Dog Stylists, Inc.

I was going to talk about something else, but had another topic pop up. As long as everything gets covered eventually, it's all good, right? We get a lot of special needs pets in the salon. Most of the time, we're able to handle them. Maybe they aren't gorgeous competitive styles going out the door, but the dogs are comfortable, pampered, and most importantly, vertical when they leave. We take our oldsters seriously. When the dogs are too difficult, confused, and combative, we discuss whether it is safe to continue trying to work with them, and on very rare occasion decide that they need to be seen only under medical supervision. We do not make this decision lightly, and feel it is unfair for a client to take the pet to another groomer, misrepresent the potential liability of handling a difficult senile pet, and subject an unsuspecting salon to a dog that has been deemed impossible by a very experienced master groomer. Here are some of the frail babies we see, and how we give them a relaxing experience.

I know I've told this story before, but it bears repeating. I am terrible about punctuality so I don't expect my clients to arrive on the dot because the obsession with every minute leads to serious consequences. I had a lovely 1974 Volvo 164E, a model they stopped making in 1975. Mine used to belong to a bigwig at Duke University, my alma mater. When I was living in Baltimore, I was on the way home from work one day and going through a totally green light at an intersection off the highway when there was suddenly a 1989 Nissan Sentra right in my path. As I found out later, the driver was late picking up her kid from daycare and the standard practice at daycares is to charge $1 a minute for late pickups. I t-boned that little car, both cars were totaled, and the driver left her injured passenger to continue running on foot to pick up her kid. I didn't have health insurance so I didn't go to the doctor but I got banged up. I don't know what happened to the passenger. I lost my car, got next to nothing for it, and lost my job for lack of transportation because I couldn't get another car I could afford soon enough. Why is all this important? I don't ever want a client to take crazy risks to pick up a pet exactly on time. Life is short. Time is an illusion, lunchtime doubly so. Let me know if you're running behind but don't wreck your car or hurt anyone on my behalf.

With all the problems going on in the world, sometimes one thing brings us happy tears. I was grooming a client dog 5 weeks ago and noticed odd bruising on one hind leg that wouldn't be explained by a blood draw. I didn't find any bruises or petechiae elsewhere, as I have found on several other dogs with autoimmune disorders, but mom still took her to the vet just in case. The little dog had no platelets left and was in critical shape, but quick action saved her. Mom called today to set up another appointment and to thank us for our knowledge, diligence, and caring.

Years ago I read an article about effective advertising and communicating with clients. One of the key points was avoiding the use of the words "No" and "Not." That being said, I do my darnedest to keep these in mind when posting about stuff relating to my beloved salon and its clients. This has been a very weird time lately, so here are some positively stated thoughts. I have already mentioned the credit card 3% charge issue, so I will reiterate: in order for me to refrain from raising prices on everyone, I must pass this cost on to clients. It is a very tiny amount. A mere pittance for every individual client, a burden for me when I have to pay the entire amount every month. Yelling at me, trying to bargain, glaring at me, and scolding me for being unwilling to eat the fee after you have just told me about your vacation and travels to visit the grands and you have yet to grace your hardworking stylist with any gratuity whatsoever will most definitely earn you the opportunity to learn what you have lost the next time your baby has a butt crumb.

If you must partake of Peruvian Marching Powder, please dispose of your baggie corner at home rather than in my lobby. The shop kitties just had to pick up a white chip.

If you must partake of the Sticky Icky, we can smell it on you and are unwilling to accept any excuses for why your pet is a mess or offer you a hardship discount.

If you would like an appointment, please leave us a message. We always check messages and respond as soon as possible, once we have tended to all of the immediate concerns, cleaned up messes, checked in the clients standing in front of us, and mixed our shampoos. It is exceedingly difficult for us to accommodate clients who call 18 times in a row (yes it has happened) but refuse to leave a name or message, and it tends to make us stubborn. Voicemail is your friend. Remember, leaving a polite message falls under exhibiting exemplary client behavior.

Barking orders at my employees is verboten. That will also earn a client the opportunity to learn nicer manners at another less patient salon.

:)

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Security cameras are your friends, y'all.

Who likes gardening? Who likes humane, organic pest control? People ask us all the time what we do with the hair we shave off the dogs. Well, if it's dirty and we don't feel like washing and drying a full coat that's going to be removed anyway, we preclip the dog and save the hair in a bag. We give out bags of dirty (though not peed on, poopy, or infested) hair so our clients can repel deer and bunnies without nasty chemicals. Just stuff it into old pantyhose to keep it from blowing away. 😁🐇🦌

Here we go again. A couple of new clients have complimented my business and said we are awesome and loving and need to charge more. Just when I think we need to do just that, something catastrophic happens and my beloved clients find themselves in terrible straits again. They are losing their jobs. They are losing their homes. Their pets need care but the clients are counting pennies to buy gas and food and health care, so what do we do? At Dog Stylists, we do what we always do: schedule a few extra dogs, look for ways to save money, and take care of our precious clients. Money is a tool, not our god, and we will all be fine if we take care of each other.

What some people do not seem to realize about my business is that it is a service, and there is an exchange. You bring a pet to me in reasonable shape, ask me for a reasonable service, and I offer you a reasonable price. If you bring me a dog with bad behavior and in not great shape, then dictate what you are willing to pay for a particular style, do NOT ream me out for what we are able to do within those parameters then go changing the rules on me. Your dog was matted. You did not do a great job brushing. I didn't expect my pro groomer to spend an hour fluffing out your waddy designer mutt with a nightmare coat for free when your attitude led me to believe you had no desire to pay for that extra time, despite your claim after the fact. It's hair. It's ten times thicker than yours and will grow back with a vengeance. I'm too old and tired for nonsense, though my hair belies my age.

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Now that we have survived the Turkeystravaganza that is Thanksgiving, we have entered the Predictable Lag of the first 2 weeks of December. This is a really good time to schedule your holiday appointments, when things are a little more relaxed and your dog will get more individual attention. Waiting until the last minute will result in despair, fierce competition for our coveted appointment spots, and higher possibility of ridicule and extortion. Don't forget to get your dog's cleanliness and aesthetic on your list of must-dos. 919-489-9364

In case anyone wonders where we stand, we are a safe place. Love you. ❤️