Terms & Conditions
Deposits/cancellations/lateness
You may be asked to pay a £15 deposit prior to your appointment. This secures your appointment
time. This is carried onto your next appointment automatically. The deposit may be used by The
Pet Aunty to contribute towards missed or cancelled appointments. If you wish to have the deposit
taken off the price of your service, you must make this clear on collection, prior to payment. If you
wish to have it refunded at a different time, you must give The Pet Aunty a reasonable amount of
time to transfer you your deposit. Any cancellation made within 48 hours of your appointment time
may result in a loss of your deposit. You may also be asked to pay 50% of the service due to be
carried out. The Pet Aunty reserves the right to then increase the amount of deposit needed for
any further appointments.
If you are more than 15 minutes late for drop off or collection, you will receive a £5 late charge for
every 15 minutes. If you are 15 minutes late for your appointment, we cannot guarantee that your
service will remain available. Amendments to your service may be needed or your appointment
cancelled. This may also put your deposit at risk.
We reserve the right to refuse to groom any dog without reason, this includes if your pet is unwell
or aggressive on sign in. This may put your deposit at risk.
We reserve the right to cancel or bring to a stop any groom if, in our opinion, it could affect the
welfare of the dog to start or continue a groom. This includes the safety and welfare of the
grooming colleagues or others present in the salon.
Medical
Whilst we will take every care of your pet whilst it is being groomed, any pet left on our premises is
left entirely at the owner’s risk.
There is always the possibility that an accident could occur. Grooming equipment is sharp, even
though we use extreme caution and care in all situations, possible injuries could occur including
cuts, nicks, scratches, quicking of nails, etc. Every effort will be made to ensure your pet is
groomed as safely as possible. Whilst we take every reasonable precaution to prevent it, we will
not accept any responsibility for any loss, injury, death or illness suffered by your pet whilst in our
care.
You must inform your groomer of any medical conditions or medications your dog is on either prior
to your appointment or at drop off. The Pet Aunty may require a written letter from your
vet/physiotherapist stating that your pet is healthy to be groomed. This is at the owner's cost, not
The Pet Aunty. If your groom is cancelled as a result of this, your deposit may be at risk.
Double coated breeds will have a deshed added to their service automatically. This is to ensure
that the health of their coat is maintained and matting is avoided. If you do not agree to this, you
need to state that before your dog is left in the care of The Pet Aunty.
We will not clip off any dog that has a double coat without written direction from the dog's
registered vet. This will not be at a cost to The Pet Aunty. Clipping a double coat can affect the
regrowth of the dog's coat and may result in coat funk. Targeted dematting may result in small
areas needing clippers to remove the mats to avoid any risk to the dog or groomer, where scissors
are not appropriate. The Pet Aunty will use their professional judgement to know when this is
appropriate and how much they are willing to clip off to decrease the suffering of your dog.
For some dogs, grooming procedures can be stressful, and can expose hidden medical problems
or aggravate a current one during or after the groom. The Pet Aunty does not take responsibility
for these changes in medical conditions, but will endeavour to do their best to ensure the safety
and welfare of your dog. The Pet Aunty will not make contributions to medical bills as a result of
the groom either through injury or exacerbation of a medical condition.
Bitches in heat and pregnant dogs will not be permitted in the salon and we cannot complete any
service on them.
Flea/parasite
If your pet is found to have fleas, there will be an additional £10 flea charge. This is to ensure that
the area can be cleared of the parasites and any equipment disinfected. There may also be an
additional £3 charge for the use of flea shampoo. The Pet Aunty will endeavour to contact you to
confirm these extra charges, but if you cannot be contacted, these charges will automatically be
added to your service.
If your dog needs to be re-bathed in order to kill the fleas, we will endeavour to contact you about
a change to your service. You may still be charged for a full groom if the dog has been bathed
twice, even if a full groom service was not carried out due to time restraints. The Pet Aunty will
prioritise the dog's welfare over their finished look. This means that if The Pet Aunty are not able to
get in touch with you about what you wish for your service, they will prioritise killing the fleas over
completing a full groom.
Should any other parasite be found on your dog, a disinfectant charge of at least £5 will be made
and you may be asked to collect your dog immediately and the service may be cancelled. You may
still be charged for your full service as well.
Matting
In accordance with the Animal Welfare Act, we will not spend more than 15 minutes de-matting. A
matted coat may result in us having to clip the coat short all over - our priority here is comfort as
matting can be painful for the dog and dangerous to remove. There is an extra charge for matted
dogs due to the extra time it takes and excess wear and tear to equipment.
You acknowledge that your dog may need to be clipped short due to removing matting which
cannot be brushed out. If this is the case you agree for the groomer to make the decision to clip off
your dog's coat either by your instruction or for the benefit of your dog. You also acknowledge that
your dog may behave differently, particularly in cold weather.
When necessary, removing a heavily matted coat includes risks of nicks, cuts or abrasions. Heavy
matting can also trap moisture and urine near the pet's skin allowing mould, fungus or bacteria to
grow, causing skin irritations that existed prior to the grooming process. After effects of mat
removal procedures can include itchiness, skin redness, self-inflicted irritations or abrasions and
failure of the hair to re-grow. Shaved pets are also prone to sunburn and should be kept out of the
sun until the hair grows sufficiently to protect the skin. In some cases, pets may also exhibit brief
behavioural changes. There is also the risk of haematomas due to previously restricted blood flow,
caused by the matting, and then the sudden rush of blood to a specific area. The Pet Aunty will
take as many precautions as possible to reduce the risk of this, but if it should occur, it is the
responsibility of the owner, not The Pet Aunty due to the condition of the coat.
The Pet Aunty will not accept responsibility for these injuries and are not liable for vet bills as a
result of these accidents.
Social Media
You agree for your dog to be photographed for training, development or marketing purposes. This
includes publishing on social media or being used for promotional material.
You agree that your dog’s image can be used across The Pet Aunty company for promotional or
marketing purposes.
Behaviour
The Pet Aunty reserves the right to use a muzzle during your dog's groom. This is to ensure the
safety of your dog, the groomer and the equipment. The Pet Aunty reserves the right to use other,
reasonable, restraints such as (but not limited to) a neck strap, belly strap and sling where needed
to ensure the safety of your dog and the groomer.
If you refuse to allow The Pet Aunty to use reasonable restraints, we may refuse your service.
These restraints are only to be used to ensure the safety of your dog and the groomer, as well as
aiding in achieving essential grooming. This may put your deposit at risk.
❑ If you are dissatisfied with your pet’s groom please let us know within 48 hours and we will
do our best to resolve it for you.
❑ The Pet Aunty shares the Billesdon location with other businesses, including but not limited to Knots
n Tangles. The Pet Aunty is not affiliated with these companies and is its own entity. Any
concerns about the other businesses should be discussed with those businesses and not
impact The Pet Aunty.
Location
You will be asked at the booking of your appointment if you wish to make an appointment at the
Billesdon or Market Harborough location. Appointment times and dates will be subject to this
location. You must be clear about which location you wish to use at the time of booking in order to
secure the right kind of appointment. It is not the responsibility of The Pet Aunty to monitor this.
Failure to arrive at the correct location at the designated time is subject to the same late and
cancellation charges listed above and your deposit may be at risk. If you wish to make changes to
the location of your booking, you must notify The Pet Aunty Grooming, with 48 hours notice, in
order to make this change and not have your deposit affected. Changed appointments are subject
to availability.
Due to the salon set up, certain dog breeds, sizes and coat types may only be available in one
location. This will be made clear to you at the time of booking.
Transport
The Pet Aunty may be able to facilitate pick up and/or drop off at either location at a cost. This
requirement must be expressed at the time of your booking and is subject to a £2 cost for the
Market Harborough location and £4.50 cost for Billesdon location for each journey. This payment
is to be made to The Pet Aunty Grooming at the time of paying for your service. You may request
one or both of these transportations. This is subject to availability and must be discussed at the
time of your appointment, or within 48 hours notice of your appointment if your circumstances
change. Despite giving us 48 hours notice, we may still not be able to facilitate this transportation,
but will offer to change your appointment in order stop your deposit being at risk.
If your dog is sent home for any of the reasons above, you will be notified and ideally you would
facilitate their collection. If you are unable to facilitate this, and if it is safe to do so, The Pet Aunty
may be able to offer transportation to an agreed location. This is subject to an extra £5 fee.
You understand that your dog may be transported with other dogs and so must make us aware if
your dog is dog reactive/aggressive and we may not be able to facilitate transport at all in these
circumstances.
Entering your home
If you wish for us to collect/drop off your dog from your home address, you may be
asked for access to the property. The Pet Aunty reserves the right to wear a body
camera in order to document the entrance and exit process for their own records.
This will be digitally stored in accordance with GDPR legislation and is available on
request. We also reserve the right to access a copy of your own CCTV footage of
our time on your property if it is required, but this will be requested in writing and with
an appropriate amount of notice.
We reserve the right to refuse other persons to your property and will not accept
responsibility for collecting packages or opening/closing of other doors and windows.
If we are given a key/access code, this will be kept securely/locked away, until it is
appropriate to use/return to you. Please give us 24 hours notice of needing any
items returned to you.
We are not responsible for the loss of any keys/access devices or damage to the
property/doors.
We will endeavour to check that your dog has access to clean water, but this is
ultimately your responsibility and The Pet Aunty are not responsible for this.
We are also not responsible for ensuring that your dog has toileted before we leave
the property and take no responsibility for any damages or soiling that may occur.
Using the other The Pet Aunty services
You may book your appointment for before/during/after your dogs walk/daycare/boarding visit. This
must be discussed with The Pet Aunty Grooming initially to ensure grooming availability and then
they will check with the relevant member of The Pet Aunty to check their availability. If you require
transport, you must also make The Pet Aunty Grooming aware of this at the time of booking so
that enquiries and arrangements can be made smoothly. Agreement from The Pet Aunty
Grooming does not automatically mean that walks/daycare/boarding is available. You will also be
charged at your normal rate as well as the grooming service. For example if your dog is at daycare
but also has a bath, you will pay your normal daycare rate and then be charged for your bath
separately. If you require an additional hour of daycare/walk before/after your grooming service,
this must be checked with your initial provider first and then it is your responsibility to ensure that
The Pet Aunty Grooming is made aware of this. You may be charged double the expected rate if
you do not make us aware of this as well as the late fee listed above.
These terms may be updated. It is the responsibility to The Pet Aunty to notify you of any changes
and ensure you have signed to agree to the new conditions prior to any appointments.