Junior Groomer

Bark and Purr is not just another grooming shop, we are a wellness spa that truly cares about every pet looking and feeling their very best. We always put the needs of the pet in front of us first, focusing on them while they are in our care and nothing else.

The Vow

The Twelve Commitments

• 1. Whoever greets a pet — front desk, bather, groomer, kennel tech, anyone — will get down to their level, speak softly, and let them come to us. This is everyone's job, every time, not just the first hello.
• 2. When I see a regular walk through the door, I will say their name before I say anything else — the pet's and the parent's.
• 3. When a puppy comes in for their first groom, I will make this memory a good one — even if it takes longer. First visits echo for a lifetime.
• 4. When I see a pet that's unsettled — nervous on my table, pacing the kennel, uncomfortable anywhere in the shop — I stop and find out why: anxious, needs to go out, or just uncomfortable. If CBD is on their card and cleared, front desk is notified and administers it. If they need a walk, whoever noticed takes them. If they went in their kennel, whoever's there cleans it — not the next person. We don't walk past something dirty, and we don't leave the shop anything but clean at closing. Customers notice how this place smells and looks before they notice anything else — we protect that every day, not just at close.
• 5. When a pet is too anxious for kennel time, we offer the family a way to stay close: expedited one-on-one service (from $20, sized to the pet) — one person with that dog start to finish, no kennel wait, handed back to the parent right there. For our Sunday cat clients we can welcome parents into the room itself, since it's one groomer and a quiet day. If a pet is still too much for us, we call the parent and talk it through honestly — safety and trust come before pushing through.
• 6. When I finish a service, I will do a five-second check: does this pet look happy, calm, and beautiful — and would their eyes pass the Smile Test?
• 7. When a client asks how their pet did, I will tell them one specific true thing I noticed about their pet today — and if I saw something worth watching, I will say that too, kindly and plainly.
• 8. When I see a teammate struggling, I will finish what's in my hands, then ask what they need.
• 9. When a pet shows me they're done, I will listen. We earn trust one appointment at a time, and we never spend it to finish a groom.
• 10. When I walk the floor, I will notice how a pet moves, not just how they look — wellness starts with attention, and we are often the first to see what a family can't.
• 11. When I start a step, I log that I started it. When I finish it, I log that too. The record isn't paperwork after the care — it IS the care, start to finish. This is the rule, and it's what Compass is built to hold us to.
• 12. When I put on my apron, I remember: this pet came here because their person trusts us. I will deserve that trust today.

Why we have this: these aren't slogans — they're what “Who We Are” above actually looks like in a real moment, dog by dog, client by client. Anyone can say they care about pets. This is what caring looks like when you're the one holding the leash.

Everything we build and everything we do here serves four things, in this order:

• E — Employees. You're the foundation. A team that isn't taken care of can't take care of anyone else.
• A — Advocates. Our clients and their pets — the people we serve, and the ones who tell their friends about us.
• R — Revenue. Growing the business with discipline, not shortcuts.
• N — Net. What we actually keep — the profit that makes this a sustainable business, not just a busy one.

Every tool, every process, every decision gets measured against all four. Not just “does this make money” — does it serve the team, the client, the growth, and the bottom line.

• No cell phones during work hours for social media, personal calls or texting, or watching shows. The client is paying for that time to be spent on their pet, not on a phone. This is Commitment #12, made concrete: “this pet came here because their person trusts us.”
• Everything above — the Vow, the Twelve Commitments, EARN — isn't background reading. It's what you're actually held to, starting your first day.

The Junior Groomer is a developing professional who has completed the Grooming Apprentice Program and is building an independent client book. You perform full grooms on an approved breed list with periodic mentor review, develop your client consultation skills, and grow toward full Groomer status. This role is about building speed, confidence, and precision while maintaining our unwavering commitment to Fear-Free, wellness-first grooming.

Grooming & Styling

• Perform complete, independent grooms (bath through finish) on the approved Junior Groomer breed list.
• Execute breed-appropriate cuts and owner-requested styles to Bark and Purr quality standards.
• Demonstrate precision scissor work, clipper control, and hand-finishing techniques.
• Seek mentor feedback on unfamiliar breeds or challenging coat types before beginning — not after.
• Photograph every groom before AND after — before shot at the start, after shot at pickup.

Client Assessment & Communication

• Conduct pre-groom consultations: review service, ask wellness questions, confirm style preferences.
• Perform and document the three-point physical assessment (coat, skin, overall health) on every pet.
• Communicate health observations, coat findings, and behavioral notes to the PAWrent at checkout.
• Build client profiles with detailed notes — behavioral, physical, and preference data — after each visit.

Fear-Free & Wellness Standards

• Apply Fear-Free handling techniques on every pet, every groom — no exceptions.
• Recognize FAS escalation and stop or modify the service before stress peaks.
• Communicate FAS observations to management and document in client profile.

Upselling & Retail

• Recommend relevant add-on services based on the physical assessment (paw treatment, dental, deshed, etc.).
• Suggest retail products that genuinely benefit the client's pet — framed as trusted advice.
• Contribute to the shop's Google review generation at every checkout.

Junior Groomer → Groomer (typically 6–12 months) → Stylist → Senior Stylist

Use this checklist every day to build the habits that will get you to Groomer status. Consistency here is what separates the good from the great.

Daily

• Pre-groom consultation completed
• Three-point assessment documented
• FAS check before and during each groom
• Health observations logged in profile
• Post-groom wellness update to PAWrent
• Add-on recommendation made (note result)
• Rebooking ask at every checkout
• Google review request at every checkout
• Mentor feedback sought when uncertain

Weekly

• Mentor check-in attended (30 min)
• Self-evaluation forms reviewed with mentor
• Rebooking rate calculated and noted
• Add-on acceptance rate reviewed
• Breed outside comfort zone practiced
• Client profile audit (5 random files)
• Scissor/clipper technique self-assessed
• Google reviews requested this week: count
• Client profile updated after each groom

Monthly

• KPI review with mentor and manager
• Rebooking rate vs. ≥ 70% target checked
• Redo/complaint rate vs. < 3% checked
• New breed submitted for expansion
• Fear-Free certification confirmed current
• Advancement goals reviewed with mentor
• Difficult conversation skill practiced
• Identify one technical area to improve
• Groom quality self-evaluated (1–5 scale)
• Tools cleaned and stored correctly