02/25/2023
Hello!
2023 Changes
I just sent out the following email. If you are my client and you did not receive it, please let me know. I am trying to ensure that I have everyone's email.
*I am still not taking any new clients*
I hope this email finds you well.
I am writing to tell you about some upcoming changes to my grooming policies. I apologize for the length of this email. I'm doing a lot of long overdue restructuring in 2023 and I want to make sure I communicate it to as many of you as I can so that there are no surprises.
One of my goals in 2023 was to collect as many client emails as I could for important mass communication purposes. The need for this became very apparent in January. As many of you know, the Lady's Island clinic chose to shut down their boarding kennel in January due to the spread of an unidentifiable canine respiratory virus. Most of the dogs were able to shake it, but for a small number of dogs it became gravely serious. For most of January I groomed out of the West clinic. I have been back at Lady's Island for several weeks and the kennel is back open, but there is no guarantee that this virus or another won't make its rounds. So this is just a very good reminder for us all that any time your pet is in a building or in close proximity with other pets, there is always a chance of catching a communicable illness. We do our absolute best to clean and manage as many risk factors as we can, but the possibility is always there. Just like sending your child to daycare and exposing them to other children's germs, it is up to you as your pet's guardian to decide what's best for them.
Here are some of the upcoming changes
*I will be upping the majority of my prices starting the week of March 6th, most prices will be upped by $5, but medium and large doodles (and similar dog types like Lagattos & Portuguese Water Dogs) and extra large breeds (like Newfoundlands and Bernese Mountain Dogs) will be upped by $10 to $15. The reason for some of the bigger jumps is that I'm restructuring and reclassifying dogs that really should have been put in the next bracket up all along due to the time and effort it takes to do them. In summary, the larger and the fluffier the dog the higher up the scale they slide. This is also coming in conjunction with the price of grooming supplies skyrocketing the last few years, from shampoos to blades, I'm paying considerably more to do my job every month.
*I will be implementing a $20 “day of” cancellation fee/no show fee that will be tacked on to the next groom bill. As long as it's the night before, I can normally fill the spot but the day of makes it incredibly difficult. I know it's easy to forget things, so this is not me trying to punish anyone. I work solely off commission, so I do not get paid if you do not show up, and this will help fill in the gap a bit when an appointment is missed. Many of you in the past have even offered to pay for your missed appointments without me asking, and I really appreciated that. Obviously, I'm going to be very understanding if an emergency comes up, communication is key.
*If I find fleas on your pet, $10 will be added to your bill, your pet will be given a capstar and a flea bath. (A capstar is a pill that kills all the adult fleas on your pet for 24 hours but it does not kill the eggs that hatch after so normal flea preventatives have to be followed up)
*It is very important that your pet is up to date on their vaccines on the day of grooming. Like the rest of the world, Animal Medical Center is dealing with being understaffed and over booked. They no longer do drop off appointments regularly, and that includes when they are dropped off for grooming. If your pet needs an annual or to be seen, they will have to be booked on another day. Sometimes exceptions are made, but in general try and make a separate appointment in which you can be seen with your pet. I am going to try to take every other Friday as an admin day and start checking vaccines 2 weeks at a time. If I find that your pet is not up to date, I will have to cancel your appointment till you are able to get them up to date. But please do not rely on me as your reminder. I will not always be able to do this, and I would hate to cancel your appointment the morning of your groom. For dogs we require Rabies, Distemper, and Bordetella. (If your dog can't receive these for medical reasons, please let me know). If you are one of my cat clients we require Rabies, and if your cat gets sedated, the clinic often requires bloodwork within the last year. It is best practice to book your pet's annual appointment well in advance, so we do not get into a situation where your pet needs to be groomed but can't get their shots updated for months.
*Speaking of booking ahead. I am very consistently booked out 2 weeks solid. But at times it reaches a month out. For example, in July I will be out of town for 2 weeks, so around that time I will likely be heavily booked out. Also, I am trying to book less pets a day so I can give them the best groom possible and also be able to breathe a little during the day. I've always overbooked myself because I hate making people wait. I need to go easier on my body for the longevity of my career. This will mean longer wait times for an appointment. It's never too early to book your next groom, some people book their next groom a pick up, others book a few months worth out at a time, and a handful book for the whole year. Specifically if you have a pet that mats I highly recommend booking you your next grooms ahead of time.
If you have an appointment coming up after the 6th, and because of any of these changes you want to cancel, please let me know. I typically try and give a bigger heads up before a large price and policy change but for various reasons I was unable to do so this year.
That's it for the changes. I just wanted to give a more detailed explanation here at the end of this email for why I've decided to make these changes. When I started grooming at 21, I could work 11 hours with no lunch break and my catch all pricing and lack of structure was fine. Now at 32 I'm finally correcting some of the poor choices and policies I made (or didn't make) back then and trying to go easier on my body by booking myself more reasonably. This is only the 3rd time in 11 years of grooming that I have increased my prices, and the cost of supplies has far outpaced that. My ignorant 21 year old self based prices mostly on size rather than time and difficulty. After this year, expect that instead of a random jump every several years my prices will do percentage increases when the clinic does theirs.
I just want to end by saying that I appreciate all of you. I haven't taken new clients in years so that has enabled me to feel like I really know most of you and I know all your pets so well. I am incredibly grateful for each and every one of you beyond words. I know I am lucky to have the amazing clientele that I do for a job that I love. The reason it's taken me so long to do an overhaul is because many of you have been with me since the very beginning and I didn't want any of you to feel like I was suddenly pulling the rug out from under you. But I know that it's finally time to change some things. It has been a long time coming.
Thank you for reading all that! Hopefully all further emails can be less verbose! I hope you all have an amazing 2023!
Pet Groomer at the Animal Medical Center of the Lowcountry
Cammy McCowan
843-540-0076 (call and text)
[email protected]
Cammy's Clips Dog Grooming
Cammy's Clips grooms out of the Animal Medical Center of the Lowcountry (27 Shorts Landing Rd)