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.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Pet Peeve...

....CELLPHONES!

Hold on, because I am going to vent!

I should say that my pet peeve is not really cellphones, it is how rude cellphones have made people nowadays.

My age is going to show in this post, because I remember our family owning a rotary phone...a phone with a dial with numbers on it, for those young groomers out there that may have never seen one.

I remember the very first time I saw someone with a cellphone.
My husband and I were not married yet.
We were out to dinner one night.
A couple was seated at a table not far from us.
When the man sat down he sat a large narrow looking box,with an antenna, on the table next to his plate.
One of those new fangled mobile phones that most people could not afford at the time.

At first we were fascinated.
Wow, he had one of those phones that you could carry around with you that we had only seen on TV shows.


OMG I sound really, really old.......!


Anyway, we were fascinated until the darn thing started to ring.
It echoed around the restaurant.
The man grabbed it and proceeded to have a loud conversation right there, at his table, in the middle of the restaurant, for everyone to hear.
And boy, we hear every word.
  So did everyone else in the restaurant.
The place just seemed to freeze and listen.

I'll tell you something else....that man was very proud of himself and enjoyed showing off.

That was my first experience with a so called cellphone.
I remember telling my husband (boyfriend at the time) how rude I thought that man was, and why in the world would he want to have a private conversation out in public.


Oh, if only I had known what was coming in the next 25 years. lol


Okay, back to my pet peeve.

Customers that walk into my lobby while they are on their cellphones!!!!!

AND, they don't get off their cellphones!!

They either have a conversation with you AND the person on the phone at the same time...you just have to figure out if the question that they are asking is for you or the person on the phone.
OR, they don't say a word to you and keep on with the conversation that they are having on the phone.
They either just hand you the dog, and just nod their head when you ask them if they want the same cut, then nod their head again when you ask if they want you to call them when their dog is done.
Then they are out the door still yacking.

Is it just me?!

Is it that hard to hang up and call back later?

Am I the only person out there that thinks this is extremely rude?


So, why am I venting about this tonight?


Because, my very first customer today came into my lobby while talking on her cellphone.
She was talking to me and the person on the phone at the same time.
She had a small dog that we have groomed many times before.
Because one of her hands was occupied holding the phone to her ear, she could not pick up her dog to hand her to me.
I had to go through my gate and reach for the dog myself.

Normally this is not a problem.
I go out into the lobby all of the time to pick up dogs.
The problem was that this dog is what I call an 'Academy Award Winning Actor'.

What does that mean?

Hold on....I am going to slide off track here for a minute.

I feel that there are four different types of dogs that come into a groomers lobby.

'The Like Family' dog.
These dogs can't wait to get in the shop to see you.
Yes, there are actually dogs that love coming to get groomed.
They drag their owners in the door.
They jump all over the groomer, so happy to see them.
They push their way through the grooming room door and go pick out their own kennels.

I have two Cockers that love coming to my shop.
We go out to help the owner bring them in only because they pull the poor man so hard trying to get to the door that they almost knocked him down in the parking lot one day.
They run in and barge through the grooming room door.
They jump in a kennel, turn around, sit down, and wait for someone to come and close the kennel door.
They enjoy their visit with us just like they were part of the family.

'The Visitor' dog.
These dogs come walking easily into the shop also.
The only difference is, that once they jump on you and greet you, they turn and head for the shop door to go back home.
They look at their owner like they are saying; "Okay Mom/Dad, I said 'Hi' to the groomer now lets go home."
They might want to go right back home, but they will easily walk away from their owner and follow you back to the grooming room.

'The Academy Award Winning Actor' dogs.
I'll get back to this type of dog in a minute.

'The Separation Anxiety' dog.
This dog is truly terrified to be separated from it's owner.
They do not like being taken away from their comfort zone..'home'.
No matter how much you, the groomer, cuddles them, love them, or tries to make them feel comfortable, they just want you to get the grooming done and over with and go home.

Now, back to 'The Academy Award Winning Actor' dog.

This dog comes into your lobby and immediately starts to shake.
They hide behind their owner.
They smash their body to the floor when you try to pick them up.
They struggle to get out of your arms, and back to their owner, once you get a hold of them.
They are still shaking in your arms.
Then, you take them through the  grooming room door...
They almost immediately stop shaking.
By the time you walk across the room to a kennel, they are no longer shaking at all.
They get in the kennel and settle right down.
They don't bark.
They don't paw at the kennel door.
Most of the time they curl up and take a nap.
All of that 'acting' in the lobby was strictly to make their owner feel awful and take them back home.

I have had dogs literally sigh as we walk into the grooming room.
I always imagine that that dog is thinking; "Well crap, that didn't work. I'll have to shake harder the next time my owner brings me here."

That was my first dog customer today.
She puts on one heck of a show in the lobby.
Today, her owner walked in talking on her cellphone.
I bent down to pick up her dog.
She promptly jumped behind her owners legs.
Her owner backed up against the lobby wall.
The dog tried to climb up the back of her legs.
Because the owner was still talking on the phone (phone in one hand, leash in the other) she was no help.

All I could think was; " Good grief (insert dogs name),could you act anymore like I was an Ogre that was after you to eat you?"
I was also thinking; "Come on lady, get the heck off the phone and help me pick up your dog!!"

I finally got a hold of the dog.
As I was backing out from between the owner and the wall, I was turning the dog in my arms so that she would be tucked safely under my arm.
I just about had her turned around while I was straightening up.
She was struggling to get out of my arms to get back to her owner.
(Could they possibly make you feel any worse?)








Just as I straightened up, she took her foot and her nails, (pictured left) and raked them down the side of my face.








From my eye down to my neck.

She didn't brake skin, but boy did it burn.









The owner never noticed.
She walked out still talking on her phone.

The dog?

As soon as the owner started  walking out the door, and we headed into the grooming room, she settled right down.
Another award winning performance that did not get the dog out of being groomed.

She settled right down in her kennel.
No shaking.
No barking.
No pawing at the kennel door.
She settled right down and waited to get her bath.

Did I get mad at the dog?
No.
She is very, very sweet, and very good about being groomed.
I rarely blame dogs for their behavior.
I always blame the owner. :/


I was very pissed with the owner.

If she had not been on her phone, she could have picked up her dog and handed her to me.
If she had not been on her phone, I would not have had to practically crawl between her and the wall to catch her dog.
If she had not been on the phone, my face would not have gotten scratched.

Maybe I am just old fashioned.

Maybe I am the only person that thinks it is rude when people have loud, personal conversations in the middle of a store, restaurant, doctors office....grooming shop...ect.

Well, if you are still with me...thanks for letting me vent
I feel better now. :)

Happy Grooming, MFF

12 comments:

  1. Time for a sign on your door that says No Cell Phones with a no cell phone picture!!

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  2. We always strive for customer service, but next time, for customers like that, maybe we shouldn't help them until they are off the phone. Just give a polite smile and wait, help someone else if needed. What bothers me even more are the blue tooths. Sometimes I start having conversations with customers just to find out they weren't talking to me, even though they walked straight up to the counter looking at me talking.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cherry,
      I think the the next time I will just smile and tell them that I will wait until they finish their call. :)
      I am right there with you with the Bluetooths. There have been several times when I have been waiting in line at a store and thought that the person behind me was talking to me. I turn to see what they are saying to me only to discover that they are talking on the their bluetooth. Grrr.
      Sorry to take so long replying to your comment. :/
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  3. I'm right there with you, I HATE it when people do that. I have one customer who pretty much always comes in on her cell phone. Luckily she always gets the same thing - except last time I groomed her, I accidentally took a chunk out of her floor-length skirt when she moved suddenly. Of course, when the owner came to pick her up, I had to tell her this while she was still on her cell phone. She said "OK, no big deal," but she hadn't really looked at the dog, so I have no idea what she really thought when she got home, got off the phone, and saw what I had done. SO frustrating!!!

    I also hate the acting dogs. Most people know it's just a show, but there are those customers who are certain you must beat their dog every time you groom them.

    Great post as usual.

    Jennifer

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jennifer,
      The sad thing is, they don't listen to us even when they are not on the phone. Whenever I have something to tell the owner, I make my husband keep the dog in the grooming room until I finish telling the owner what I want to say. I have found that if you try to tell them something after you bring their dog up to them, they DO NOT listen to anything that you have to say. Then when they get home and see what you were telling them, they call you to ask why you didn't tell them. Yes I did!
      Sorry that it has taken me 10 days to reply. OMG where did the last 10 days go?!
      Lisa, MFF

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  4. I agree with you, and while I'm not a baby, I am only 26, and I think people need to be much more considerate! I often apologize to the cashier if I'm hanging up as I approach for some reason.
    I'm sorry you got such horrible scratch marks on your face - they are the worst. I hope someone gives her a reality check, and fast!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jacki,
      I have actually hung up on my husband when I have reached the cashier, because I think that it is so rude to be on the phone while she is waiting on me. :) lol My husband always says 'do have to hang up on me?' and I always tell him 'yes, because it takes me too long to get you off the phone.' :)
      The marks were pretty much gone by the end of the work day.
      Sorry to take so long to reply to your comment. :/
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  5. I won't even go out and get their dog from the lobby, I wait until they are done with their phone call, just kind of sitting there smiling and waiting while looking at them.

    I just wait until they get off, many people become self-conscious if you watch them and smile while waiting for them to get off the phone.

    I'm only 21, I don't find my way as rude, but is it?
    I dislike phones in lobbies, restaurants, movies, and dinner tables.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Zhitong,
      I don't think that your way is rude at all. As a matter of fact I think that I will do the same thing the next time...but always with a smile. :)

      Phones at the dinner table...the worst!

      I have been apologizing to everyone for taking so long to reply. I'll do better after the Holidays. :)
      Lisa, MFF

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  6. I had a pit and a pug take two large chunks out of me, like several layers of skin gone. I put qwik stop on it and it stopped bleeding, is that okay? I hope I don't leave a hole there or a dark mark xD

    For scratches I like using alcohol then ignoring it :( I'm sorry that the puppy got you on your face >_< that stinks.

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    Replies
    1. I am sorry that you got bitten like that. I have one routine that I follow everytime I get bitten. First, I squeeze the bite and get it to bleed as much as I can to flush out any dirt and germs from the dogs teeth. Then I flush the bite with water, squeeze some more blood out, and flush with water again. Then I pour Peroxide over the bite until the Peroxide stops fuzzing. If I still have more dogs to groom, I cover the bite with a band aid. If I don't have anymore dogs to groom, I leave the bite open so that the air can dry it out. For me the qwik stop is not sanitary enough for a dog bite. The most important thing is to get that bite clean. I have only had one dog bite become infected, and that was a bite that I could not get to bleed.
      The scratches I cleaned with Peroxide also. :)
      Oh, one more thing. Get a stick of 100% coco butter to put on any scars that you get from dog bites or scratches. It helps them fade over time.
      Lisa, MFF

      Delete
  7. Sadly, this happens to me at least once or more a week. I have had to crawl on the floor to try and coax the pet because the owner let their pet follow them inside... WITHOUT A LEASH! If someone comes in behind them and opens the door I am held accountable for their foolish actions. Better than someone being on the phone the entire time, how about a relative of the pet's owner coming into the store with the pet's owner on the phone and trying to relay instructions right there, repeating what you say into the phone to the owner and vice versa. Like we are speaking different languages and require a translator, why can't the owner just be told to call my shop when that person tells them, that way I don't miss any details. People these days aren't really setting a good example for our future. I, for one, have no problem to smile and ask the person to "Please, finish your conversation once we have conducted our business, I require your undivided attention." No one has ever done more than sigh, and do as I ask because I have been so polite and reasonable. Plus, having a sign that is just a photo of a cartoon cell phone with a red circle and line through it helps to point to while saying this, that way they know it applies to everyone and you aren't singling them out. Respect and communication should go both ways, I go out of my way to be as professional and respectful as I can with my customers, I expect a certain level of that in return and they know it. I have even had to learn sign language for my 3 deaf customers, they have really appreciated my dedication, even though most of the time they are trying to perfect my motions, I am getting better at every encounter. Now Spanish? I'll leave that to my husband, I have a lisp and my Spanish just makes it worse, and I wind up slobbering on the air in front of my face. :\ At least with sign language I have more control, everyone is safe, it's not like anyone is likely to be poked in the eye, I'm used to talking with my hands anyway. :) I feel your pain, just stay strong and confident like I know you are, look them in the eye and force their attention to you. I know you can do it, you have for years, it just gets harder as you notice your efforts are discarded, keep at em' honey! Big Hugs!

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