I sort of "fell" into grooming as another way of leaping into the pet industry. After having worked in the world wide spectrum of pet stores for seven years, I needed to expand my horizons and learn even more about dogs and cats. I knew groomers existed but never did they elaborate on the difficulties they come across from time to time. The hardest part of my job is seeing what I consider "neglected" animals come into my salon. I've heard all the excuses and I'm sure the global array of other groomers have too. For as many times that I have had to swallow my opinion about a matted dog, my job is to make him or her feel better and that is ultimately why the owner has brought their pet in to see me. They too know that it's time to fix the problem. But as often as I run into situations like these I have wonderful experiences as well. I have many dogs that love their spaw days and fall asleep while I'm combing through the wavy tail, or giving them a scrub in the tub. Every day is different and the change in my routine is what I love.
Some days there are no changes at all and I think to myself, "I haven't seen Patches in ages!" and begin to wonder if something happened medically and his owners are grieving too much to come in and tell you that Patches is no longer alive. There's a relationship between pet owners, pets and their groomers especially when you've gave their dog one last comfort groom before he or she passed. It's almost too hard to give their emotional owner a hug as you know you have five more dogs that day and you will start crying too.
Almost daily I have dog poop on my hands or I have some unknown sticky substance from God only knows where the dog went, either on my clippers and combs or my hands. The mess is just a part of the job. Dogs and cats make everything I do worth it. I get up everyday knowing that I am about to help another animal and there are only a handful of people who can do what groomers do.
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