🚙 mobile services temporarily discontinued

Mobile grooming has been rough for the past couple of months. It’s so nice for the pups and such a convenient service. I love my van and the salon I have in it, but I’ve been under a lot of stress trying to work while my generator is down. I’m so grateful the Wedgwood salon is open and I still have a place to work, but this was a needed change. More info below for my mobile clients.

What’s going on with the van?

You can read my full story below, bur here’s a short synopsis of what’s going on; The van generator is down. It has been for months. I’ve been working off of a much less powerful inverter and its super stressful because I never know if I’ll have enough power for the day. I’m switching to being at the Wedgwood salon full time. Mobile will be discontinued on May 16th. I’ve gone back and fourth on this for a while, but finally decided this made the most sense.

I was working on one of my regular clients in the van on a Monday morning in February. He was all washed and ready to be dried, so I started my generator per usual.

As I was drying him, suddenly my generator slowly started shutting off. I thought I messed something up. Maybe I used the wrong oil in it (wouldn't be the first time 😅) or it needs another servicing soon. After cancelling the rest of my day and hours on the phone trying to get ahold of someone to help me, I realized I probably have a bigger issue on my hands.

It turns out, like with dog groomers, there’s a huge lack of generator maintenance people and companies available. The companies recommended from other mobile groomers were either booked for months, closing, or impossible to get ahold of. It was a frustrating and scary experience not knowing how I was going to fix this issue.

Finally, I found someone. They were able to squeeze me in that week to take a look and see if they could fix it. Thank god.

Unfortunately, the news wasn’t good. My valves need to be replaced. It was an expensive repair and it needed parts that were back ordered for at least a month. I needed the repair desperately, so I agreed to wait for parts and they would even check if it was under warranty for me.

I kept checking in with the company, and every time I did they didn’t have any updates. Eventually I just stopped checking in, I realized I wasn’t going to have my van fixed by them.

I didn’t have the salon even close to being done by this point, and I had plenty of things to cover financially. I had to make something work. Luckily, this is where my inverter comes in.

I use an inverter system in my van along with the generator for power. The inverter supplies a lot less power, but its still something. I figured out that if I used a blow dryer on the lowest setting, I could usually get all of my dogs dry in a day. Some of them had to be slightly damp, but it mostly worked, even if my lights were super dim at the end of the day.

I’ve had a few amazing people who let me shoreline from their house which makes drying and saving power much easier. I always felt bad asking for it and not everyone lives in a house that can provide it.

Its been stressful. I’ve been doing all of my grooms with minimal power and dryer power. Before I even start my day I’m stressed that I won't be able to get all of my dogs dried.

I didn’t want to discontinue service since I have so many people booked out, but the stress is taking a toll on my physical and mental health. Since I have the salon as an option now, I’m going to be switching to being full time at the salon starting May 16th.

What to do if you have a mobile appointment booked on or after May 16th

If you have a mobile appointment booked on or after May 16th, unfortunately it will have to be cancelled or rescheduled to the Wedgwood salon location. Both Melissa and I will have enough availability to get everyone in for now.

The easiest way to reschedule your appointment would be through online booking, which you can do with the button below.

Will mobile service return?

Yes! I love having mobile grooming available. It’s such a nice option for dogs and their people. I’m working towards saving up a little more for the repair, and looking for someone who can do the repair and get the parts. I don’t have a time estimate on when this will happen, but I’ll be sharing updates as I have them.

Thank you for being clients of Cloud Grooming 💓