Groomers! Are You Sick Of Clueless Clients

[StaceyB]

These horror stories must be outside dogs- you cannot live with the smell of what you are describing inside the house. I guess it's out of sight- out of mind.

My grandma had a silky terrier she let get in that condition and Sally was an indoor dog.

Mum and Grandma had a fight and didn't talk for about 6 months, the next time mum went over there the poor dog was so bad mum was gagging! She took pitty on little Sally and took her to the vets where she had to be sedated so the groomers could shave her to the skin, her nails had almost started growing into her pads, she had to have grass seeds surgically removed and go onto antibiotics for urine and anus infections. Sally was also grossly obese. I think it cost mum about $600 to get her into a decent condition, and then she made sure the dog was groomed properly every 2 months after that.

Grandma was just so used to it that she couldn't smell it. I don't know how she managed to let it get that bad in the first place because she did love the dog, she used to get her groomed regularly before that.

[ILFC]

Nope. Many indoor dogs come matted to the skin with crap cemented on to their rear ends

UNFREAKINGBELIEVABLE- some people must live worse than pigs!

[SkySoaringMagpie]

Bumping this thread to link to a LJ groomers community post with a link to a particularly scary "client instruction sheet".

http://community.livejournal.com/groomers/233860.html

[k9kutz]

I had a woman, comes once a month. She came for her monthly appointment last Friday. As usual sends husband to pick up dog with no money she has to come in on Saturday to pay. She is a major tight ass and is always winging about the price etc etc. So Friday she gets us to just wash and dry Tilly (Tibetan x) because thats the cheapest service available and thats what we did. When she comes in on Saturday to pay (because i was generous/stupid enough to discharge her dog without payment ), she says were not very happy with the job you did yesterday. I asked what the problem was. She says she did not look any different to when she came in, and she had none trimmed off????????. I explained to her that all she wanted was a wash and dry and for that price (only $25) there was no clipping?????? WTF is wrong with some people. :rolleyes:

[Ari]

WTF is wrong with some people. :rolleyes:

Dont ask me. Had one client today with 3 generations of PRA blind dogs who wants to breed the young one.

Oh and I almost forgot that today I did the dog of the person who threaten to kill me if I cut it too short. I've never met or spoken to the owner but the message was passed along the first time the dog came. Surely you only say things like that to people you actually know??

I know Winter is finally here....none of the dogs have been toileted before coming.

Edited June 3, 2008 by Ari

[Crisovar]

I know Winter is finally here....none of the dogs have been toileted before coming.

Nothing like a room full of shitting dogs to start your day off.

Cockers that crap on the table, shihtzu that craps in the tub aaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

[Doggrooma]

I know Winter is finally here....none of the dogs have been toileted before coming.

Nothing like a room full of shitting dogs to start your day off.

Cockers that crap on the table, shihtzu that craps in the tub aaaaaaaaaaaaargh!

:rolleyes: I know the feeling. Its never just the one!!

[k9kutz]

Yes winter is such a wonderful time of year for us groomers. I always seem to get the poopers and the pee'ers. Shit in the tub or on the table whilst been blowdryed. Or like one little Maltese decided to do today pee in the create and lay in it at after she had just been finished and her owners were due to pick her up any minuet. Or the ones who let there dogs cock there leg on everything in the reception area. Lets not forget those who bring there dogs in now after about 5 months. Fluffy is matted to the bone and expect you to do a scissor cut or longer blade because it is to cold to shave them, and no matter how much you try to explain to them its impossible they refuse to listen. I had one guy tell me all the matting will come out when i wash it????? :rolleyes:

[Chocolate]

Just reminding me of the time I had a Yorky in for wash and dry. Owner didn't like any hair being cut off him, not even essentials that I suggested he have done. I hydrobathed him and then drying him he poops. Back to hydrobathing him and then drying he poops again! Another hydrobath and this time got him dry and his coat groomed out beatifully. Popped him outside and the first thing he did was find a corner stoop for a poo which promptly landed on his lovely long grey silky veil of hair that hangs below his bum. It wasn't firm either no it was soft and ucky but no I was not going to hydrobath him yet again! I reiterated to his owner the need to scissor essentials for hygene reasons.

[queenofthepack]

wow...I was thinking once that maybe getting into grooming wouldn't be a bad job...

You've all just scared me right out of it!!!

[Crisovar]

If the animals didn't have owners it would not be too bad at times.

I cannot fathom though why some people simply cannot do some basic maintenance on their dogs coats, nails, ears etc at home.

Do some of them have no sense of smell. Dogs with stinking ear infections, shit caked on their butts etc, mack caked under their eyes should not be up to the groomer to point these things out or fix them. Why is it the groomers fault when the red ulcerated faces become obvious because you have had to cut the hair away from the problem.

It is not hard to have a daily/weekly routine where all these things are checked and dealt with, as far as I am concerned it is part and parcel of owning a pet. It is not something that you simply leave for months and expect a groomer to fix.

It is frustrating also dealing with owners who do no work at all on the coats between grooming visits and expect to take lassie home. It is impossible to scissor matted clumps of hair into a 2 inch long fluff ball.

I'm sure these people don't only have their teeth cleaned at the dentist, surely they brush at home? Why can't they maintain a dog.

[k9kutz]

I know crisovar, its like banging you head against a wall. Why get a coated breed when your not prepared to brush at home or spend the money on having your dog groomed on a very regular basis to compensate for your lack of maintenance at home. I have one woman who has just put down her Mini poodle who use to come in once a year in appalling condition and no amount of advice would be taken on board. She has now gone and got a rough collie ??????? poor dog is destined to a miserable life. . It dose not take a genius to figure out a long hair dog will require regular grooming, even my "non-dog" know that.

[Bjelkier]

Wow you guys really have some horrer stories! All those poor dogs

I worked in a vet clinic for a few years and was forced to do some "grooming" on occasion. The amount of people we got in asking if we could do this kind of clip or another when it was always clearly stated that we would only clip all the hair off and be done with it. Off cause people never listened and when they came to pick up their dog often asked what we had done to them

But what really made me angry was the people who couldn't just give the dog a quick brush each night! I can't understand how hard it is. If you don't want to care for the coat, don't get a long haired breed! It's pretty simple. There are plenty of nice short coated dogs out there.

I recently got a Samoyed and I brush him every night (thankfully he likes it and sits there calmly while my Lab, who thinks he's an afgan waits his turn), it really dosn't take very long. I just pop him up on his table and do it while watching tv. Easy.