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A Day in
the Life of a Pet Stylist
7:45am
I open up the salon, put the A-Frame sign out the front,
listen to the phone messages and get out the client
cards for the day.
8.00am-9.30am I
welcome the clients and their dogs as they start to
arrive. We discuss their grooming requirements such as,
how long or short they would like their dogs coat
trimmed at and they can elect other pampering services
that we offer like teeth brushing, nail filing, flea
funerals, fur foils or coat
colouring, etc. Clients
can inform us if there has been any medical changes
since their last groom or any other information that we
may need to know relating to their dog. New clients are
shown through the PIAA accredited salon so they feel
comfortable about where their dog will be and the steps
involved in how their dog will be groomed. Firstly the
dogs are taken for an exercise so they have a chance to
go to the toilet as sometimes their owners are in a rush
in the morning. This ensures they are comfortable and
not holding on for ages or having to go where they
wouldn’t usually. The dogs then settle in their comfy
cubbies and are given fresh water and a treat.
9.30am – 9.45am
I call
any clients that haven’t arrived within the drop off
time, to see if they are delayed.
If I am unable to contact them,
I try to fill their dogs spot by calling clients listed
on our waiting list. Fortunately most of my clients
contact me if they are running late.
9.45am-10am It’s now
morning tea time. I enjoy a mug of hot chocolate or a
cup of tea with a piece of fruit, biscuit or yogurt.
Morning tea isn’t always at 9.45am depending on how the
dogs have settled and how many late comers there are but
my staff & I always stop for our breaks.
10am –
12pm Some of the
dogs have already been prepared for their bath or are
being bathed by my staff, to which I start preparing
dogs by brushing out coats, bulk clipping extra long or
neglected matted coats, ear cleaning & plucking. I then
bath the dogs, firstly putting a cotton ball in each of
the dog’s ears to prevent water from getting in them and
then I shampoo their coats by hand. Some dogs require
their anal glands to be expressed, to which I do using
the external method. Conditioners are applied and then
the excess water is soaked up with a chamois. It’s out
of the bath and onto the drying table where they are
fluff dried by hand, some dogs finish being dried in
their cubbies. Early pick ups are given to Express Groom
dogs and dogs that don’t require haircuts.
12pm-1pm Some time
during this period we have a 30minute lunch break, the
dogs are given another treat and their water levels are
checked. Even if we are running late we still stop
because it keeps us sane, it’s a time for my staff and I
to have a laugh, talk about things other than grooming
and play with our own dogs. Some clients have elected
their very lucky dogs to have lunch with the groomers,
we let them have a supervised play with our dogs and
feed them special chicken or turkey snacks. This has
been very successful for some dogs as we train in some
basic commands and manners, it builds a healthy
relationship with them and they are much better to groom
overall. They are confident and happy and love coming to
the groomers and see it as a normal part of their life.
We don’t answer the phone during this period and I cross
my fingers that I don’t have to get out of my chair for
at least 15 minutes.
1pm-
2pmWe start to clip
and scissor our priority dogs such as older dogs, blind
dogs or special need dogs. Puppies or first timers get
to sit on the grooming table, take in the surroundings
and watch us groom other dogs first. By the time it
comes round to grooming the puppies they have heard and
felt the clippers near them and then it’s not so scary.
They end up having a happy positive grooming experience
which sets them up well for future grooming
appointments. Some of this time is spent answering the
phone and returning phone calls, which I can’t always do
depending on what stage of the grooms I’m up to.
2pm-5pm
Some days I can have all small dogs or all white coated
dogs or sometimes an odd bunch. This makes every day
different, challenging and interesting. I always groom
the dogs that have issues, for example if they don’t
like their nails being trimmed or don’t like being moved
around too much. I’m also the lucky one that gets to
groom the dogs with mean tendencies, but I’m proud of
the dogs that I have been able to work out or turn
around to being comfortable about being groomed .I have
a code of ethics to abide by that ensures all animals
under my care will be treated humanely and protected
from undue stress or discomfort. I will send a dog home
early and unfinished with homework for the owners if
that’s all I can accomplish with that dog without it
getting upset with being groomed. I don’t groom sedated
dogs or cats at all, that’s for a vet or a groomer at a
veterinary clinic. Thankfully there are enough sweeties
and polite well trained dogs that keep me doing what I
do and make me smile every day.
3.30pm
. We offer a
personalised
service and groom dogs as individuals not just grooming
a particular breed one way. We leave long beautiful
eyelashes, we trim different styles to suit the dogs
features and hide their flaws. Regular dogs are always
easier and more pleasant to do, sometimes we have to get
out the elbow grease and brush out a years worth of dead
hair. Even though it’s hard work there is something I
love about brushing or force drying all that hair out
and having the dog look and feel great afterwards. We
don’t de-matt any dogs not even once, we will wont be
paid to be put a dog through that discomfort and pain.
The well being and comfort of the pet is always put
first, before the cosmetic look of the pet. I always
groom the dogs the same way so they get used to it, I
have dogs that know what’s coming up next and will lift
their paw up for me. I first clip their underwear and
pads, trim their nails, clip and scissor their bodies,
legs, head and tail. I place bows, apply cologne and or
fresh breath spray as requested and they are ready to go
home.
5pm –
6pm I’m hopefully
not running too late, I may still be scissoring the last
or second last dog. If I’m running ahead in time one of
my dogs may even get a bath or groom. Now I have to do
what I like the least, cleaning up at the end of the
day. Vacuuming, washing towels, mopping, refilling
shampoo, writing out client cards, settling the EFTPOS
and till.
6-6.15pm Close Up
shop, bring the salon A-Frame sign in, the last dog has
left. Dive in the shower to de-doggy and de-hair myself.
Depending on how the day went, it’s time for a glass of
champagne, then put my feet up for a while, till I get
dinner ready..
Yours in
grooming,
Charmaine
Bright Pet Stylist
Australian Certified Master Groomer
Printed in The Canine Journal January 2006
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