Terms & Conditions

We want shopping with Dottie's Pet Boutique to be a positive experience from start to finish, and that means being upfront about how things work. These terms explain how we handle orders, custom designs, delivery, cancellations and returns. Please take a moment to read them before placing your order.

If anything isn't clear, please contact us.

General

Everything we make is produced by hand, with care and attention to detail. Our products are designed for use by pets, but the owner is responsible for choosing an item suitable for their individual pet and using it appropriately.

Nothing can guarantee that a pet accessory will remain secure or undamaged in every circumstance. Please follow the care instructions, supervise your pet appropriately and inspect items regularly for signs of wear or damage.

Nothing in these terms excludes or limits any responsibility or liability that cannot legally be excluded or limited, including your statutory rights in relation to faulty goods or goods that do not match their description.

Care

If your pet's items get wet or dirty, hand wash them in warm water and leave them to dry naturally, away from direct heat.

Please check your pet's collar and accessories regularly for signs of wear and tear. Replace any item that shows damage or deterioration, and discontinue use if you have concerns about its condition or safety.

Decorative elements

Some items feature ribbons, fabric trims or other decorative details. These are decorative rather than structural components and may be damaged by claws, teeth or general wear.

Please consider your pet's behaviour when choosing an item. If your pet is likely to chew or scratch their collar or accessories, remove the item when appropriate and supervise your pet.

This section does not exclude your statutory rights where a product is faulty or fails to meet the requirements of the law.

Handmade variations

Because our products are made by hand, slight variations in appearance may occur between the item shown on the website and the item you receive. Colours, finishes and small details can vary between materials, batches and photographs.

For custom-printed items, minor imperfections may occasionally occur where pattern repeats join. Fine details in supplied images may also reproduce differently at the finished product size, particularly on narrow ribbons and small items. We will take reasonable care when producing your order, and these notes do not exclude your rights if an item is faulty or does not match the agreed design.

Both nickel and brass hardware may have minor cosmetic imperfections in the finish as a result of the manufacturing process.

All measurements listed are approximate. Material batches can vary slightly; in particular, webbing widths may differ by approximately ±3mm from the stated size. If precise measurements are important to you, please contact us before ordering so we can check the current materials where possible.

Orders

Please check your selected product, size, colours, personalisation, spelling, quantities and delivery address carefully before placing your order.

We reserve the right to decline an order where we have a legitimate reason to do so, for example if the requested design cannot be produced, the information provided is insufficient, or we have reason to believe the order cannot be fulfilled appropriately. If we cannot accept an order after payment has been taken, we will notify you and refund any amount due.

We will contact you if we need further information to fulfil your order. Production and delivery times may be affected by circumstances beyond our reasonable control. If a significant delay occurs, we will communicate with you and handle the order in accordance with your statutory rights.

Custom Designs, Proofs & Amendments

For custom-designed products where a design proof is required, your order includes one initial design proof and one round of amendments before production.

Design proof

We create your design using the text, colours, images, artwork and instructions supplied with your order. The initial proof will be sent to you for approval before production begins.

Please provide your requirements as clearly and completely as possible when placing your order. We do not begin custom design work before the order has been placed and payment has been completed.

Included amendments

Your order includes one round of amendments to the initial proof. Please review the design carefully and submit all requested changes together in one message.

The included amendment is intended to refine the original design brief, such as correcting a detail or adjusting the layout. It does not include unlimited revisions or the creation of multiple alternative designs.

Additional changes

Further amendments, substantial changes to your original requirements or requests for a completely new design may incur an additional design fee.

We will explain any additional charges and obtain your agreement before carrying out further work. We will not proceed with chargeable additional work without your agreement.

Checking and approving your design

Please check your proof carefully before approving it, including all spelling, text, colours, layout, images and other design details.

Once you approve the proof, we will use the approved design to produce your item. Please ensure that you are happy with the design before giving approval.

If you notice a discrepancy between the approved proof and the item we produce, please contact us so we can investigate. Approval of a proof does not remove your statutory rights if the finished product is faulty or does not conform to the agreed design.

Supplied artwork and images

Design proofs are created using the images and artwork supplied by the customer. Fine details may not reproduce exactly at the finished product size, particularly on narrow ribbons and small items.

Please ensure that you have the necessary rights or permission to use any copyrighted images, logos or artwork you provide for printing. We reserve the right to decline artwork that we cannot reasonably reproduce or that we have reason to believe cannot lawfully be used.

Delivery

UK orders are dispatched using Royal Mail 1st Class or a courier of our choice. If you select a tracked or recorded delivery service, tracking information will be added to your website account once your order has been dispatched.

Please allow up to 10 working days for delivery within the UK after dispatch. If your order has not arrived within that period, please contact us so we can investigate with the delivery provider and arrange an appropriate resolution.

For international orders outside the UK, please allow between one and four weeks for delivery. If your order has not arrived after four weeks, please contact us so we can look into it.

Delivery estimates are provided in good faith and are not a guarantee of arrival on a particular date. This does not affect your statutory rights regarding delivery.

Undeliverable parcels

Please ensure that your delivery address is correct and that any delivery instructions provided are accurate.

If a parcel is returned to us as undeliverable, we will contact you to confirm the delivery address and discuss the available options.

Where a parcel is returned because of an incorrect address supplied by the customer, failure to collect the parcel or another issue attributable to the customer, an additional delivery charge may apply to arrange redelivery. We will confirm any applicable charge with you before proceeding.

If redelivery cannot be arranged, we will discuss the appropriate next steps with you. The fact that an item is personalised does not remove any statutory rights that may apply.

Cancellation

We understand that you may occasionally need to change or cancel an order.

You may request cancellation at any time before production begins by emailing us. If we have not started making your item, we will normally be happy to cancel the order and refund the amount paid.

For personalised or custom-made goods, the usual 14-day online change-of-mind cancellation right may not apply where the goods are genuinely made to the customer's specifications or clearly personalised. This does not remove your rights if an item is faulty, misdescribed or otherwise fails to meet the requirements of the law.

Please contact us as soon as possible if you need to cancel or change an order. We cannot guarantee that a cancellation or change can be accommodated once production has begun.

Any cancellation request will be handled in accordance with these terms and applicable consumer law.

Returns & Refunds

If you are unhappy with your purchase, please contact us. We will do our best to help resolve the issue.

Change-of-mind returns

For eligible non-personalised goods purchased online, you generally have 14 days from the day after receiving the goods to notify us that you wish to cancel. You then generally have a further 14 days to return the goods.

Returned items should be unused and in a resalable condition, allowing for reasonable inspection as you would in a shop. Where a statutory cancellation right applies, refunds will be handled in accordance with the applicable legal requirements, including the relevant delivery costs.

Personalised and custom-made items

Goods genuinely made to your specifications or clearly personalised are generally exempt from the usual online change-of-mind cancellation right.

This does not affect your rights if an item is faulty, damaged, not as described, or does not conform to the agreed design. If you believe there is a problem with your order, please contact us so we can assess it and discuss the appropriate resolution.

Return postage

For change-of-mind returns, where a return is permitted, the customer is responsible for return postage unless we have agreed otherwise or the law requires us to cover it.

If an item is faulty or does not conform to the agreed order, we will handle return postage and any other necessary costs in accordance with your statutory rights.

Where a return is agreed, please use a suitable postal service and retain your proof of postage. We may provide further instructions depending on the circumstances.

Licences & Customer-Supplied Artwork

Some of our products use fabrics or ribbons featuring copyrighted imagery sourced from trade suppliers. Dottie's Pet Boutique is not affiliated with or sponsored by any copyright holders unless expressly stated.

For custom-printed items, by providing images, text, names, logos or other artwork, you confirm that you have the right or permission to use the material for your intended purpose.

You remain responsible for the material you supply. We reserve the right to decline to print material where there are reasonable concerns about permission, legality or suitability.

Nothing in this section limits any rights or responsibilities that cannot legally be excluded.

Photographs & Promotion

We may photograph completed orders and use those photographs for advertising, social media and other promotional purposes.

If you would prefer that your order is not photographed or used for promotional purposes, please let us know in writing when placing your order. We will respect your request.

Your Statutory Rights

Nothing in these terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer. In particular, nothing here excludes or limits rights relating to faulty goods, goods that do not match their description, or other legal protections that cannot lawfully be excluded.

These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales, where applicable, subject to any mandatory consumer protections that apply to you.

If you have any questions about these terms or your order, please contact us.