This last week, we have discussed at length how we can provide a grooming service whilst maintaining the guidelines set out by the Government. Dog grooming has unfortunately fallen into the grey area; can we, can't we?? Some groomers have managed to maintain operating with new guidelines in place, namely, mobile groomers, meaning owners do not have to carry out non-essential travel, which according to guidelines, travelling to a grooming appointment is not permissible.
Having spoken to our local authority and DEFRA and following advice from the Pet Industry Federation, we now feel we can offer a very limited service safely and if owners are to attend a dog grooming appointment; that it is incorporated into their daily exercise.
To summarise, the measures we have put in place as advised by DEFRA, The Kennel Club and PIF are as follows;
- We will be using appropriate PPE when we first receive your dog into the salon
- There will only be one dog in the salon at any one time and a very limited number of dogs groomed each day in order to carry out thorough cleaning of the environment and equipment between each dog
- The door to the salon will be locked to prevent people freely wandering in and this also restricts it to just those with an appointment
- Our own biothane slip lead will be placed onto your dog and you will need to remove their own collar/harness/lead and take it away with you
- Safe4 disinfectant wipes will be used to wipe down your dog pre and post groom
- Payment will be via BACs or PayPal
We are also very lucky that we are a small grooming salon with just myself and Sophie that work at Hashtag Dog and we are in the low risk category, as are both our households. It is not a decision we have made lightly and we have had lengthy discussions with each of our customers regarding the safety and the necessity of grooming your dog.
It is important to remember that whilst we're all riding the same storm, we are all in different boats.
If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.