withdraw your consent for me to use your information at any time by

  • emailing info@sprucedoggrooming.com

  • writing to me at Spruce, 85 High Street Cricklade, Wilts SN6 6DF

  • Calling or texting me on 07740 029233

 

Retention of data

I will keep a copy of your information during your time of using Spruce. In the event of you no longer using our services I will retain your contact information for 12 months after your last groom/our last point of contact. At the end of the 12-month period I will destroy all paperwork and delete your contact information from my mobile devices.

 

Feedback

 All feedback should be directed to Heather Muir, preferably in person, by email, by telephone, or via our website.  We value feedback, both positive or negative, and will be happy to discuss with you any points you feel we should be aware of.

 

We ask all our clients to check the trim when they collect their dogs, so that if any adjustments are required, these can be made before the dog leaves the premises: it is quicker for us to do this as the dog’s coat is both clean and knot free, and from a client’s perspective the requirements have been met without significant delay.  Customers should note that if someone else collects the dog this increases the risk of unmatched expectations not being addressed there and then at the appointment, and prompt feedback is therefore even more essential.

We aren’t able to correct a trim on dogs returned to us after more than a couple of days: the coat will no longer be in a pristine, workable condition and will have grown longer, and it is hard for us to see where there is an error in the trim.

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