The important bits,
laid out simply.

Whilst your pet is in our care its health and welfare is our primary concern. It will only ever be groomed according to its tolerance of the process. If your pet is fearful of any of the procedures employed during grooming, a workaround or alternative will be employed. Occasionally during grooming a pre-existing condition may be discovered which you may not have been aware of. We will notify you of this so that you can seek veterinary advice. Although extremely unlikely, accidents can happen during grooming. In the event of an accident or serious medical issue arising during your pet's groom you authorise us to seek emergency veterinary treatment.

You will be given detailed feedback after every groom. If you have any queries or need further clarification, please just ask or contact us at a later stage. If you are dissatisfied with any aspect of your pet's groom please let us know before you leave. Reasonable requests to alter the trim will be dealt with immediately or changes noted for the next groom.

Starting prices are for pets:

• That are used to being professionally groomed on a regular schedule (6–8 weeks between appointments)
• Whose coats are well maintained between professional grooms (kept tangle, knot & matt free by regular brushing or combing)

You can reasonably expect to pay more than the starting price for:

• Matted, poorly maintained and/or overgrown coats
• Pets which are difficult to manage or uncooperative during grooming
• Overweight pets or oversized for the breed standard
• Timid, anxious or nervous pets which require frequent breaks & special handling

These cost more time, labour and/or product. The costs are passed on to you. If we are unable to complete a groom due to behavioural problems or aggression you will be charged the starting price of the groom. All costs are payable in full at the time you collect your pet.

If your pet will not tolerate the presence of other dogs in the salon there will be an extra charge for salon exclusivity. Please contact us to discuss this.

Please be punctual. We work by appointment only; the appointment slot allocated for your pet's groom has been booked at your request exclusively. We do not double book — a no-show is lost income. We provide a free appointment reminder by text and email; if you require a reminder by phone please ask us.

Most grooms take between 1–3 hours or more depending on size, temperament and coat condition. You will be advised what time to collect your pet. Please do not return early or call to check how long it will be — this takes us away from grooming. Late collections may incur an extra charge.

Clients arriving more than 15 minutes late for their appointment can be considered a missed appointment and may have to re-book, incurring a charge of the cost of the groom. If your pet is collected after closing time (after 6pm), a late pick-up/sitting fee of £5 per 30 minutes (or part thereof) applies.

We respectfully request 48 hours' notice if you need to cancel your pet's appointment so the slot can be offered to other clients.

The full price of your pet's groom must be paid where failure to turn up or on-the-day cancellations occur. As a small business we cannot afford to pay staff to not be working. For notice within 24 hours a charge of 100% of the groom cost will be payable before any future appointments can be booked.

In the event that your pet's coat needs to be clipped down to release it from matting or coat neglect, Barkingham Park, its owner and operator are not liable for any post-grooming effects of this procedure, which is not without risk. Any humane de-matting will be undertaken solely at our discretion, in compliance with The Animal Welfare Act 2006 (clause 5 – Animals are to be protected from pain, injury and suffering). De-matting during a routine groom is limited to a maximum of 15 minutes and is only possible if the matting is minimal. For severely matted coats where de-matting isn't possible, the only humane way to deal with this will be to completely shave off the coat.

We reserve the right to refuse to groom any pet at risk of harming us or itself. If your dog is accepted for grooming and displays aggression that we have not been informed of during its session, the groom will be terminated immediately. You will be contacted to collect it and the full starting price of the groom will be levied. You must inform us prior to grooming if your dog has ever bitten or displayed aggression. Failure to disclose this information may result in refusal of further services. Your attention is drawn to the Dangerous Dogs Act, which holds owners liable for bites and injuries caused by their dogs.

Please ensure your dog has been given the opportunity to go to the toilet before arriving at the salon. Whilst we understand accidents can and do happen, we really appreciate them being done beforehand so we can keep the salon clean and fresh for you and other clients.