An Open Letter to Once a Year Big Fuzzy Beasties:
Dear Once-a-year (OAY) big fuzzy beasties (BFB)… We love grooming you. Seeing your fur fly is very satisfying to a groomer, and watching you leave feeling good with your tail wagging makes us very happy.
Can we talk?
Regardless of breed, the bare minimum for professional coat maintenance is every 12 weeks, not 52. When we book you, we set aside x amount of time and quote x amount of dollars based upon three month service, and three months worth of undercoat…not 12.
You are asking us to do a years’ worth of grooming in a single day!
Also, when we only see you once a year, your spa experience isn’t quite spa-like as you are unaccustomed to the blow dryers, the handling from strangers, the bath. (nail trimming wh-aattt??) And, well, the fact is if you weigh more than your groomer and decide that your big fuzzy booty is just fine all matted and smelly, it can seriously cause wear and tear on our equipment and our bodies in order to give you the care that you need 😉
This year we are going to make some changes to our OAY BFB policy.
As it is impossible to see your dog’s condition over the telephone, we are going to charge hourly instead of a set fee if you have a fuzzy beastie and it has been more than three months since your last groom.
The thing is, it’s not fair that the same rate applies to a OAY than applies to a regularly maintained good condition coat. The extra hours that it takes to groom your dog over and above what is reasonable for the breed are now going to be reflected directly on your bill.
I say this will love and respect, as a groomer of 24 years. We are a labour based industry and need to charge appropriately for our time, including the extra time put into these extreme OAY grooms.
Still want to come once a year? Simple. Brush and maintain your dogs coat and keep it in reasonable condition. Hourly billing will reflect the condition of your pet.
And please don’t forget, it has ALWAYS been part of our customer service policy that we provide FREE brushing and combing lessons to our Fur-parents, for all fuzzy beasties big and small.
Love and Grooming,
Jeanette.
