Jennifer is the owner of Love Fur Dogs in Glencoe, Illinois, and was named Best Groomer in Chicagoland by the Chicago Tribune in 2015. Jennifer is an award winning educator and has been a Master Groomer since 1985. Jennifer is a retired schoolteacher who has dabbled in the dog show world for forty years, where she learned to groom. Jennifer founded the Illinois Professional Pet Groomers Association. She is the author of the acclaimed “Groomers Guide To The 15 Coat Types” seminars, and a poster and book of the same name. Her academically rich webinars can be found by visiting her website at www.groomersguide.com.
We groomers are in the middle of a knowledge explosion that is revolutionizing our pet grooming industry; however, this explosion is still in process. And while not all pet groomers have had access to the new information about genetics, dermatology, and general science about dogs…
I have saved several dogs’ lives. I know this because their veterinarians told the dogs’ owners that I did and the owners called or came in to thank me. I have been the recipient of several tearful, grateful hugs during an in-person visit, often accompanied…
n Earth, where we humans and our pets live, our calendars are divided into periods of time called months. This thing called a month exists in every culture and language, and it drives the organization of our time. However, it is much more than a…
You’ve probably heard older groomers express regret that they did not do more when they were young to take care of their hands. You may have seen some of us with swollen joints and bent fingers, or others wearing compression gloves, splints or other mechanical…
T dropcaphere are an estimated 900 million dogs in the world and most are double coated. Approximately 80%1 live without a home or owners and are called free ranging.2 They are all short- or medium-length double coats, and a large number of pet dogs are…
We face a tug-of-war every day we do our jobs as pet groomers. There are daily pressures on us to do our jobs “efficiently”—which usually means someone, or something, pushes us to do it as quickly as possible. But the stark reality is that we…
The start of the new year is always a good time to take stock of where we have been and where we are going. One of the most exciting trends in grooming as we dive into 2024 is the significant increase in groomers who are…
As much as we want this not to be true, there have been incidents reported in the news throughout the United States of groomers abusing dogs entrusted to their care…some to the point of death. The subject of groomers abusing dogs is nothing short of…
Shedding in dogs and cats is natural, normal and healthy. What’s more, it is highly functional, efficient, an easy form of self-care and environmentally beneficial—a true example of evolutionary genius! Ever notice how the big shed-off in dogs in the spring always happens when the…
Not enough pet groomers know the totally cool, charming, funny, still-relevant, 83-year-old, ex-hippie groomer named Barbara Bird. She was a pioneer in raising groomer consciousness about the science behind what we do and her life has spanned so much of our history. If you are…
Pet groomers clean for a living. We remove dirt, dander and hair from furry animals who are fortunate if they get bathed once a month. Cleaning these precious living creatures is how we make our living. But what we take off them must go somewhere—down…
It is said that there are two sides to every coin. It is good that pet groomers are generally in high demand; it is good that we have plenty of work; and it is good that the laws of supply and demand work in our…