Me-ow! Owners fork out Dh250 for pet haircuts

Veterinarians and pet grooming centres are charging an arm and a leg for pet care, it would seem.

However, while some pet owners have been crying daylight robbery, others this website spoke to seem more than willing to pay for their pets to look their best.

Earlier this year, an Emirati woman in Umm Al Quwain filed a complaint against her veterinarian with the Ministry of Economy, because she considered Dh250, a charge too high for the haircut of her Siamese cat and argued that prices in other Emirates are much lower.

A quick look at the pricelists of veterinarians, vets and other pet-caring centers around the UAE, however, shows that Dh250 is the average asking price across the emirates.

That is just for cats. For dogs, Dh300 is the starting price for a medium-sized pooch.

Vets and pet store owners claim to have their reasons.

The intense summer heat is one of the reasons for pet-owners to visit the vet clinics and ask for a grooming treatment. "Some people are allergic to the fur of their pet and need to have it groomed every now and then," explains Gaurav Mahindra, manager of Pet Corner in Motor City.

However, most common for pet owners is to come in regularly for a complete shave in order to prevent the fur from making knots, a painful experience for the pet. "A good pet owner should have his pet groomed every three months," Gaurav says.

In Pet Corner they receive about 15 dogs daily for a grooming treatment, largely from European customers. "We have a lucrative business here, because about 80 per cent of people living in Motor City have pets, and they take good care of them," Gaurav says.

"It is not a cheap treatment," he acknowledges, "but it is very reasonable. The haircut for a person is mostly cheaper, because it is much easier. You can't ask a dog to sit still, and it sometimes needs two people to do the grooming."

Ania Tesorero paid a ransom to get her Persian cat’s fur styled similar to that of a lion, including the puffy tale.

"The summer is hot in the UAE, so during this season we should have Alexandra groomed," she says.

Although Pet Corner does not treat aggressive or difficult dogs, there are other vet clinics that do, like the Modern Veterinary Clinic, and this sometimes requires sedation. And this means that the price goes up even more.

"Because we have the medical equipment to sedate a pet if needed, people pay a bit more when they bring their pet to us," says Sarju, groomer at the clinic. Grooming a large dog can cost as much as Dh450 there, and per day around 3 customers bring in their cat or dog.

However, the business of grooming hardly seems to be affected by the recent recession.

Whatever the price is, pet owners keep bringing in their pets. "I think that for most people the comfort of their pet is more important than the price they have to pay," says Gaurav, adding that he has not got any complaints from his customers about the price so far.

Caren has just dropped of her dog at the shop and he is waiting to be groomed. "I do find it a bit expensive," she says. "But it is something that needs to be done, and it can reach much higher prices."
Ania agrees. She laughs about the fact that here in the UAE, her pet even needs a passport to get all of this done and she takes the price tags for granted.

Her Alexandra can now show off her new hairdo at her own Facebook page, that Ania created for her.

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