PPGSA Professional Pet Groomers & Stylists Alliance created in 2015
Standards of Care, Safety and Sanitation
for Professional Pet Groomers and Stylists
CONTENTS
Introduction
Definitions
Facility Standards
Pet Housing
Standards
Bathing Area
Standards
Grooming Area
Standards
Dryers
General
Facility Standards
Animal Management, Safety and Handling Standards
General
Professional Standards
Work Standards
About the PPGSA
INTRODUCTION
It should be
the goal of every Pet Groomer and Stylist to treat all animals entrusted to
their care with kindness, patience, respect and compassion, ensuring their
safety, health and well-being.
Pet Groomers
and Stylists should exhibit professional behavior and maintain their businesses
with honesty and integrity toward their clients at all times while encouraging
professionalism, compassion and participation in continuing education within
the industry.
These
standards of care, safety and sanitation were sourced, discussed and
unanimously agreed upon by professional Pet Groomers and Stylists, grooming
educators and national trade associations with decades of hands-on
experience. They are a uniform set of
standards to which all responsible Pet Groomers and Stylists should adhere,
regardless of where and how they were trained.
They are not
an attempt to govern or dictate style, methods or techniques (whether in
general or breed-specific) beyond safety and sanitation practices. Nor do they include specific metrics, as
these vary from breed to breed and situation to situation.
These
standards were developed by the members of the Professional Pet Groomers and
Stylists Alliance, a coalition of industry organizations whose members have
combined to educate, train and certify tens of thousands of professional Pet
Groomers and Stylists across the country.
While the
PPGSA itself does not offer individual memberships or certifications, the
member organizations of the PPGSA have uniformly agreed to incorporate these
standards of care, safety and sanitation into their own education, training and
certification programs. Therefore,
anyone who is educated, trained or certified by any PPGSA member will have
successfully completed a course of study that incorporates these standards.
DEFINITIONS
For the purposes of this
document, the following terms shall have the following meanings:
“Pet” -
Any dog, cat or other animal accepted for grooming or styling.
“Pet Grooming,” “Pet Styling,” “Grooming,” or
“Styling” – Clipping, trimming,
styling, bathing or drying a pet for
financial remuneration.
“Pet Groomer”, “Pet Stylist,” “Groomer,”
“Stylist,” “Bather/Brusher” or Bather/Dryer” – An
individual who clips,
trims, styles, bathes or dries a pet for
financial remuneration and who adheres to these industry standards of care for
safety and sanitation.
“Pet Grooming or Styling Facility,” “Grooming Salon”
or “Facility” – A
commercial establishment where
a
pet may be bathed, brushed, clipped, trimmed and/or styled. This may be a
brick-and-mortar facility, a mobile unit, or
home grooming facility.
“House Call” or “House Call Groomer” – A person who clips, trims, styles, bathes or dries
a pet within the confines of
the customer’s private home, grounds, or business.
“Student,” “Trainee” or
“Apprentice” - A person who is engaged in learning and acquiring knowledge of pet
grooming or
styling, either under the direction and supervision of a Pet
Groomer or Stylist or while enrolled in a grooming or styling
school, academy
or training program.
“School,” “Academy” or
“Training Program” - An establishment or program that teaches pet grooming and/or styling
in a course of instruction which incorporates these industry standards of care
for safety and sanitation.
“Cage Dryer” or “Box Dryer” - A piece of equipment that is attached to, or near,
a cage or enclosurefor
the purpose of drying or aiding in the drying of a pet contained in a cage or
enclosure, and which is capable of functioning without a person manually
holding a dryer.
“Crate” or “Cage” – A safe and humane containment method of keeping
and/or housing pets in the facility.
“Continuing Education” – Any program or course of study intended to enhance
knowledge of subjects relevant to one’s profession.
“Pet First Aid” – The recognition of injury or illness and protocol
for ensuring the pet receives appropriate care.
“Pet Friendly” – Any product, chemical, tool or piece of equipment which is safe for
use for pets.
“Pet Restraint” – Any pet friendly restraint used or attached to a grooming arm, tub,
or other facility fixture or equipment to hold the pet safely and under
control.
FACILITY STANDARDS
Pet Housing Standards All pets entrusted to the
care of a Pet Groomer or Stylist must be treated humanely and compassionately
to include:
1. All pet
housing provided by the facility must be in good repair, safe, secure, stable,
durable, well protected, comfortable and in an escape controlled environment.
2. Pets should
be able to sit,stand
and turn around comfortably in the provided crate or enclosure.
3.
Crates
a.
Crates must be
adequately ventilated for the pet’s health, safety and comfort.
b.
Crates and
enclosures must be of material that is easy to
clean.
c.
Crates
should be arranged so personnel can safely see and access all areas of the
crates.
4.
Unless by
owner’s consent, no more than one pet may be housed per crate or enclosure.
5.
Pets
confined for more than four hours must be offered fresh water.
Every facility should
provide a safe and healthy working environment for all personnel and
the pets left in their care.
Facility Bathing Areas
1.
All bathing
areas should be in good repair and safe operating condition.
2.
Products
and/or chemicals used in the process of grooming and styling must comply with
all applicable local, state and federalguidelines,
rules and regulations and be pet friendly.
3.
Tubs for the
bathing of dogs should have a non-slip bottom surface.
4.
Water
temperature should be set at an appropriate level for the pet and care must be
taken to prevent discomfort or injury from excessively hot or cold water.
5.
There should
be a non-slip surface on the floor by each tub for groomers and stylists.
Facility Grooming Areas
1.
Grooming and
drying tables should be safe, sturdy and in good operating condition.
2.
Table tops
for dogs should be equipped with a non-slip surface that is easy to clean.
3.
Grooming
arms, by which the pet is restrained, should be pet friendly and secure.
4.
All other products, tools and equipment used
in the performance of the work must be maintained in good working condition and
used in a safe, professional manner.
5.
Pet
restraints must be safe and humane and follow current standards of practice for
all pets.
6.
The facility
shouldbe
cleaned as necessary for pet and human health.
7.
Crates,
enclosures, tubs and tables will be cleaned between each pet.
Facility Dryers
1.
All dryers
should be appropriately maintained.
2.
Cage or Box
Dryers must be used in a safe, and humane manner. When cage drying:
a.
The pet must
be closely and frequently monitored to insure its safety and comfort.
b.
Unless by
owner’s consent, only one pet may be housed per drying cage compartment.
c.
The
enclosure should accommodate the pet, allowing it to sit, stand and turn around comfortably.
General Facility Standards
1.
A first aid
kit for the benefit of pets and all personnel, including eye wash products and
equipment, must be on site.
2.
The facility
should be ventilated to provide for good air quality.
3.
Air
temperature should provide for the safety, health and comfort of all personnel
and all pets.
4.
When pets
are present, at least one person familiar with pet first aid must be in the
facility.
5.
Emergency
action protocols should be in place to assure all pets within the facility
receive proper care should an emergency situation arise.
6.
Each
facility must have the name and contact information of a local emergency
veterinarian readily available.
7.
Cleaning
products and equipment shall be made readily available to all personnel.
8.
The Facility
must carry general and professional liability insurance.
9.
The Facility
must be in compliance with all local, state, and federal laws.
10.
The Facility
should keep and maintain records of all clients and their respective pets. Such
records should include the name, address and phone numbers of the owner, the
services provided, and the date such services were provided.
11.
Records for
each pet should be maintained for a minimum period of one year from the date of
service.
12.
Pet incident
reports must be created in the event of any incident that occurs and kept on
file for a minimum of three years.
13.
Accurate
safety and health records for all personnel must be maintained in accordance
with local, state, and federal requirements.
ANIMAL MANAGEMENT, HANDLING & SAFETY STANDARDS
General Professional
Standards
1. All pets must be treated and handled safely,
humanely and compassionately at all times.
2. No pet should be left unsupervised while on
the grooming table or in the bathing tub.
3. All pets will be closely and frequently
monitored during the drying process.
4. Pet Groomers and Stylists must be
knowledgeable in the safe and healthy handling of pets. Students, trainees or apprentices working in
a facility must be under the supervision of a Pet Groomer or Stylist.
5. When brushing, combing, dematting, bathing,
topically conditioning skin and coat, grooming or styling the pet, all
products, tools and equipment must provide for the safety and health of the
pet.
Work Standards
1.
All Pet
Groomers & Stylists and must be in compliance with accepted industry
standard
2.
Students,
trainees or apprentices working in a facility must be under the supervision of
a Pet Groomer or Stylist.
3.
All
personnel must conduct themselves in a manner that promotes the safe, humane
and compassionate handling and management of pets.
4.
Products,
tools and equipment used in performance of the work must be safe and humane.
5.
The Pet Care
Facility and their staff must present a clean, neat appearance.
6.
Workstations
must be cleaned between each pet.
7.
All Pet
Groomers and Stylists should be knowledgeable in
safe handling and management of pets to include:
a. Accepting
animals from and returning them to owners.
b.
Safe and
humane approach and retrieval techniques.
c. Safe and
humane handling techniques.
d.
Safe and
humane use of pet restraints.
e. Safe and
humane management of behavioral issues
About the Professional
Pet Groomers and Stylists Alliance
The
Professional Pet Groomers and Stylists Alliance is an historic collaboration by
grooming and styling professionals. It is an effort by groomers for groomers,
pet owners and the pets themselves. Members of the Alliance include the three
major national dog grooming and styling associations, two major national cat
grooming and styling associations, the major Canadian styling association,
several state groomer groups, a nationally-accredited grooming school, allied
trade organizations, major retailers who offer pet grooming and service
providers.
PPGSA began
with a meeting at SuperZoo 2014 and a desire to “put common sense to paper”
regarding the standards of care taught to professional groomers. Its goal is to
assure the uniformity of care and safety standards taught by Alliance member
organizations through their certification and/or training programs AND to help
educate pet owners about the importance of care and safety standards when
choosing pet groomers and stylists.
PPGSA Founding
Members include:
California Professional Pet Groomers Association, Inc.
www.cppga.org
New
Jersey Professional Pet Groomers Association
