Magnificent Mini-Mes! Making Art out of Dog Hair
What does the creative dog groomer do when she looks at a pile of dog hair? …
Humor
Brat? Not Me!
We all know that we love our dogs. I’m sure you wouldn’t be reading this magazine or this story for that matter if you didn’t love dogs. We also know that we’ll put up with one heck of a lot for the sake of our furry friends.
I Love Big Dogs
Without a doubt, one of Lou’s all-time favorite phrases is “I love big dogs.” She says this when she comes in, takes one long look at the day’s appointments, and sees that there is a preponderance of big dogs coming in. By a preponderance, I mean more than one.
So Long!
Apparently my career in the dog grooming world is coming to an end. I don’t know the exact date, however, as no one has informed me yet. I rely on the “Doggie Grapevine” to let me know the scoop on the poop.
A Tail of Two Cities
As dog groomers, every once in a while we run into a special situation that makes us go “Eww!” Whether it be the poopy bums, the bleeding and oozy growths, or the owners that cannot resist calling their dogs deliciously sexy. What to do? Take pictures? Yes! Call your groomer friends?
Take a Picture
I have been grooming dogs for 31 years now. I have often wondered just how many toenails I’ve clipped (not counting my own, of course), how many anal glands I’ve squeezed, how many Poodle feet I have shaved… The list goes on and on.
The Trim That Cracked Me Up
I love grooming and learning new things to keep it interesting. And it is always so much fun meeting the people we become friends with through the internet in person, and friends of friends who then become your friend. On this particular weekend I decided to spend some time with longtime friend and fellow groomer Helen Schaefer and attend a workshop on Asian Style grooming that was being hosted at Smoochie Pooch Salon in Portage, Indiana where Helen was working.
That Crazy Nail Lady
Although there are times when I just can’t, I usually take walk-ins for nail cutting. Last Wednesday was a particularly busy day, and I was letting the answering machine pick up quite a few calls as I tried to stay on schedule with all of the appointments.
At one point, the phone rang, and I let it go to the machine. The person hung up. A split second later, it rang again, and I still didn’t answer.
The Face-Off of a Matted Dog
On this not so busy day, one of the new clients was a very matted mixed breed dog named Sandy. Most of Sandy’s coat was severely matted and would need to be stripped down with a 7f, only a portion of his back and bits of his head were not matted.
Jaws of Life
“Twas a Saturday with a full moon expected that evening. Need I say more? Every kennel had an occupant: an incessant, howling, banging resident. Both human and canine customers, wrapped in some mystic force’s embrace, felt compelled to issue impossible or ludicrous requests and behave as if all common sense was lost. It was only 10 a.m., but I had already come to the conclusion that it was going to be a margarita night once I survived this test of moral and mannerly fortitude.
A Funny Thing Happend…
Grooming Matters
When working with people and animals, amusing things can happen. Sometimes those things don’t seem so funny at the time, but given a little space and room to breathe, they can become great stories.
Are You Listening?
I have been grooming Classy for four years. She is usually a pretty laid back Peke-mix until you get to her face. That is our routine every 6 weeks.
Classy’s father fell ill, and her grooming routine was put on hold for several months. I received a call from her mom, wanting to get her back on track. As I backed Proud Mary into the driveway.