22/07/2026
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📌WHY WE SOMETIMES HAVE TO SHAVE A MATTED DOG📌
This is a lengthy post but one I feel is so important if you bring your dog to me.
After another difficult conversation this week, I wanted to say this clearly:
Having to shave a matted dog never gets any easier.
People often think it’s the easy option, but it isn’t. The easy option would be giving you the fluffy cute teddy bear Instagram groom you wanted and sending you home happy, but sometimes that simply isn’t possible or safe.
When a dog is badly matted, the knots pull on the skin and can hide sore skin, infections, grass seeds, parasites and more.
Trying to brush severe matting out can be painful and stressful for the dog.
My first responsibility is always the dog’s welfare, not the haircut.
So when I say your dog needs to be clipped short, it is not because I’m lazy or don’t know what I’m doing.
It’s because I care too much to put your dog through unnecessary pain and stress.
Removing a heavily matted coat is often harder on us and our equipment than a normal groom.
Matted coats can be full of dander, oils, grit and dirt, which quickly blunts blades and makes the job much more difficult.
What really upsets me is when owners say a groomer “ruined” their dog’s coat without mentioning that the coat was actually badly matted.
Please don’t blame the groomer because your dog is matted and needs to be clipped short.
Take ownership of the condition the coat is in, and please stop blaming the groomer for making a welfare decision.
Those comments can be damaging to a small business, and behind that business is a person who cares deeply about every dog they groom.
Clipping a matted coat short is not lazy or cruel. It is a welfare decision based on what the dog needs, not what looks nicest.
What I don’t understand and won’t tolerate is the bad-mouthing and negative reviews when a groomer has had to shave a dog for welfare reasons. It is unfair, ignorant, and deeply damaging.
What I ask is that you trust me when I say there isn’t another humane option.
One unfair comment or review can do real damage to a small business that works hard to put dogs first.
We’re not just cutting dogs’ hair.
We’re relieving pain.
We’re protecting skin.
We’re preventing suffering.
At the end of the day, I’d rather an owner be upset with me than send a dog home stressed.
The dogs will always come first. Always.
Thank you for reading.
Kelly 🫶
