My Daughter...The Groomer

It all began 19years, 3months,and 4days ago.

My daughter was born.

I groomed up until the day before she was born.

My water broke around 6 am.

She was in no hurry to enter this crazy world.

After 17 hours of labor, and 3 hours of pushing, she finally made her appearance. 

My little groomer was born.

I had a small screened in room, with a crib and a changing table, in my shop.

My grooming table was right next to that room.

My daughter was at work with me everyday.

She has not known a day in her life without a dog.

As soon as she could walk, the grooming shop became her playground.

She loved being there everyday.

She loved to play in the cages.

She loved carrying the empty gallon shampoo jugs all around the shop.

We taught her to know when she could touch a dog and when she couldn't.

She loved to sit and watch everything that was going on in the shop.

Of course, that was between watching her Barney Show.

Barney came first.

Those Barney songs hunted me for years.

God help me, they still pop in my head once and awhile.

Whenever we would let her, she would help with the dogs.

I taught her how to brush a dog.

We taught her how to blow dry a dog.

Her favorite thing was to blow the air onto her face.

When my daughter was 7 years old, she started grooming the family dogs.

When my daughter was 10 years old, my husband broke his foot and could not bathe for me.

I was booked, and desperately need a bather.

My daughter begged and begged me to let her step in.

Now I have to say, I had a really hard time with this.

I knew that my daughter could handle it.

She had been bathing our dogs for a few years, and was great at it.

My issue?

She was 10.

These were customers dogs.

I am a real stickler for getting dogs really clean.

These were customers dogs.

She was 10.

I gave in.

Till Dad was better, I said.

She was wonderful.

That was the start of her professional bathing career.

Of course, that was not enough.

Now she wanted to learn to groom.

Once again, our dogs became her guinea pigs.

She took to scissoring, like a fish to water.

For her 11th birthday, I gave her a tack box full of her own clippers, scissors, blades, combs, and brushes.

She was so happy.

I still would not let her groom our customers dogs.

I just could not get past her age.

Even though I knew she was better than most of the other groomers that I had hired over the years.

She was not happy with me, but, boy our dogs looked great.

When she was 12, almost 13 years old, my last groomer left grooming for physical reasons.

I did not want to go through training another groomer, only to have them leave a year or two later.

My daughter begged me to let her become my new groomer.

I finally gave in.

This was her first customers dog, 'Star'.

She still grooms her today.

'Star' is now 16.

She has wonderful scissor skills.

She grooms any size dog.

She loves to challenge herself.

In 2004, she decided to compete at Hershey's Groom Expo.

She was 13 years old.

She used a customers Cock-a-poo for the competition.

She still grooms 'Shorty' also.

I was so proud of her.

I home schooled my daughter from 4th-8th grade.

When it came time for High School, I gave her the choice of going to regular High School or continuing Home Schooling.

She choose to work full time and Home Shool on the weekends.

She graduated from a correspondence Home School program with an A- average.

In 2009 she competed at Hershey's Groom Expo again.

She competed with her Shishon, 'Bentley'.

She hopes to compete in Creative in the near future.

Here is some of her work.

Golden, before and after.

Hand scissored.

I can't tell you how very proud I am of the work my daughter does.

She is a talented and caring groomer.

I could not have dreamed, 19 years, 3 months, and 4 days ago, that my daughter would follow in my foot steps.

Now if only I can keep my two legged customers from driving her crazy and making her leave this career.

Happy Grooming,MFF