Grooming
Book grooming appointments, capture release agreements, and run mobile grooming with geolocation.
Booking a grooming appointment
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Go to Grooming → + New appointment
Click Grooming in the sidebar, then + New appointment. You can also book from the patient's profile.
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Select the patient, services, and groomer
Choose the patient, the grooming services (bath, haircut, nail trim, ear cleaning, etc.), and the groomer. Services and prices are configured in Settings → Grooming → Services.
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Set the date and time
Pick from available slots. The groomer's calendar shows existing appointments so you can avoid double-booking. Appointment duration is estimated based on the selected services and the patient's breed/size.
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Save
The appointment is booked. A reminder is sent to the owner 24 hours before (if reminders are enabled). The release agreement will be required before the appointment can start.
Release agreement
A signed release agreement is required before any grooming appointment can be marked as In progress. The agreement covers liability for reactions to products, matting, pre-existing conditions, and anesthesia-free grooming risks.
To collect the agreement:
- In-person — open the appointment, click Collect release, and the client signs on a tablet or phone
- Remote — click Send release link to send the owner a link they can sign from their phone before arriving
Once signed, the agreement is stored on the patient's record and does not need to be re-signed at every appointment (re-signature can be required per your clinic's policy in Settings → Grooming → Agreement).
Chartling blocks moving a grooming appointment from On site to In progress if no signed release agreement exists for that patient. Collect the agreement at check-in.
Report cards
Send owners a quick before/after update the same way boarding and daycare do. From a completed or in-progress appointment, click + Report card, add a note and demeanor tags, and attach before/after photos. Send it and it's delivered by email and appears in the owner portal.
Mobile grooming
Grooming appointments can be marked as Mobile to use Chartling's mobile grooming mode. Mobile grooming features include:
- Geolocation — the groomer's current location is logged when they start and complete each appointment, creating a location audit trail
- Service radius — your clinic's service radius (configured in Settings → Grooming → Mobile) controls which addresses are eligible for mobile bookings. Radius is stored in km but displayed in your clinic's distance unit (mi or km)
- Mobile schedule view — groomers can view their day's mobile route from the mobile-optimized grooming view
| Appointment status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Booked | Appointment scheduled; reminder queued |
| On site | Client has arrived or groomer has arrived at the address (mobile); release required |
| In progress | Grooming underway; release agreement confirmed |
| Complete | Grooming finished; invoice generated |
| Cancelled | Appointment cancelled; no charge |
FAQ
By default, a signed release is stored indefinitely and reused for future appointments at the same clinic. You can require re-signature on a schedule (e.g. annually) in Settings → Grooming → Agreement → Re-signature interval.
Go to Settings → Grooming → Services. Add each service with a name, description, and price. Prices can be set as a flat rate or as a range by size category. Services appear in the booking form as checkboxes — you can select multiple for one appointment.
Yes. Each groomer has their own calendar. The booking form shows all groomers' availability for the selected date. Appointments are assigned to a specific groomer and appear separately on each groomer's schedule view.
Set your service radius in Settings → Grooming → Mobile → Service radius. When booking a mobile appointment, Chartling checks the client's address against your clinic's location. Addresses outside the radius show a warning (you can still override and book). The radius is stored in km; your distance unit setting controls whether it displays as miles or kilometers.