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If you wish to become a new customer at Love Fur Dogs, please call 847-LUV-DOGS to set up the first step which is a “Meet and Greet”.
We require the legal owner to bring the pet personally for this preliminary “meet and greet”. There you can complete and sign our contractual release paperwork. You will also need to bring your veterinary vaccination paperwork (or show us electronic copies on your phone) for our state and county mandated record-keeping. We are required to collect the DUE DATES for when their current Rabies expires, as well as the Distemper-Parvo combination shot (usually it is called DHLP or DHLPP or DAPP or some version like that). For Cats, it is Rabies and a FIP or FIV shot. Your veterinarian can tell you if you are current or not. Finally, you will also be required to put a credit card on file with our secure offsite server to book and hold an appointment.
New Doggie Daycare clients are required to bring their dog for an interview and assessment with our Daycare director before their first day of daycare attendance. Call 847-LUV-DOGS to set this up. We do not take puppies under 6 months of age. All daycare dogs must meet the following requirements, given our all-indoor space:
- Responds to their name
- Must be wearing a “quick-release” collar (no Martingales, buckles, or choke collars)
- Knows some basic obedience, such as sitting on command
- Is comfortable in a spacious crate/kennel (all daycare dogs get a 30 minute lunch time nap while the staff takes a lunch break as well)
- Are potty-trained for holding up to 3 hours or can indicate they need to go on a walk
- No females in heat allowed
- Plays sociably, not aggressively or threateningly with other dogs
You can download and/or read our Grooming and Daycare Release form HERE. We will provide a copy for you to sign when you arrive.
In order to provide the best possible customer service, Jennifer, our Owner and Master Groomer, will do an individualized consultation with you about the unique grooming needs of your dog’s coat type and your preferences upon your first visit. Jennifer is a nationally known Grooming Educator with significant expertise to assist you in the care of your beloved family pet. We will work with you to assess your pet’s needs.
We are now strongly urging, and may even require, depending on your individual dog’s needs, that we set up a regular grooming schedule. While every pet is different, we generally recommend, based on skin and coat care science, that dogs be groomed approximately monthly and long-haired cats every two months. Toenail care in dogs for their lifetimes is especially important to help avoid early painful and debilitating arthritis and orthopedic issues.
Given the “Pandemic Puppy Phenomenon” and the significant increase across the nation in new dog ownership in 2020-2021, we, like most other groomers and veterinarians, are very tightly booked. While we will try to accommodate genuine emergencies when they might rarely arise for our regular customers (especially skunk attacks) going forward Love Fur Dogs cannot guarantee that we can accommodate last minute haircut requests.
Set up all your grooming appointments as far in advance as possible – schedule by calling 847-LUV-DOGS.
We have many wonderful grooming options, no matter the grooming needs or lifestage or breed of your dog!
First, our VIP (Very Important Puppy) package – four visits, private consultation with Jennifer, our owner and Master Groomer, training for a lifetime of grooming, beginning at 8-10 weeks of age, every two weeks until 16 weeks of age, four visits for only $100 – a real bargain. We invest time in training and socializing your puppy for a lifetime of grooming. We cannot stress enough the importance of early grooming training for a lifetime of happiness with any new puppy. We see a huge difference between puppies who have been through our VIP program, versus older puppies who come to us for the first time after 6 months of age, already often a matted mess, untrained for the grooming process. Then their first grooming experience is traumatizing, setting them up for a lifetime of stressful and negative grooming experiences. START EARLY with professional grooming training with our bargain VIP program! You will have a happy dog for grooming for LIFE!
We are one of the few grooming shops that allow owners to stay and accompany their pet for the entire groom, if there is a special concern that the owner thinks their presence would be in the best interests of their pets. We always want what is best for your pets, and unlike other grooming businesses, we have nothing to hide. We are the best. During the pandemic we require all visitors to be masked, screened, and to be free of illness.
We are known for being that grooming shop that will try to go that extra mile to painlessly brush out a matted coat, if your dog tolerates it. If you prefer the longer, fluffier look, you have come to the right place! Most of our customers love our breed standard and longer cuts!
However, de-matting is painful and expensive. We only want to rescue a dog from neglect that way hopefully only once! We will not repeatedly subject your dog to that. We will listen to what length you want for your hair cut dog and then we will tell you what we must do together – each of us – to maintain that.
No matter what, we will endeavor to give you the look and groom that you want for your dog. Please come prepared to tell us exactly what YOU want. We will give you all the benefit of our award-winning expertise to deliver the best groom possible for your dog.
On your first visit, you will be asked to complete a release form to get your dog and family into our database. You should read this form thoroughly, and if you want to save time at your first check in, you can download or read the form, linked above. Please allow about 10-15 minutes at least during your first intake to discuss your groom and tell us about your dog. You can also fill out the release form there in our lobby.
State of Illinois and Cook County regulations require us to collect the exact date (due dates as presented by your veterinarian) of your dog’s vaccines. You must produce the written proof of vaccinations either on paper from your veterinarian or in electronic form on your cell phone at your first visit.
If you titer test your older dog instead of giving them vaccines, that documentation is an acceptable alternative in many cases, for our needs. However, be forewarned that the State of Illinois is quite clear legally that every pet in Illinois must be current on Rabies, the DP combo shots. If the dog bites, the Law in Illinois requires that bite is reported to Animal Control. If the biting pet does not have a current Rabies vaccination, they may have to be quarantined for up to ten days observation. Please contact your veterinarian to get a copy of your records before your first visit.
Our release form also covers authorizing emergency treatments for your pet, should that rarity become necessary.
One somewhat unique aspect of the Love Fur Dogs experience is our incredible transparency. Owners can walk through our entire facility. Because you can easily see into our grooming area and be heard by your pet from our lobby, we DO ASK that you do not come to pick up your dog or drop by to “check” on your dog until our reception staff CALLS YOU to tell you that the groom is completed, or gives you a specific time out.
In general, we tell owners to plan on most average dog grooms to last half a day (4-5 hours) but can make one or two faster grooms possible each day if you book ahead well in advance for the coveted 8 a.m. time slots. We hope to reserve these early slots for those who have a medical or behavioral reason why an earlier, quicker groom is best for your dog.
Thank you for bringing your beloved dog to us for grooming!