Kathy Hosler opened her shop in 1971 when she was just nineteen years old. She has built a terrific business and is still actively grooming today. Kathy is also a feature writer for Groomer To Groomer and Pet Boarding & Daycare Magazines, and has been nominated twice for the Barkleigh Honors Journalist of the Year Award as well as a Cardinal Crystal Achievement Award for Grooming Journalist.
Choosing an Adjustable Table or Tub
The majority of a groomer’s workday is spent leaning over a bathing tub or standing at the grooming table. All day long, your body is contorted into uncomfortable and possibly unhealthy positions; bending, twisting, stretching, lifting, etc. It’s no wonder that you say, “Oh, my aching back!”
Risky Business
It’s a rare groomer indeed who has never had to deal with fleas or ticks. For most of us, finding fleas and ticks on a client’s pet is an all too common occurrence. Unfortunately, many pet parents seem oblivious to the fact that their pets need protection from these nasty blood-sucking, disease-carrying creatures.
Have you ever gone to your dentist for a filling, an extraction, or a root canal and when the dentist entered the exam room you notice that he is wearing stained, tattered jeans and a shirt that looks like he slept in it? As he begins to work on you, he says, “I’m just going to hold an ice cube on your tooth to numb it…It works almost as well as a shot of Novocain.”
More Important Than You Think
Almost everyone has a favorite restaurant. A place you love to visit and tell your friends about. Of course, that restaurant has to serve great food, but a lot of restaurants out there sell wonderful food. To become your favorite, and to win your loyalty as a patron – they have to do more.
It’s finally happened. You have worked long and hard to build your business, and now you have more work than you can handle alone. You know that it’s time to hire your first employee…but how do you go about it? Your first step is to decide what kind of help you need. Is it a brusher/bather, a receptionist with retail selling experience, a full-time groomer, or someone who can do a bit of everything?
A Business is Born
Like most people who enter the pet care industry, Rachel Stalcoskie has had a lifelong love affair with animals. She began her career working with them when she was just fifteen years old. She got involved with zoos, dog kennels, and veterinary hospitals.
Have you ever wished that you had a magic wand that you could wave and instantly remove the mats and tangles from the coats of the pets that you groom? If you are like most groomers; it’s probably an everyday wish.
Feel the Spirit
Many professions require yearly continuing education for their members. The grooming industry does not. Yet, thousands of groomers from all over the world voluntarily attend grooming shows. Nearly 5,000 of them recently attended Groom Expo, the largest grooming show in the world. It was held in September at the magnificent Hershey Lodge and Convention Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania.
Something to Smile About
As a groomer, you may not think that you play an important role in the oral health of the pets that you groom, but you can – and you should. Studies show that by the age of three, seventy percent of dogs and cats begin to show signs of periodontal disease.
When groomer Paulette Tuunanum, owner/operator of Creature Comforts, began work that fateful morning she never envisioned the horror that awaited her. Creature Comforts is a home-based grooming salon in the quiet, rural community of Fryeburg, Maine.
Are they really worth the expense?
Oh, how times have changed in the pet care industry – and every groomer can be very thankful that they have. Not so long ago, groomers had a very limited selection when it came to choosing the combs and brushes that help them perform their jobs.
Fleas and Ticks. These hardy little pests have been causing problems and carrying diseases almost since the beginning of time. Fleas are tough…in fact; fossilized remains of fleas that existed millions of years ago have been found. Trying to control and eliminate fleas and ticks has always been a real challenge for groomers.