Head to Tail Grooming Policies

 Pricing policy:  We base our pricing on the overall time spent for grooming each dog.  Our minimum charge is $50 but it will vary based on the size of the dog, complexity of the groom, behavior during grooming and condition of the coat.  If you wish, we will quote you an approximate price when you bring in your dog.

  Cancellation policy:  Our appointments are booked in advance.  If you are unable to make your appointment, please notify us at least a day in advance.  This enables us to fill your spot.  We reserve the right to charge a cancellation fee of $20 for no-shows or cancellations made less than 24 hours before your appointment.

 Matting and de-matting:  Many otherwise well-cared for dogs may have light tangles that can be easily combed out after the coat is clean.  We will not charge for the first 10 minutes of brushing and light de-matting.  However, if your dog is moderately to severely matted requiring us to pre-clip prior to the bath, we will add $15 to the cost of a regular groom.  If you wish us to de-mat your dog instead of clipping it short (keeping in mind the dog’s level of comfort), we will add $15/quarter hour spent de-matting.  We encourage you to keep your dog well combed out between grooming sessions for the dog’s comfort and to avoid costly and sometimes uncomfortable de-matting. 

 Brush-Outs:  Some undercoated dogs (Goldens, Labs, Huskies, GSDs, Aussies, Shelties, Newfies, St-Bernards, etc.) shed heavily at all times and especially during a change of season.  When booking appointments, we allow about 1 hour to brush out a medium to large size dog and 2 hours for a giant breed.  We are able to remove most of the undercoat of dogs kept on a 4-6 week grooming schedule in that time frame.  However, if your dog’s undercoat cannot be completely removed in that allotted time, we will notify you and ask you to reschedule another brush-out session at a rate of $30/hour (without bathing).  This limit on the brush-out time prevents delays on the grooms of our other customers.

  Pick-Up Time:  We will ask you to tell us if you need us to complete your dog’s groom for a specific time when you book your appointment.  Although we try to schedule our day so as to complete each dog as promptly as possible, we cannot predict factors such as humidity, customer delays, poor coat condition, etc. all of which will affect how quickly we complete the work on our dogs.  We ask that you kindly allow us at least 4 hours before picking up your dog.   When required, we may be able to finish grooming your dog in about 2 hours and will apply a fee of $15 for this express appointment. 
We always call you as soon as your dog is ready to go home and ask that you do not come until you have been notified that your dog’s groom is completed.  We also ask that you make arrangements to pick up your dog as promptly as possible after receiving a phone call from us so as to limit the time your dog will have to wait in a crate.  When absolutely necessary, we are able to accommodate your schedule and keep your dog at the shop until you are ready to pick him up.  Dogs that have to remain with us longer than 4 hours will get a potty break.

 Safety policy:  For the safety of our staff and that of our canine customers, we reserve the right to send a dog home at any point during the grooming that shows signs of aggression toward humans and/or other dogs while in the shop.  If your dog has a tendency toward aggression, has bitten humans or other dogs before, please let us know so we can use extra caution.  We do not any sedatives on our dogs (it is illegal to do so) and would rather send a dog home not groomed than put ourselves and the dog in danger.

Injury policy:  Dog grooming is a highly skilled profession.  At Head to Tail, we take every precaution to provide your dog with a safe grooming experience.  However, very rarely, accidents may happen especially when handling nervous and wiggly dogs.   We will notify you immediately should an injury occur and if we judge that the injury was preventable, we will assume the full cost of veterinary care if necessary.  However, in cases of severe matting requiring close clipping, we cannot be held responsible for any skin irritation that could result from the removal of the matting.  Please be aware that dogs with thin and sensitive skin that present with severe matting especially over the armpit, legs and underbelly areas are at increased risk for abrasions or nicks during clipping even in the care of the most experienced and careful groomer.  We advise you to monitor your dog closely for signs of licking, scratching and biting as this self-mutilating behavior is common following close skin clipping. 

Dog illness/infectious diseases:  We require that all our canine customers be up to date with their rabies vaccination.  It is the customers' responsibility to advise us of any known medical conditions your pets may have.  If your dog shows symptoms of illness such as vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, lethargy, or any suspicious change in behavior, it is best to cancel the grooming appointment and we reserve the right to send home a pet that shows signs of illness or if we judge that the pet's condition may be contagious.  However, although we make every effort to keep our shop and tools clean and sanitary, the risks of your dog 'catching' something from our shop resemble the risks you take yourself when going to the pool, playing in a public playground or going to any public place.  We advise you to protect your dogs appropriately against fleas and ticks and suggest that you make sure they are up to date with their shots and boosters before taking them to their grooming appointment.  We are therefore not responsible for any illnesses that your dog could manifest before or after their visit to Head to Tail.

Touch-up policy:  We will be happy to fix little details on your dog free of charge if you call us within 3 days after the grooming.

Head to Tail would like to thank you for your business and strives to meet your highest standards.  You can submit all comments by email to quynh@headtotailfairfield.com or by phone to 203-254-3274.

  Quynh and David Rodriguez

 Owners