Pride & Groom

08/08/2024

Hi everyone, I’m making my way through my list of people who were either rescheduled last week due to me being off with Covid or who are just waiting to be booked in. Thank you for your patience, I know some of you have waited a while but it’s very busy right now and I’m still not feeling 100% 🤒 I will do my best to have everyone rebooked/booked within the next few days 🥰

31/07/2024

After a lovely 2 weeks holiday I’ve only gone and ended up with Covid 😭☠️🦠 judging by how I feel I think it’s safe to say I probably won’t be in work at all this week. I’m sorry for the inconvenience I know some of you have waited a while. I will do my best to get everyone in asap as I’m feeling better but for now it’s couch days and cuddles from Deputy Dawg aka Rocky 🫶🏻🐾

26/04/2024

Deputy Dawg investigates 🕵️ he’s so hard working… It’s amazing I get this service for free 🤣

07/01/2024

Hi folks, Happy New Year to all my lovely clients and your doggos! Hope you all had a great festive period and are ready for another year! 🎊

Going forward into 2024, there will be a price increase which will come into effect from 1st February. This is the first time I have raised my prices since 2011, and I’m sure you will all appreciate with the rapidly rising cost of living that this is a change I really cannot put off any longer. I will be in touch with everyone individually regarding their new pricing.

Thank you for your understanding, and your continuing support 🐶 🐾

Photo of Rocky like an upturned turtle for your enjoyment…

14/09/2023

The girls are thrilled!!! 🤣

14/09/2023

Wee Rosie trying unsuccessfully to hide from small brown jobby. He’s annoyed her and now he’s trying to snuggle in for a nap and she’s having none of it 🤣

09/09/2023

Not posted any pics for a while because I am rubbish 🤣 I had a wee rummage last night and dug some out of the vault. Some of these pups have since gone on to bork at squirrels in the sky, and some are more recent.

09/09/2023

Take care out today folks. My dad and I took Rocky out for 10 minutes just to the park around the corner from our house and although it’s cloudy on and off, it’s deceptively warm. Please use your best judgement and common sense. Why not give them a lickimat with something tasty spread on it or a frozen kong filled with treats instead of a long walk.

07/09/2023

Here he is… ‘helping’. Don’t know how I’d get any work done without him 🤣

07/09/2023

My ‘helper’ and I have finished early today. It’s so hot out! Please make sure you’re doing all the hot weather things I always lecture everyone about:

🚨LEAVE YOUR DOG AT HOME!! Your dog won’t die from missing a walk, but they can overheat very quickly in temperatures 24 degrees and over. Don’t chance it. Close your blinds and make sure they have access to fresh cool water at all times.

🚨Don’t leave your dog in the car for any length of time even with the windows down (it’s not enough). Your dog can’t sweat, and a car can turn into an oven in as little as a minute. Can’t stress this one enough, just don’t do it.

🚨Paddling pools, cool mats and even frozen treats like stuffed Kongs are great for keeping them nice and cool.

🚨Monitor for signs of heatstroke: this is an emergency situation so be aware of the symptoms and the first aid required. Watch out for heavy panting, excessive drooling, staggering or collapsing, vomiting and diarrhoea, red or purple gums and tongue, glassy eyes, and rapid heart beat. Make sure you have your Vet or Emergency Vet contact number saved or easily accessible.

20/08/2023

We need to listen to what our dogs are telling us. Grooming in particular can be a challenge for many dogs, which can result in behaviours on the table that aren’t desirable, such as fidgeting, jumping and biting. When dogs are showing these behaviours, we need to address why; and no, they are not trying to ‘be the boss’.

Fear:
A dog can be scared of grooming for many reasons. This doesn’t mean that anybody has ever intentionally hurt the dog during grooming. However, the act of being restrained and unable to move away can be very distressing for some dogs, particularly when it is with a stranger. The different tools with their sights, smells and sounds can be really scary for some dogs, and if they are ‘flooded’ by these sounds, it can further cement their fear. Just like people, dogs will react to things differently from one-another. We are all individuals, and some of us need to take things slower than others.

Pain:
Whether it is chronic or acute, pain is a significant factor in dogs disliking grooming and being ‘difficult’. Pain may cause the dog to be uncomfortable with one area being touched, or it may be more generalised; a dog may just be entirely less tolerant if they are in discomfort, much like a person with a headache who now has a lot less patience than usual. If your dog is struggling with grooming, it may be worth having a thorough veterinary and physiotherapy examination. Remember: just because your dog isn’t yelping, limping or obviously in pain, that doesn’t mean they aren’t.

Discomfort:
Differejt from pain, discomfort may be the result of gastrointestinal issues, skin conditions or similar. Dogs with these conditions may not be obviously in pain or discomfort, but their irritation from the chronic condition may be enough to increase body sensitivity and make grooming an activity they wish to escape from, resulting in a lack of ‘compliance’ on the grooming table.

Confusion:
The dog may simply not understand what we want from them! This may come across as ‘defiance’, but really they may just not know that we want them to stand still, hold their head on this angle, turn around, give us their paw. Training the behaviours with positive reinforcement and putting cues to them will help clear up this communication barrier.

If your groomer says your dog is ‘difficult’, try to find out what that means (a description of when the behaviour happens, and what it looks like) and investigate what you can do to help your dog enjoy the groom more.

Thanks for reading!

15/08/2023

Have you ever seen a more content wee man than this? 😭❤️

11/08/2023

I cannot DEAL with this patoot tonight 😭 🥰

06/08/2023

Unexpected wee surprise this weekend. Meet Rocky!! He’s a wee mini dachshund. He can’t hear so any tips for dogs who are a wee bit corned beef would be much appreciated! 🤣🥰

13/07/2023

It should be illegal to be this cute, but I’ll defo be hiding wee Sid if the popo come knocking!! 👮🏻 🚨 🤣

15/06/2023

Please please please look out for your dogs in this warm weather!! They can overheat so so quickly - “just five minutes” in a hot car or running around after a ball in the park under the scorching heat can be all it takes to put your pup at risk. Walks early morning and late evening are much safer than during peak sunshine hours - I’m still seeing so many dog owners walking their dogs on the pavement in the blazing sun and it’s really not good for them 😡🥵

Did you know you can see the signs your dog is over heating by the shape of your dog's tongue.

In these pictures of Bertie note the different shape and how much of his tongue is exposed to the air. The pictures show four different stages of Bertie getting hot.

In the first picture, it's poking out of his mouth only a little and is equal width. Bertie is getting warm.

In the last picture, see how is tongue is fully out of his mouth and is "spoon" shaped. This is a sign Bertie is too hot. At this stage care needs to be taken and your dog should be actively prevented from exertion and taken to a cool place.

It's worth noting that Bertie is soaking wet and in the sea in the final picture. This has not prevented him getting very hot.

Yesterday I saw several dog's with tongues this shape being walked on hot tarmac.

I'm not someone who over reacts to health warnings but dog's getting over heated is a very real risk with serious consequences.

Please share.

16/05/2023

This exceptionally good and handsome boy came for his first groom with me today and was such a doll! Lots of cuddles were had and then when he was all done he had a good bork at me just to prove it was no big deal 🤣💗 Well done Bailey!! 🐾

12/05/2023

Wilson Wigglebutt had a great time today forcing his love and smooches on me… because I just HATE a smooch 🤥🤣

11/05/2023

Cancellation for a small-medium dog tomorrow morning at 10am 👀

09/05/2023

Maybe if I lie like dis she won’t baffs me?? 🤣

08/05/2023

Morning everyone, happy Monday! Hope you all had a lovely weekend 😊 A few of you have asked me for dates right up to Christmas, and actually it’s not a bad idea, especially if you need/want a particular day (looking at you, Saturday club! 😉) If this is something you would like me to do for you please let me know with a message including your preferred dates/times and I’ll get them sorted for you. Pic of wee Skye because why not? 🥹💗

05/05/2023

Fergus was like a sheep today, and as a result I forgot to get an after pic of him! 😭 if his mum sees this, would you be so kind as to sneak a wee pic? 🤣🐾

05/05/2023

Sleepy boi Charlie 🥹💗 isn’t he handsome?!

22/04/2023

😂

08/02/2023

Handsome handsome good boi Fergus was so good for his groom today. These were the best photos I could get of him because he NEEDS to give you all the loves and sing you the song of his people! 😂🥰

16/01/2023

Hi everyone, sorry I’m still playing catch up getting back to people. If you haven’t heard from me or don’t have an appointment arranged please respond to this message and I’ll get you sorted 🥰

09/12/2022

Hi everyone hope you’re all well. As of next week (commencing Mon 12th) I will be back at work. Thank you everyone for your kind wishes and your patience. I’m trying to get back in the swing of things, and I completely understand if anyone has had to go elsewhere in the meantime. If you have a pre-booked appointment from the 12th onwards, that appointment stands so you should still come in for it (provided it suits - if not please let me know). If you had an appointment scheduled when I was off and still need your dog groomed please let me know. I will do my very best to accommodate as many as I can before Christmas.

06/11/2022

Hi everyone, apologies if you have an appointment over the coming few weeks but we will be closed until further notice due to family reasons. I won’t be responding to messages right now. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

18/07/2022

Stay safe people!! Keep all my wee pals safe and out of the heat ☀️

We are getting a lot of calls and messages today from new potential customers wanting appointments because their dogs too hot…….

Only really wanting today or tomorrow as it’s ‘urgent’

We won’t be doing any dogs for the next few days, that means losing 2 days pay to me but means there’s no chance of a dog becoming seriously ill in my care.

There’s a lot of drama in the news about the weather, but it’s 25c outside right now, which means it would be 30c+ in the van once Start work. If it does reach 37c today that would push the working temp to 42c. No dog needs a haircut that bad!

If your dogs hot just keep them in, put some damp towels in the freezer and bring them out to lie on. Make sure there’s water, bang a fan on and even give them a good brush to remove old hair and assist air flow.

If you’re out and about leave the dog at home and if you see any of our emergency services working and have the means, pop into a shop and buy them an cold drink or an ice pop they’ll certainly need / appreciate it 🚓 🚒 🚑

17/07/2022

Evening everyone! Hope everyone is well and enjoying the spell of nice weather we’ve been having. I’m on holiday for two weeks starting tomorrow and by the looks of things it’s going to be great timing.

The next two days are being hyped to break all the records and be the hottest ever recorded in the UK in places. Although we won’t reach the crazy temperatures of down south, it’s still going to be very hot and this fills me with concern for our four legged pals.

I implore everyone to please please PLEASE not take your dog walking in the peak of the sunshine or in the car for prolonged periods if you can help it over the next few days. Early morning/late evening walks when it’s cooler are much safer. Brachy dogs like pugs/frenchies/ shih tzus, overweight or young dogs are particularly at risk of heatstroke.

I see it constantly on warm days where people take their dogs walking in the blazing heat and it makes me so angry. Your dog won’t die from missing a walk but they can definitely die from heat exhaustion or being left in hot cars.

Always ensure your dog has a constant supply of fresh drinking water, a cool, shaded place to rest and try to limit the time they spend in direct sunlight. Cool mats/paddling pools are also a great way to keep your dog cool.

Look out for signs of heat stroke and stay safe!