Terms and Conditions

Appointment Times

Please arrive at your scheduled appointment time. If you expect to be late, we ask that you contact us as soon as possible.

 

If you are running more than 15 minutes late, we reserve the right to shorten, modify, or reschedule your appointment if there is insufficient time to safely complete the booked service without delaying other clients.

 

Appointments may be cancelled if you arrive more than 15 minutes late without prior notice. In these circumstances, a $30 late arrival fee may apply, or your appointment may be treated as a No-Show, with the applicable cancellation fee charged.

 

Re-Booking Policy

To maintain your dogs' coat, comfort, and wellbeing, and to ensure appointments remain within our regular grooming schedule, we recommend grooming every 6–8 weeks.

 

Appointments booked more than 60 days after your dog's previous groom with The Pup Spa may incur an additional surcharge on the scheduled grooming service.

 

This surcharge reflects the additional time, labour, coat maintenance, equipment maintenance and styling time often required for dogs that fall outside our recommended grooming schedule. The surcharge will be applied at the groomer's discretion based on your dog's coat condition, time between appointments and the additional work required to complete the groom.

 

Cancellations & No-Shows

We require a minimum of 24 hours' notice for all appointment cancellations or rescheduling.

• Appointments cancelled with less than 24 hours' notice will incur a 50% cancellation fee of the scheduled service.

• Same-day cancellations or failure to attend (No-Show) will incur a 100% cancellation fee of the scheduled service.

 

All outstanding cancellation fees must be paid before future appointments can be booked.

Clients with repeated late cancellations or no-shows may be required to prepay 100% of future appointments before bookings are accepted.

 

Although we endeavour to send courtesy appointment reminders, it remains the client's responsibility to remember and attend scheduled appointments.

 

Appointment Duration

Most grooming appointments take approximately 2–2.5 hours.

Appointment times are estimates only and may vary depending on:

• Coat condition

• Coat length and thickness

• Breed and size

• Behaviour and temperament

• Additional services requested

For the comfort and safety of all pets, owners are not permitted to remain in the grooming area during appointments.

 

Collection of Your Pet

We will notify you as soon as your dog is ready for collection.

Due to limited space, dogs must be collected within 30 minutes of notification unless prior arrangements have been made.

Late collection fees apply:

• $30 per hour (or part thereof) during business hours.

• $1 per minute after business hours.

 

Health & Medical Disclosure

Owners must advise us before each appointment of any:

• Medical conditions

• Illnesses or injuries

• Allergies

• Recent surgeries

• Medications

• Mobility issues

• Pregnancy

• Seizures

• Heart conditions

• Any other health concerns

We reserve the right to refuse or discontinue grooming where we believe continuing may place your pet's health, wellbeing or safety at risk.

 

Should your dog become ill or require emergency veterinary treatment while in our care, you authorise The Pup Spa to obtain veterinary treatment if you cannot be contacted. All veterinary costs remain the responsibility of the owner.

 

Vaccinations & Parasite Control

Dogs must be in good health and be appropriately vaccinated or have adequate veterinary protection.

Dogs showing signs of contagious illness, fleas, ticks or other parasites may be refused service.

If live fleas are discovered during grooming, a compulsory flea treatment and salon sanitisation fee may be charged.

 

Behaviour & Safety

Owners must disclose any behavioural concerns before their appointment, including but not limited to:

• Aggression

• Previous biting history

• Anxiety

• Escape tendencies

• Separation anxiety

• Fearfulness

• Excessive barking

 

The safety of every dog and staff member is our highest priority.

 

If your dog requires additional handling, or assistance from another groomer due to behavioural challenges, anxiety, age or aggression, an Additional Handling Fee of $15–$30 may be applied at the groomers’ discretion.

 

Where we believe grooming cannot be completed safely, we reserve the right to stop, modify or refuse the service. Charges will apply for all work completed prior to discontinuation.

 

If we determine our salon is not the most suitable environment for your pet, we may recommend alternative grooming options such as mobile or veterinary grooming.

 

Senior Dogs

Senior dogs and dogs with existing medical conditions may require additional rest breaks or modified grooming techniques.

 

Owners acknowledge that grooming may place additional physical stress on elderly pets, and accept the increased risks associated with grooming senior dogs.

 

Puppies

Puppies should have completed their required vaccinations before their first grooming appointment unless otherwise approved by their veterinarian.

 

All puppies must receive an introductory puppy tidy before 6 months of age and before their first full groom to acclimatise them to the grooming process and to create a positive grooming experience. 

 

Matting Policy

The welfare of your dog always comes first.

 

We DO NOT perform painful brush-outs or extensive de-matting procedures. Severely matted coats will be clipped short where necessary to safely and humanely remove the coat.

 

Owners acknowledge that removing severe matting may reveal or contribute to:

• Skin irritation, clipper rash, cuts or nicks

• Exposing existing sores, bruising, skin infections, parasite infestations

• Ear redness or haematomas

These risks are unavoidable in some severely matted pets.

 

The Pup Spa accepts no responsibility for veterinary treatment required as a result of pre-existing matting or underlying skin conditions.

 

Additional grooming charges apply for matted coats due to the extra time, equipment and care required. If a dogs’ coat becomes heavily matted or pelted and your dog requires de-matting or shaving, a de-matting fee starting at $5 per 5 minutes will be applied to your groom.

 

Grooming Risks

Grooming involves the use of sharp scissors, clipper blades and specialised equipment.

While every reasonable precaution is taken, owners acknowledge that minor accidental nicks, scratches or clipper irritation may occasionally occur, particularly where pets are matted, elderly, medically compromised or difficult to handle.

 

Incomplete Services

If a grooming service cannot be completed due to your dog's behaviour, health, stress level, or any circumstance that compromises the safety or wellbeing of your dog or our staff, we reserve the right to discontinue the grooming service at any stage.

Charges will apply for all grooming services completed up to the point the appointment is discontinued, including any time, labour, or treatments already provided.

 

Photography & Digital Media

The Pup Spa may photograph or video pets before, during or after their appointment for use in:

• Social media

• Website

• Advertising

• Educational material

• Promotional content

If you do not consent to your pet being photographed or appearing in marketing material, please notify us before your appointment.

 

Payment

Payment is required in full upon collection of your pet unless prior arrangements have been made.

Quoted prices are estimates only and may vary depending on your dog's:

• Coat condition

• Coat length

• Size

• Behaviour

• Grooming time required

• Additional services requested

 

Additional charges may apply for:

• Matting

• Excessive undercoat removal

• Difficult behaviour

• Additional handling

• Flea treatment

• Late collection

• Late arrival

• Additional grooming time

• Appointments outside the recommended 6–8 week grooming schedule.

 

By booking an appointment with The Pup Spa, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and agree to these Terms & Conditions.