It seems like I only write about the dumb & annoying things that happen in grooming. There are some postive things too. It is fun to "complain" about the stupid people. Some positives are. I get to meet some really nice people that love there pets. Some dogs are a pleasure to groom. Most aren't. I get to help pet parents make better choices for there pets. Like a better food,the right brushes ect. (That is the part of the job I LOVE.) Enough of the nice ness...Back to the complaining. Ha ha.
My notes begin on 10-11, It started out to be a good day. I kept the dogs moving. Than I had to met my "problem child". 1st they were 20 min. late. Than the dog has no manners. It was the typical spoiled Maltese. She screamed,flipped,pulled & tried to walk off the table. (bright) When Princess (of course) hit the tub,oh my God! The sounds that came out of that lil b...! She flipped like a cat. He nails were digging into me.
I knew I couldn't dry her,but for the heck of it,I tried. WRONG thing to do. She turned pink! I just put her away. I called the owner to tell them there will be a difficult dog charge. No problem,Really than I charge you double! I leaft at 8 pm. What a day. I should be happy to have a job.
10-12,Met a nice Boxer who was shopping with his Mom. I tried to get them to let me give him a bath. I just cut his nails. Oh well $9.for Corrado's.
The day went smoothly. Cleaned the fish again.
10-14,It seems that all the recipts for the customers are "disappearing". It is strange. Somehow I am now responsible for making sure the days recipts are all there & right. Also that all the previous days ones are accounted for. Like I have time for that,but ok.
I had to stop grooming to help a customer with a rabbit question. I don't mind helping,just bad timing. I had to take the dog with me,he has cage fright. The dog peed on a pile of hay. I had to clean it up. (Thanks,Mack) I went to finish his groom & he starts biting! What?! I muzzle him,not a good idea. He did the head shake thing. I took it off & coned him. (ha take that!) I gave him a licky stick,he was fine.Wierdo.
10-15,Oh the joys of Sat. It is non stop phone calls,people comming in for nail clippings,questions ect..
I am ready to start grooming. I came in early to groom a dog at 9am. Waiting,Waiting ,Waiting it is now 9:20 am. I called the customer. No answer. I leave a voice mail. Telling them they had an appointment at 9am. Please call if you are still comming. It is getting to late,I may not be able to take you. At 10:05,who shows up,yeah you guessed it,Ms.9 am. I was like HELL NO! They were a new customer. I told them the 1st thing you need to know about grooming is we make appointment for a reason. Just like you can't be over an hour late to get your hair done or go to a doctor,you can't be late here. Oh but I overslept. I thought my appt. was at 10 am. I told her no Mam,I made the appt. with you on the phone. I came in early just for you,as I told you when you made the appt. I left you a messages this morning. She says, I did not check my messages,not my problem. (said to self) The lady did not get it. I only had 7 more dogs to do. I tell her, I NEVER EVER take a dog this late. This time I will take the dog,but she will be here all day. Until the end of the day,6pm-7pm. Oh thank you lady,she says. Than I had to throw in,Don't EVER be late again.This is your one & only change. I won't I promise. (sure)
In 3 hours is Bella ready yet? What?! No! I told you 6-7 pm. I miss her. Than come & get her,she is not done. Oh no I wait lady. 3 pm 2 hrs after the 1st call. How is Bella,she is ready right? I saw red. No! For the 2nd time she wont be ready now till 7 pm,you keep calling & taking me away from grooming. I miss her lady. Come get her,no lady I wait. I told her I will call YOU,DO NOT CALL AGAIN,ok.
5 pm, A man calls,I miss Bella,she needs food. I told him I did not have a break. I took your dog an hour after her appt. I did you a favor.I told your wife she would not be ready until 7 pm. Now that you called it will be 8pm. Oh no,I miss her! Come get her now,I am done!. I hang up. The dog was not done,she went home the way she was. NEVER again will I take a late dog! No tip.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
Some crazy things I have seen or heard.
Last week I was grooming 5 dogs,3 of them were ok. 2 were HORRIBLE! Macho was the worest. I could not finish him,he had to come back on meds. He was so matted I had to use a 30 & 15 blade on him.
He came back the next day,late. On "meds". It did not do anything for him. He was still himself. The customer was "helping" me. He was getting mad at the dog. He told his wife to buy nightquil so he can give it to the dog! I told him that could kill the dog. He already has 2 Benadryl in him. He was 10 lbs if he was lucky.
The wife looked at me & him. He said "Go & do it"! I told him I don't want to groom him like that. He said he will take all responsibility if anything happens. I had him sign a paper stating that. She brought back the nightquil. They force it down him. It was liquid,not even a pill. I started grooming him again after 10 min. He still was nasty. As this point the a hole husband starts to choke the dog. I told him,that is it. I had it. You are not going to choke your dog in front of me.He started to yell. Just do it. One way or the other he will get his haircut. I told him no,not by me. You have to take him to the vet,they will have to tranquilize him & groom him. This is to stressful for him & me. You are going to kill him. His wife finally was on my side. I also told them to keep a close eye on the dog for 48 hours All that med in his small body was not good.
They left me a BIG tip,which I did not find until I was cleaning up. I would have gave it back to them.
I found out they have 6 dogs. They made an appointment for the next week. (Lucky me.)
I was working in "big box" pet store. The grooming room was at the back of the store. People thought we were a question/cricket booth. Anyone that wanted crickets would ask us. Even when we had dogs on the tables. They asked like we were doing nothing. On more than one occasion I had to stop grooming,put my dog in a cage & get crickets! Since that store NEVER had anyone to help customers.
I have a lot more stories. I don't want to make this long & boring.
TO be continued.
He came back the next day,late. On "meds". It did not do anything for him. He was still himself. The customer was "helping" me. He was getting mad at the dog. He told his wife to buy nightquil so he can give it to the dog! I told him that could kill the dog. He already has 2 Benadryl in him. He was 10 lbs if he was lucky.
The wife looked at me & him. He said "Go & do it"! I told him I don't want to groom him like that. He said he will take all responsibility if anything happens. I had him sign a paper stating that. She brought back the nightquil. They force it down him. It was liquid,not even a pill. I started grooming him again after 10 min. He still was nasty. As this point the a hole husband starts to choke the dog. I told him,that is it. I had it. You are not going to choke your dog in front of me.He started to yell. Just do it. One way or the other he will get his haircut. I told him no,not by me. You have to take him to the vet,they will have to tranquilize him & groom him. This is to stressful for him & me. You are going to kill him. His wife finally was on my side. I also told them to keep a close eye on the dog for 48 hours All that med in his small body was not good.
They left me a BIG tip,which I did not find until I was cleaning up. I would have gave it back to them.
I found out they have 6 dogs. They made an appointment for the next week. (Lucky me.)
I was working in "big box" pet store. The grooming room was at the back of the store. People thought we were a question/cricket booth. Anyone that wanted crickets would ask us. Even when we had dogs on the tables. They asked like we were doing nothing. On more than one occasion I had to stop grooming,put my dog in a cage & get crickets! Since that store NEVER had anyone to help customers.
I have a lot more stories. I don't want to make this long & boring.
TO be continued.
Ramblings of a over worked groomer. 1st week Oct.
10/1/11- I was at work at 9:00 am. As I was walking in the door. A customer that has 3 Newfoundland's walked me in jabbering away. (He talks to much) His wife spins the dog's hair & makes hats & stuff.
My 1st dog was not due in until 10.00 am. He was there at 9:05 am. I was a little annoyed. I came in early to clean the Beta fish & take care of the hermit crabs. He wanted me to groom his Cock-a-poo right than & there. I explained to him his appointment was at 10:00am & that is when your dog will be started. He did not like that. I told him you can bring your dog back at 10,because I do not need to take him from you now I am doing you a favor. So he backed down,thought so!
It was a long day. People comming in & out for nail clippings & asking questions.
There was a group of woman that acted like they never saw a dog before. They were squeaking & saying ohhhhhhhh.........how cuteeee! Get a grime break! Of course that caused all the dogs to bark.
I had to shih-tzu's fight me every step of the way.
I finally got a break at 8pm! Than I had to clean before going home.
10-2-11 Here I am again. 9 am. It does not feel like I left last night. This is the plan. Groom & get out.
12 pm,plan busted. Every single dog is difficult. I had a dog freak out for a nail clipping. I charged them $15! Normally it was cost $9. I sent home a Maltese that needs to be tranqed.
I did meet a WONDERFUL dog named Loco,who was the nicest little Yorkie ever.
10-4-11 My favorite dog,a pit bull puppy,Milco came in for a nail clipping. I want to dog knapp him.
The day was mostly uneventful. At least we close at 8 pm today.
10-6-11 A customer called the store in the morning. She said her dog is going to have puppies & she did not know what to do. (hint,call a vet) Luckily for her we have a wonderful woman named Kim that was a vet tech & she is a puppy "mid wife". She told the girl bring the dog to the store & she would look at her.
The girl came in around noon time. With a very pregnant chihuahua. The dog was in labor. The girl & Mom dog stayed in grooming. Kim was amazing. She saved 2 puppies. One came out not breathing. She breathed into the nose,one came out backwards & was not well. She also saved him! The Mom had 4 puppies. They were really large for a small dog. It was funny,one of the owners came by,all nervous. Is everything ok?Vet?Need a vet? Stitches? Need stiches? He would not even look. It was funny. Customers keept trying to buy the puppies. I was grooming & watching all of this. It was the best day by far at work. GREAT job Kim!
10-7-11-I am not in the grooming mood. This can't be good.
My 1st dog was not due in until 10.00 am. He was there at 9:05 am. I was a little annoyed. I came in early to clean the Beta fish & take care of the hermit crabs. He wanted me to groom his Cock-a-poo right than & there. I explained to him his appointment was at 10:00am & that is when your dog will be started. He did not like that. I told him you can bring your dog back at 10,because I do not need to take him from you now I am doing you a favor. So he backed down,thought so!
It was a long day. People comming in & out for nail clippings & asking questions.
There was a group of woman that acted like they never saw a dog before. They were squeaking & saying ohhhhhhhh.........how cuteeee! Get a grime break! Of course that caused all the dogs to bark.
I had to shih-tzu's fight me every step of the way.
I finally got a break at 8pm! Than I had to clean before going home.
10-2-11 Here I am again. 9 am. It does not feel like I left last night. This is the plan. Groom & get out.
12 pm,plan busted. Every single dog is difficult. I had a dog freak out for a nail clipping. I charged them $15! Normally it was cost $9. I sent home a Maltese that needs to be tranqed.
I did meet a WONDERFUL dog named Loco,who was the nicest little Yorkie ever.
10-4-11 My favorite dog,a pit bull puppy,Milco came in for a nail clipping. I want to dog knapp him.
The day was mostly uneventful. At least we close at 8 pm today.
10-6-11 A customer called the store in the morning. She said her dog is going to have puppies & she did not know what to do. (hint,call a vet) Luckily for her we have a wonderful woman named Kim that was a vet tech & she is a puppy "mid wife". She told the girl bring the dog to the store & she would look at her.
The girl came in around noon time. With a very pregnant chihuahua. The dog was in labor. The girl & Mom dog stayed in grooming. Kim was amazing. She saved 2 puppies. One came out not breathing. She breathed into the nose,one came out backwards & was not well. She also saved him! The Mom had 4 puppies. They were really large for a small dog. It was funny,one of the owners came by,all nervous. Is everything ok?Vet?Need a vet? Stitches? Need stiches? He would not even look. It was funny. Customers keept trying to buy the puppies. I was grooming & watching all of this. It was the best day by far at work. GREAT job Kim!
10-7-11-I am not in the grooming mood. This can't be good.
My Shop
Just to set the scence of my lil shop of horror's.
My room is very small,yet "they" crammed the room with useless crap.
Like 2 vanities,the kind you would have in a bathroom.& 2 mirrors above them. You know in case the pet has the need to look at themselves. Just more to clean at the end of the night.
The walls were white. Now they are dark purple. It makes it hard to see. The lighting is low.
There is a big steal bathtub. Next to that are 3 wire shelves that hold shampoo & towels.
There is a wall with 2 large cages & 6 small ones all stacked on top of each other.
There is a full size grooming table. (Hydraulic) Plus a small hydraulic table. There steps for the tub along side of the cages. Plus Euk. cans with stuff in them.
Most shops will have a separate bathing & kennel area.
It is MUCH better than the "other" store's grooming room. That is tiny.
My room is very small,yet "they" crammed the room with useless crap.
Like 2 vanities,the kind you would have in a bathroom.& 2 mirrors above them. You know in case the pet has the need to look at themselves. Just more to clean at the end of the night.
The walls were white. Now they are dark purple. It makes it hard to see. The lighting is low.
There is a big steal bathtub. Next to that are 3 wire shelves that hold shampoo & towels.
There is a wall with 2 large cages & 6 small ones all stacked on top of each other.
There is a full size grooming table. (Hydraulic) Plus a small hydraulic table. There steps for the tub along side of the cages. Plus Euk. cans with stuff in them.
Most shops will have a separate bathing & kennel area.
It is MUCH better than the "other" store's grooming room. That is tiny.
Monday, October 24, 2011
What is wrong with the puppies?
For some reason most of the shih-tzu puppies I have seen lately are not nice.
They HATE to be groomed. You can't touch their face.
The dogs & puppies I see daily all have "problems".
Most groomers would not groom them.
Up until last year,I would not have groomed them either.
I have no choice now. They are about 80% of my business.
It is stressful. Sometimes I can't do them & ban them.
I am going to take a T touch class.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
They HATE to be groomed. You can't touch their face.
The dogs & puppies I see daily all have "problems".
Most groomers would not groom them.
Up until last year,I would not have groomed them either.
I have no choice now. They are about 80% of my business.
It is stressful. Sometimes I can't do them & ban them.
I am going to take a T touch class.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
A day in the life of a retail groomer
I think retail pet grooming is a BAD idea. It is VERY distrusting to the pet. All retail store 's insists in having windows so people can watch you groom. BAD idea. The dog or cat gets excited or scared. If they see the owner,it is over. It is almost impossible to clam them down. There are annocments over the intercom. That scares the pet.If the retail stores insist on a grooming shop. I think they should put it in a "quite" part of the store. No window's.
I have worked in private shops & retail shops. The private ones are better by far. Mostly because you don't have customers watching you. Or coming in to ask you a stupid question while you have a dog on the table .
I am going to go for a "ride a long" in a mobile grooming van. Maybe that is the answer?
If you are one of those people that "have" to watch us groom,just don't.
People act like they never saw a dog before! Grow up.
I have worked in private shops & retail shops. The private ones are better by far. Mostly because you don't have customers watching you. Or coming in to ask you a stupid question while you have a dog on the table .
I am going to go for a "ride a long" in a mobile grooming van. Maybe that is the answer?
If you are one of those people that "have" to watch us groom,just don't.
People act like they never saw a dog before! Grow up.
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