Tail Talk Grooming Chronicles with Hound Therapy

When Scissors Slip: Managing Pet Grooming Accidents

• Shannon & Tanya • Episode 17

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Accidents Happen: What Can You Do?

Sharp tools, wiggly pets, and even the most skilled human hands sometimes lead to unexpected moments in pet grooming. What happens when scissors slip or clippers nick? How should professional groomers handle these delicate situations, and what should pet parents expect?

Shannon and Tanya of Hound Therapy dive deep into the reality of grooming accidents in this candid, honest conversation about a topic many in the industry avoid discussing. Drawing from years of hands-on experience, they share personal stories of mistakes they've made and how proper handling turned potential disasters into opportunities for building deeper trust.

"Nobody intentionally goes out to wreck their vehicle. They're called accidents for a reason," Shannon explains, setting the tone for a discussion that emphasizes responsibility without shame. The professional groomers outline specific protocols every groomer should follow when accidents happen: immediate first aid, transparent communication with pet owners, documentation, and appropriate follow-up care.

For pet parents, this episode offers valuable perspective on how to respond when receiving that dreaded call about an injury. The hosts emphasize that most groomers feel terrible when accidents occur and have already beaten themselves up before making that difficult call. They provide guidance on distinguishing between honest mistakes that deserve grace and patterns that might indicate it's time to find a new groomer.

Beyond the practical advice, this conversation highlights something fundamental about the pet care industry: the relationship between groomers and clients is built on shared love for the animals in their care. When both parties approach even difficult situations with honesty and compassion, trust deepens rather than breaks.

Ready to learn more about our approach to pet care? Call us at 469-367-0009 to schedule an appointment or visit www.Houndtherapy.com to explore our full range of services for your furry family members.

To learn more about Hound Therapy visit:
https://www.HoundTherapy.com
Hound Therapy
3509 E Park Blvd.
Plano, TX
469-367-0009

Speaker 1:

Welcome to Tail Talk Grooming Chronicles with Hound Therapy, the podcast where we talk all things pet grooming, daycare academy and more. Hosted by Shannon and Tanya of Hound Therapy serving pet owners across North Texas, we're here to share expert tips, hilarious pet stories and the inside scoop on keeping your furry friends happy and healthy. Our motto humanity over vanity. And don't worry, we don't bite. Let's get started.

Speaker 2:

Who let the dogs out who let the dogs out. Grooming is hands-on and sometimes things happen. Shannon and Tanya break down what to do when cuts, scrapes or nicks occur and how both groomers and pet parents can respond with grace and care. Welcome back everyone. I'm Sofia Yvette, co-host and producer, back in the studio with Shannon and Tanya, professional groomers at Hound Therapy. Shannon and Tanya, how's it going today? Great. How about you? Great Now today. I know we're tackling a tough one, but this is the kind that builds real trust between groomers and pet parents. So we know that accidents happen, so what can you do about it?

Speaker 3:

Well, I'm going to start with just on your mistakes. So I'm going to talk to you. If there are groomers that are listening, it's a little different than if you're, you know, the owner of a pet. But if you're a groomer and you know that mistakes happen, things, dogs look another way. People come in and ask you a question, another dog walks by.

Speaker 3:

While you're grooming a dog, you know there's a thousand things that can cause an accident a scrape or cut, or you didn't realize. Oh, I picked up the wrong blade, it's on my clipper. I mean, we're only human and we all have bad days. That said, just own it, own your mistake. Do what you can to resolve the situation as best as you know how. Hopefully you have some cpr and first aid training if you're in the grooming facility and a grooming or at least somebody in your facility that that does have first aid knowledge of how to take care of a nick or cut or scrape.

Speaker 3:

Things happen all the time. Nails get cut too short, that is not usually a big thing, but if it gets cut way back it can bleed for a considerable amount of time and then stop and then go home and bleed. So as soon as you don't say something about it, I assure you it's going to be a problem at home. You know, ears get nicked. Paw pads there's just under the arm, right inside the underside flap. I mean there's just a lot of real common spots that are hard to get on. A little dog or a big dog that's wiggling a movie or that's maybe matted or something.

Speaker 4:

Yeah.

Speaker 3:

Own it. Be 100% upfront and I would call the owner as soon as you have the situation under control and say hey look, this is what happened, it's my mistake and or it was a dog. Don't, don't cast blame, because a mistake is a mistake, right? If you hit another car, nobody intentionally goes out to wreck their vehicle. They're called accidents for a reason. It wasn't intentional. Now, if you're cutting your animals on a regular basis, then I suggest getting with somebody to better broaden your holding sensibilities and what blades you know what blades you should be using, because you should not be cutting them on a regular basis. But if it's few and far between, then obviously be honest. Now, as a client, it's a whole different story. Nobody wants to drop their dog off.

Speaker 4:

And nobody wants the phone call.

Speaker 3:

Hey, we're calling because we cut your dog. Let me explain to you. So I always start off with so listen, while we were grooming, this is what happened. It's not a big deal, we have it under control, but you know, I feel like, hey, this is something that we've been able to stop here.

Speaker 3:

Explain to them that if they need to go to the vet, you know that you'll obviously cover the cost and you know, don't wait till Wednesday to call me when I'm open If something happens. Most groomers that are good at their jobs will be able to explain if they think it's a major cut or not a major cut. And I myself have had some major cuts where I'm like look this you know, I thought it was a mat, I cut through it.

Speaker 3:

You know, I got a huge cut on the back of a dog's ear and I took the dog immediately to the vet and it needed stitches. I looked at it I'm a vet tech so I knew that it would and I just went ahead and did it. I mean there's, you know. What vet do you want me to go to at this point is what you ask the client? If you can't get ahold of the client, then hopefully you have the rapport with them that. Look, this is what I did. It was the best that I could do with what I had and the information that I was able to get in an emergency.

Speaker 3:

Right, be responsible, act responsible. But as a pet owner, try to be. You know, give your groomers some grace Again. If it's happening all the time, switch groomers. If it's something that is, it's clearly a mistake and it's a one time they've told you about it and they're willing to say hey, your dog is bad at bites. We're going to try our best not to do it. We sign waivers here. So if we get really mad at dogs, so we have dogs that are hard to handle, you know, dogs that are old, that can't stand like real moly dogs. We try to warn you in advance. We're gonna do everything we can not to get any of those.

Speaker 4:

But you know you may go home with a lot of quick stop on their nails, or and we've had two first aid care dogs that were hurt previous to our grooming appointment- yeah there's the dog that comes in with punctures all over her and she gets in fights with other dogs, she gets in fights with her sibling dogs, adversity going to the vet.

Speaker 3:

A the vet, a lot of them. They're here for a grooming appointment so we'll shave those areas down really close and low so that owner can keep an eye on it. If it looks bigger or infected or red or yellow, then obviously we encourage them to go to the vet. So you know, having a vet that you work with is also a huge bonus and a plus. Making sure that if you're a first time person, you know we asked for vet records all the time. We want to make sure animals are vaccinated here, but we also want to know who to call if we have a problem. We can't get ahold of you, right? They can speak volumes for a really good clientele groomer relationship and that is a relationship we both are sharing the same. You know love and kindness for your pet, so we all want happiness and I get a lot of angry people in the past that are like I can't believe you've done that.

Speaker 3:

You know everybody cuts my dog there and if that's the case then maybe again be honest. Say maybe your dog is wiggly or it's moving, or it doesn't like those areas being tight, it's got thin skin. There's a thousand reasons that it happens. It's got a scab, there are mold there. If you don't tell us about it, you know we can't, we can't avoid it. And then the same for for groomers. Be honest, hey, we didn't see them all there. We hit it, we know. Now for next time to me, yeah happens to all of us that's happened.

Speaker 3:

Uh, you know, I've, I've, I've, I've gotten a dewclaw off, a whole entire dewclaw, and oddly enough it didn't bleed that much. But you know, I did tell the owner and the next time she came in she said the same last time. But we would like to keep the remaining three dewclaws and they were free floating dewclaws so, that said, I would have had them removed anyway if I had my vet. So it was kind of a win-win because it really wasn't a bad injury although it could have been, but it was just a little flap of skin that had a dewclaw attached to it. But it was traumatic for all three of us the dog me, you know, the owner and the dog, you know I don't think really felt much and but I felt awful. And then the owner was like, oh my gosh, is he in pain? I'm like it doesn't seem to be, you know. So it's a conversation, right. And she came back, we were honest about it and it hasn't happened since.

Speaker 3:

It's got all three D claws, so things that that. It's just they're hard. You've got to have first aid knowledge If you're going to be in this. You've got to have a vet on call if you're in this, this industry and, as an honor, just give your groomers some grace. Dogs are hard to do. It's difficult, this is a difficult job. It's I can't.

Speaker 3:

And chances are when we are if something happens to your dog in our care.

Speaker 4:

We feel like crap, yeah, every time.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, we've already beaten ourselves up or somebody else has yelled at us why would you let that happen? Yeah, it's hard this job. I can't say it enough. It is difficult. Just because somebody says they're a groomer does not mean they're a good groomer and this profession. It is very hard to find people who are truly dedicated into doing what's best for your dog and 90% of us who to take that time and the dedication to explain these things to you. We're not doing anything on purpose to intentionally hurt your dogs. That is not our goal. That's not how we keep and maintain business. So it's an accident and it happens. We try to handle it as best we can with the most care that we've got. If you're a shop owner or a dog groomer, arm yourself with photos before and after.

Speaker 4:

And even the clients. That'll help customers too. If something's not swollen and you take a picture of it the next day and it is swollen, that could mean some sort of infection is sitting in.

Speaker 3:

We've had dogs that have had eye issues, that when we shaved them they've had open wounds and sores underneath them and they didn't know it. We've had dogs that had tumors that are bloody and open and once we got to them and went through it the owner didn't know and they were able to go to the vet. So that communication is good too. Don't be afraid to mention those.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, wow, definitely some good life lessons there today. Right, we can't always prevent things from happening, but it's about how you move, going forward. Thank you, shannon and Tanya, for sharing that with us today and navigating this delicate topic with such grace. We will catch you next time on your next episode. Until then, I hope you both have a fantastic rest of your day. Thank you.

Speaker 3:

Always a pleasure. You both have a fantastic rest of your day.

Speaker 1:

Thank you, always a pleasure. That's a wrap for this episode of tail talk with hound therapy. Ready to book your pet's next groom daycare stay or grooming Academy tour? Call us at 4 6 9, 3, 6, 7, 0 0 0 9. That's 4 6 90009 to schedule an appointment, or visit us online at wwwhoundtherapycom. Serving North Texas with expert pet care. Until next time, keep those tails waggin'. Who let the dogs out? Who let the dogs out?