Safe Table Practices

It came to our attention yesterday that there has recently been a tragic accident at another salon involving their tables. A dog lost her life and a salon team is traumatized. We are not going to go into details nor are we going to bash or judge anyone for this tragedy. Accidents can happen. People can panic. However, we do want you to feel safe leaving your pets in our care so I wanted to take a moment to talk a little about our tables and our safety policies surrounding them.

We NEVER tether dogs to the bottoms of our tables. You may have seen some grooming tables that have little loops of metal down near the feet. In the past, some salons have used these loops to tether dogs who either need to be groomed on the floor or if the groomer has to step away for a moment. Our tables do not have these loops. Even if they did, we would not use them. You may have noticed hooks at all four corners under the table tops. These hooks are not for dogs. They are for hanging equipment such as table brushes, slickers, or clippers so they are within easy reach at all times. 


There are two pedals that adjust our tables up and down, one pedal on each side of the table. An awesome feature of our Comfort Groom tables is that these pedals flip up! If a dog is on the floor near the tables, we can flip the pedals up, preventing any chance of the dog accidentally stepping, sitting, or laying down on a pedal and causing the table to come down toward them. We very often flip the pedals down, adjust our tables, then flip them back up and out of the way to prevent accidental triggering or tripping. All it takes to move these pedals is a flick of the foot which means we never take our eyes off your dog while making adjustments. I frequently find myself adjusting the table while brushing the dog at the same time! 


Our tables lower very, very close to the ground. When lowered fully, a dog only has to step or hop 15 inches from the floor to the table tops. There are very few dogs who cannot hop that far! A reluctant dog who is under 50 pounds is generally just picked up and placed on the table. Should we encounter a slightly larger dog who does not want to step up, we use team work to safely get them onto the working surface. Quite often it only takes one person to be calling and talking to the dog from the opposite side of the table while the second person assists the dog’s hind end up. If the dog cannot be encouraged up, a team lift is preformed where one person lifts the dog’s front end and the other lifts the back end. The dog is safely and securely lifted, placed on the table, and the person lifting the front end can then attach the grooming loop. The dog does not get stressed as it feels secure the entire time.

In the very, very rare event that we have a larger dog who just absolutely will not get on the table and will not cooperate for a team lift, the dog can be brushed while on the floor. The dog would be tethered to the fully lowered table using our Groomer’s Helper, a clamp that attaches to the grooming arms. A loose grooming loop is then placed on the dog and attached to the Groomer’s Helper. The idea isn’t to hold the dog completely still but rather just keep them in the general area we need them in in a manner that does not cause them any stress and in a manner that keeps them completely safe. A dog would never be tethered to a raised table. A dog would never be tethered with a loop so tight they cannot get their heads out. Our “shop cat,” Jelly Bean, is every so kindly demonstrating for you how we would tether a larger dog to our tables. 


Our hearts break for the dog, the family, and the groomers who were forever changed by the table accident. We have taken a look at our practices to ensure that such a tragedy will not happen in our facility. We are here for the safety, comfort, and well being of all the pets who come into our care.