FAQ

For the health and safety of your pet and others, Belly Rubs requires all pets entering our facilities to be up to date on rabies vaccinations. Documentation or verbal confirmation from your veterinarian will need to be provided prior to the grooming service being performed. Sorry, but we cannot accept rabies tags as proof of vaccinations (they do not indicate the expiration date of the vaccine).  Dogs that titer or have medical exemptions from the rabies vaccine only need to provide a written explanation from your veterinarian. 

Please make us aware of any health issues or potential problem areas like behavioral concerns, matted fur or skin tags & irritations prior to your grooming appointment so that we can be mindful to them during your dog’s grooming treatment.

New Clients:  To make your check-in process go a little faster, please complete and submit both the Client Profile & Agreement and the Pet Profile at least 48-hours prior to your appointment (they can both be located in the dropdown menu under “Services”).  Additionally, we will need to see a copy of each dog’s vaccination record to ensure he is up to date on his rabies vaccination.  You can either email a copy of this to us or bring it to your first appointment.  Dogs that titer or have medical exemptions from the rabies vaccine only need to provide a written explanation from your veterinarian.  

The length of your dog’s appointment will vary depending on your pet’s size and condition of his coat as well as temperament.  Typically a small to medium sized dog (up to about 30 pounds) will take 1-2 hours.  Larger dogs will normally require 2-3 hours.

We do have kennels for dogs that are waiting for their services to begin and for dogs who are waiting for their parents to pick them up after their services are complete.  If your dog has kennel anxiety, we are happy to discuss alternatives with you to ensure the comfort and safety of your pet (and you).

Our fees are determined by the amount of time that is required to safely and gently groom your pet.  You are welcomed to call us to discuss your needs and we will do our best to give you the estimated fee.  All fees quoted are estimates only. Final pricing may be affected by factors such as coat condition or special handling requirements as determined by your groomer. Final pricing will be determined at time of appointment.

Tipping is not expected at all but is truly appreciated by your groomer for a job well done.  It is customary to tip your groomer 10-20% of the service fee based on your level of satisfaction.

We accept payment in the form of cash, check and all major credit cards.  At this time we are not able to add gratuity to credit card charges.  

We will call you at the conclusion of your pet’s grooming session to alert you that your pet is ready for pickup. We allow a 30 minute grace period (15 minute for pet’s being finished at closing time) after the call is made to pick up your pet, after which an hourly Day Care Fee of $25 will be applied. Please understand that this policy serves the best interest of your pet as we are not equipped to safely house large numbers of pets for extended periods of time.

We respectfully ask that you notify us no later than 12pm the day prior to your scheduled appointment should you find that you must reschedule or cancel.  Failure to notify us by this time will result in a $35 fee for your first missed appointment and the full grooming fee for any future missed appointments.  We send courtesy reminders via text, email and phone two days before your scheduled time to confirm your appointment.

Our top priority is your dog’s safety, so we do not use cage dryers.  We take the added care and time to hand fluff dry each dog with a pet force air dryer that is not heated.

We will express anal glands as part of a full-service package if you request us to do so.  We only perform external anal gland expressing and strongly suggest you discuss this procedure with your veterinarian prior to requesting this to be a part of your dog’s service.  We are happy to discuss the pros and cons of anal gland expressing with you if you have any questions.

We will pluck the hair from your dog’s ear canal as part of a full-service package if you request us to do so.  This is a procedure that should be discussed with your dog’s veterinarian prior to making this request because the ear is very delicate and each dog’s ear care is very individual.  We are happy to discuss the pros and cons of plucking a dog’s ear with you if you have any questions.

If your dog requires sedation to be groomed, it is best that this take place at a veterinarian’s office so they have a medical team available should there be any complications.

For the safety of your dog, we ask that you observe in an area where your dog cannot see or hear you.  A dog that can see or hear his owner will become excited and often begins wiggling from excitement and jumping around, which is not safe for the dog or groomer.  

Regular grooming is a critical part of your dog’s health routine.  It is recommended that a healthy dog be groomed every 4 weeks to ensure the skin stays healthy and the nails are maintained at the proper length.  The length of time between haircuts will vary depending on the type of coat and the desired length of the coat, normally anywhere between 4-8 weeks.  The Spa Bath and Mini Spa are great options for in between our Full Service Spa option to make certain matting doesn’t occur.