Cancellation Policy:  Our appointments are booked in advance.  If you are unable to make your appointment, please notify us at least a day in advance.  We do not charge a cancellation fee but ask for the courtesy of an advance notice should you have to cancel your appointment.

Matting and de-matting:  Many otherwise well-cared for dogs may have light tangles that can be easily combed out after the coat is clean.  We will not charge for the first 10 minutes of brushing and light de-matting.  However, if your dog is moderate to severely matted requiring us to pre-clip prior to the bath, we will add $10-$15 to the cost of a regular groom. We do not de-mat beyond 10 minutes. We encourage you to keep your dog well combed out between grooming sessions for the dog’s comfort and to avoid potential shave-downs. 

Brush-Outs:  Some undercoated dogs (Goldens, Labs, Huskies, GSDs, Aussies, Shelties, Newfies, St-Bernards, etc.) shed heavily at all times and especially during a change of season.  When booking appointments, we allow about 1 hour to brush out a medium to large size dog.  We are able to remove most of the undercoat of dogs kept on a 4-6 week grooming schedule in that time frame. This limit on the brush-out time prevents delays on the grooms of our other customers. 

Touch-up Policy:  We will be happy to fix little details on your dog free of charge if you call us within 3 days after the grooming.

Pick-Up Time:  We will ask you to tell us if you need us to complete your dog’s groom for a specific time when you drop off your dog. Completion time is between 2-4 hours. Please make yourself available to pick up your dog as soon as we notify you. Space is limited and we expect dogs to be picked up promptly upon completion. Should you wish to leave your dog here beyond 1 hour after completion, we reserve the right to charge a dog-sitting fee of $10/hour.

Safety Policy:  For the safety of our staff and that of our canine customers, we may send a dog home at any point during the grooming that shows signs of aggression toward humans and/or other dogs while in the shop.  If your dog has a tendency toward aggression, has bitten humans or other dogs before, please let us know so we can use extra caution. 

Barking: We love all dogs even the vocal ones... However, constant barking is distracting to us, distressing to other dogs and leads to hearing loss. For those reasons, if your dog is especially vocal, we will schedule an express appointment and we ask that you pick up immediately upon completion.

Injury Policy:  Dog grooming is a highly skilled trade.  At Head to Tail, we take every precaution to provide your dog with a safe grooming experience. However, very rarely, accidents may happen especially when handling nervous and wiggly dogs.   We will notify you immediately should an injury occur and if we judge that the injury was preventable, we will assume the full cost of veterinary care if necessary.  Please notify us within 3 days in cases of skin irritations that do not seem to get better. However, in cases of severe matting requiring close clipping, we cannot be held responsible for any skin irritation that could result from the removal of the matting.  Please be aware that dogs with thin and sensitive skin that present with severe matting especially over the armpit, legs and underbelly areas are at increased risk for abrasions or nicks during clipping even in the care of the most experienced and careful groomer.  We advise you to monitor your dog closely for signs of licking, scratching and biting as this self-mutilating behavior is common following close skin clipping.  

Collars, Leashes & Jewelry: Please do not leave expensive collars, leashes or jewelry on your dog. We will not be responsible for the loss of these items and any other items you purposely leave at the shop.

Dog Illness or Infectious Diseases:  We require that all our canine customers be up to date with their rabies vaccination.  It is the customers' responsibility to advise us of any known medical conditions your pets may have.  If your dog shows symptoms of illness such as vomiting, diarrhea, coughing, lethargy, or any suspicious change in behavior, it is best to cancel the grooming appointment. We reserve the right to send home a pet that shows signs of illness or if we judge that the pet's condition may be contagious.  However, although we make every effort to keep our shop and tools clean and sanitary, the risks of your dog 'catching' something from our shop are comparable to the risks you take yourself when going to any public place.  We advise you to protect your dogs appropriately against fleas and ticks and suggest that you make sure they are up to date on their shots and boosters before taking them to their grooming appointment.  We are therefore not responsible for any illnesses that your dog could manifest before or after their visit to Head to Tail.

                               OUR FLEA-FREE POLICY: Over the last few years, we have seen an insurgency

       of fleas in the Fairfield area and we urge our customers to help stop the spread of these parasites.

1. If your pet is itchy and your suspect fleas, let us know when booking your appointment so we can be ready to deal with the issue immediately upon arrival. 
 

2.  ALL DOGS WITH A KNOWN FLEA ISSUE ARE PUT DIRECTLY IN THE TUB AND GIVEN A NATURAL FLEA BATH. There will be no live fleas on your dog after its bath. Please note, if your dog is not using a flea/tick preventative, they may redeposit shortly after.

3. Sometimes it is difficult to see fleas until the dog is wet. IF YOU DID NOT NOTIFY US THAT YOUR DOG CARRIES FLEAS AND WE FIND THEM DURING THE GROOMING PROCESS, THE ABOVE PROTOCOL APPLIES AND YOU WILL BE CHARGED AN ADDITIONAL $10 FEE FOR CLEAN-UP.

4.  It Is your responsibility to protect your pet from fleas and we strongly recommend that all dogs in contact with other animals be on a flea program such as Revolution or Advantix. I use the Seresto collar on my own dog.
 

5. Although we follow a strict flea-free protocol, We do have a busy flow of canine customers every day. Your dog's risk of catching fleas from our shop is minimal but present, so please protect your dog. WE WILL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR FLEAS SHOWING UP ON YOUR DOG FOLLOWING THEIR VISIT TO HEAD TO TAIL.

6.WE WILL BE HAPPY TO ADVISE YOU ON HOW TO DEAL WITH AN EXISTENT FLEA PROBLEM ON YOUR DOG AND IN YOUR HOME AND YARD.