09/18/2026
🐾 An Important Message About Matting & Our New Policy 🐾
This is something I have struggled with posting, but after the overwhelming number of severely matted dogs we have seen—especially this year—I need to speak honestly.
I am not talking about rescue dogs or families experiencing a genuine hardship. I understand that life happens. Anyone who knows me knows I would never allow a dog to remain in pain simply because its owner could not afford grooming. I have told countless clients to reach out if finances are ever an issue, and I will always be grateful when I’m able to help a rescue dog or any dog truly in need, even if that means grooming them free of charge.
Unfortunately, many of the severely matted dogs coming through our doors are family pets—including, at times, regular clients—with no explanation other than too much time passing between appointments.
Matting is not just cosmetic. It pulls tightly on the skin, causes constant pain and discomfort, traps moisture and bacteria, and can hide sores, infections, bruising, and other medical concerns. Removing severe matting also requires additional time, puts extra wear on our equipment, and increases the risk of injury because the mats sit so tightly against the skin.
I have always been transparent about the importance of keeping certain breeds on a grooming schedule of eight weeks or less. You do not need to know exactly what haircut your dog needs—you simply need to get your dog to us within that timeframe. If you prefer to wait the full eight weeks, we will let you know what length is realistic and manageable so your dog remains comfortable between appointments.
For years, I charged the same price for a severely matted dog as I did for a regularly maintained dog. That was not fair to my employees, our equipment, or the clients who responsibly maintain their dogs. We recently began adding small matting fees, but because the problem continues, we now need a stronger policy.
Effective immediately:
• Light matting or dogs that are only slightly overdue will continue to receive an appropriate additional fee based on the time, labor, and wear on our tools.
• If your dog misses an entire grooming cycle and approaches four months without grooming, resulting in severe matting, the regular grooming price will be doubled.
This policy is not intended to punish anyone going through a genuine hardship. If something is preventing you from getting your dog groomed, please communicate with us before the matting becomes severe. We will always do everything reasonably possible to help.
However, allowing a dog to repeatedly become severely matted when help and appointments are available is not acceptable. We love these dogs, and their comfort, safety, and well-being must come first. 💜
