How To Choose A Pet Groomer
By3 Questions Every Pet Owner Should Ask Before Selecting A Pet Groomer
How did you select the pet groomer that you take your pet to? I’ll bet if you answer this honestly, you called and made an appointment with someone close or you scheduled an appointment with the cheapest shop available. If you did either of these, don’t feel bad. You’re not alone. Here’s what you need to ask before scheduling Fido’s next appointment.
- Where did you go to school??
This is an extremely important question, since there are zero regulations in the pet grooming industry. That’s right. No one checks to make sure shops are clean and staff are properly trained. A good groomer should have at least 600 hours of hands-on training from a teacher that runs a licensed program. There are several of these programs nationwide and they normally cost a lot of money.
- What are your cleaning procedures?
This sounds silly but you’d be surprised how many grooming shops will give you the “deer in the headlights” look when you ask this. Why is this so important? Well for one, your pet’s well being depends on how clean the grooming shop is. All grooming shops should use a water to bleach ratio of 30:1. This will kill all viruses, parasites and other bugs that your pet can contract. This will also kill parvo. Everyday, a clean shop must use this bleach solution to clean the tubs, grooming tables and cages. Anything less is unsanitary and not a safe place for your pet.
- How come I drop my pet off at 8 AM and I can’t pick him/her up until 5 PM??
This is a great question to ask and I guarantee that you won’t get a straight answer. Pet grooming shops are businesses (like any other) and are trying to make money. Your pet happens to be the means that this happens. This is a normal part of our economy but, to make a lot of money poorly managed shops will pack pets into the shop at 8 AM and not get to them until much later. Meanwhile, your pet is sitting in a cage (that many times hasn’t been cleaned) all day long. A better managed grooming shop should schedule one appointment, per pet, per hour. If there are three groomers there should only be three appointments at 8 AM, three at 9 AM and so forth. This guarantees that your pet won’t sit in a dirty cage all day long.
Wes Murph is the owner of The Studly Pooch in Hermosa Beach. You can contact Mr. Murph at 310-376-7033 or email Wes(at)TheStudlyPooch(dot)com. He also offers a free on-line course titled “How To Reduce Shedding in 3-5 Days” at www.thestudlypooch.com.