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Showing posts with label Groomer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Groomer. Show all posts

Matted Dogs - You Are Not Excused

As groomers, we get all manner of excuses as to why Fluffy is so matted this time! (Because god knows, she's usually in perfect condition, because she gets brushed every day, and brought to the groomer every single month.... like ALL long haired dogs..... right?)
WRONG!
By far the most common and popular line of bullshit pet parents try to feed their groomer is that "I've been out of town and I left her with..... my Mom, my neighbor, my boyfriend, the pet sitter, the kennel...!" Leaving the implication that dogs are supposed to become a grooming disaster when left in the care of anyone other than their own perfectly responsible pet parent.
Really???
Pet parents are THE WORST at finding care for their own pets. How do I know this? Because the worst grooming nightmares of dogs with homes (not strays) is that Mom and Dad 'went outta town...' and whomever was taking care of their dog was horrible.
90% of all matted dogs brought into the salon come from pet parents who were recently "outta town" and had to leave them with someone.
Now many if not most young and inexperienced groomers will go "Awwww!" and swallow it hook, line, and sinker.
But after 15 years.... human please!!
Not only do you NOT have your dog regularly groomed, I've never seen you before!
And if I have seen you before, it was 6.... 7.... TWELVE months ago!!!
No. No groomer worth their salt believes your excuses. You are not taking proper care of your dog! If you cannot afford to go to a groomer, I completely understand that. But can you afford a brush???
I understand if YOU can't cut your dog's hair! If you don't know what you're doing, YOU SHOULDN'T TRY to cut your dog's hair! But do you know how to use a brush???
"Oh he won't let me brush him!"
Oh.
My.
God.

Let me just say this OUT LOUD, to all y'all's faces.... Because we DO say it behind your back....
Why do you have a dog then?!?!

(Because you LOVE animals and you RESCUED this poor little baby from a HORRIBLE place so that you could LOVE him and give him a better life....)
LISTEN TO YOURSELVES!!!

Why are you not asking everyone you know to help you find a way to learn how to brush your dog! It's so much better to let them get SO MATTED  that they have to be shaved, and often get sores and infections and hematomas from tight mats, and from the poor thing digging and chewing trying to relieve the pain! Do you know how painful it is to try to move around when your hair is stuck or caught on something?
Do you know that I've seen the long hair around a sweet little dog's penis matted tightly to the long hair of his thigh so that he couldn't walk? And the dumbass humans laughed because he looked funny trying to do it?
(My blood boils as I write this.......)
Can you believe how completely UNAWARE some human beings are....?

So find another excuse humans!
We do NOT buy the "I've been outta town and left her with...." excuse anymore! Because even if it's true, you're a bad parent! For leaving them with someone who would let them get like that!

And if you must....
I'm gonna give you a FREE chunk of gold here - When you know you're going out of town, GET YOUR DOG GROOMED before you leave!!! Get their hair cut a little shorter so as to avoid catastrophe! Hell, get them shaved down just to be safe! At least it will have grown a bit by the time you get back and their hair will be short because of responsibility, NOT because they were in pain and neglected.
Oh wait....! You in the back there! I hear your pathetic ass! "But I didn't know ahead of time, it was sudden...! waa waaa waaaaaaa!"
I have not one fuck to give you.
The moment you become "a pet parent", you become responsible for every every every single aspect of their lives in this human world you've made them a part of. YOU. You should ALWAYS have a plan of care for your pets!!!
Always.
All the time.
For ALL of your pets, no matter what species, breed, size, condition.
Along the Gulf Coast we remind people every hurricane season to have a plan of action for their pets.
Don't wait for hurricane season.....
Don't be an idiot.
Be responsible.
If you're dog is matted while under your care, YOU are responsible.
If you just legitimately rescued a dog from a bad situation, and that dog is matted as a consequence of that bad situation and you are fixing the dogs condition, then you are excused.

We have lived in so much ignorance until now.
Learn.
There is a way.
You CAN do it.
Find a way, make it happen.
Stop making excuses for not taking care of your pets.

Running to the vet all the time is NOT being responsible.
Running to the groomer in desperation is NOT being responsible.

Is your dog matted right now as you read this? Are you scared now? Embarrassed? Afraid to reach out for fear of being condemned?
Good!
Now take the first step and reach out, beyond your fear and shame, get your dog back to ground zero and don't let it happen again.
If you didn't know before, you do now. Start now.

I will not apologize for calling an idiot an idiot.
If I can help you learn I will.
They bark, the growl, they bite... and you don't understand.
I speak English, and I speak for them.


Dog-Groomer-Black T-shirt at this PG911 approved link! 



Dog Groomer

Dog Groomer

As many of you head off to your corporate grooming salon this weekend, remember one very... VERY important thing - All groomers are NOT created equal!!!
REQUEST by name, or by records, a previous groomer if you liked the groom and if your dog was happy!  
All groomers, especially in a corporate salon, are NOT good!  It's just that simple.  They are poorly hired (not fit to work in a salon) and then poorly trained, IF they're trained at all!
Being in many different salon settings over the years I've seen how "bad" dogs mysteriously become good when matched with a good groomer.  I've also seen pet parents absolutely amazed at how good the dog or cat looks after they've been groomed properly and thoroughly by a good groomer, after years of not knowing how the animal was supposed to look, feel and smell after a professional groom.
If I were you, I'd be terrified to leave my pet with a groomer!  
Which is why the best grooming advice I can give you is to find that good groomer, and take good care of them!  Tip generously for their extra, expert attention.  Tell everyone about this groomer.  Tell management how much you love this groomer.  Mention this groomer by name on Yelp, or fb, or any other online rating service.  And DO NOT settle for a substitute if your groomer is not available, unless that groomer has personally told you the name of another good groomer.
Lots of these kids in grooming salons are very sweet and personable at the front check in. They are very sweet to the dogs.  But then they ignorantly scare them by shooting water into their faces during the bath, filling their noses, filling their ears and marring the experience forever for the dog.  Then they turn a HIGH VELOCITY  blow dryer on them (think leaf blower, not hair dryer) and blow that across their face and ears.  These dryers can bust ear drums ok......  That terrifies them yet again.  THEN its time to do the nails....  Jesus help us.....  This caps off a very horrible experience for a very helpless animal.  And all the while the untrained idiot performing these services remains kind and loving.  No, the corporations do NOT teach their employees how to groom correctly because.... ITS A CORPORATION.  There are no highly qualified professionals in charge of teaching new hires how to groom or how to handle and treat dogs!  They teach their "students" about corporate policy in "grooming academy" and how to shave a dog.  That's not grooming folks!!!
It takes a skilled, and in my opinion gifted, professional to groom an animal correctly. Correctly doesn't mean just remembering to wipe the ears and give you some report card (that's usually filled with BS).  It means more than knowing the technicalities of breed specific haircuts... That's the least you should worry about!  A proper groom means grooming the animal with an intuition that doesn't terrify the them!!!  
I've rehabilitated MANY dogs that were ruined by ignorant, bad groomers.  
Dogs, and cats, can LOVE the groomer!  
I see stupid trusting people every day.....  Don't be fooled by the front counter routine. They're all sweet!  Really!  And they mean well.  But they have no gift for working with animals, or they've not been trained correctly.  And they never will be unless they happen upon a master who takes their craft seriously.
Grooming is not a job!  It is a skilled profession.  
Regulating the industry and mandatory certification means nothing when you can pay any grooming school thousands of dollars and you get a certificate whether you know what you're doing or not!  Don't look for certificates.  Pay attention to your gut feeling. 

Pay attention.......  
I'm tired of seeing your dogs suffer when I KNOW it isn't necessary.
No I mean I'm really, reeeeeally, sick of it!!!!!

Is Your Dog "Bad" For the Groomer??

Is Your Dog "Bad" For the Groomer??

Animals serve, but they don't create. They feel, think, make choices..... but they don't create. They "make beds" (nests, holes, dens....), but that's all. They don't aspire to create.
They hunt for food, but they don't work. Unless its for a human. 
Humans create. Humans make the world we live in. Humans have the say...

To force an animal into submission   /\   To ask an animal to trust you...
To be controlling, dominating   /\   To be awake, aware, feeling...

The feeling of power..... to look into a dogs eyes.... 
Knowing why they're scared! 
Understanding.
Knowing that if you were in the same position you too would be afraid of whomever had control over you because they did not know what they were doing...! 

Sitting in a dentist chair, knowing the dentist was incompetent, unfeeling of your fears, and you could not get up without consequences. 
Knowing that the doctor who is going to do surgery on you was not taught well, and has no natural talent - knowing he is going to hurt you and do it wrong - and having no choice, no way out.

It DOES matter who your pet's groomer is! 
It DOES matter who trims your pet's nails! 
If you find a good groomer, take good care of them, recommend them, appreciate them with a generous tip, compliment them to their boss... They are very hard to come by! 
Don't be impressed with certificates or the name of the salon, not even corporate ones. Especially not corporate ones!!!  
And don't cry about the price if the value backs it up!

Most "groomers" don't understand any more about dogs and cats than the average person. They were taught breed specific hair cuts, but know nothing about animal psychology! 
Most dogs that are labeled "bad dogs" are not
It's all about the person handling them. 
I've seen this demonstrated consistently through out my career. 

I've been a pet groomer for eleven years at this writing...
Don't trust your pet to just any idiot. 
Find a good groomer. You'll know. You'll feel it. And so will your pet.