Paws At Home LLC 

Neglected Coat Release Form

Your Pet is IMPORTANT to Us! Paws At Home’s top priority is the safety and well being of your pet(s). Because we care about your pet's safety and well being, we want to assure you that every effort will be made to make your pet's visit as pleasant as possible. 

Because your pet’s hair is tangled or matted, and/or it has been over 8 weeks since its last grooming, they are at greater risk of injury, stress and trauma. All precautions will be taken. However, problems occasionally arise, during or after grooming, such as nicks, clipper irritation, itchy skin, redness (even occurring later at home after the groom), hot spots, cuts, sores, hematomas, injury, and mental or physical stress. 

Areas of skin where the matting was shaved may look very irritated and red well after the groom, but this result was necessary to remove the matting. Matting can pull tight at the skin and in order to remove it sometimes a short clipper blade must be used. After removing it the blood rushes back to the skin and it can look like an abrasion or rash hours or days after the actual grooming. This repercussion of skin irritation from removing matting is very different from a puncture wound or cut and no groomer intentionally tried to harm a pet. It is a fault of the situation, not the groomer. The Paws At Home LLC staff never choose to shave areas of a dog short enough to possibly cause skin irritation unless they have to due to matting. 

Severe tangles and matting, and/or lack of regular experience or training to being groomed on a routine familiar basis with a professional groomer, can make grooming stressful on pets and puts them at greater risk of trauma and injury. Stress can also induce underlying health conditions. Every attempt will be made to minimize the stress of the grooming process for pets in the care of Paws At Home LLC, however problems occasionally arise when working with live animals.

Initial the following: 

● Understanding that pets who are matted or tangled, and/or, pets who are not groomed regularly (every 2-6 weeks), have a greater chance of injury during grooming, I will not hold this grooming business responsible for accident or injury, including all of the possible reactions and irritations listed above that may even occur at home after the grooming process, to my pet. 

X_______ 

● De-matting can often be painful and uncomfortable for pets, therefore Paws At Home LLC will do whatever is in the best interest of the animal, including but not limited to a complete shavedown if necessary. Unfortunately, this could change the final grooming appearance.                                            

X_______ 

● If the pet becomes excessively stressed, is too aggressive, is in too much pain during the process of removing painful matts/tangles, or showing signs of medical compromise, the groomer will stop, and I, the owner, will be contacted immediately.

X_______ 

● In the best interest of your pet, we request your permission to obtain immediate veterinary treatment should it become necessary. I hereby grant permission to this grooming establishment, Paws At Home LLC, to obtain emergency veterinary treatment for my pet, if the owner is not home, at my pet owner’s expense.

X_______ 

● It is understood and agreed that payment is made and received in full at the end of the service even if the service cannot be fully completed. It is understood that matted pets and pets that have not been groomed within 8 weeks incur higher appointment fees due to the additional work that needs to occur, and the full price due can not be determined until the end of the service appointment. Paws At Home LLC prices are based on time, coat condition, products needed, type of hair and hairstyling, skill level required, and pet’s behavior/temperament to the grooming process (for example; behavioral resistance or aggression toward the grooming process due to removing painful matting, lack of training as a puppy to tolerate the grooming process, equipment and handling, or general lack of a regular familiar professional grooming routine, all creating uncooperative experience for your dogs grooming appointment). I understand that dematting fees are $1 per minute, and there are additional charges that include but are not limited to; special products needed (for example, to condition the matted/tangled hair or hypoallergenic oatmeal shampoo and conditioner), removing any tangles or matts, extra time for brushing and blowing out long hair (over 1”), resetting a haircut pattern in very overgrown hair, impacted shedding coat, caked in bodily excretions, and or behavioral and handling fees as needed.  

X_______ 

● I understand that if my pet has any reactions to the grooming process that I will NOT allow them to continue to lick and irritate any injured, sensitive, itchy or red areas. I understand that an outfit for my pet covering such areas from licking or scratching or a cone collar to prevent licking may be needed at my expense. I understand that if I allow my pet to continue to lick or scratch their body, that it may cause further injury, irritation or infection. I understand that any medical treatment needed is my responsibility.      

X_______ 

● Realizing that going more than 8 weeks between full professional grooming, (that it is recommended my pet is professionally groomed every 2-6 weeks and thoroughly brushed at home at least 3 times a week all over the body and checked with a comb for tangles), and that matted/tangled pets have a greater chance of accidents and injury, I hereby release Paws At Home LLC of any and all responsibility if such were to occur.                                  X_______ 

● In order for us to have a good client relationship, we do require healthy responsible pet ownership regarding the care of the pet’s coat type. Overgrown hair can cause health issues, and painful matting. Removing tangles and matting is very painful to the animal. Being matted, they undergo more stress during the grooming process, have to stand unethically longer to complete the process, and this often causes them to have a poor behavioral tolerance to the process and at risk for injury. The difference between professional groomings that occur regularly with positive visits from the groomer, and infrequent appointments with poor experiences of pulling on knotted hair isn't fair to the animal. Professional groomings are recommended every 4-6 weeks for most breeds. For dog breeds (or mix of breeds) that do require haircuts and are prone to matting, those clients that go past 10 weeks between groomings cannot be serviced (or in some cases, past 8 weeks if deemed by the groomer due to the multiple painful matted shave-downs and increased service frequency is required by the coat type). (Note, we do understand things happen in life, but we only give one pass on the exception to this rule.) X_______ 

Paws At Home LLC takes the care of your pet very seriously. We do our very best to give your pet the best care possible.. My top priorities are providing the safest, most comfortable grooming experience possible as well as establishing a positive relationship with your pet(s).

Pet Name(s): _________________________________________________________________ 

Owner/Guardian Name (Print First & Last): ____________________________________________________________________________ 

This Release has been carefully read and fully understood by the undersigned. The terms have been explained to me and I am freely, knowingly and voluntarily entering into this Release. 

Signature: __________________________________________________________ 

Date: _________________________ 

By signing this form you are indicating that you have read, understood, and are giving consent to all of Paws At Home LLC terms and conditions (subject to change) for grooming services.

Thank you!