Don’t Rattle Her Cage

(I work as a receptionist at a dog groomer’s and due to past experiences, I’ve always been on the shyer side, but after a year, I’ve been getting better with dealing with the customers. This has been the fifth day of working in a row and we’re about an hour and a half away from closing. A client walks in to pick up her dog.)

Me: “Hi! You’re here to pick up [Dog]?”

Client: “Yes, how was he?”

(I ring up her total and give her her change.)

Me: “He’s a very good boy. I’ll go get him.”

(I take him out of the cage where he’s sitting and grab his leash and collar. As I open the door to walk him back out to the office, I hear her talking, albeit rather rudely, to my coworker who bathed him.)

Client: “I CANNOT believe he was in a cage this whole time! He was here for about an hour or two!”

Coworker: “Ma’am, he wasn’t in the cage for long.”

Client: “I don’t care! He doesn’t belong in a cage! My dog is the best dog! He doesn’t bark or jump. He’s definitely not like any of these other dogs.”

(She was referring to the four dogs who were still here for daycare who were relaxing in the grooming room. They jumped when I walked past them, because they were excited.)

Me: “I’m sorry, ma’am, but we didn’t know that he wasn’t supposed to be in a cage. No one told us.”

Client: “Well, I didn’t even know that you had cages here! That’s the reason why I was coming here because I didn’t like him in a cage. I didn’t even think that that was an option! I’m not going to stop coming here, but I would like it if he wasn’t in a cage.”

Me: “I’m very sorry, but no one told us that he wasn’t allowed in one. Usually, to dry faster, bath dogs are in cages with the dryer so they don’t get dirty running around on the floor.”

Client: “Well, I don’t want him in one anymore. I can’t believe you put him in one.”

Me: “I understand that, but we didn’t know about today and we are terribly sorry. Here, let me put a note in the system about that.”

(I go to do so and she follows me with the dog.)

Client: “Make sure you put it in under my name!”

Me: “Yes, ma’am, I’m doing that right now.”

Me: “I’m sorry again for that. The note’s in now.”

Client: “It’s fine! I just don’t want it to happen again.”

(She leaves in a huff with the dog wagging his tail and my coworker leaves while another comes up from daycare.)

Coworker #2: “You should’ve told her that he kept trying to get to the front almost every time.”

Me: “That would’ve sparked another b**** fit with the result of me crying.”

Coworker #2: “Well, if she comes back next time and the dog escapes the store whose fault is that? We’re not allowed to cage him anymore. That’s on her, not us.”