It Feels So Good.....

....when a customer listens to you and takes your advice.

Six weeks ago I groomed one of my favorite dogs. (I have a lot of favorites lol)

This dog is a little Wesite.

She has got the sweetest personality.

She also has a really nice coat.

This little Westie comes in regularly for a bath and Westie style clip.

She is always very quiet and laid back when she comes in.

She settles right down in the kennel and goes to sleep, or lays down and watches everything that is going on in the groom room.

She never barks.

Six weeks ago when she came in for her grooming, I took her from her owner in the lobby.

She was shaking a little.

Now, of course it is not unusual for some dogs to come in shaking.

So many dogs seem to suffer from some degree of separation anxiety these days.

But, this little Westie does not, and has never shook before at drop off.

Her owner commented that she was shaking but tossed it off as her being cold, because it was so cold outside.

I thought it was strange too.

Her owner left and I took her back in the grooming room to put her in a kennel for a few minutes to wait her turn in the tub.

As I went to put her in the kennel, she instantly turned in my hands and clung to me.

This was not at all like her.

She was so used to the grooming routine that all I had to do was open the kennel door and she would jump in.

I held her asking her what was wrong because she was still shaking.

I held on to her and petted her a while then put her in the kennel.

Instead of settling like she normally did, she turned in the kennel and immediately tried to jump back in my arms.

"What's wrong girl? What is upsetting you so? Don't you feel well?" I asked her while I stood in front of the kennel petting her. 

She finally settled and stopped shaking so much. 

I decided that I was going to watch her for a little while to see if I should call her owner to pick her back up and take to the Vet.

By the time we had finished checking in all the 8am appointments, and I was ready to get her in the tub, she seemed more herself.

I put her in the tub and  started to bathe her.

I just couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

As I started to soap up her face, she jerked it violently away from me and would not turn her face back to me.

'Somethings bothering her on her face;' I thought.

Then it crossed my mind that that she may have Lyme Disease.

We had gotten a lot of ticks off of her during the summer groomings.

Part of her owners property has woods, and being the terrier she is, she loves to roam in those woods everyday.

Even though her owners use a tick preventative it had not worked very well.

I started to gently wash her face, and even though she did not pull her face away again, I felt her flinch a little when I rubbed her muzzle.

Teeth!! (light bulb moment)

I gently lifted her lip to check her teeth.

Bingo!!

They were bad.

Tons of tartar pushing her gums back away from the roots.

Red inflamed gums.

I felt so bad for her.

I was sure that this was what was bothering her.

Her teeth had more than likely been bothering her for awhile, but she most likely had an abscess that was really hurting her now.

I used to check dogs teeth all the time when I groomed and would tell the owners if I thought that they needed to get them cleaned.

But, over the years I have had so many owner tell me that they know their dogs teeth need cleaning but that they can not afford it.

I will admit the prices that Vets are charging for teeth cleaning have tripled or quadrupled over the last 15 years.

Sadly I have kind of gotten away from checking dogs teeth while grooming.

When the owner came to pick up her sweet little Westie I asked her if her dog had not been eating right lately.

She told me that she didn't think so but that she had been snappy with their other dog lately and that was unlike her.

I told her how her dog had been acting after she dropped her off that morning and then I told her about the teeth.

Then I showed her her dogs teeth.

I told her that I felt she should try to get her into the Vet right away, and that I thought she was in a lot of pain with a possible abscessed tooth or two.

I also made it very clear that it was just my guess and that only the Vet could really tell her what was going on with her dogs teeth.

I learned a long time ago not to step on a Vets toes by telling an owner that I knew exactly what was wrong even when I did.

It seems like most Vets don't like to hear "the groomer said....." :(

Fast forward to three weeks later and we get a phone call from the Westie owner.

"Thank you so much for telling us about "Missy's" teeth! We had them cleaned. They had to take a couple out but she is playing like a new puppy now;" she told us happily.

I like the Westies owners, but I have to admit that I was actually surprised that they listened to me and got the dogs teeth cleaned.

I have told so many pet owners over the years about things that I have found on their dogs, and told them to have it checked out by their Vet, only to have the dog come in for its next grooming with the same problem going on, and they never bothered to get their dog checked.

It felt so good to know that I had help that sweet little Westie. :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To top that off I had the owner of another dog that I groom every 4 weeks walk in the shop a few days ago.

She stopped by to cancel her dogs appointment for a week and a half from now.

She had taken her dog the Vet after I found a strange lump on his leg at his last grooming.

The dog had had surgery to remove the lump that I found and another one, and could not be groomed for six weeks while he healed.

She came with a check to pay for the appointment she was canceling.

MFF: "Oh, you don't have to pay for that appointment Ms. Considerate Customer;" we told her. "You are canceling well ahead of time and we will have no problem filling the appointment."

Ms. Considerate Customer: "Oh no, no, I want to pay." she said trying to hand over the check.

MFF: "No really it is okay. We have a waiting list and can fill the appointment. So it wouldn't hurt if "Wiggles" misses her next appointment. We just hope she gets better soon." We tried to tell her.

Ms. Considerate Customer: "No, I want to pay. Please take the check. You all have been so good to us and 'Wiggles' over the years." she said very firmly.

My husband thanked her and reluctantly took the check wishing her and 'Wiggles' well.

Such a thoughtful customer.

Again, another customer who listened to me when I suggested going to the Vet.

 A happy ending for each dog.

And, a very nice gesture from a very nice customer.

I have not deposited her check yet.

I still feel funny taking it.

At the same time I don't want her to get upset that I didn't deposit it.

The best thing to do is to pay it forward. :)

I will find a way to pay it forward.

Oh, and I am back to checking teeth again.

Even if only one owner listens to my advice it is worth it!!

Change???

How do we get pet owners to change the way they look at grooming their pets?

How do we change the different mentalities.

The mentality of 'a dog can groom itself.'

The mentality of 'a dog doesn't need to be bathed anymore than once a year.' 

The mentality of 'my dogs hair is not supposed to be cut.'

The mentality of 'my dogs hair does not mat.'

The mentality of 'just wash the mats out.' 

The mentality that 'all groomers want to do is shave dogs.'

The mentality that ' I don't have to comb/brush my dog, that's what I pay the groomer for.'

The mentality that 'grooming  somehow hurts their dog.'

The mentality that 'groomers charge too much to groom a dog, because all they really do all day is play with dogs.'

Then there was the conversation I had with a customer at drop off the other day.

It was the fifth time that I had groomed this particular dog.

The dog is very sweet, and so is its owner.

I also know that she was not being mean when she asked the question that bothered me.

See if you can pick out the question you think I am referring to.

MFF: "Good Morning.... Hi 'Sweety'." (talking to the dog)

Mrs. Nice: "Oh, it is so cold out!"

(I picked up 'Sweetie')

MFF: "How would you like 'Sweetie' groomed today?" (I asked as I was running my hands through her coat)

Mrs. Nice: "It is really cold, can we not butcher her this time?" she asked very seriously.

MFF: "Her coat feels pretty good this time. I only feel a few small knots on her."  I answered trying to ignore part of her comment.

Mrs. Nice: "I didn't think she was bad either. So, you won't have to butcher this time?"

MFF: "As long as she is not matted I can do whatever length you want. So, would you like about half off or a little less than that?" I explained still smiling.

Mrs. Nice: "Oh, a little less than half I think," she said very happily.

MFF: "Okay," I said with a smile.

So, did you catch the question that bothered me?

Yep, it was the 'butcher' comment.

It was said so innocently.

She was in no way being nasty, or intentionally hurtful.

To her it was a simple question.

It was a question that spoke volumes about what she thought of the last groom.

Wondering how I groomed the dog the last time it was in?

Did I shave it down with a #7F blade do to matting?

Well, yes it was matted last time, but it was far from a 'butcher' job.

I am sure other groomers have customers whose dogs come in one time and you are able to do a nice long scissor cut, but the owner does not come as often as they should to keep up with such a long cut.

So, the next time you groom the dog (3 months later) it is matted and must get a shorter cut.

It is not the groomers choice to cut the dogs hair shorter.

It is what has been done, because the matting is too bad and tight to brush out and would hurt the dog.

The groomer now has to use whatever blade will clip safely between the skin and the matting.

This particular dog happens to go between long cuts and short cuts.

It was last in in December.

Yes, it was matted from growing out of a longer cut the time before.

Still wondering what kind of clip I gave it back in December?

A cute little Lamb cut.

I was able to get a #4f under the mat on the body.

Loosen up the mat enough to get the 3/4 blade through the legs and scissor them up, and finish with a cute round face.

I thought it was cute.

The owner apparently thought that it was 'butchered'.

This was the other day.

Three months since the last groom.

Just a few small knots here and there.

It did look like the owners had been trying to keep her brushed out.

I hand scissored 1/2 an inch off all over.

Hopefully this does not appear to be a 'butchered' cut to the owner this time. :/

 Now, I would like to take a moment to address those 'mentalities' listed above.

I know that most groomers reading my blog already know what I am about to write about, but there are many pet owners that also read this blog, so this is for the pet owners out there. :)

The mentality of 'a dog can groom itself.'

The Truth: A dog can lick itself.....They can not de-shed the dead coat from themselves. They can not brush the knots/mats out of their own coat. They can not clean the goo and crust out of their own eyes. They can not clean their own ears. They can not clean caked on poop off of their own bum. They can not cut their own nails.

I have had some pet owners actually say to me; "Well, wolves and coyotes in the wild groom themselves."

My answer to them is; "Their short coats are made for the wild. Their coats shed off on there own as the climates change. Domesticated 'pet' dogs are man made from hundreds of year of controlled breeding. 'Pet' dogs have been bred for many, many years with many, many different types of coats....coats that must be groomed. Coats that don't shed right because the dogs live inside most of the time.  Coats that do mat up. We have made these breeds, now it is our responsibility to take care of them with regular grooming."


The mentality of 'a dog doesn't need to be bathed at all or anymore than once a year.'

The Truth: Sure, there are some short haired breeds that could go without bathing for a year, a few years, or even its whole life, BUT it would stink something terrible. Those dogs could also suffer from skin issues or fleas that a good regular bath with the proper shampoo could take care of.

On a personal note....I don't care what anyone says or thinks, after 30 years of grooming, and no matter whether the dog liked getting a bath or not.....those dogs feel so good and are happy when they are clean.

As for medium to long haired dogs, they must be groomed regularly either by their own owner or by a professional pet groomer. They need help keeping their coats in tip top shape. They need help to keep knots/matts out of their coats. They need someone to brush-out the undercoat so that it does not mat up. They need brushing to help keep their skin healthy. Some need their eyes cleaned regularly, and the hair cut away from their eyes. Some need their ears  cleaned regularly. Some need to have their nails clipped regularly.

Some may say ;"it's only a dog, it doesn't care."

To that I say; "it's a living, breathing soul with feelings and it wants to feel clean, good and healthy also." 

There are many low maintenance breeds that don't need to be groomed often, but there are also many high maintenance breeds that need regular monthly grooming.

As a pet owner, why in the world wouldn't you want your dog to look and smell good?


The mentality that 'my dogs hair is not supposed to be cut.'

The Truth: Yes, there are many breeds of dogs whose coats should not be cut and should be leave natural, but they still benefit from a good grooming. Unfortunately, there are breeders or information on-line that tells the everyday pet owner that the breed of dog they own should not have the hair cut, or that the hair can only be cut one way, because the 'breed standard for showing' states how the dog should look.

I tell all my customers that they should have their dog(s) groomed to meet their live style. If the pet owner has time and knows how to take care of their dogs coat, then go right ahead and keep the breed cut or a long cut, BUT if the pet owner does not have time to care for their dogs coat, or their dogs absolutely hates being brushed, then it is best to keep the coat short all of the time.

Professional Groomers don't only clip/cut dogs coats, they are also educated in the right way to bath and groom long and short coats the proper way.

The most important thing is the dogs comfort NOT the owners vanity.



The mentality 'my dogs hair does not mat.'

The Truth: There are many short haired dogs that do not mat, although I have seen a few short haired dogs, whose coats were uncared for, actually accumulate patches of matted undercoat.

Any medium to long haired dog has the potential for the coat to mat up if not taken care of on a regular bases. Many pet owners think that their dogs coat is not matted because the coat looks fine on the top. They do not realize that there is matted hair against the skin.

Many pet owners do brush their dogs, but unfortunately many do not know the proper way of brushing and they only brush out the top of the coat causing matting to develop under the top coat, close to the skin.

Most Professional Groomers will be glad to show a pet owner how to correctly brush their dog between professional grooming's. 



The mentality of 'just wash the mats out.' 

The Truth: Mats/knots DO NOT wash out of a dogs coat!! Once matted hair becomes wet and is left to dry the mat only becomes tighter. End of story!



The mentality that 'all groomers want to do is shave dogs.'

The Truth: A well educated Professional Groomer will not shave a dog just because. If a groomer recommends that a dog needs to be shaved it is because they are thinking of the dogs comfort. No Professional Groomer wants to hurt a dog in anyway.

Professional Groomers offer many different grooming styles. They can give the pet just a good brush-out and bath, or a bath and trim to tidy, or a bath and heavy trim all over, or a hand scissor cut to any length the owner wishes, or a style clip, or a short easy maintenance cut.

A Professional Groomer can do just about anything the pet owner wants as long as the pet is not matted.
 


The mentality that ' I don't have to comb/brush my dog, that's what I pay the groomer for.'

The Truth: Hmmmmm....I have often wondered if people think the same thing about their hairstylist. Do pet owners stop brushing and combing their own hair for several months because they figure that it is their hairstylists responsibility to make everything right when they finally go in for a hair cut?

I mean, do I really need to explain why this way of thinking is so ludicrous.

A pet owner is the one responsible for taking care of their pet daily. The groomer may only see the dog once every one, two, three, six, eight months for one day, for a few hours. So, a pet owner who thinks this way should expect their dogs matted coat to be shaved off at each grooming.


The mentality that 'grooming somehow hurts the dog.'

The Truth: Any Professional Groomer worth their salt only becomes a groomer because they love dogs and love working with them. They want to help dogs and make them feel good. The last thing they want is to hut a dog.

The groomer tells an owner when their dog needs to be shaved, because they know that trying to comb/brush those mats out will only hurt the dog. A good groomer will take their time and groom for quality and what is in the best interest of the dog.

Not all dogs enjoy getting groomed. Some are scared to be away from home. Some are scared of water, or a dryer, or a clipper. A good Professional Groomer will take the time to work with a dog to make it feel as comfortable as possible for the grooming. 

One of my children absolutely hated, and I mean HATED having his hair wash during bath time. We are talking blood curdling screaming. I knew I was not doing anything to hurt him. As a matter of fact, I was doing everything I could to make washing his hair as quick and painless as possible. Nothing made him like his hair washed. So, what was I supposed to do, not wash his hair anymore?

Of course not.

So, I washed his hair as quickly as I could safely do it. I listened to him scream and cry. Then I dried him off and hugged him and kissed him and told him that everything was all right. 

Guess what?

He went off and played feeling all fresh and clean and forgot all about his hair being washed.

It is important for the pet owner to make sure that they find a Professional Groomer that knows what they are doing and will work with a dog to make the grooming as comfortable as possible.


The mentality that 'groomers charge too much to groom a dog, because all they really do all day is play with dogs.'

The Truth: Most Professional Groomers don't charge enough for all the hard work they do.

Pet grooming is a very hard, physical job. ~Lifting heavy or overweight dogs. Struggling with some untrained, spoiled, misbehaved dogs. ~Dealing with aggressive dogs that could put you out of work with just one well placed bite, or disfigure you with a bad bite to the face. ~Ruined knees and feet do to 12 hour (or more) long days of standing. ~Ruined wrists do to the repetitive motion of brushing, combing and clipping for hours everyday. ~The  stress and responsibility of working on a moving target (with a mind of its own) with sharp scissors and clippers. ~Dealing with picky pet owners, pet owners who don't take care of their pets, rude pet owners. ~Working everyday with no lunch break because everyone wants their dogs done now. ~Being used as a dogsitter when the pet owner has something to do. ~Being rushed when the pet owner made other plans on the same day as their dogs appointment. ~The stress of grooming an elderly pet or special needs pet. ~Spending hours grooming just one dog to get the groom just right only to have an owner complain that you took too long. ~Finding health issues on a dog that needs attention only to be ignored because the pet owner doesn't think you know what you are talking about.  ~Dealing with people who don't respect you or think you have a real job. ~Dealing with the people who think that all a Professional Pet Groomer does all day is play with dogs......

No, Professional Pet Groomers don't even come close to charging enough for all that they do.

A Question....

Actually, several questions.

The first couple of months of 2015 have been, to say the least, a little annoying.

Why?

Yes, exactly my question.

Well, at least one of them.

My first question is a never ending one.

~~Why is it so hard for a customer to respect a groomers time and call well ahead to let their groomer know that they will not be keeping their dogs grooming appointment?

This is a problem that all groomers deal with on a daily bases.

Don't get me wrong, I am sympathetic to the fact that things can happen unexpectedly.

*The customer can wake up sick.

*The pet can suddenly become ill.

*They could truly have car trouble.

*A relative truly could have suddenly passed away.  (Although I am pretty sure that one of my customers no longer has any living relatives left, because we have lost count of the number of times she has blamed a dying relative for not showing up for her appointments. Too many times to count)

The most annoying loss of an appointment are the appointments lost to a rude and inconsiderate customer.

We have seemed to have had a rash of them in the last couple of months.

How many times have we given the day before reminder call only to hear; "We won't be coming. Can you give we another appointment in a couple of days?"

For example, that long time customer who we pick up and deliver her dog for its grooming appointments?

She called looking for a same week appointment even though she had been coming to us for many, many years and knows how far we book out.

We offered to put her on the waiting list, which in the winter time she would have had a much better chance of getting in sooner than to make an appointment weeks out.

No, she chose to wait the three weeks for the next available appointment, because her dog was still short enough to wait. (then why was she originally asking for the same week? That's a whole other issue.)

Fast forward three weeks: Reminder message is left the day before.

Day of appointment: Call pet owner at 10:30am to let her know that someone is on their way to pick the dog up for its 11am appointment.
Ms. Pick-up and Deliver my dog: "Oh, you don't have to come. I already got him groomed someplace else. He could not wait any longer."
MFF: "You got him groomed already?!"
Ms. Pick-up and Deliver my dog: "Yes, he was getting long and couldn't wait any longer. I took him to someone else a couple of days ago."
MFF: "You took him to someone else a couple of days ago? We understand if you felt that you could not wait and had to get him groomed, (it was only two extra days) but we would have appreciated a call to cancel this appointment so that we could have given it to someone else."
Ms. Pick-up and Deliver my dog: "Oh....."

There were a few annoying things about this missed appointment.

~One: We offered to put her on the waiting list, and yes could have gotten her in earlier.

~Two: If she is able to take the dog to another groomer, then why has she always asked us to pick the dog up and bring it home?

~Three: The dog needed to be groomed so badly that it could not wait two more days???

~Four: If you knew you weren't going to keep the appointment a couple of days a head of time, and you received a reminder call the day before, why not pick the phone up and call us to cancel?????

Then there was this customer.....

Reminder message left the day before.

Ms. Every four week long time customer: "Hello?"
MFF: " Hi, this is MFF calling. We were wondering f you were on your way with "Petey" for his 10am appointment?" (now 10:15)
Ms. Every four week long time customer: "Oh, (giggle) we are in Disneyland so we can't come today. How about next Saturday?"

Hmmmm....how long had that trip been planed?

Maybe they just won it and had do go right away, you think?

And of course I love this one.....

Reminder message left the day before.
Son of pet owner: "Hello?"
MFF: "Hi, this is MFF calling to see if someone is on their way with "Sassy"?
Son of pet owner: "No, she had surgery a couple of weeks ago and can't get groomed yet."

Just maybe it could have occurred to someone in the family to call and cancel the appointment in that two week time frame??

Then there was today.

A little history on this customer.

We have been grooming this customers dogs for at least 20 years.

She has no showed for her last three appointments.

Each time we called and got a hold of her.

Each time she had an excuse for not keeping the appointment.

Too cold, bad weather, ect.

This was not unusual for this customer, because she always told us she wouldn't come if the weather was bad.

Okay, so last week we called her because it was snowing and we were already pretty sure that she would not be showing up for her appointment.

Sure enough she said "No, she would not be coming."

So, today we had a cancellation for next week and we thought of this customer.

Even though she already had per-scheduled appointments for the rest of the year, the dog had missed three appointments and we were afraid that we were going to have to shave the dog down do to matting, so we wanted to get her in as soon as possible.

Here is how that conversation went....

MFF: "Hi, Mrs. 20 year customer? This is MFF. We have an opening for "MiMi" next Tuesday, would you like to bring her for a grooming."
Mrs. 20 year customer: "No, I am having trouble walking and have had someone coming to my house and grooming her already."
MFF: "Oh, I am sorry to hear that. Will "MiMi" be coming here for her next appointment?"
Mrs. 20 year customer: "No, I have been letting the Mobile groom her."
MFF: "So, should we cancel out the rest of her appointments for the year?"
Mrs. 20 year customer: "Yes. I'll call you if I ever need you again."

You would think that 20 years of faithful service would have at least owed us the common courtesy of a call to cancel out her yearly schedule?

Those last three missed appointments, where we had worried that the poor dog was getting matted, the dog had been being groomed all along.

I honestly have no problem with this long time customer having to now use a Mobile Groomer.

I am hurt by the fact that she never bother to let us know, and instead chose to make excuses for each appointment that she missed.

Even if she were afraid to tell us over the phone for fear that we might get upset with her, (which after all of these years she should know us better than that) she could have mailed us a short note to cancel out the rest of her appointments for the year.

(Shaking head)

On to my next question.

~Why do some customers seem to get  so annoyed when asked if they would like to make their dogs next appointment at pick-up? 

I truly get the feeling that some of them think that we are trying to force them to make another appointment.

I also feel that some of them think that we are BSing when we tell them that they have a better chance of getting the day and time they want if they book ahead instead of calling when they are ready to have the dog groomed, because we normally book two to four months out depending on the time of year.

Then on top of all of that, they get upset, nasty, or annoyed when they do call for an appointment and are told that the earliest appointment is two to four months away.

And this leads into my next question.

~Why do customers have to get so nasty when you can't give them the time or day that they want?

I mean, I can understand a little disappointment, but we get some people who are down right nasty.....and threatening.

"Well! I'll just have to find someone else to groom him/her!!"

"I have been coming to you for a loooong time and you're telling me you can't squeeze my dog in???!!!!"  (normally  the customers who like to throw this statement at you have only come to you a couple of times, or have been coming to you for some years, but only once every year)

Then there are the customers that no-show or late-cancel and then get nasty because you can't get them in a day or two later.

"Oh, we forgot all about "FooFoo's" appointment yesterday. (giggle, giggle) Can we drop her off today or tomorrow for her groom? She needs it so bad."

I have never understood how anyone could possibly think these comments would make anyone want to do anything for them.

Next question.

 

~Is there another definition for the word appointment that I don't know about?

Wait.

Let me look it up...............................

Okay, I am back.

Nope, it means just what I have always thought.

Appointment [un-point-muh nt] ~noun~  a fixed mutual agreement for a meeting set for a specific time or place. 

Sorry, I just had to check, because for some reason more and more of my customer lately have felt the need to show up 30 to 45 minutes late for said appointment. 

Some even up to an hour late.

Then there was the one from last week.

MFF: "Hi, you have reached MFF, how may I help you?" 
Mr. Long time customer: "Are you there?  (I am answering the phone aren't I?) I was just calling to make sure you made it into work today." (we were having some snow flurries)
MFF: "Yes, we are here. We had no problem driving in. The roads are fine. 'PeeWee's' appointment is for 9am. Will you still be coming?"
Mr. Long time customer: "Yes, I'll see you then." click

Fast forward to 9:15am...no 'PeeWee'
Call customer.
No answer.

Fast forward to 11am....still no 'PeeWee', no call.
Call customer again.
Worried about them.
This is not like them.
Still no answer.

Fast forward to 1pm.
Ring, ring...
MFF: "Hi, you have reached MFF, how can I help you?" (we have caller ID. We already know who it is)
Mr. long lost long time customer: "Hey, just calling to let you know we won't be bring 'PeeWee' today."

MFF: ......(you think????)

Okay, one last question.

~Why, oh why are the pets owners who bring their matted mess of a dog in  only once or twice a year the ones who are sooooo picky about how they are groomed?

I mean really, they come in with a long list of exactly how they want the dog to be groomed?!?

These dogs have gone six or more months out of the year looking like a sloppy, matted, overgrown, smelly mess and now they are worried about what the dog looks like?

GRRRR.

So, why in the world do I still groom and put up with all that stuff?

BECAUSE I LOVE GROOMING ALL THOSE 'FURANGELS", I have to put up with their people. :)

How is that for a long rant?

Better Late Than Never....

I promised these pictures awhile ago.

Five months ago to be exact.

Sorry about that...life got in the way for awhile. :(

Had an unexpected snow day today.

So, today I am taking a little time out of doing tax paper work to post the pictures from Groom Expos creative contest back in September.

I must apologize in advance because I have realized as I go through these pictures that I have for gotten who won.

Well, that is not exactly true....I remember who won, just don't exactly recall who won 3rd.

There were ten contestants, but five of them had also competed at Intergroom earlier in the year.

They did the same creatives grooms in Hershey that they did at Intergroom, and I have already posted their pictures.

(You can go back to my April 2014 posts and click on 'Intergroom 2014 Creative Grooming' to see Kayla Spears, Angela Kumpe, Brynn Haynes, Andriane Pope, and Cindy Olivers Creative grooms)

So, today's posted pictures will be the contestants from Groom Expo 2014 with dogs and designs that I had not photographed before, and the three winners.

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↓  This is Rachel Key and her design of the cartoon 'The Flintstones'.

  There is Betty and Barney on one side and Wilma and Fred on the other side. (somehow I missed getting a picture of the finished Wilma and Fred side...sorry)  The rest of the dog and the dogs head is Dino.

I thought she was very clever in the way she incorporated all of the characters.

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↓ This is a creative groom by Christie Krentz.

I don't remember the title of her groom, but  I think it was something to do with a garden.

I thought that making the topknot into a rose was very clever.

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↓ This creative groom was done by Su Eld Weaver.

If I remember correctly, she is from England.

Also, if I remember correctly, I think she is the groomer who took Third Place.

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↓  This creative groom was done by Cat Opson.

I love watching this groomer groom.

Her grooms are so sharp and clean....and very creative.

She took Second Place.

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↓  This Creative groom was done by Lori Craig.

Her creative grooms have always been pretty spectacular.

This was 'The Phantom of the Opera'.

Loved the way she represented the piano.

AND......

The rose on the opposite side of the dog was absolutely beautiful!!

Lori took First Place and Peoples Choice!!

Hope to blog again soon. :)