Rug, anyone?

As I learned today, there are times when I will be faced with circumstances that both annoy and sadden me.  Today we had a sweet elderly cocker come in to get groomed.  She had a thick, beautiful curly coat. But beneath the coat was the evidence that the poor girl hadn't been brushed since God only knows when.  So mom and I worked together to free the girl from this horrible pelted coat.

It's difficulty to see the pelted mat here, but thats one big mat hanging down after removing the larger mats from her back.  (Another thing I learned today, is that I have a really hard time seeing anything on black dogs!)

By the time she was done, she looked and felt so much better. It was fun to watch how she rolled around like a pup in her towel once the mats were removed.

I certainly don't mean to pass judgement on the owner of this dog.  Only they know the circumstances that led to her becoming so terribly matted.  It saddens me that the dog had to suffer the discomfort, regardless of the circumstances.  I sure hope this is the last time she has to endure a day like this.

I thought I'd also take a picture and share my work station at mom's shop.  It's not much, but it's my own little space with my own tools. It's my happy place.

Tomorrow should be another busy day. Maybe I'll remember to take pictures of more of the dogs!

My First Poodle.

Today I got to do my first poodle from start to finish.  Here he is when he arrived:

As I've learned, the first rule of grooming: Do what the customer wants as long as it doesn't or won't cause the dog distress.  For this groom, because he is an outside dog, we did not poodle foot him. He also doesn't have a pom on his tail.  He was done with a 3 3/4 blade.  Here is what he looked like after his groom.

All in all, I felt pretty good about this groom. There were a few things I just couldn't figure out how to make look better, but he was pretty squirmy with that head. 

Christmas Color

Today Max came into the shop again, and I got to play with color.  I always enjoy it, though I'm not very brave with it yet.  But he looked good and his mommy loved it.

I find going back and forth in my confidence lever.  I have become pretty comfortable with certain drop coated breeds like the shi tzu, and curly coats like the poodles, but I have to be honest when I say that other breeds still scare the poop out of me. 

Today I began working on a long haired Yorkie. It was working on a jumping marshmallow. She was so delicate and just wouldn't stay still. Her hair was all over the place, staticky in spite of the anti static spray I used, and trying to clean up her sanitary area while fearing I was going to cut off that long hair that kept falling in the way... ugh!  I know I have to do them to get over the fear. Like mom says, its hair, it will grow back. But I'm just so afraid of screwing up something I can't fix.  I'm so ready to be comfortable and competent with all the breeds, but I know I have so much left to learn. (scissoring, hand stripping, carding, and many different breed styles.)  

My goal is to really pick up the pace and have my shop opened by March first, and to quit nursing by mid May. I'm not sure it's an optimistic goal, but one I'm shooting for just the same.  

Happy Holidays, everyone!