1. What are your hours?
Monday through Friday we open at 7am. We are open some (not all) Saturdays by appontment at 8am. and strive to close around 12 noon.
2. What's your prices?
This question has always come with slight confusion. We set and quote our prices often referring to them as STARTING prices on BASIC grooms. This is the bottom line base price for a dog that fits the standard for his/her breed. Small breeds - toy poodles, small shih tzus, etc start at $36.00 - $40.00. Medium sized dogs - Miniature poodles, larger mixed breeds, etc start at $40.00 - $45.00. Large breeds - standard poodles, german shepards, etc start at $45.00-$50.00. Base prices can change with size of the dog. Some people have tried to get us to quote a lower price by telling us they have a "toy" or "teacup" breed. In an effort to keep things as simple as possible, it is our practice to use the breed guidelines set by the American Kennel Club (http://www.akc.org/). Not every dog is a show dog and not every dog adheres to the specific breed guidelines set forth by the AKC but the AKC give us some sort of baseline so that we can offer fair rates.
3. Can I just walk in?
At one time in the beginning of Pampered Paws when we were located in LaPromenade Mall, we relied upon walk-in business. Poor planning on our part, we opened in September and the Bayou Pages (our advertising source of choice) had already been out for 3 months. We had the marquis sign out front but were virtually unknown to phone book perusers. Since then, our business has expanded exponentially. There has been a huge misunderstanding between the terms "walk-in", "reservation" and "appointment". So, lets see if I can clear it up with a hotel analogy. Hotels, like us, have a limited number of rooms. So, let's say you came to Festival International and you want to stay in a hotel room. You find the Hilton Gardens on Congress but you didn't call ahead but you decide to drop in. Oops, they have no available rooms for several reasons - they are completely filled and each room is occupied OR, according to their reservation system, they are EXPECTING their rooms to to be totally occupied on the day you dropped in. Here, you would be considered a WALK-IN. It's a highly risky practice, especially if you are in dire straits. There is a small chance that someone will cancel or not show up but still a simple phone call from the car would have saved you time and gas (the Vlingo ap on the iPhone is an excellent way to use voice to do a quick Google search). Now, the difference between RESERVATION and APPOINTMENT. Again, people make reservations for a hotel room. From those reservations, the ones who show up first generally get the better rooms (or at least the option for a better room which coincides with the option we give to have your dog finished before the next dog shows up). This is a RESERVATION. An APPOINTMENT for a hotel would be if you called the hotel and reserved the sky suite for 4pm on Friday to 5pm on Monday. At Pampered Paws, we simply cannot offer appointments and the reasons are explained in another question. So reservation vs appointment has to do simply with specifics. Walk-in - too risky.
4. What's with the base price fluctuations?
Base prices generally do not fluctuate without just reason - ie: economy and irregularity of grooming. The economy we simply cannot fight. As our costs go up, just like every business we have to share that little gift from the government with our clients/customers. Usually we try to keep across the board base price hikes to once a year - unless you are a maintenance customer who pays in advance (which is described in another answer). So, the other base price raise instance - irregular grooming. We make grooming recommendations pet by pet. Some can go longer in between than others. Our normal recommendation for grooming any breed is 4-6 weeks, for several reasons. First - but not formost - it's easier to budget and keeps overall costs down. Secondly and more important - regular groomings become second nature to a pet. They learn by what we call "often repetition". We don't use the noose style restraint you often see in "conveyor belt" style grooming shops, chain stores and beginner salons. We rely on old fashioned praise, respect and treats. Our regulars are happier and love coming in because they know what is expected, what is happening and why. Many people ask why most pets on the table seem so relaxed. In reality, they don't SEEM relaxed..they ARE relaxed. The stress level is so low, I have had some pets actually fall alseep during a brushing. All because they come in regularly and repeat the grooming procedure often. So, why the change in base price? We have to assume that pets who do not come in as per our fair recommendations are simply not on a regular grooming schedule or have visited another groomer. So, we have to retrain these guys and that takes time. Generally, we will adjust the base price one dollar for every month over the recommendations we have made. Now, there are exceptions and we do not have to retrain every dog/cat that goes over and so not every base price is altered..only the ones that are absolutely necessary.
5. OK, and what's with the time fluctuations?
Oh boy..this one is as hard to answer as the walk-in vs. reservation one. We work first come first served and each pet is assigned the number that corresponds with where he/she is in line. (The first one in is #1, etc). It's the most fair and least confusing approach to getting through a day in this business. We work with a timetable - a target of sorts - and do our very best to hit those time targets. Here is an example of our target chart:
Grooms #1-9 ready before 1:30
Grooms #10-15 ready before 4:30
Grooms #16-21 ready before 5:30
Grooms #22 and over after 5:30
We don't have this posted publically because it came to the point where we were expected to hit these targets. We even posted a notice at eye level on the door to be seen upon exit that states "any times seen, heard or implied or guesses and not guarantees". We think this notice has gone, well, unnoticed. So, back to the time fluctuations. Many things happen during the day that throw us off target. Here are some examples: 1) potty accidents. Inevitably, people simply do not take the time to let their dogs complete their potty rounds before coming in, if they take them out at all. So, more often than not (even on sunny days) the grooming table, groomer's arm, kennel floor and walls, groomer's pants and shirt are christened by a pet who just can't wait. (and we understand this is sometimes unavoidable). The really bad part is that there is ALWAYS a pup who just watched the show and decided it would be great fun to repeat it and thus begins a potty fest. Sometimes we can catch the "offenders" just in time to avoid a second (or sometimes a third) bath but not usually. There's an addition of about half hour per repeated bath. 2) in season dogs - females on their cycle. This can totally slow down a day. Every male (altered or not) in a salon with a female in season loses his cool and forgets his manners. 3) check in calls. This has to be the biggest time waster of our day. And it's explained in another question below. 4) once a year shave downs and irregular grooms - these are explained above in the base price fluctuation and all take more time. So these were just a few. Keep in mind that we, just like every other working human on the planet, are entitled to a break and lunch every now and then (remember we are on our feet from 6:30am sometimes until 9 or 10pm). That's why we put the time target in place - to keep us on our toes. Always remember the old Walmart checker analogy (you always choose the slowest checker) - these grooms that require extra time almost always come in right before a less patient customer. How do we compensate for this? We stick to our first come first served policy..it's the only fair way.
6. Do you work by appointment?
Working by appointment in this business is impossible. Why? Let me explain HOW we work and that might explain more of why appointments just don't work. Grooms are done in stages. The number of stages can range from 3 to 7. I will go through a groom with all the extras so you can get a grasp of stage work. Stage 1 - Rough in. This is where the hair/fur is brushed through removing tangles and burs (never bathe a pet with these), nails are clipped, excess hair shaved, sanitary area cleaned up, pads shaved out. 2) Bath - simple enough 3) Conditioner/Hot Oil - this stage can take anywhere from 5-15 minutes more depending on the length of hair and condition of the skin 4) Air dry - simple enough 5) Hand dry - this is where the groomer hand dries with a hand held dryer and straightens the hair 6) Teeth Brushing - this can take a few minutes depending on level of tartar buildup 7) Finish work - this is where the fine tuning, scissor work, styling happens, bows, polish etc. Requiring a pet to go through a complete a groom start to finish straight through is asking a lot of the pet as it could take anywhere from 1 hour for a small dog to 5 hours for a large one. Pets need rests and breaks, too. Without them, the stress factor would soar. Also, from an economic standpoint, this would greatly limit the number we could see in one day and our prices would have to be through the roof in order for us to keep afloat.
7. How come it's more exensive and timely to groom a cat?
Animal Planet airs a wonderful show in the afternoon all about cats. It explains the different cat breeds as well as myths and legends. It has been a belief for years that cats are deathly afraid of water. Simply not true across the board. We have seen more cats LOVE water and grooming than those that do not. However, it is no myth that cat bites and scratches are more dangerous than any other bite. (http://www.vetmed.lsu.edu/animal_bites.htm#Which is worse, dog bites or cat bite.) Also, cats' skin is like paper. If you don't take your time when brushing through a tangle, you can catch the skin and tear it. Once a cat's skin tears, it keeps tearing like a thin sheet of paper. With all the precautions a groomer has to take with cats, it's no wonder why the price is higher and the time it takes is longer. You simply cannot rush a cat. Remember, a cat does not care to please you and could care less what you think .He does what he does for himself. I like the old saying "a dog has a family and a cat has a staff". Either way, we love them all!
8. What the heck is an "anal gland'?
An age old question but a good one! (http://dogs.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Dog_Anal_Glands). I think every veterinarian has his own rendition of what an anal gland is, what it's function is and what to do about it. Here's our take on it. If your dog has never had his anal glands expressed and he is not showing any signs of trouble (scooting, bad odor, constant licking) then leave well enough alone - he is expressing them naturally and all is right in his world. We always marvel at the vets who suggest having healthy glands expressed then put the task off on the groomer. Once you start expressing the glands you have to continue forever because your dog will lose the natural ability to do it himself. Honestly, it's a disgusting job and that is why we charge a hefty fee to do it. After all, who is chasing around the wolves in the wild to express their glands? If there is a problem with your dog's anal glands, then his/her veterinarian should be able to handle the problem. If the possibility of anal gland problems are plaguing you, make sure you are feeding a good food (The Whole Dog Journal puts out a great list of foods to steer clear of.) and your pup has lots of fresh water.
9. I heard about this "Angels Eyes" stuff. Does it really work?
10. Why can't I wait for my dog?
11. Do you give Multi-Pet discounts?
12. How much experience do you have?
13. Am I supposed to tip?
14. What forms of payment to you accept?
15. I tried to talk to the groomer and it's like she ignored me. What's up with that?
16. Do you take the dogs to potty?
17. Why can't you tell me exactly what time my dog will be ready?
18. You asked me if I wanted to book my next appointment. How am I supposed to remember that date?
19. Explain your boarding program.
20. What's with the TV on all the time?
21. How am I supposed to know when my dog will be ready?
22. Can I use my hair products on my dog?
23. What's all included in a grooming?
