Wednesday 13th January 2021 - Update
I have received further guidance from DEFRA and CFSG (Canine and Feline Sector Group). Their statement reads as follows:
'Groomers may accept a dog to be groomed by appointment where this is necessary for the animal's welfare and not simply for aesthetic reasons. Welfare reasons could include, on veterinary advice for a skin condition or excessive matting causing the pet discomfort. When routine grooming can be delayed without affecting the pet's welfare until the national lockdown is eased it should be put off'
Their message is clear, they would prefer that dogs did not visit the groomers until restrictions are eased. They only want dogs to be groomed once they have excessive matting or skin issues.
Please understand that I will not be allowed to groom your dog unless the skin/coat problems are getting serious. This means it is important to once again try to brush your dog regularly and to snip out any little knots that you may find before they become a problem. You all did so well looking after their coats during the first lockdown, I know you can do it again.
I will be in touch with everyone once I am allowed to open again.
Stay safe and well everyone!
Tracey
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Wednesday 6th January 2021 - Update
There has been a lot of talk on dog grooming groups as to whether we should be opening or not. At the moment some are staying open and some are fully closing. The official line is ‘Animal Rescue Centres, Boarding Facilities and Animal Groomers (may continue to be used for animal welfare, rather than aesthetic purposes)’. It also states that travel is permitted for 'Animal welfare reasons – you can leave home for animal welfare reasons, such as to attend veterinary services for advice or treatment'.
I believe the responsible thing to do is to close other than for dogs that, without a groom, will have their welfare compromised. Simply put if your dog needs a groom because they are scruffy or smelly then I am afraid it will have to wait. However, if your dog is getting knotty past the point where you can brush, cut or tease out the knots then I will have them in for a groom. Please help by keeping your dog brushed to the best of your ability in the meantime.
I will be calling around all of my clients that currently have appointments booked but it may take a little while, as you know I do like a chat.😉
I do feel that this is the best way to protect my customers, family and community for now while still ensuring that none of my dogs get uncomfortable or end up with issues resulting from the lack of a professional groom. You all did amazingly well looking after your dogs coats during the last lockdown and I am sure you will all do the same this time around. However I will ensure none of you have to reach for the clippers yourselves to stop your dogs getting too knotty. I do hope you all understand.
Please do contact me if you are having any problems with grooming your dog (or if you really need a doggy related chat)
Stay safe and well everyone!
Tracey
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Friday 15th May - Update
I hope that you are all safe and well. I just wanted to update you with some good news - I am planning to reopen on Monday 18th May!
I am putting in new procedures in place to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19 and would appreciate your support to adhere to these so we can ensure we can work to the guidelines for everyone's safety. I will inform you of them when I book your appointment.
I do have 8 weeks of cancelled appointments to catch up on and, unfortunately, due to the extra cleaning and admin required and having my daughter at home, it will take some time to work through the list. Until I reach the end of that list I will not be making appointments for new clients nor clients that did not already have an appointment booked. I will work my way through the list in the order that the appointments were originally booked and I expect everyone to be booked in about 8 weeks after their original appointment, possibly a little sooner if things go well.
I know that some other groomers reopened before me and some have even been grooming new clients so if you have managed to get your dog groomed elsewhere in the meantime please text to let me know so that I know that you are not in a rush for your appointment. I will not be offended if you managed to get an appointment elsewhere, I understand that you will have been doing what is best for your dog. However, I do hope to see you return in the future.
I would also ask you to consider if it may be better to have you dogs hair cut shorter than normal. For some this may be necessary due to matting but for others it may be a good option too. That way if we are required to 'lockdown' again you will have less hair to look after. Also the weather is turning warm so many dogs would be quite comfortable with a shorter haircut. We can discuss this when we make your appointment.
I am planning to start off by only booking appointments a few days ahead. This will allow me to adjust the amount of dogs I can do as I get the new procedures streamlined and will also allow adjustments for any changes in the government guidelines. Therefore I will not be in contact until a few days before I can make you an appointment. But don't worry, if you had an appointment cancelled you will be on my list! If you have any questions regarding my procedures please feel free to contact me. I am unlikely to be answering the phone during the working day but if you email or send a text I will get back to you when I can.
I am looking forward to getting back to grooming and cant wait to see all of your dogs again.
Stay safe and well everyone!
Tracey
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Wednesday 6th May - Update
I hope you are all doing OK. I have spoken to a few clients this week and have enjoyed seeing pictures some of your dogs after they have had a home haircut. It is lovely to see them, I am missing them all. Well done everyone for working hard to keep your dogs comfortable. Remember that they don't mind if they are a bit uneven or patchy as long as they are not too knotty they will be fine.
You may have seen that some dog groomers have started re-opening. Currently, the guidelines don't allow people to drive to and from the groomer (it is not deemed an essential journey). As I am in a village that means that I have very few clients who would actually be able to reach me.
In addition, I need to walk your dogs through my house in order to get to my groom room. Obviously this is not an ideal situation and the guidelines would require me to clean all areas where the dog has been including during its walk through the house. This would be hard to manage, especially as my husband, daughter and Buster are all currently in the house. I need to make sure that I am fully aware of any risks and how to minimise them in order to protect my home and family.
For these reasons I will remain closed for now. I will continue to reassess the situation as the government release new information.
I am aware that some of your dogs will be getting rather shaggy and some may be getting a little tangled. I am sorry that I can not do any more at this point. As I have said before, please call if you need any advice. Also, should you have a local groomer or a mobile groomer that can fit your dog in I will understand if you book them in there, the dogs have to come first.
I hope that you all understand. Please stay safe and keep well,
Tracey
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Monday 20th April - Update
I hope that you are all well and that you are managing to keep on top of grooming your dogs.
Following the current government guidelines the salon remains closed. All appointments are cancelled. As soon as I know I will be allowed to reopen I will start contacting clients to re-book their appointments. Obviously there will be a lot of dogs needing to be booked in but I will work extra hours to try to catch up. I will do my best to book the dogs back in in a fair manner taking into consideration how overdue they are and how much they will need that haircut. Please call me if you need any information or advice beyond what is found here on the website.
Stay safe everyone
Tracey
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Hi,
I hope you are all keeping well. I just wanted to update you on the current situation.
I have closed my salon in line with government guidelines and will remain closed for business for the next 3 weeks at a minimum. I have messaged all clients due within that period to cancel their appointments. After those 3 weeks I will continue to follow government guidelines. If I can reopen the salon I will need to rearrange further appointments to ensure that I can catch up with the dogs that are most desperate for their trims. Please do expect disruption to your booked appointments, although I promise to do my best to keep it to a minimum, I will have a lot of work to catch up on. Should I need to remain closed, as soon as I know, I will send out messages to cancel further appointments.
Once I can reopen I will contact everybody who has had an appointment cancelled to get a new appointment booked.
In the meantime it is over to you for basic coat care. Hopefully my 'grooming by you' page will have information to help. Should you need any further help, any current clients are welcome to give me a call and I will see if I can offer advice.
Finally keep an eye on my facebook page. I will be trying to keep it updated with what is going on along with hints and tips to keep your dogs happy and healthy during this period.
To those of you who are key workers, thank you, for the rest of you stay in, stay safe and lets hope it is not too long before we get back to 'normal'.
Tracey & Buster