Lost File

It is so embarrassing when you misplace a customers file.

Yes, we still use paper files.

We also use a computer for our appointment book , but we have not made the leap to putting everything on computer.

I have to admit that I like being able to have the file next to my grooming table.

I guess I am still old school in some ways.

I like being able to browse through the file if I need to.

Every once in a while, maybe once a year, a file goes missing.

It will just up and disappear as though it never existed.

I truly do believe that there are little 'Borrowers" living in the walls that like to come out when you are not looking and move, or take things.

They have to be there, because that has to be the only explanation for things not being where you left them.

Especially those times when you stand at your table looking and looking for your comb, that was just sitting on your table a second ago.

You look on the floor, you look in your tool box, you check your smock pockets, you look and look and look.

Then, in exasperation, you turn and look at your grooming table, and low and behold, there it is, sitting on your grooming table, right where you left it, only it wasn't there a minute ago when you looked.

Dang nab it, I know it wasn't there a minute ago!

Their laughing at me, those little 'Borrowers'.

They magically appear when I am not looking, move my comb, have a good laugh at me while watching me look for my comb, then they magically put the comb back.

I know that is what they do.

You know why I know?

Because I refuse to believe that I am that blind!

Anyway......

Those little 'Borrowers' took the file for my first customer of the day.

It was only his second time in.

I had groomed him 8 weeks earlier.

I remembered the dog.

I even remembered the owner.

I could not, for the life of me, remember what I did on the dog.

Worst of all, I felt like an idiot and was too embarrassed to tell the owner that I lost her file.

Guess what?

She wanted the same groom that I had done the first time.

So, as I waited on her, I was having a fight with myself in my head.

'Just tell her you miss placed her file. She will understand.'

'Will she?'

'Or will she be offended?'

So, what did I do?

I made a quick assessment of the dog.

I could tell that I had done a Lamb clip on the dog before.

I could tell what I did to the face before.

I only thing that I was not sure about was what blades I had used the last time.

I decided not to fess up.

I didn't want the owner to be offended, or think us unprofessional because we lost her file.

 I read a tip once that said if you were not sure how much the hair had grown out since the last grooming, just look at the pads of the feet.

It is a good tip, but I don't think that it is 100% accurate, but it did give me an idea of  what length to do on this dog.

 I also looked at the corner of the eyes to try to get an idea of how much hair had grown out, but that didn't work, because I was pretty sure that the owner was cutting on the dogs face since the last grooming.

The owner had most definitely been hacking at the face and beard.

So I had no choice but to scissor up the face to match what the owner had done.

Well, I decided to clip the body with a #3 3/4F blade.

This is how much hair it took off.

Looks close to the length on the pads of the feet, right?

 I used the #3 3/4F on the body.

A 5/8F blade on the legs, with a light touch at the lower part of the legs and scissor to finish.

Scissor the top of the head and face round and in proportion with the body.

Blend and fix the hair around the mouth.

The owner did say that she wanted an inch off the ears.

 

Thankfully, the owner was once again happy with the groom.

I lucked out.

I should have fessed up.

I would have if I hadn't been able to tell at all what I had done before.

How much do you want to bet that that dogs file will be sitting on the counter, or my table, or someplace that we will find it tomorrow?

The 'Borrowers' are putting that file back right now..I know it!

Happy Grooming, MFF