At Tailored Tails Grooming Salon & Pet Spa we are very conscientious, strict, and particular about our safety policies! As you may have already learned elsewhere on this site, pet grooming is not a regulated industry. Only the Colorado Department of Agriculture regulates pet grooming facilities through their Pet Animal Care Facilities Act (PACFA). This document is 122 pages, and only 6 of those pages address grooming! Two of those pages are only half pages and portions of those address mobile grooming. Anyone may begin grooming immediately with no training, no education, no licensing. I don’t know about you, but all that makes me pretty nervous!
After graduating my first grooming academy and working at several different privately owned shops, I was shocked to discover than none of them had any formal Safety Program in place. Quite frankly, the unclean work areas and some of the practices I saw in a few of them were disgusting, not to mention unsafe. Not until I worked at a corporate location did I see any safety policies and procedures (thank goodness!).
I have since attended two additional grooming academies and attended many workshops and seminars for continuing education where many safety practices were taught. I also have achieved Certification through the National Dog Groomers Association of America (NDGAA) and the National Cat Groomers Institute of America (NCGIA). Certification programs include a great deal on safety, as well as First Aid and CPR Certification for pets. You may have seen the Certificates on the wall in my office; I ran out of wall space and several of the frames are sitting on the floor. While all that may sound impressive, I’ll be the first to tell you that I still have a lot to learn!
Our Safety Program at Tailored Tails is in written form and has DVD’s that go along with it. All employees are required to review and sign off on the Program before working with any pet. For the safety of your dog or cat, we encourage you to observe and ask questions at any facility you choose. The Tailored Tails staff and myself are pleased to welcome any questions you may have about our practices!
~ Rebecca Taylor, NCG, CFMG
President