Dirty tricks of minority muck it up for us all
THE nice lady who grooms one of my two dogs messaged me the other day to say that the guidance for her industry has changed, and she will only take in dogs for grooming if a vet has confirmed that it is essential for their welfare.
Rupert is a cockapoo, so half poodle, and his fluffy undercoat starts to tangle and “matt” if it is not professionally thinned out regularly. We can help him a bit with special shampoos and regular brushing, but after a month or two he is more than ready to have his uncomfortable matts sorted. And his groom that was due at the end of this month has now been cancelled.
I could go to the vet, and I know he or she would give us a letter, but the surgery has quite rightly asked us to only visit if it is absolutely necessary. And, to be honest, it is not yet absolutely necessary. It might be in another month and we will cross that bridge when we come to it but, for now, Rupert will get by.
But perhaps more worryingly, Rupert’s not the only dog that will be turned away so there is now another small business that cannot operate, and there is one more business owner with barely any income. And, do you know why? It is because a few groomers have been taking the mickey. Apparently some groomers have been embracing the fact they were allowed to carry on working and ignoring guidelines that stipulated dogs could only be brought in for welfare reasons.
They have been welcoming labradors, Jack Russels, westies and all manner of other dogs whose owners only send them in for a pampering because they want them to look pretty. No dog NEEDS a professional wash and blow-dry.
And because some of these groomers have been caught providing cosmetic services, the Government has clamped down on the whole industry.
I feel sorry for our groomer and I feel sorry for our little ball of fluff, Rupert. A few irresponsible people have ruined it for everyone else.
The same sort of thing has happened to my local pubs. A few of them were opening their doors regularly to provide takeaway beer, in four-pint containers. I used to pop out twice a week to support them. I would meet the landlords at their doors, flash my debit card at them and walk away with some fresh beer for the week or the weekend.
But a few punters decided to use this service as a loophole and they’d gather in large numbers outside the pubs, crack open their containers, pour their beer into a glass they had taken along and then stand around chatting and drinking.
I won’t mention them, and they are not in this area, but I know of a few places where this went on. One of them even set up a small marquee for its “takeaway” customers to gather in and chew the cud.
While Derbyshire Constabulary was being dragged through the coals recently we heard a lot being said about “the spirit of the lockdown”. And people were angry that there was an avenue for confusion over what the rules actually were.
But in the case of takeaways in pubs, or in the case of grooming dogs for genuine welfare reasons, it could not have been more clear. The system was abused and the rules had to be tightened to put a stop to it.
And, as we have seen time and again throughout the pandemic, the people who were following the rules and who appreciate why they exist have been the ones to suffer and to have yet another sliver of liberty taken away.
Our landlords and our dog groomers are now losing precious incomes because a handful of people in their industry got greedy.
We are all in a terrible situation at the moment – nobody likes being locked down – but if we carry on pretending there’s nothing to worry about then it’s just going to prolong the inevitable discomfort.
But it is all right for humans, we can understand why the discomfort is necessary. Poor little Rupert, however, has no idea why we are having to let his coat get all matted and itchy.
I feel sorry for our groomer. A few irresponsible people have ruined it for everyone else.