Silverblue Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 I think the worse one I ever did was a Bearded Collie, when I rang the night before to confirm the appointment they said " yes please come but we will not be home so I will leave the money in ........., oh and there is a bit of blood on the ground where she sleeps not sure where it is coming from" As soon as I walked around the side of the house I could smell the dog :rolleyes: , noticed her backend was a bit of a mess so started at the top, 7 blade all over, until I got to the bum, this poor girl had maggots falling of her everywhere, they had eaten a big hole in her tail, I was by this time. The poor girl was screaming in agony, in the end I put her in the bath & gave her a bloody good scrub, washed off the shit, blood & maggots, I could do no more. I left a note, not a very nice one either demanding that this dog went to the vets immediately as she was in alot of pain, I was soooooo damn mad, how in earth could anyone let that happen to their dog, Oh yes & i took the money as well. As I stated in another thread, we are groomers, not bloody miracle workers, I refuse to put up with their crap anymore, If people can't be bothered brushing thier dogs & letting them get matted to the skin, I shave them off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavandra Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 YES, I hear ya....drives me insane...........I had an old geezer that gave me a dog with an ongoing skin condition whereby he provided its "special" shampoo (from the very first time), yet after a year of doing the dog every 6 weeks, suddenly it was ME who gave it this condition, must be the shampoo I use etc...HELLO........... I get these all the time, and the ones who are not happy unless they are complaining about something....They say the dog has ear infections or skin problems, I tell them it is due to the diet the dog is on, I tell them it is this or it is that, but they dont actually want a diagnosis, a cure or a treatment, they like having something to complain about & what would I know anyway , I am only a Groomer!!! People are also liars..........They ring up to make a booking & they get it explained to them that I am a Stylist , so the last thing I want to do is a clip off unless I have too, has the dog got ANY KNOTS? I ask............"NO, not at all", they reply.............Hmmmmmmmmm.............funny how a dog can suddenly become matted between the phone conversation & the appointment which is often only a day or 2 apart............Then of course the winging starts about their bald dog (7 blade)....this is the thing that erks me the most from the job I must say.......... I had one that is a compulsive liar, she has 2 neglected dogs that live in a back yard with grass up to my thigh, they get done a couple of times a year, and are not touched in between me doing them..........She got herself a new puppy, a poodle that she has live inside, while her other 2 lap dogs have to live outside in filth, she told me it was bathed the day before.........The dog was filthy infested with fleas, and scurf etc, I rough clipped it & handed it back to her unbathed, she said I hadnt bathed it, I said how could she tell, as she insisted it was clean as it had been bathed the day before, she went bright red in the face, I never did the dogs again, and I am glad as I hate to see any dog so neglected in the first place........I ran into her in the local supermarket one day afterwards, she loudly said that I must have broken the poodles tail when I groomed it............I said no actually, and loudly explained that if she didnt neglect her dogs so much & have them so matted & filthy, she would have known the dog had a kinked tail when she bought it as a baby, and how sad it was that an owner touched the dog so little that she didnt even know that fact.......again she was red faced, but too bad......... :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cockerlover Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 I am not in the buisness of grooming; but when i sell a puppy to anyone i also include the basic grooming tools in the cost. I do groom a lot of my buyers pups; but if they come back with knots or matts or dirty ears; i tell them if the pup returns to me in that state again; i will report them to the rspca;shock horror ;then you get the BUT!!!there are no buts as far as i am conserned ;if you buy a long coated dog you must brush it every day ;is the first thing i tell prospective buyers!! whilst the idiots r blaming you the groomers ;they dont have to take responsobility for them selves!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintlysusan Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Wow What terrible stories! Ive been lucky so far, no really badly neglected dogs. How do you handle a dog who's even matted in their head and face and it cant be de-matted? Clip it back to the skin? I'm dreading getting a dog like this as it would look so weird on say a Maltese type breed to end up with no hair on their heads! Luckily none have been so bad, Honestly I think I will just say no, No owner will be happy with the end result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavandra Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 The worst dogs I had ever seen in my life were those brought in to a salon I worked in. Dogs where the owner died & left $$$ in their "Will" to a well known organisation to look after them until they died. Little fluffies that used to live inside & sleep on the bed turned into matted things whereby you didnt know what end of the dog you looked at. Penises matted to the leg, faeces matted to the entire back end, tails matted to the bum, dew claws grown in with oozing puss & infection, old hair entwined through the teeth & gums putrid with infection due to it..........You could smell the rotting filth before they even got out of the van, it was appaulling......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StaceyB Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 The worst dogs I had ever seen in my life were those brought in to a salon I worked in. Dogs where the owner died & left $$$ in their "Will" to a well known organisation to look after them until they died.Little fluffies that used to live inside & sleep on the bed turned into matted things whereby you didnt know what end of the dog you looked at. Penises matted to the leg, faeces matted to the entire back end, tails matted to the bum, dew claws grown in with oozing puss & infection, old hair entwined through the teeth & gums putrid with infection due to it..........You could smell the rotting filth before they even got out of the van, it was appaulling......... Thats really sad! I'm so glad I don't have to get Gypsy groomed! She gets a bath with me at least once a fortnight (usually weekly due to skin irritation), a quick brush once a week and I clean her ears when I remember - they get a bit dirty from playing in the sand, but the longest she would go without getting them cleaned is 4 -5 weeks, I try to do everything in one hit! I can't believe the sh!t you guys cop! It's not that hard to look after your dog's coat really. My friend has a little maltese X, he gets groomed every 8 - 10 weeks and they brush him once a week in between. He stays relativley clean, matt free, happy and all it takes is 10 mins a week (obviously bigger dogs take longer, but the point remains the same, tiny effort = big difference) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Wow What terrible stories!Ive been lucky so far, no really badly neglected dogs. How do you handle a dog who's even matted in their head and face and it cant be de-matted? Clip it back to the skin? I'm dreading getting a dog like this as it would look so weird on say a Maltese type breed to end up with no hair on their heads! Luckily none have been so bad, Honestly I think I will just say no, No owner will be happy with the end result. Don't worry, your luck will run out sooner or later. ;) What do you do. Clip it right back. When they complain about it being short, you tell them that you worked with what you had, if they bring the dog back in good condition just wait until you see what I can do with it then. Remind them it is all up to how they take care of the coat in between visits. If they don't bother to look after the coat, you can not give it a fluffy look - again point it all back to what they do in between visits. They hate it when you turn it all around on working with what your given. Then you get all the but... but... but. :rolleyes: Just when you think you have heard them all, you get another one. One that keeps popping up is usually blaming Mum, Nanna or a neighbour looked after "Fluffy" for 2 weeks. Well straight face time again - good luck. We all know that was not done in 2 weeks. Then if you ask how long ago, it could have been anything from a couple of months ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverblue Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Yes SaintlySusan, If the dog is that badly matted I take EVERYTHING off, even the tail if I can't brush it out. I did get a Matted dog release form off another groomer on another list, it is very good, explains exactally what needs to be done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Yes SaintlySusan,If the dog is that badly matted I take EVERYTHING off, even the tail if I can't brush it out. I did get a Matted dog release form off another groomer on another list, it is very good, explains exactally what needs to be done. Is there any chance you could send that to me Silverblue, I know many people use them, but didn't know what I should include when typing it out. It would be very nice to have. I would appreciated if you can. Lisa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schnauzer Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 I now only do regular clients. I refuse to do dogs that come once every six months or so. Two of the worst;- one I kept telling the owner to take the poor dog to the vet for a dental. I was dry wretching at the stench of its mouth. When she eventually did take her about a year later, the poor dog had to have most of its teeth out and she was surprised. :rolleyes: The other one was matted to the skin ALL OVER. I had to shave the dog bald and it ruined all my blades and took about three hours to clip. It was like clipping cement. Consequently, I will never do the dog again. I now tell my owners "if you don't brush your dog, I refuse to stand here and torture him/her, the matts will be shaved off. They soon learn to brush regularly. I must say, the majority of my clients are fantastic and really care for their dogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintlysusan Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Whats the release form you mentioned? Id love to see it if you could show me! Yes SaintlySusan,If the dog is that badly matted I take EVERYTHING off, even the tail if I can't brush it out. I did get a Matted dog release form off another groomer on another list, it is very good, explains exactally what needs to be done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stormie Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 I take my hat off to groomers. Knowing how repulsive untreated skin infections can smell, I don't know how you cope with the bad ones. We see our fair share of cats in the clinic that need to be clipped to remove the carpet from their skin :rolleyes: I realise some pets can be a bit of a handful to brush, but really, it just takes a little bit of time every day to get them used to being groomed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qashmir Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 I give all my clients a report card. So today's groom is all in writing for them. I got sick of answering the same questions all the time. I keep a photo album of dogs clipped off, before and after and say 'this is what he'll look like', if you don't want that, then take him somewhere else. I also give handouts about various subjects like 'why is my dog clipped short' and 'grooming an unwiling puppy'. They include a list of tools required and maximum time between visits etc. So now i just grab a sheet and highlight stuff and hand it to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qashmir Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 Another whinge from me!! Lol!! But i am sick of being ACCUSED all the time. They don't even ask a polite question, they in straight for THE ACCUSE... eg. You didn't do his toenails last time! (well, if you read the report card, you'd see they didn't need doing coz they're really worn down already.) OR THIS OLD CHESTNUT... I don't want him like last time! Last time you shaved him down to skin! (well, last time you let him get matted to skin so i had no bloody option!) Accused all day long!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Oh how did I forget this pearler. (since I am on a roll) FLEAS. When the client knows bloody well that the dog is RIDDLED with fleas and can't be stuffed doing anything about it. After all lets face it dogs have fleas. When I confront them I am promptly told - yeah I know why do you think he is here. :eek: The silly buggers think that a flea wash will solve all their problems. I do have a bit of comfort reminding them that the whole house and yard will need to be treated. I have killed the fleas on the dog but it will be in the same condition as soon as it goes back home. I suggest treatments hoping they get the message. When they are repeat offenders I thank them for the flea infestation that they have knowingly cause at my place since they don't care to treat the dog. I then refuse to allow the dog back into my place if it is not treated next time. You should see the horror on their faces when I tell them that the dog is likely to be infested with worms since it was so burdened with fleas, and it would be a good idea to stop off at the chemist as well as the vet as you will need to treat yourself and family for worms as you will have the same problem as the dogs. :rolleyes: Years ago I would never have been game enough to say half of what I wanted too. When your facing all sorts of unnecessary horrid situations you don't care about offending those who caused them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qashmir Posted May 14, 2008 Author Share Posted May 14, 2008 Lisa M, you are priceless! You are a leaf out of my own book! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saintlysusan Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andisa Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Lisa M, you are priceless! You are a leaf out of my own book! :rolleyes: I bet you that most groomer are the same. It is laugh or cry with many of the dogs we see. It's fun comparing notes knowing that we are not alone. Report cards are a good idea, at least it's not in one ear / out the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShesaLikeableBiBear Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 Have seen much the same as the horrific stories the others have mentioned. A few which come to mind were x3 cockers, x3 chows and x2 samoyeds. Two of the chows and one of the samoyeds were reported to the RSPCA (this was in NZ) and both times they took action against the owners. Managed to find the Ministry of Ag and Fisheries "Minimum Standards for the Welfare of Dogs" and there was a clause in there pertaining to grooming, so the book was "thrown" at the owners. About 15 months ago here was called in to help with clipping Persians and Maine Coon cats, wont go into details but it was putrid to say the least. As I clipped she tore the coat away from the cats. A registered breeder who shows her cats :rolleyes: Thank goodness for semi-retirement Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverblue Posted May 14, 2008 Share Posted May 14, 2008 If any else wants a copy of the Matted dog form, just send me your email addy & I will forward it to you, Cheers, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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