Please know that I will always wear a mask to every appointment.

If you or a family member in your household is feeling ill or have been recently exposed to someone who has tested positive for Covid-19, please call, text, or email to reschedule your appointment.

Safety is #1 concern for me. For your benefit, and our as well. Please feel free to wear a mask during your appointment.

I wash, sanitize, and disinfect all grooming equipment after each session.

Great question! My pricing is higher because the service I provide is very different that a local salon.

I bring all my equipment to you. I groom your dog with full transparency in front of you, in your home (or yard when the weather permits). I provide 1 on 1 service, just the groomer and your pet. No strangers in the area, no strange dogs, no weird odors, no kennels. I give your pet my full and complete attention during the spaw treatment. This allows me to provide you and your pet with my best work.

When I come to you, you are no longer having to pack the kids up, pack up the dog, and travel to the salon. Only to wait half a day or more, to re pack the kids up, and travel back to the salon to pick up your pet. The convenience of having the groomer come to you is priceless.

This is perfect for senior pets, newly rescued pets who may not enjoy car rides, young pets, families with young children and so many more reasons.

I currently do not have or offer mobile van services, though it’s something I’m looking to expand on in the future. I’m a house call groomers, meaning I bring my table and equipment to you and set up in a room of your choosing in your house.

During winter weather, I ask that before I arrive for your grooming appointment, you have a spot shoveled, plowed or blown out for me to park in. I also ask that you have a pathway shoveled out so I can safely get into your house with my equipment. The icy drives, sidewalks, porches and steps can be very slick and dangerous, posing a fall risk.

If I arrive at your house, and there is no safe way to enter, I will be forced to cancel your appointment and reschedule. If you are not able to provide me with a safe way to enter your home, please call at least 2 hours before your appointment so we can reschedule.

My goal is safety, for you, for your pets, and for me. I am happy to reschedule to be sure that everyone is kept safe.

Stay safe and stay warm out there everyone!

Reduced Stress: Just being at home can reduce the stress of the grooming experience, for both dog and owner. There is no riding in the car, no cages, no other barking dogs, and no other people, just a quiet experience with the dog and the groomer!

The mileage/fuel surcharge is included in the cost of your groom, so there are no extra fees to worry about. Pricing is discussed up front before the appointment begins.

It is good to have your puppy become familiar with grooming as early as possible after the first set of puppy shots, usually 12-16 weeks or 4 months of age. Make sur if you bathe your puppy at home to brush the coat out before the bath and after (when the coat is dry) to prevent matting. If you wait till the puppy is 6 months or older, it’ll be harder for the groomer to build trust, so don’t wait. Always book a bath and tidy for their first visit and wait a few visits to book a full haircut.

FIRST TIME CLIENTS: You can email, call, or text me or fill out an intake form before I come to your first appointment. You will also need your pets current vaccine records.

I r can also bring the paperwork with me to the appointment.

After your first visit, the only paperwork you will fill out is for the current grooming services you want on the day of the appointment.

Dog groomers are legally required to check vaccination records for dogs before grooming them, as a means of reducing the risk of disease transmission between the dog and groomer, as well as between other dogs visiting the same dog grooming business.

Due to the individual health risks and considerations involved in the vaccine process, there’s no one-size-fits-all dog vaccination schedule. Your vet may have a customized vaccination timeline they recommend for your dog based on what’s best for his or her health. Regardless of the schedule you set for your dog, you will need certain essential vaccines administered before a groomer will provide services.

In general, these required dog vaccines will follow a set schedule:

6-8 weeks: Parvovirus and distemper vaccines.

10-12 weeks: DHPP shot, which includes vaccines for distemper, parvovirus, parainfluenza, and adenovirus. After this vaccination, your dog may be eligible to visit your local groomer for the first time.

16-18 weeks: DHPP booster and rabies vaccine.

12-16 months: DHPP and rabies boosters.

Every 1-2 years: DHPP booster.

Every 1-3 years: Rabies booster.

You will need to make sure that vaccinations are up to date on the date of the grooming. If the next DHPP vaccination is overdue based on your dog’s age, your groomer will likely require you to get the vaccine before the grooming appointment.

Be prepared to show proof of rabies vaccination and other boosters and vaccinations as required by local law. You should also make sure your dog receives any additional required vaccines not listed above, which may be determined by your local government. Your local vet can make sure your dog’s vaccine record is in compliance with these requirements.

Your groomer cannot and will not make recommendations on when or how to get your pet vaccinated. We are not trained on that, and it is best left to your vet to make those calls.

A GROOMERS PROMISE

“HUMANITY BEFORE VANITY”

I will love your dog

I will care for your dog

I will be patient and kind

I will do what is best for your fur baby, no matter what

I will stand by the fact that comfort comes before vanity, ALWAYS

Because safety for your pet, and for us, is first and foremost, we do not work on aggressive animals.

We have the right to work in a safe environment, therefore Gentle Paws Mobile Grooming reserves the right to refuse any groom or treatment at any given time. If I feel we are unable to carry out or continue grooming, then we will stop immediately and you, as the owner are responsible for payment of the work completed up until this point.

If your dog has behavior problems, please let me know in advance. Please, also let me know if your pet has displayed any signs of aggression in the past. This includes aggression to other animals, people, or groomers.

There are behaviors that I can work around. I can use muzzles. Before any of these are used, we will discuss the issue first and decide what the best approach will be. We do not like to use these tools if we do not have to.

Additional charges may apply for extra time required due to a dogs temperament and/or behavior during a groom or treatment.

You as the owner, agree to be held solely liable for any harm, injury, or damage caused by your pet and any costs thereafter incurred.

I am open by appointment only. I do not have set hours, as I work around your schedule, as much as possible. Generally I am open for business Sundays thru Tuesdays. If you require time outside of those days, just let me know and we will see how I can accommodate.

Older pets often need special care and attention. I recommend the style be kept short and easy to maintain to keep the grooming process to a minimum amount of time. If you have a large dog with mobility issues we can discuss accommodations.

A full groom includes the following services

Nails trimmed or filed

Paw pads trimmed and cleaned up

Sanitary trim

Scissor trimming of the hair around the feet

Ears will be cleaned and plucked, if desired

Full body trim/haircut

Face trim

High quality professional shampoo and conditioning

Blow dry or towel dry, based on your preference

Full body brush

Accessories

Spritz of dog safe cologne

You can call or text, (586) 365-8753. You are also free to email me gentlepawsmobile@gmail.com

I am happy to get you scheduled!

Generally every 4-6 weeks.

Most dogs need frequent hair trims to keep their coats in great condition and to prevent matting. A short cut can last a dog two to three months, but if your groomer leaves more than an inch of fur on your dog at a cut, you should get your dog groomed every four to six weeks to prevent matting.

Dogs hair grows at different rates. Some dogs regrow their hair very quickly, while some not so quickly. If we put you on a schedule, and it needs to be adjusted, please let me know. We can make grooming visits more frequently and we can also extend them out.

Matting occurs when hair next to the skin gets knotted, tangled in clumps or masses. If un-brushed, the clumps attract more dirt and continue to get bigger, tighter and closer to the body. This may be simply caused by scratching, biting or lack of brushing. It may be because wet coats have not been brushed out, your dog has rolled and picked up any number of foreign matter such as sticks, burrs, fecal materials etc.

Mats cut off the air flow in your dog's hair and can trap moisture, which can cause irritation and sores on your dog. Even mild matting can be painful, but in severe cases, matting can cut off circulation to your dog's skin and cause hematomas.

No.

If the hair is allowed to knot or develop “matts”, it is unhealthy for the dog’s skin. It may be possible to “dematt” the coat, if it can be done without causing pain to the dog. Unfortunately, the process is often painful or can cause irritation to the dog’s skin. If your dog is matted, we will discuss with you what can be done.

Matted coats can cause a variety of skin and health problems. When your pet is extremely tangled, matted, or densely coated there are increased risks of stress, trauma, and / or injury. If possible, we will carefully de-mat your pet’s coat.

If the coat is severely matted or we determine that de-matting would be in-humane for your pet, we will need to remove the coat with clippers. Please feel free to discuss your pet’s needs and our dematt policy.

Perhaps. We have a lot of patience and skill for de-matting. The use of proper equipment and product helps quite a bit. We’re willing to try as long as your pet will tolerate it. However, if your pet shows discomfort or stress, we will not.

Most pets do fine given the de-matting techniques we use. This said, regular grooming is very important. We do not think it is a good idea to de-mat a dog two to three times a year rather than having it groomed regularly. Please note that de-matting requires more time and product.

I will towel dry dogs as much as they will tolerate, first. Next, I like to use a variable speed, high velocity dryer. This allows me to get a better finished look as well as gives me a chance to get a good look at your dog’s skin to asses any potential health issues.

Absolutely, although our top-rated product line is designed to promote a healthy coat and skin.

If your veterinarian has prescribed or suggested an alternate shampoo rather than our product line, we will gladly use it. Please note, many prescribed shampoos / conditioners require 5-10 minutes of contact time.

These are scent sacs found right under your dog’s tail. Some dogs empty them naturally, some do not. Please consult with your veterinarian. Many veterinarians prefer that groomers NOT express the glands, therefore we do not do this. We highly recommend visiting your veterinarian for this procedure.

Absolutely, tips are always appreciated.

Because I book on an hourly basis, cancellations can leave an empty block in the schedule that could have otherwise been used by another customer, I ask that any cancellations or re-scheduling’s are made at least 24 business hours in advance.

Any cancellations not made at least 24 hours in advance, will be charged a fee of $35 and will be payable prior to scheduling another appointment.

If you do not call to cancel and do not show up to your appointment, this is considered a “no call, no show”, and a fee of $35 will apply and is REQUIRED TO BE PAID before another appointment may be scheduled.

No. We cannot and will not work with sedated pets as there is a risk of side effects from the sedation that we are not medically trained to handle. If you sedate your animal for the appointment and do not inform us of it, you understand that we will not be held liable for any repercussions related to the sedation. If we believe your pet has been sedated, we will stop all services and the appointment will be stopped immediately.

I do, however, work with veterinary approved medications. If your dog has been prescribed a low dose sedative, or tranquilizer to put them in a calmer state of mind for a groom, I will work on your pet. Please talk to me beforehand, so we can discuss how the appointment will happen.

Please tell me. I aim to satisfy. On the occasion where a haircut is not to your liking and it is a matter of a little more trimming here or there, the groomer can do it right away. In some instances, I may be able to come back on another day, and happily make necessary changes

No hidden fees. All prices are listed on the appointment booking page.

No extra fees. We now include credit card processing fees in the price of your dogs groom.

No I do not groom cats.

There is no set amount of time a full groom takes. There are, however, many factors that determine how long it takes. The dogs temperment, the condition of the dogs coat, drying time, and several other factors will determine the amount of time it takes.

Drying- The drying process after the bath is crucial, your dogs coat needs to be completely dry in order to get the full length of hair and to make the cut as even as possible. Many dogs are scared of the sound the dryer makes, so I use a "happy hoodie". This goes over their ears to help dampen some of the noise. In some cases, we cannot use a dryer, especially if your dog is scared of it. In this case, I will towel the your dog the best I can. Please note, this will take extra time.

In all cases, I work at the dogs pace.

There are no quick fixes, but here are things I’ve heard work:

-Filtered water in a porcelain or stainless steel bowl

-Keeping the fluff around the eyes short so nothing pokes

-A product like Angel Eyes

-Washing the face weekly

For how much you want off I go by less than half off, half off, and more than half off. If you have a specific style in mind for your dog, try showing your groomer a reference photo. But keep in mind that the photo needs to be accurate to your dog’s coat type. If you show an image of a Bichon as inspiration for a Yorkie, it just can’t happen! Another fun thing to do, is to tel them tey can do whatever they want! Some of my favorite clients are the ones who let my creativity run free.