PLEASE BE A VOICE FOR YOUR DOG!

Matting on a dog can happen for a plethora of reasons that have nothing to do with neglect or lack of love. Grooming is essential to prevent matting and skin issues in certain breeds. The longer these dogs go without being PROFESSIONALLY groomed, the worse they get. The dog in the picture was consistently brushed by its parents, and they had no idea that under the cute fluffiness their dog was an entire mat.

There is a reason that grooming is a PROFESSION. It's not just about making dogs pretty and smelling nice, it's about keeping them healthy, comfortable and pain-free. It takes skill and knowledge and the proper tools. High pressured hose nozzles are needed to thoroughly rinse a dog. A high-powered dryer is one of the most essential tools, not just for drying but for loosening the undercoat. Surgical blades for clippers are required for mats in certain areas that are tight on the skin.  Not to mention a grooming table so the dog can be safely restrained and at the proper level for access to all areas.  Groomers are experts and can patiently handle the dog without cutting them with a scissors, burning them with the clippers, or damaging their skin trying to remove a mat.  I’m not even going to get into the emotional and physical trauma of novices attempting to cut their own dog’s nails.

I think I speak for all groomers when saying, we don't understand why we cannot groom dogs if there is no direct customer contact, only one groomer and one dog in a room at a time, and the groomer wears a mask (which we do anyway to prevent groomer's lung). We have relationships with the dogs that we groom, and it is very upsetting to see them slowly getting into these horrible conditions. If we are following the same procedures as LIQUOR pick-up, grooming should be allowed to keep dogs healthy.