Last day...

...of grooming before Christmas.

We stopped grooming on Christmas Eve along time ago.

I need Christmas Eve for last minute baking, cleaning, and wrapping presents.

Yes, I wait till the last minute to wrap the presents.

I just love spending a few hours wrapping, only to have the wrapping all ripped off less then 12 hours later. :p

Years ago, about 14-15 years ago, when we still worked on Christmas Eve, I decided to try something different.

My hope was that Christmas Eve would be a little less hectic.

Well... that is what I thought.

Starting right after Thanksgiving, I gave out fliers written like party invitations, inviting customers to come in on Christmas Eve to have their pets touched up for Christmas.

I gave these invitations out all the way up till the day before Christmas Eve, and told customers to pass the invitation on to someone else if they where not going to use it. 

Let me see if I can remember what I wrote.

This invitation was printed out on red and green fliers.

It went something like this:

You are cordially invited to bring your pet in on Christmas Eve for a Holiday touch-up.

For $5 we will brush out your pets coat,(no dematting) clip the nails, and trim around the eyes, rear, and feet.

Your pet will also get a Holiday Bow and Cologne.

8am - 5pm

No Appointment needed

I know, I know, $5!!

Give me a break, it was around 15 years ago.

I had two other groomers at the time, and gave them the choice of having Christmas Eve off or coming in with the possibility of no one showing up. 

They where to keep all of the money they made that day.

They both chose to come in and see what would happen.

Let's just say that I was not prepared for the turn out.

I was really afraid that we would be sitting around all day waiting for someone to show. 

With three groomers working non-stop, we had a line of customers waiting.

We agreed to spend no more then 15 minutes per dog.

We had a study flow of customers all day.

To say the invitation was a success is an understatement.

We only did that one year.

Why didn't we do it again the next year?

I don't know.

I wouldn't think about it until it was too late to start giving out invitations.

Then I down sized and went mobile for awhile. (long story)

After I opened my shop up again, I no longer groomed on Christmas Eve.

So, as I said before, today was our last grooming day, until next week.

I took pictures of all of my dogs today, and thought that I would share.

Almost all of my customers today have been coming to us for many years.

This is 'Max' & 'Sunshine'.

'Max' has been coming to us since 1997.

'Sunshine' joined the family this year.

This will most likely be sweet 'Max's' last Christmas, he has cancer and is not feeling very well lately.

His bath makes him feel good.

 "Max is one of the sweetest dogs we have ever groomed.

'Max' only gets bathed now, he can no longer deal with a clip.

'Sunshine' gets a clip down #7f, with a very short face, short ears and tail.

  This is 'Smokey' & 'Bandit'.

They have been coming to us since 2000.

They are two sweet Yorkie-Poos.

They normally get a clip down #5f, but today their Mom only wanted a bath and trim.

Their Mom will complain the next time they come in, that they are too shaggy.  :)

This is 'Gracey'.

She is a second generation pet.

Her owners have been customers since 1988.

'Gracey' is very sweet, but she can be a little silly sometimes.

That's okay, I still love her.

'Gracey' got a clip down #4f today.

Leave her ears long, only neaten ever so slightly.

This is 'Ducan'.

He has been coming to us since 2000.

'Ducan' is all boy, and very sweet.

His Mom likes him to have the Westie pattern, but she wants it short and tight.

She likes the face and ears short and tight also.

This is 'Dayzee'.

She is also second generation.

Her owners have been customers since 1993.

What can I say about 'Dayzee'?

She is a good girl, but she is a nut at the same time.

I mean that lovingly.

She can drive you crazy grooming her, but she will love you to death at the same time.

We give 'Dayzee's' Dad a 15 minute heads up so that he can be at the shop when we finish her.

 If you put her back in the kennel after the bath, she will tinkle all over herself when you try to get her out.

She no longer goes back in the kennel after her bath. :)

This is 'Fenway'.

He is one of our newest customers.

We just started grooming him in 2009.

His Mom has become a good customer.

'Fenway' just had cataract surgery.

His Vet cleared him to have a Christmas grooming.

'Fenway' gets a 5/8f blade Puppy cut.

Leave the ears long, and make the face round.

 This is 'Skylar' & 'Schooner'.

They have been coming to us since 2001.

'Schooner' (blk) is a Pets on Wheels Therapy dog, just like my 'Hanna'.

'Schooner' gets a #3f blade on the body, and a 5/8f blade on the legs and scissor.

'Skylar' gets a Puppy cut with a 5/8f blade
and scissor.

Do not shorten his ears!

This is 'Isabella'.

She has been a every 4 week customer since 2004.

'Isabella' is very sweet, and she is a smaller version of 'Dayzee'.  :)

I am surprised that I even got this picture.

'Isabella' never stops moving!

This is 'Clifford'.

He has been coming to us since 2001.

'Clifford' is a mellow fellow.

He is very good to groom.

'Clifford' gets a clip down #5f, a #5f on the ears and a short tight head and face.

This is 'Spike'.

He has been a customer since 2003.

'Spike' is very sweet, but if you look at him the wrong way or touch his feet, he will scream.

He also whines most of the time while you groom him.

The more you talk to him, the more he talks back at you. 

:)

'Spike' gets a #3f Puppy cut and scissor.

Make the face as round as possible.

'Spike does not have much hair on the sides of his face, the hair just does not grow.

Last but not least, this is 'India'.

She is second generation.

Her Mom has been a customer since 1987.

When 'India's' Mom moved to Pennsylvania, a few years ago,

she still traveled down to us for her other dogs (Coco) grooming.

When she rescued 'India', she tried to find a groomer closer to her home, but after 'India' was cut twice by two different groomers, she traveled back down to us again.

'India' is booked for every 4 weeks for 2011.

She gets a Lamb #5f on the body, a 5/8f blade and scissor on the legs.

Unlike other owners, 'India's' Mom wants her to look like a poodle.

She gets a #5f against the grain on the cheeks and face, leaving a round mustache.

Scissor the head like a short topknot.

That was our day.

You may have noticed that I decided to put the Christmas bows on.

I called the owner back about the dog I talked about in an earlier blog.

I one that eat her bow.

She was fine, and she only got a little of the bow, because it had fallen to under her chin and she chewed the bow while she was eating her dinner.

In the pictures above, the bow is only under the dogs chins because I put it there so it would show in the pictures.

When the dogs went home, the bows were placed on the top of the collars so that the weight of their tags will keep the bow on the top and away from the dogs mouth.

I always try to do things the safest way possible for the dogs.

I got into this career to help make dogs feel good.

Some may not like the bath or having their hair cut, but you better believe that they feel good when they leave my shop!

Happy Grooming, MFF