Grooming Policies

Service area

The regular route covers Moon Valley, Deer Valley Village, North Mountain Village, Lookout Mountain, and Arrowhead Ranch, with ZIP guidance for 85022, 85023, 85024, 85027, 85029, 85032, 85053, 85306, 85308, and 85310.

Appointments are booked directly through the online calendar; available times reflect both geography and open grooming capacity.

Client disclosure

Provide accurate approximate weight, coat condition, grooming history, handling needs, and service address.

Disclose severe matting, recent injury, grooming-related biting, prior sedation, major mobility changes, suspected fleas or ticks, medication prescribed for grooming, and anything else affecting safe handling.

Grooming versus veterinary care

Green Dog does not practise veterinary medicine, diagnose conditions, prescribe treatment, administer sedation, or perform veterinary restraint.

Grooming may reveal redness, odor, debris, lesions, lumps, pain responses, or changes in skin and coat. Those observations are shared; diagnosis and treatment belong with a veterinarian.

Handling and safety

Dogs must tolerate ordinary grooming handling, including standing for portions of the appointment. A groom may be modified or stopped if continuing is not safe for the dog or groomer.

Senior dogs are groomed at a slower, controlled pace within their demonstrated tolerance. The Dog Safety Policy covers vaccination, breed, and handling limits.

Matting

Green Dog does not perform prolonged or painful de-matting to preserve length. If a clipper must pass beneath matting, the finished haircut will be shorter; tight or extensive matting can require a much shorter result than requested.

The true condition may not be visible at the surface. If material matting is found before grooming, the likely change is explained first. If it appears during preparation, the plan may be adjusted then and the client informed.

Matted coat can conceal redness, staining, lesions, or other skin changes. Significant pain, open skin, or apparently infected areas may require veterinary evaluation. Do not aggressively brush tight matting immediately before the appointment.

After a shorter groom, maintenance should use a length, home routine, and interval the client can realistically support. See the Matted Coat Policy.

Coat condition and haircut length

The coat’s condition at the appointment—not the originally requested style—determines the length that can be safely left. Curly and wavy coats need enough between-visit maintenance to support longer lengths.

Healthy double coats are generally preserved rather than shaved for seasonal reasons. Requested shave-downs must be discussed because regrowth may be affected.

Pricing

Pricing is based on service category and weight, with coat type, density, and condition affecting the workload. If coat condition materially changes the work, Green Dog explains that before proceeding.

Access and parking

Safe curbside access is required for the full appointment. Disclose gates, unusual arrangements, parking restrictions, steep approaches, low clearance, or other conditions affecting the van.

The van carries its own fresh water and normal salon power. Used bath water remains in a dedicated greywater tank and leaves with the van.

Appointment duration

Duration varies with coat density, drying, matting, handling, and age. One-dog scheduling lets the work take the time it safely requires instead of forcing every dog into the same appointment length.