*You will want to bring your dog in on a leash, wearing a collar with ID.
This is a busy street, my neighbors may be watching you, and carry cell phones and like to take pictures,,,I have gotten tickets for not leashing my pets, please either carry your pet in your arms, a carrier, or on leash, Thx!

Look for the house with the red fence, enter gate, please make sure gate is latched behind you!
Follow doggy paw-prints to the side door, my new full service grooming salon is in the basement now, not too many stairs,, Either you or I can carry your pet down if they cant walk it,, I can lift up to 50 lbs, if your pet cant walk and is heavier then that, you will need to help me. I also have a shower in the upstairs, there are less stairs to that, and can I groom up there still, but, stairs are stairs,,,I do not have a hydraulic lift table or bath, although some groomers do, you will have to call around.


*Secure Gated Back Run Area.


*Full Body Harness instead of noose used at all times your pet is up on Groom Table or Bath (this eliminates chance of accidental strangulation, and keeps pet safe in case they decide to try to take a 'swan dive' off)


*No Slicker Brush 'Burns', I know how to properly use this brush, and try not to use it unless I have to,,, it is great to use initially on brush-out, if the pet is a bit matted, but there are more humane brushes, and combs available that I use. The draw back with this brush is that it is possible to poke the thin little wires into the skin if held at the wrong angle, causing pain, and repeated hard brushing can really scrape up the skin too, so I just do not like them, but I do know that with a light touch, and held perpendicular/flat to the coat, this is a safe enough brush.


*No Clipper Burns- they are caused by not checking the temperature of the blade against the groomer's own skin. The clipper blade is actually made of 2 blades vibrating against each other which heats them up after just a little while, I know to check and do check frequently, against my cheek, and your pet will never get clipper burns from me. If your dog ever comes home with red marks, especially noticeable at the underbelly, this is either clipper burn or slicker brush burn, you should call the groomer to complain, and not go back there.)They should at least tell you of any such grooming injuries incurred at their establishment. You should feel free in asking if your pet bled during nail clipping or if their are any other injuries, if you suspect it, or even if you just want to know. Speaking for all groomers, we may get a little 'testy' at being doubted for our abilities/honesty, but if we are on the up and up, we will tell you if we did,, as the case may be, we may have but just forgotten to tell you. One case I heard of was when a groomer accidentally clipped the pet's ear, glued it (which is normal procedure used by many groomers) but did not tell the client, the tiny wound opened up again in the car, and bled everywhere causing a mess, (the ear is filled with many tiny capillaries)It would have been much better to have forewarned the owner, and make her aware so she could protect the ear.

*Another thing about clippers, reportedly there is a possibility of tearing the pet's flesh with a blade if held wrong,,,I have never experienced this myself, and have been using clippers for a long time now, and am very careful around delicate areas such as ears, leg and foot webs, anus and undercarriage, I make sure to use the clipper correctly, using my fingers and hand as a buffer, lifting up and out and away from anything as I go. Only the number 40 blade is to be used on cats and delicate skin of elder pets.

*Sanding The Preferred Method-Toenail clipping is tricky even for the most seasoned groomers, the dog can wiggle at just the wrong moment. Clear/white nails are easier to see the quick through, black nails have to be treated differently, and just 'nibbled' at, I have a great website for you to see:

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/dog_nails.aspx

I have been taught physically, too, how to do trim properly. I won't say I have never caused a dog to bleed, I have, more at the beginning, very rarely now,,, the styptic powder and gel I keep on hand clots the blood quickly, and is antibacterial, and contains pain reliever. There are some groomers and even vets and vet techs I have heard that will clip the nails mercilessly close, causing pain and bleeding to all nails they think are too long. I believe this is inhumane, cruel, and should only be done under anesthesia, at a time such as when the pet is under already for some other procedure, such as teeth cleaning, etc. If your groomer does this, I would complain, report them, and not take my pet there ever again, no matter how 'good' they seem to be. No animal, pet or otherwise, ever deserves this treatment. I have seen it done. The elder pet may not express pain, but may pant heavily, salivate, and become agitated. It's not good. The pain does eventually go away, but it's just stupid to be so cruel. The only time I would recommend this sort of solution is if the dog is severely crippled from it's nails being too long, and it is too old for anesthesia (although they have greatly improved anesthetics now) In that case, make sure the pet has a bit of a save tranquilizer, and the vet uses pain meds, topically and orally.


*Embedded grass heads, tar, other foreign objects: I know to check the whole body for these, remove, cleanse and put antibacterial ointment on them if needed, and will tell you if I have, and where it is, to keep an eye on. If there is something I cannot remove I will tell you to take your pet to a vet to do it, and, please do it right away.

*I frequently check the temperature of the water I use during the bath, and only use Luke Warm water.


*You will never find me squirting water directly into a dogs eyes, up their nose, or into their ears. I hate to say it, but I have witnessed other groomers doing this, and abhor the behavior. They do it, the dog hates it, they do it some more, and laugh. Disgusting!!!!!That is just cruel.


I can understand using water to break up a dogfight. Some doggy daycares (probably all) use a squirt bottle with water to stop dogs barking, or being rough with each other...well, maybe this is standard procedure, maybe not so bad if the animal is able to dodge out of the way,,,but some groomers do it while the dog is in the cage, and there is no room to avoid the spray, the groomer just continues to spray the animal until it is breathless and choking,,but many times this only keeps the dog from barking for a moment. Supposedly, all the groomer has to do is show the spray bottle to the dog if it starts barking again, and it will stop,,,sometimes this works, but, do we really need to go there,, do we really need to cage animals, let alone treat them this way? This is a whole huge topic for dog behaviorists, barking dogs can be trained, the best way is 'feed the behavior you want',, if the dog is quiet, praise them for being quiet, (praise is as good as a food treat!)if they bark, turn your head, disgusted, 'yuck!', turn your body, your body language says 'I am ignoring you, you are not getting attention, of any kind, for barking.' As soon as they quiet again, praise, give attention, feed a treat. That it!!Keep it up, be consistent! Remember, even 'negative attention' is still attention. Dogs thrive on attention. Don't reward bad behavior with attention of any kind. But if you are gone all day, come home and yell 'no!' at an attention starved dog, even that is great stuff to them! They may continue to bark, in happiness,, Best to just go to them right away, spend some time with them, calm them down, give em love! They missed you!


*All bathing supplies are natural, and non-toxic. I use a tearless shampoo for the head and face, and if ticks are a possibility, I use a good natural citronella shampoo to get rid of them. Your pet may not come home smelling like Pina Coladas or Bubblegum, because I don't use any man made chemical scents. Since Bluing is a chemical colorant, I do not use Bluing either, on a regular basis, but if you specifically request it, I have it, and will use it, to whiten or darken the coat. I don't use any bleach either, but if you request it, there are some good Dog Coat Whiteners on the market I will order and use regularly to bring your dogs coat up whiter, no extra charge.


*There is no chance your pet will die of heat stroke because I do not use cages nor cage dryers. My little dryer is hand-held, by me, on warm only, and is used in an area far away from any source of water, the outlet is gfi protected.


*Cleanliness: After each and every pet, I disinfect. I now use a Clorox product that gets rid of everything, once a week. In between I use food Grade Hydrogen Peroxide Spray in it's proper dilution. Please 'google' it, and find out more about it. 

*I do not use any PineSol or Lysol products,  etc,, nor was it used as I grew up, my family just never has, and, guess what? We lived! And our pet's were/are safer for it too. Mom liked Ammonia, I never use it, and hate it's fumes, but now sometimes I use Windex, mostly just Vinegar. (but not on the hardwood floors at it will darken them)


*Muzzles,,,I don't want to use them, but if I have to, it is just while I have to, and not unless I feel  threatened. 

*Bites: I only have one dog here at a time, there are never any dog fights. I have not been bitten by a dog yet. I believe if I have clear and kind intention, and explain what is happening to the pet as I go, they are fine. Dogs bite from fear and from dominance, I take extra time to calm fearful pets, and although even small dogs can try to be dominant, a little time spent convincing them 'I'm the Boss' goes along way to a calm grooming experience. I do this with love, kindness, and a firm tone when needed. I had to do the 'Alpha Dog' thing with my own Lhasa, she came to me a stray, tried to be the 'boss' around here, and I had to put both my hands on her shoulders, hold her down, and 'growl' telling her 'no, I am the boss!", until she stopped struggling,,,it took about 3 or 4 minutes, since then she has never tried to growl, snap or bite me. If your dog acts like the boss, you should try this, it works!!

I won't do it to your dog, but if you need help to do it at your house, I will go with you to do it. I am not a dog behaviorist, who knows, it may not work for you, but worth a try, right? If not, there are 'Dog Behaviorist's' for hire.

*I know basic First Aid, for people and pets, and keep a kit. I am not a veterinarian, or vet tech, I have not done animal CPR on a dog that needed it, but I have read vet tech books and web articles on it, practiced it on my own pets so I am familiar with the procedures, and believe if the need arose I could perform it and hopefully save the pets life. I keep a CPR how-to guide readily available to refer to if I need, that tells me of the ABC's (Airway,Breathing,Circulation) of CPR. If any emergency happens, I will do what I can to keep the pet breathing, keep it from bleeding, keep it safe, calm, and immediately call you, perhaps I would need to transport your dog to an emergency vet. I will do this if I need to, even if I can't get a hold of you, and I expect you to pick up the tab for all emergency services. Emergency's happen, I will absorb the money/time it takes me to transport the pet until it goes in to see the doctor,,, from then on, the pet is your physical and financial responsibility. I promise to do everything I can to reach you, and continue trying, until you are reached. I have various sizes of pet carriers for safe transportation.

If your dog is very elderly, has known heart/other known health concerns, you may need to get an opinion from your vet as to whether to have your pet groomed or not. I will want to know, either way. I am not responsible if your dog dies of a heart attack or other normal,age related diseases, on my property. That being said, if you choose me, and I think it is safe to bathe and groom your pet, I will treat your pet with utmost care and gentleness, never lift the heart patient up onto its hind legs only, go slow, take alot of breaks, never pull it's legs out at unnatural angles, I will be aware and careful of arthritic joints, speak louder for hearing disabled, and in general be the best geriatric groomer I can be,,, I did groom my family Maltese, and did so during his elder years. Toward the end, when he was not feeling well, it became unnecessary and pretty much impossible to groom him very well, just the minimal amount, and I had to leave some little mats in, rather than pester him too much,,, that was ok, he was sick, and no longer cared how pretty he was anyway. He passed peacefully, even if a bit ragged looking! So, I say this to let you know that I do have experience with elderly pets. But even the older guys love being clean, as long as they are able!

Anyway, if your pet is going in for a procedure at the vet, you may want me to groom him/her, nicer for the vet, and pet!

These are just some of the basic safety measures I observe, and practice, and you should feel completely safe while your pet is here, at Steffies House!