A Few Firsts

Here is Winston the Westie in his BEFORE picture.  He came to see me last week.  It's always a bit nerve racking when I see a dog for the first time, because I have to figure out what the customer wants the end result to be, and hope I can deliver!

Here he is AFTER!  I know they wanted to see his eyes better, and I'm pretty darn sure I delivered on that!  As for the rest of him, I think he looks pretty darn cute!

This is Bell the Teddy Bear puppy BEFORE I groomed her.  (She is the sister of Cruella, who is on one of my earlier blog posts.)

Here is Bell AFTER her groom.  It took a few minutes for her to get used to the idea of being groomed, but then she warmed right up to me!  She was like a fluffy little cotton ball when I got done!  Her owner was happy, and scheduled Bell to come back in 6 weeks.  I love it when that happens!

This is Jazzy the Aussie-Doodle BEFORE she got shaved.  She is only 5 months old, and this was her first time getting groomed. 

Here is Jazzy AFTER!  (I need a diet plan that works this good!)  Who would've known what a trim little lady was under all that fluff?!  Sometimes big puppies like this can be hard to groom because they are so hyper, but Jazzy acted like a well-behaved pro!  She was fun to groom, and I hope she'll come back when all that fur grows back in!

Spring Special!

 It's Spring, and that means the dogs are starting to shed like crazy!  My Spring special for large dogs right now is a really good brushing to get rid of all that dead winter coat and nail trim for only $35.  I have posted some pictures to demonstrate what a difference it can make for your dog.

Sadie came in today for her Spring brushing.  You can see the unevenness where she had clumps of dead fur in her coat.

Here is the same area of her body after brushing, brushing, and brushing!  Her coat had a smoother texture, and a better color to it after I was done working with her.

I took this picture because I wanted to show how much fur I can actually get off of the dog in one grooming session.  All of this came from Sadie!  Her owner is happy to know she will not be cleaning up nearly as much fur around the house now!

Here is the new and improved Sadie!  Her owner reported to me that she can already tell a difference in how quickly Sadie can cool off now, and says she is much more comfortable in this weather!

Little Cuties

Cruella is a Bichon-Shih Tzu mix.  She is only about 8 weeks old, and was ready for her first groom!

Here's the little princess after her spa treatment!  She was so good for me, and gave me tons of cuddles during the day.  After I was done grooming her, she was just a big soft cotton ball of fur!  I loved getting to groom this little sweetheart!

This is Max, my favorite Morkie!  His hair was starting to get in his eyes, so he came in to see me.

Here he is after his trim up and bath.  His mom wants to keep growing his coat out long, so I brushed him real good, shaved his belly and legs, and thinned out some of the hair on his head.  I also trimmed back the hair that was starting to stick up in his eyes, and trimmed his toe nails.  His mom said to give him a bow, and my 3 year old daughter insisted that the blue and pink bow was the one Max wanted.  :)

Little Cats and Big Dogs!

This is miss Chloe.  She is the cutest black and white kitty with the most gorgeous green eyes.  However, she had been severely neglected by her previous owners.  I was so glad that her new owner brought her in to see me.  I have never had to remove mats that were causing an animal so much discomfort because they were so close to the body.  But little Chloe sat like a champ for me, realizing that we were trying to help her, not hurt her.  She didn't get to keep much of her beautiful long fur, but her pretty green eyes sure sparkled more when we were all done! 

This big guy is Cody.  Don't let his size fool you, he's a big baby (in the best way possible)!  He was such a pleaser for me, willing to do anything I asked of him while I brushed, brushed, and brushed him!  I hope I get to see him again, he's great!

Boris the Bernese Mountain Dog had to be one of my favorite grooms this week.  I usually enlist my husband's help with the BIG dogs.  Brian was trying to "help" me get Boris to stand up so I could finish brushing him, but Boris decided he'd rather have a belly rub.  Brian was happy to oblige.  Boris can come back for a spa day anytime! 

We were finally able to get Boris back on his feet (after a thorough belly rub, of course), and finished brushing away all his extra fur!

Sorry for the excess pictures of this boy, but I couldn't get over what a handsome dog he is!  Thanks for coming in, Boris!

This kitty is Cassie.  She was a long-haired cat, until she came to see me!  :)  Her mom likes her hair short so it's easier to maintain.  The first time I groomed Cassie, she was pretty ticked off to have to be shaved, and she even got a little bite out of my husband's hand.  This time, however, I was able to groom her with no help from Brian, no scratches, and no bites!  Felt like a big success for me!  I learned that when she starts to get upset, I just have to use my "mommy" voice, and give her a few extra loves, and then she lets me continue doing my job.  Good job, Cassie!

A Day of Brushing, Brushing, Brushing...

 It has been a busy, but fun week at the shop!  I ended the week with these 3 dogs.

Bear is a Newfoundland.  He is the biggest dog I've ever groomed, but oh so sweet!  Since Bear was already pretty clean, his owner just brought him in for a good brushing down and nail trim today.  I think he lost about 10 pounds in hair by the time we were done with him!  That should help with the shedding around the house!

This is Kobe the Golden Lab.  He is a Beautiful dog!  And he's got the sweetest eyes, I fell in love with him right away!  His owner says she'll bring him back, and I look forward to seeing this good boy again!

Chevy is a Blue Heeler.  His owner wanted him brushed out really well to cut back on shedding.  When I first started brushing him, he didn't seem to be shedding much hair at all, but then I found the right tool to brush him with, and I got TONS of hair brushed out!  His owner has a 3 year old daughter, and when she saw Chevy with is bandanna on, she couldn't stop giggling!  It was so cute!

A New Record!

 So I achieved a new personal record today at Parkside Grooming:  The Most Hair I Ever Shaved Off One Dog!  (It may have been the most hair I have ever shaved in one day, no matter how many dogs I shaved!)

This is Bessie, an Old English Sheepdog.  The picture says it all: time for a shave to get ready for warmer weather!

Here she is after getting shaved!  I swear, she just looked more feminine without all that hair on her!  She was such a good girl.  The hardest part of shaving her was that she thinks she's a big lap dog, and kept trying to sit on my lap!  You try shaving a dog this size while she sits on you!  :)

I tried to get a picture with her tongue in her mouth, but no luck!  I love the bangs on this girl!  This breed needs bangs to keep things out of their eyes, so I only trimmed a little off of them.  Her Mama was so happy with her new look!  And a happy customer always makes my day better!

This is Macy, the mother of my Yorkie.  She visited us for Easter, and I got to give her a spa day.  The bow didn't stay in long, but it sure was cute while she had it in!

Spring Cuts for Spring Break

 It's my daughter's Spring break and so I thought I would take the week off from grooming and have a break too, but I love my job too much and couldn't resist scheduling a few dogs for the week.  These are some of the dogs I saw:

Tucker the Teddy Bear!  I have been grooming this little guy since his first nail trim!  His mama likes his hair to be long enough to be put up in a bow, so I left a poof on his head.  He hated getting his legs shaved, but as long as we took breaks to snuggle, he was happy.  Love this guy!

 

 

Zeus the Miniature Schnauzer.  This was my first time seeing Zeus, and he did awesome!  Schnauzers are for sure one of my favorite breeds to groom.

Kona the Lhasa Apso.  This is his before picture.  He laid right down on my table, I think he thought he was going to get a massage or something.

This is Kona after his trim.  I LOVE his long ears!  His owner was worried he would have issues with getting his nails trimmed, but he was such a good boy and let me do it just fine!  The owner was so happy when she picked him up, she scheduled a time for me to groom him before her wedding!

I have been blessed to have people spreading the word about my grooming.  The business is growing and I couldn't be happier!