Animal Welfare Professionals

One of my goals for my business this year is to connect with shelters and provide consistent grooming services to help improve the dogs' appearance and increase their chances of getting adopted. For those of you who work or volunteer at shelters, do you see this as a significant need?

I've heard mixed feedback from other groomers-while the grooming itself isn't an issue, some have mentioned challenges with coordinating with shelter staff or arranging transportation for the dogs.

Any feedback or suggestions on what has worked well for your facility would be greatly appreciated. Before reaching out to multiple shelters, I'd like to have a solid plan in place. These grooming services would be completely free of charge for the shelters.

#PetSupportServices*

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Sonia Love
Owner
Perfectpaws LLC
MD
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Offering free grooming to shelters is fantastic! Coordinating with staff and transportation are common hurdles. Clear communication and scheduling help. Shelters often value such services. Also, consider mentioning Bravecto Without Vet Prescription in your outreach; parasite-free pets shine brighter, improving adoption chances.

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Anna Watts
UI/UX designer
TeamLab
LA
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This is an amazing thing for you to do!! At our shelter, we don't usually have many dogs that are in severe need of grooming. But, occasionally we will get those pups that really like to douse themselves in their own feces or sleep in their own urine. Also, there are the occasional breeds that come in super matted and need the whole shebang done. We have actually had some groomers donate their time to help in these cases, but our biggest hurdle for that is the rabies vaccine. We do not have a vet on staff, so none of our dogs typically have their rabies vaccinations and this is a requirement at some grooming establishments. Before they can take the dog into their facility to be groomed, it has to be up-to-date on its rabies. I have heard of some groomers setting up an area to do basic grooming at the shelter itself. I know there are like travel tables and pop-up tubs. This might be something to look into if transportation is an issue for a shelter. Coordination is a whole other ballgame unfortunately. I know we are all super busy, but I can't imagine not making time to do something that might make it easier for some of the animals to be adopted...

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Holly Brown
Shelter Technician
Heber Valley Animal Services
Heber City, UT
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