Award-Winning Grooming on Edmonton Trail

Your groomers at A Royal Touch are a special 'breed'.  We have strict policies governing the way that we do business.  Some of these may seem extreme but when you look at the combined 20 years of grooming experience in our salon, have a little faith and you will see our salon runs very smoothly with happy dogs, happy staff, and clientele who know exactly what to expect.  You see, we are honest.  Brutally so. 

If your dog is hard-to-handle, we will tell you.  We will also tell you what the issue is, how to deal with it, how we can help you and how you can help us to better work with your pet.  Clients who do not work with their hard-to-handle pets, meaning obedience training and frequent groomer visits so we can work with your pet too, will be invited to go elsewhere for future grooming services.  We reserve the right to refuse service if your pet is judged to be too dangerous to groom.  If your dog has ever bitten or attacked an other person or animal for any reason whatsoever and you  do not disclose this before handing over custody of your pet, we will hold you liable for injuries to staff members and other clients!  It is NOT part of our job to be your pet's favorite chew toy, and we do not walk around asking to be bit by wearing chicken-flavored hand cream.  This is our WORKING environment, and we have a right to a safe, calm happy atmosphere in the grooming area.  If you have a 14 year old German Shepherd who has NEVER been professionally groomed, hates water and bites when you touch his feet, why are you calling us?  We are not miracle workers, we don't have a magic wand, and the awful truth is we get bit and attacked almost daily.  And the funny thing is this...we say "Your dog bit me today!" to you, and instead of asking if I am OK, am I injured, am I able to work with only two fingers, you say, "Well, what did you DO to ???"  Give me a break.  This kind of deflection contributes to the poor image of grooming as a profession in general not to mention it's just plain rude.  "Umm, I touched his foot? "  That's part of my job.  If you have done a bad job raising your pet so he won't tolerate handling, don't accuse me of wrong doing if he attacks me for doing my job.  Have a little faith in our experience.  If we were that bad we wouldn't still be in business!

Customer service is extremely important to the staff at A Royal Touch.  The caveat here is that your DOG is the client, not you.  We will in all cases recommend what is best for your pet and if what you want is unreasonable, (for example, pulling matts out of your pet's hair so you can have that 'show' trim) we will refuse service.  We will not compromise our principles of pet care or our cruelty-free policy for money, threats, or loss of business.  Mom may not be happy with a shaved pet, but if Mom doesn't get Fluffy groomed more that every six months and doesn't brush the coat in between visits, it's a shave or there's the door.  Dematting is cruel to Fluffy!! If you would rather have a groomer cause your dog pain to make you happy and then take your money with a smile, we are not the salon for you! (and shame on you!)

Appointments are booked well in advance for trims at our salon.  We have a large customer base of over 3000 pets all requiring regular grooming.  Of those clients, a large percentage book a year's worth of appointments at a time.  You can email or call in your dates, or just ask your groomer to pre-book you and we will give you a calendar to put on your fridge at home.  You can ask for specific days (first Friday of every month) or specify frequency (every six weeks).  This policy guarantees you never have to wait two months to get in to see us after you call for an appointment.  This service is especially valuable if you have to have a Saturday appointment, which you often have to wait two months for, as Saturdays are usually full of pre-booked pets.

The length of time it takes to have your pet groomed varies.  We say a minimum of 4-5 hours, but if that day we have an aggressive pet that takes three groomers to handle, it will take longer.  Each day is different and can be affected by the personality and condition of the animals that come to see us.  We do NOT guarantee time outs.  Period.  We will always try to accommodate your day whenever possible, but if we have an eighteen year old poodle in for a trim who has epilepsy and a heart condition, that dog will go home first.  If your dog is nervous, don't ask for a rush job, you won't get it.  A nervous pet requires more time, lots of breaks, and socializing to get over his nervousness.  An anxious groomer watching the clock due to time pressures and corner-cutting grooming techniques are just going to make your pet more nervous.  Now, if MOM or DAD is nervous, rest assured we haven't been in business this long by hurting animals.  A little faith, please.  If you are nervous, your dog will pick up your vibes and begin to shake and act nervous too.  Just like taking your child to a day home it should be a happy, relaxed change of hands with a quick hug and a smile.  We will call you when your pet is ready to go home.  Be flexible, be relaxed, remember quick service is not the BEST service.  When you get your hair done if your stylist rushes you in and out in 20 minutes do you feel like you got the time and attention you deserved and paid for?  And remember, we will call you.  If you call us every 20 minutes or so or 'pop' in the salon to 'check' because you 'were just in the neighborhood' (PS message to certain clients of ours, "You're BUSTED!)  this just puts us behind schedule and it takes LONGER to groom your pet!  We promise you we absolutely will not keep your pet any longer than we have to, we don't take long lunches and sit around chatting all day.  We work very diligently to ensure your pet has a great experience with us.  Now this works the other way too, we CLOSE at 5PM weekdays and even earlier on Saturdays.  Don't make us wait for you!  Don't forget your pet is at the salon!

Drop off times...we book TIMES for you to drop off your pet.  If you are booked at 8AM, COME AT 8AM.  If you are late, we WILL give your spot away to someone on our cancellation list.  If you show up and we have filled your spot, you are out of luck.  You wouldn't book a Hair appointment at 10 and show up at 11, your stylist will be busy with her next cut.  If you do NOT COME for an appointment, and don't call to cancel, we will charge you a $25.00 no-show fee before we groom your pet again.  Why are we so strict?  We don't have a receptionist...our groomers perform reception.  If people come in and out all day and we are standing behind the counter, who will groom your pet?  If we were to hire a receptionist than your groom would have to cost more!  So our point is a little respect and communication can make everyone's day easier.

Clients can expect from our groomers:

Our groomers expect from you:        

You charge WHAT?!?  Yup, we charge a fair price for our services,  according to the market we are upper mid-range.  If you are looking for a bargain, don't call us.  We use the BEST quality products in a day when salons are using dish soap on your pet to cut costs.  We pay our staff a fair wage because a content groomer is not only awesome to work with but they stay longer at the salon.  We are NOT a commissioned salon.  We believe in a team-work approach to getting through each and every day.  We raise our prices annually to help with rising business costs and inflation.  Do our groomers accept tips?  ABSOLUTELY.  It is part of their income like any service industry.  Remember, in grooming like anything else, you get what you pay for.

We do NOT, under ANY circumstances sedate your dog!!  We are not qualified to administer medications.  If your pet is too hard-to-handle we will refer you to a vet for a FULL check up to see if sedation is an option then sedatives will be SAFELY prescribed to you for your pet BY your Vet!!  Don't even think it, that's just insulting.

 See what we mean by honesty?  We let it all hang out and if you think you can accept these policies and be a client of ours, give us a call or email. 

Remember, communication. 

Respect. 

It CAN work, and you CAN be a happy pet owner with a beautiful treasured pet, at a great salon where the staff truly love your dog.

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Last modified: 05/25/08