Everyone's time is valuable, including mine. Comb & Collar runs as a sole business owner and operator and I do understand that there will be occasions where clients will need to cancel or reschedule their appointment.

Comb & Collar require all clients to provide a minimum of 24 hours' notice for cancellations or rescheduling appointments or a cancellation fee can be incurred which must be paid prior to any future bookings.

• In the event of inclimate weather, a family emergency or any other uncontrollable circumstance, the groomer has the discretion to cancel your appointment.

• We reserve the right to cancel or reschedule a groom if we feel the need to do so or for the safety of your animal and the groomer. Every effort will be made to reschedule at a time convenient for both the client and the groomer.

Reminder texts will be sent to remind you of your appointment date and time. If you are unable to be contacted after 15 minutes of your scheduled appointment then the service will be cancelled to ensure the rest of our appointments for the day run smoothly. A no-show fee for missed appointment may be incurred and must be paid before another appointment is made.

It is considered a "no-show" when the client is not available at the scheduled appointment time and does not contact the groomer to cancel or reschedule.

• We reserve the right to charge the FULL grooming fee due to the loss of revenue caused by a "no-show". Please make every effort to call and cancel or reschedule, when possible, to avoid such situations.

• We reserve the right to refuse service to any pet or client for any reason.

We are a cage free environment and groom based on set appointment times. We will notify you within 30 minutes of you pet’s finish time via SMS so you are able to collect your pet promptly.

We ask that you are able to pick your dog up within 10 minutes of completion of the groom or a late pick up fee can be incurred.

At Comb & Collar we often take photos and videos of our client’s and cuts to showcase and share our services, methods and awareness with our local community. This content is primarily used on our community social media platforms and on the Comb and Collar Website. At times, this content may be used in marketing collateral, such as digital advertising, service flyers, brochures and other marketing purposes. If you do not give permission for your pet’s photo and/or video to be utilised by Comb & Collar Brisbane please contact us directly prior to your pet’s appointment.

As my duty of care as the groomer I will always attempt to de-mat a coat if I feel the dog will not suffer excessive stress or pain. I have experience and specialist tools at Comb & Collar to professionally de-mat a coat if possible. Please be assured this will always be my first port of call before considering shaving that part of the coat off. It is the owner's duty of care towards their dog to maintain their dogs coat between professional grooming's. If the owner's fail to maintain their pets coat, then in the interests of the pet, I will shave off matted areas to prevent unnecessary suffering or discomfort, however if a dog is presented in a severely matted condition that causes the animal discomfort it is my policy to shave the whole coat using electric clippers with a close blade to remove the mat from the pet. To de-matt would cause the pet an enormous amount of stress and pain. Shaving the coat is most humane way to get rid of mats on the pet as it is quicker and reduces the amount of time and pain spent de-matting the pet. Many pets can often be traumatized by unnecessary hours of de-matting, which can put the pet off grooming for life and can sometimes cause further behavioural problems with handling. I consider shaving an act of kindness to the pet.

Mats on a pet’s coats can possibly lead to many skin conditions some of these are listed below.

• Hot spots and sores.

• Skin Rash

• Flea infestations

• Fungal and bacterial infection

• Odour Issues

• Yeast infections/ Moist eczema

• Urine and faeces scalding on skin and blisters.

• Mites and lice infestations under the matted coat and in some cases Maggot infestation due to the QLD weather.

• Eye and ear infections. Prolonged infections can lead to blindness and lifelong ear issues.

• Severe itching. In some cases, can cause obsessive chewing, scratching and rubbing in pets.

• Discoloration/staining of fur.

• Parasites such as fleas and ticks can be present without the owner's knowledge as the matted coat hides them.

All pets feel different after a matted coat is clipped off; most pets feel lighter, cooler and full of life. Very matted coats can be heavy and hot, therefore when they are removed, some find this new sensation strange and may take time to adapt to the feeling. Regardless of whether you like the dog’s new look, they will feel 100% better. It is best to remember prevention is better than the cure.

If at any time a dog becomes too fearful and aggressive we reserve the right to stop grooming at any point and you will be charged accordingly to the completion of the groom.