About Me:

I am a professional Pet Groomer. I have been grooming for 28 years. This Blog is a kind of diary of my work. I wish I had started years ago, writing some of the experiences I have had while grooming. Most days are fun, some can be sad, some can be just down right crazy. If you are a pet owner and come across this blog, I hope it helps you understand how your pet is groomed. If you are a Pet Groomer, I hope you can relate to some of the stories. Maybe even learn a grooming tip or can leave a friendly grooming tip for me. There is always something to learn, no matter how long you have been grooming.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

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

3 comments:

  1. Young groomers rock! :)

    I am glad I had a good mentor also in my dog's old groomer (even if she was extremely strict, let her huge Gordon Setters roam free while she groomed and had a mouth like a sailor). For almost 3 years she let me watch her groom my dog and other customers dogs if mine got finished early.

    About a year in, she started to have me help around the shop. I held dogs while she trimmed, swept up around the place, and held the loose, tippy cage dryer up with my foot while she instructed me in grooming techniques. I now groom dogs myself and rock at it- Miniature Schnauzers are my favorite to do :)

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  2. awesome! My kids also grew up in my grooming shop, but so far neither one of them wants to follow my path as a groomer. They have seen and heard the PITA customers and really want no part of it. I can't say I blame them!

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    1. Hi Mich,
      If my daughter ever quits grooming, it will be because of the customers...the two legged ones, not the furry ones. :) She just can't understand why I put up with some of my customers. She started grooming after my shop was established and all of the hard years of building the business were over. She does not remember all of the years of praying for the phone to ring, and the hard work of building a good reputation.
      She knows the stories, but it is not the same as living through it.
      I am certainly NOT a believer in 'the customer is always right' saying, and I have fired a few customers over the years, but if I fired all of the customers that tend to be a pain, it would put a big hole in my clientele. :/
      No matter how busy we get, I still remember those lean days. Maybe that is why I put up with the PITAs. :)
      Lisa, MFF

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