How listings are verified

Listings start from publicly available business information for grooming businesses across the United States, compiled into one directory. Each business is matched to its Google Business Profile so its page can show the Google rating, review count, what reviewers mention, and photos. That Google data is refreshed a few times a year; it is never edited by hand and it cannot be edited by owners.

A business is listed only when we can place it: a name, a location or a service area, and a way to reach it. Businesses that close permanently are removed, and anyone can report a problem with a listing through the contact page.

To manage a listing you create a free account and click Claim on the business page. The account email is the only way we contact you. There are two ways to prove the business is yours.

Instant verification by email

If the business has its own website, we email a six-digit code to an address at that domain, for example you@yourgroomingsalon.com. Enter the code and the claim is approved on the spot. Codes expire after 15 minutes and stop working after five wrong attempts. This option is not offered when the listed website is a shared platform, such as a Facebook page or a chain’s store locator, because an address there does not prove anything about this business.

Verification with a document

If you cannot receive email at the business domain, start the claim on the business page. We email the instructions to the address on your account right away; reply to that email within 7 days with one document attached and your name and role at the business. Your reply goes to hello@usadoggrooming.com, where a person reviews it. A claim with no reply after 7 days closes on its own, and you can start a new one at any time. Any one of these documents is enough:

• A utility, internet, or insurance bill for the business address that shows the business name
• A business license, permit, DBA filing, or state registration
• A screenshot of your Google Business Profile dashboard showing this business
• A pay stub, work schedule, or staff badge that shows the business name and your name, with pay amounts blacked out
• Home-based or mobile groomers: a business registration, an insurance certificate, or a photo of your vehicle signage together with a registration in the business name

A person reviews it, usually within a day, and you get an email either way. Black out account numbers, dollar amounts, dates of birth, and anything else we don't need. Never send a government ID, Social Security number, or bank or card details. If an email contains them, we delete it without reviewing it.

Documents travel by email only. They are never uploaded to or stored on the website, are seen only by the site operator, are used for the sole purpose of deciding this claim, and are deleted once the claim is decided.

From the Add your business page you first search the directory, so an existing listing gets claimed rather than duplicated. New submissions are reviewed by a person, usually within a day. At approval we look up the business’s Google Business Profile so the rating and reviews can be attached, the listing goes live within the hour, and you get an email. From then on it works exactly like a claimed listing.

Once a claim is approved, the owner manages hours, services, photos, the description, contact details, the booking link, whether the business is mobile, and whether the “what people mention” section is shown. Edits appear on the site within an hour. Claimed listings carry an “Owner-verified” tag so visitors know the details are kept current by the business.

The Google rating, review count and review topics come from Google and cannot be changed here, by owners or by us. Owners can also add the free Listed on USA Dog Grooming badge to their own website from the dashboard; it links back to their listing.

If someone else has claimed your business, or a listing is wrong, tell us through the contact page. Ownership can be reviewed and transferred, and a listing can be corrected or removed. We will never phone you, never ask for a password, payment details, a government ID or a Social Security number, and never charge for listing or claiming a business. Anyone who does is not us.

Only the business itself can ask for its listing to come down. We verify a removal request the same way we verify a claim, by email at the business domain or with a document showing ownership or employment, and we do not remove listings at the request of other businesses. Everyone else’s reports are welcome and are treated as corrections: we look into them and fix or keep the listing as appropriate.