Time to leave?

[lovey23]

Hello, I started at my new job about 2 months ago it’s a grooming position at a veterinarian and payed hourly/commission (whichever is higher). I was brought on knowing I’d have to build up the business and freedom on how dogs are scheduled plus pricing but the issue is I didn’t think to ask what they’d require vaccination wise from the clients.

We require rabies, bortadella, parvo, distemper and influenza plus a physical and fecal exam. There’s definitely interest from the clientele about grooming but once I tell them everything we require they don’t want to book anymore. :/

My boss believes that business will pick up eventually and it’s become his response everytime I ask if we can make changes because I don’t like to sit around and do nothing all day. I feel like by this point we could’ve had a lot more if we weren’t so strict and am considering leaving because I’m only getting 1-2 dogs a day and it doesn’t feel like management is pushing the grooming or the vaccines we require to have pets groomed. Should I have more faith or accept it as a lost cause and look else where.

 

[geoffrey300]

@lovey23 I worked for a vet that used me for business and it was shiiiit

I'd leave

We don't have rabies where I am so requesting all the vaccines is ridiculous. The only dogs I'll groom there are the ones that need sedation and that's a 300- 400 bill for them

 

[lovey23]

@geoffrey300 We do sedated grooms and I don’t get anything from it besides the commission from the haircut

 

[lilpeoplez]

@lovey23 I worked for a vet. Loved it but slowly outgrew it. We did require rabies, dhpp and every 6 months bord. I lost some clients to that but overall after a year and half I closed my books to non sedated clients. Boarding required the other two yours does but I didn’t have to.

 

[lovey23]

@lilpeoplez My hospital manager and medical director want to go by the boarding requirements even though pets who can stay hours as drop off appointments for doctor visits, do not require it.

 

[lilpeoplez]

@lovey23 I don’t see the difference between the two unless grooming clients are in the kennel room area and let out in areas for boarding for bathroom. The vet I worked for was NVA owned.

 

[lovey23]

@lilpeoplez They are allowed to use the bathroom area, but not the boarding area.

 

[natasreficul]

@lovey23 I've worked as a groomer at several vet clinics, and they required all vaccines, which is fine, I understand. But when the influenza vaccine came out for dog's, they required that plus an exam fee. Clients started backing away. I also got tired of the receptionists over booking me, or if they weren't sure, instead of asking me, they would go ahead and book them. I just found it's better to work in a regular shop. I'm mobile, and far prefer that over all my other working situations.

 

[lovey23]

@natasreficul Your own mobile van or for a company?

 

[imagebeastmarkbeast]

@lovey23 I’d leave. We only require rabies and bortadella where I am and all 6 groomers are fully booked every day. That’s excessive

 

[hazeleyes25]

@lovey23 they dont want to book bc they can go literally anywhere else with ONLY a rabies vaccine. Id leave or you will only make hourly and likely wind up just cleaning up after the techs all day. ive never known even a vet office to require all of this even if they are sedating a dog.

 

[lovey23]

@hazeleyes25 Yeah I’ve spoken to the managers and made it really clear no one wants to do all these vaccines wait two weeks then come back for grooming at that point they’ll find somewhere else

 

[hazeleyes25]

@lovey23 I know the type. They will then blame you for why the business is slow.

 

[littleone4316]

@lovey23 I have a stand-alone shop and, except for flu, those are our shot requirements. I have never had anyone stop the booking process once notified of req’s.

 

[arielhuios]

@lovey23 Can you tell them you’ll have to look for a different job if you don’t start getting clients? The physical and fecal exam is strange to me. Obviously I get being updated on all the shots but people don’t want to wait to schedule an appointment with the vet THEN the groomer. I just moved and started at a daycare/boarding mid January it was slow for about the first 2 months so maybe give it a little more time? The last two weeks my schedule has been jam packed and I live in a small rural town. With summer around the corner you might start picking up soon. Are they advertising grooming as well?

 

[thankfullness]

@lovey23 You require a fecal and a physical before every groom or the dog must have had a recent physical and fecal exam? If it's the latter, that's not really excessive. Most of these items are things dogs are supposed to have anyway. My dogs get a physical and a fecal exam twice a year. They don't get Bordetella because I don't board them and they don't come into contact with my client dogs but when my dog went to daycare or to work with me, she also had a Bordetella and canine flu vaccine. parvo and distemper are yearly shots and some places are now doing 3 year for those as well. It seems like your work wants responsible dog owners as clients instead of people who are going to come in saying their dog is up to date and then it isn't. I don't think this is something that would make me look elsewhere for a job. If you don't have the ability to wait you might speak with them about an hourly pay until clients pick up. People who don't want to give their dog basic vaccines aren't clients I would want personally. I require all of these except bordatella for my private salon.

 

[lovey23]

@thankfullness It is the latter. my issue is that we require them and then do not push them. We have a list of clients who have a plan where they’ve paid for them already but the doctors never recommend it or even mention the services to them unless they want to be boarded. Then it becomes an issue of why am I being told my dog needs this by the groomer instead of during my initial visit with the doctors). I wasn’t even able to get my hands on this list until another coworker went out of her way to find it for me because the manager had no clue it existed.

Also I stated above I do receive an hourly rate but it’s only 15 an hour I don’t think I can afford to stay much longer only receiving that.

 

[thankfullness]

@lovey23 Sorry I missed the hourly wage. Yeah, that seems like something that is going to have to be worked out with the vet staff. If they require those things, they need to be reminding the clients to update them. Especially if the client has already paid for the service in advance. It doesn't seem like they are very organized. Maybe a meeting with a list of things that need to be coordinated would help. Who is in charge of the salon? Are you the manager? This is something management would normally deal with. They would be coordinating with the Techs who schedule the vet appointments. The groomers who work at my vet coordinate with the front office staff for reminder calls about vaccines based on what dogs are on the schedule. They could also be letting dogs that could be groomed know that you have availability. If that's not going to happen, it may not be worth the struggle if you can't afford to wait it out.

 

[lovey23]

@thankfullness I am “in charge” as im the only groomer. The receptionist are generally in charge of sending out reminders about vaccines and wellness checks but there are no reminders being sent out about the influenza vaccine specifically being sent out.

I personally went and called and texted clients that were already able to be groomed and let them know we offered grooming, I didn’t get many responses from that. Currently I’m going through the list of our clients who aren’t ready but have the vaccines prepaid and let them know we have grooming and that their pet has the vaccines prepaid on my down time. Once they get the influenza they have to wait two weeks to come or be done express that same day. I’ve also stayed in the reception area introducing myself to the client offering my services and letting clients know to ask the doctors if their pet was okay to get the vaccine. Even writing on their notes for the appointment “is interested in grooming please ask about doing influenza vaccine” just for them to not have it done because the doctors said no not now or they don’t need it.

I’m not sure what else I could do to promote it on my own. The only other way the hospital director has marketed it is through a mass email and a tiny sign in the check-in (which I had to request).

 

[lovey23]

Maybe it’s just a case of the hospital overestimating the interest grooming at their facility?? The prices are very fair for grooming but I think it’s such a turn off to slap on the vaccines and other exams the same day.