Before the list
Described in plain language, not by brand
A sharp pair of clippers and a good pair of hands will groom most animals that come through the door. What actually changes an outcome is not which name is printed on the handle — it is whether a blade is sharp, a comb passes to the skin, and a dryer is being held by a person who is paying attention.
So this page describes what we use in plain terms rather than by brand: an undercoat tool rather than a trademarked rake, a rotary nail grinder rather than a named model. That is deliberate rather than an oversight, and it means nothing on this page is an endorsement of a product we are paid to mention, because we are not paid to mention any of it.
What is actually on each station
The tools, one at a time
Clippers, blades and combs
Cordless clippers at every station with a full ladder of blades and guard combs, so a length can be matched to the one that suited your dog last time rather than approximated. Blades are cleaned, oiled and cooled through a groom — a hot blade is the most common cause of clipper irritation, and it is entirely avoidable.
Scissors
Straights, curves and thinners at each station, sharpened on a schedule rather than when somebody notices. Blunt scissors pull rather than cut, and a dog can feel the difference long before a person can see it.
Brushes, combs and undercoat tools
Slickers in three stiffnesses, steel combs, rakes and undercoat tools for double coats. The comb is the one that matters: if a comb will not pass to the skin, the coat is not brushed out, whatever the top of it looks like.
Shampoos and conditioners
Unscented and low-irritant as the house default, with gentler options for skin that is easily upset and a heavy-duty degreaser for the dog who found something. Everything is diluted properly and rinsed until the water runs clear. If your veterinarian has prescribed a shampoo, bring it and we will use it exactly as the label says.
Dryers
Free-standing and hand-held units only, always attended, always at a temperature checked against the back of a hand. No cage dryers, no heat boxes, nothing that runs on an animal that nobody is holding.
Nail tools
Clippers in three sizes, a rotary grinder for finishing, and styptic powder on every station for the nail that bleeds despite everybody's best efforts. It happens to every groomer who has ever lived and we will always tell you when it does.
Shampoo
Unscented and low-irritant, as the default, for everyone
The house shampoo is unscented and formulated to be gentle on skin, and it is what every animal gets unless there is a reason to use something else. A heavy fragrance is pleasant for the person collecting the dog and often unpleasant for the dog, and an unscented, gentle option is the safer default for a coat nobody here has examined before.
If your veterinarian has prescribed a shampoo for your pet, bring it with you and we will use it exactly as the label says — the dilution, the contact time, all of it, because that is a veterinarian's instruction and not ours to vary. No shampoo we sell or use, and none you bring in either, treats, cures or clears up a skin problem, a flea infestation, an infection or anything else — that is a veterinarian's job, not a bottle's. A bath washes what is on the coat today, and nothing sold on this floor is a substitute for a diagnosis.
Grooming is not veterinary care. Grooming is grooming, not veterinary care. This page describes a service we offer. It is general information, and it is not a diagnosis, a treatment or veterinary advice for any particular animal. We are groomers, not veterinarians — we do not diagnose, we do not prescribe and we do not treat medical conditions. If your pet has a wound, a lump, an ear or skin problem, a limp or anything that worries you, speak to a licensed veterinarian who can actually examine it.
Read more
Where to see it in use
Where each tool is actually used
Station by station, including the tubs and the finishing bench. The salon.
Who is using it
Seven groomers, and how long each has been doing this. Meet the groomers.
What a groom actually costs
Real prices for every service we offer. See the price list.
Questions
What we use — what people ask most
What clippers do you use?
Cordless clippers at every station with a full ladder of blades and guard combs, so a length can be matched to what suited your dog last time. We do not name the brand on these pages, on principle — what matters is that the blades are cleaned, oiled and cooled through a groom, because a hot blade is the most common cause of clipper irritation.
What shampoo do you use?
An unscented, low-irritant shampoo as the house default, with gentler options for skin that is easily upset and a heavy-duty degreaser for the dog who found something unspeakable. We do not name the brand. Everything is diluted properly and rinsed until the water runs clear.
Can you use my dog's prescription shampoo instead of your own?
Yes. Bring it with you and tell us the instructions on the label, and we will use it exactly as your veterinarian directed — the dilution and the contact time included. It is their prescription, not ours to adjust.
Does any shampoo you use here treat fleas, ticks or skin infections?
No. A flea and tick bath washes off what is on the coat that day, which is genuinely useful, but no shampoo we sell or use treats an infestation, an infection or any other skin condition. That is a veterinary job, and we say so plainly rather than let a bottle imply otherwise.
What kind of brush should I use at home?
Whatever reaches the skin, not just the top of the coat. We use slickers in three stiffnesses, steel combs, rakes and undercoat tools depending on the coat, and we will tell you which of those suits your dog and show you how to use it, at no charge, any time you ask.
Do you use any heated dryers or cage dryers?
Hand-held and free-standing dryers only, always held by the person grooming, always checked against the back of a hand for temperature. There is no cage dryer of any kind anywhere in the building.
Why don't you name the brands of anything you use?
Because what matters to your animal is whether a blade is sharp and a comb passes to the skin, not which name is printed on the handle. Naming products would also read as an endorsement we are not in a position to make, so we describe everything in plain language instead.
What do you use for nail trims?
Clippers in three sizes for the initial cut, a rotary grinder for finishing the edge smooth, and styptic powder on every station for the rare nail that bleeds despite everybody's best efforts. It happens to every groomer who has ever lived, and we will tell you if it happens to yours.
A price agreed before the clippers come out
Book an appointment
Call the salon with your pet's breed, weight and roughly when it was last groomed, and we will give you the price and the honest timing on the phone. Nails, ears and sanitary tidies are walk-in whenever we are quiet, and Saturday morning is a dedicated walk-in nail clinic.