Grooming appointments are dropped off between 8:00 am and 8:30 am Monday - Saturday. Once your furry family member has completed their day at the spa we will send you a text message letting you know they are ready for pick up. You then have from that time until 6:00 pm (5:00 pm on Saturdays) to pick up. So what do they do with us all day? First, they are brough to the back runs where they have a chance to relieve themselves if need be and take a little break (some dogs love car rides and other do not. Some just need to calm themselves from the excitement of coming in). They are then brought into the salon area one by one for their pre-bath work. This includes nail trimming, ear cleaning (and plucking if needed), pre-shave (for haircut pets) or undercoat blow out (for double coated breeds). At this point most pets go into the bath tub, but some need a rest and that's okay too. Once in the tub, everyone gets a nose to toes to tail (and everywhere in between) scrub down. Double coated dogs are brushed while soapy as it is gentler on their skin and all pets are double checked for external parasites (like ticks), lumps, bumps, or anything out of the ordinary. If you requested anal gland expression it is also done at this time. Once clean and rinsed VERY well, our friends are towel dried and then dried with a forced air dryer that not only sheds the water off their skin and coat but also releases unwanted hair for easier post-bath brushing. Once mostly dry they are placed in a pen (large and giant breeds) or large cage (small breeds) to dry completely under a cool air dryer. Once all the bathing is done for the day our groomers take a much deserved lunch break. After lunch, they head back to the grooming room to start the finish work on everyone. Finish work can be as little as a buff on a smooth coated dog, to a de-shedding on a double coated dog, to a breed standard trim on a standard poodle or giant schnauzer. Some pets need an extra break during finish work. We can easily accommodate this by placing them back in their pen and staring work on another pet. There are also some unforeseen issues that can slow our day: extremely matted pets, aggressive or overly shy pets, puppies, senior pets, etc. While we plan time for as many of these issues are we can, there is no way to plan for everything. You are always welcome to call and check in on timing or how your furry friend is doing.