Hair of the Dogs

Taking a break....

2010-03-01T17:59:00.002-05:00

Hello friends

I am going to be taking a little break from The Grooming Room blog...just something I am needing to do in the short term for a while. Thanks for all your support and comments throughout my blog time. You guys are a great community.

Will be back soon.....

Much love,

Nancy

Last post for a while...

2010-02-08T16:43:00.002-05:00

I am going on a much needed vacation starting tomorrow! So I will not be posting at all until after Feb 23rd.

These are some dogs that came into the shop since my last post. This is a one year old Shar Pei puppy. They develop more and more wrinkles as they age, and as you see, she doesn't have too many.

This is Beau the Portuguese Water Dog (yes, just like the Obama's got).
This is Shadow, a nice Cocker Spaniel that comes in every three months or so. She was pretty long this time, this is before.
This is after.
And this is the sweetest golden doodle puppy in the world. Rufous is only 8 months old, but he was just about perfect for his first grooming - a real star!
Ba is holding down the fort while I am away. I will be back to you all at the end of the month. Enjoy!

Shave down Shih Tzu X2, and more...

2010-01-27T20:11:00.002-05:00

On Friday I shaved down this Shih Tzu, Smudge. On Saturday, I shaved down another one. Ugh. Before:

After!
I have been grooming Standard Poodles like crazy - got two or three new ones this week. This is Magic. What a NICE dog! Did two more today - Jazz and Chauncey. No pics though, sorry.
This is Cooper - he's a Schnoodle (Schnauzer/poodle cross), before...
and after...
I am all booked up for appointments between now and when I leave for my trip on Feb 9th. I'll probably squeeze in a few more on Monday, but we'll see. Busy is good!

Looooooong Day!

2010-01-20T21:14:00.001-05:00

Thirteen hours - TOO long.

Beagle, Samoyed, poodle, Bearded Collie Bearded Collie. No pics, left the camera at home. Jack and Summer are tired. I'm tired. No one to blame but me, - I make my own schedule remember.

Note to self: no more long days!

Now for a hot shower!

So, So very busy! Amazing.

2010-01-19T18:59:00.002-05:00

Last week was super busy - I even worked on Sunday - did a cat and another standard poodle.

This is Jewel. You can't tell from this image, but she has beautiful blue eyes. She is a great dog, and so is her mom Connie.

This is Seamus, Katy N's dog. He was a tough customer when he first started coming to see me. Now we get along great!
This is Percy, one of several standard poodles I groomed last week (Ferrous, Harriet and Kiku the others). He is a BIG intact male - I think the biggest standard I have. His hair is not exactly my color, but pretty close.
This week is also booked up already, as is most of next week! I was looking at last January's schedule, at how many days there were with NO customers at all. What a difference a year makes. Whoo hoo!

Well, so much for slowing down....

2010-01-10T17:05:00.002-05:00

This is one of the dogs I did last week, a mini Schnauzer. I groomed her one of the days last week that I was not too busy. Thursday was a full day, Friday not as much.

This is a Chow puppy named Sasha. He's 4 month's old. Look at that tongue! He came in just to get used to the grooming table, to being handled and such. I brushed him out, touched his feet and such. He's coming back for a bath in a month.
On Friday, I also groomed this goldendoodle named Henry. His mom took him to Phoenix, AR on Saturday, to architecture school where she is going for the next FIVE years. SHe still has her family house here on the lake, but I don't know how much more I'll be seeing him. Too bad, he's a sweety pie. I'm going to miss both of them.
Here's a pile of black and white dogs - the little English cocker on the chair is one of Ba's customers. Then there are Nick and Kanga, and Fig who stayed with me over night.
This is Angel - a Sheltie/Chow mix. I had five dogs on Saturday. So much for slow.
I am totally booked up all next week already, even Saturday. I'm so glad, because this time last year was pretty bleak.

slowing d o w n...

2010-01-06T17:53:00.002-05:00

I know, I know, I have not posted since before Christmas! I hope you all had a great Christmas and Hanukkah, and a Happy New Year...

It was super busy before the holiday, and the week in between too. Too busy for photos again. I do have a couple, but no complete sets. One I got the before, but no after. One I got the after, but no before. No brain either.

It is slower this week, and I am not minding a bit. Had two dogs yesterday, two today, and three tomorrow. Saturday is pretty full though.

Will take some pics and POST THEM.

Couple of cool dogs

2009-12-21T08:02:00.003-05:00

Here's Cody, a white Pomerainian. I'd never seen a white one before. He's young, only 2 or 3, and she's thinking about breeding him. A nice dog.

This is Tavi, a poodle I groom once a month.
This is Martini, a new customer for me, and a Maltese. He hadn't been groomed in several months, but was not in too bad condition. Here's before:
Here's after! He's a really nice dog, great disposition and very easy to work on.
Martini came in with this dog, named Diablo. She is a Giant Schnauzer, a breed I had not groomed since I was in grooming school. She is also a very nice dog - great disposition and easy to work on. Schnauzers can have cropped or natural - her's are natural, which is nice to see.
A good weekend. Today I have three small dogs - hopefully get some good pics.

Super busy day tomorrow...

Red haired dogs and more

2009-12-15T19:53:00.004-05:00

Isn't he handsome?! He's a smooth coated collie, and just a year old. He's a really nice boy.

Here's a breed I am starting to see more and more of - she is a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier. Here's before - yes, there is supposed to be some eye brow, but not this much...
And after. Much better.
Here's the red-haired dog - a cute little mixed breed named Spirit.
Today was standard poodle day. This is Apollo before - look at that fuzzy face!
And after. Quite a difference!
And this is Gorky. He's only seven months old. Notice all the bronze fuzzy hair he has here.
And how chocolate brown he is here. All that fuzzy topcoat was cut off, and he still has lots of coat left.

Twin dogs of different owners, and another red head

2009-12-09T17:09:00.003-05:00

These two look like they could be twins, don't they? One of them is my customer, and one of them is Ba's. Patches is on the left.

Here they both are with me. Pretty funny.
This is Nikko a chow mix that I bathed and groomed yesterday. Her body color is even redder than her head is. We really did match. Nice dog, too.
I had two dogs today, and have three more tomorrow. Things are picking up again before Christmas.

Last week photos.

2009-12-07T08:28:00.003-05:00

Last week was almost as busy as the previous couple were. My only slow day was Friday, because I had a cancellation in the morning. That's OK, it gave me time to do some catchup-work at the shop.

Tuesday was Bearded Collie day - this is Muppy, and his "brother" is Jonah.

This is Ferrous. He's a young, very active boy, and is still learning about grooming practices. He will be a year old next week. Happy Birthday, Ferrous! This is his before.
And here's his after, with his mom and dad. Ba says I should take a series of photos of dogs who have the same color hair that I do. I thought that was pretty funny.
This is Ferrous' "sister", Harriet. She is as different from he is as two siblings can be. Stands still like a statue for grooming. She has that beautiful steel gray coat.
I also groomed a couple of ShihTzus, a german shepherd, an old cocker spaniel and more. Tomorrow is a full day, and we will see what the rest of the week brings.

Catch up time...

2009-11-30T12:13:00.003-05:00

Well! It has been a while since I posted to this blog. Almost a whole month has passed. And I have to say that the reason why I have not been blogging much is that I have just not had time!

You wouldn't think that there would be such a rush of people wanting to have their dogs groomed and bathed before a holiday, but there is. Everyone wants to take clean dogs to Mom's house for Thanksgiving (including me). My phone didn't stop ringing until Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

I had to actually turn people away. I could have worked 24 hours a day for those few days before the holiday, and still would not have gotten them all in. Trouble with that is that a tired groomer is an impatient groomer, and the one thing you need more than anything for this job is patience. So I paced myself pretty well. I did have a couple of long days, (and have one tomorrow, as a matter of fact), but was able to manage it all.

The shop has been closed since Thursday - five whole days off in a row. But, this week is already pretty full. I expect it will continue at this pace through Christmas, and then drop off. It's great to make hay while the sun shines, as the saying goes.

I have no pics to post, as the few that I did take were pretty bad. I will start taking pics more regularly tomorrow, and will post some soon (promise).

Old Dogs and New

2009-11-10T21:01:00.002-05:00

Last week was good. It is good going to the shop every day, and it is good having two days off in a row every week, and it is.....well, it is good!

This is Gucci, Ba Stopha's little Lhasa. I groomed him for her on Thursday. He's a sweetie pie. He stays in his "house" while he is at the shop.

This is Melanie, a little terrier mix that the SPCA brought me today. She is also a really nice dog. You should have seen her playing with Gucci. Too cute. This is before. She really wasn't in too bad shape, except around her back area and tail. But, she let me brush her all out and was really good about it.
This is after. We decided she looks like Toto.
I groomed a standard poodle today, on Saturday and on Friday. Two were apricot, one a steel grey. I also bathed two labs on Saturday, and a couple of doodles, too. Tomorrow I have a labradoodle, and bichon, a poodle and a golden retriever puppy. Then, I go see Lyle Lovett! Gotta have some fun in there, too, right! Enjoy.

A couple of new clients

2009-11-05T07:34:00.002-05:00

So for my first week on my own, I've had at least three dogs per day. Yesterday, I had four. Today, I have three.

This is Guinness, he and his "sister" Rory came to The Grooming Room for the first time yesterday. Here's before for him - he was quite the scraggly little guy.

Here's after.
This is Rory, a poodle/lab mix - but mostly poodle. She's a really nice dog. I only have an after pic on her.
This is little Taz in his winter teddy bear cut. So cute. This should make Karlene very happy.
This morning my first appointment is a golden doodle, then two Lhasas in the afternoon.

A good week so far.

Happy Anniversary!!!

2009-11-02T08:56:00.002-05:00

Today is the first anniversary of The Grooming Room. We opened on November 1 of last year (so, really it was yesterday). Congratulations to us for making it through the first and toughest year!

And it is official. Chris and I have signed paperwork, I have transferred utilities to my name, and as of today (well, tomorrow, I'm closed today), The Grooming Room will be run solely by me. Wow, what a difference a year makes. Here's hoping the next one is as good (well, here's hoping it is better!)

Here are a couple of dogs that were in this last week or so. This is a bearded collie named Muppy. His owner brought in two of them, brothers, and they were the last two dogs Chris and I groomed together. I worked the rest of last week by myself to give him time for packing and preparing to go to KY.

This is before...

And after. This breed mostly gets brushed out and cleaned up - no trimming. Still, a cool breed you don't see often. And, best part is she made a follow up appointment for three weeks from now. Great stuff.
This is little Helo, who you have seen before. But he is just SO cute! He was quite moppy when he came in.

I am rearranging the shop with Ba Stopha this week, to give her some more space. I will also be brining in some different furniture, as most of it was Chris's.

My new hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 8:30 am through my last appointment. Evening, early morning and Sunday appointments are available on request. We'll see how it goes for the winter, and may winnow hours down a bit more, or bump them up if needed, too. Trying to be as flexible as possible.

Once again I ask you to keep your fingers crossed for me!

The News...

2009-10-26T20:36:00.001-04:00

Join me in congratulating Chris on his acceptance into the Nash Academy in Lexington, KY where he will be taking advanced grooming courses. His last day in the shop will be Saturday, October 31. I will continue to offer the same quality grooming our clients have come to expect from The Grooming Room.

WOW that is something, isn't it?! Just exactly one year to the day, and I am on my own in my very own shop. Too exciting for words.

Hello Friends!!!

2009-10-22T15:29:00.001-04:00

Been a slow couple weeks at The Grooming Room. BUT there is news coming in a few days---check back early next week for an exciting update of The Grooming Room.

See ya' then, and have a great weekend, all!

Apologies for my long absence

2009-10-12T09:08:00.003-04:00

Sorry for my long absence of blogging. There have been some personal issues I have been dealing with here at home that have prevented my from timely communications with my friends. I think most of them are worked out now, and hopefully I will go back to a more regular schedule.

Things are slowing down for fall at the shop - we have been busy on some days, but mostly not too. Even our Saturday's are slower now. These are a handful of images from the last couple of weeks.

This is Seamus and his new buddy Willow, who belong to Rob S. Not a very good pic, I must say, but....

This is Moses, a Shih Tzu mix, before and
after.
This is a cute little cockapoo, reminds me of Toby a bit.
And this is Josie, Marilyn B's big girl. She and her family just moved out into the hills of Berkshire, and is thrilled to have lots of land to run on now.
Well, that's it for now. Sorry so short but at least it is something. It looks like it may be another slow week, but I'll try and keep you posted in a more timely fashion. Thanks for being patient.

Oh Rainy Monday....

2009-09-28T10:47:00.003-04:00

Things at the shop are going through some changes. As most of you know, we had our shop set up kind of like a living room, with a sofa and chair and carpet for pets (and us) to sit on. Well after a year of this, both pieces had pretty much had it. So no more sofa, no more chair. We are looking at something a little more wash-friendly, maybe fiberglass furniture that we can wash down, or a metal-framed futon with a plastic cover....we'll see what arrives next.

Here are some of the dogs I groomed last week. This is Burt who came in with his "sibling" Tess. Both really nice Schnauzers.

This is Abby, a little terrier mix.
This is a very nice 11 year old Akita named Rikki. Chris wis going to bath her little "brother", an 11 month old boy today.
This is a year-old Westie.
On Saturday, we had two Bernese Mountain dogs first thing in the morning, then a mini-poodle, two standard poodles, a couple of mix breeds in for a bath and finally a big chocolate lab named Conan. A good day.
Chris has several appointments today, as do I tomorrow. We both wish we were both working every day, but we re just not there yet.

Is it Sept 22 already??

2009-09-22T12:17:00.004-04:00

Where do these days go?

Well, I forgot my camera the day I was at the shelter - so no pics to blog. I groomed three dogs there that day, and I believe two are already adopted. That's great.

Here are some pics from the last couple of weeks. We have been slower than we'd like, of course, but busy enough, I guess. Doing more and more poodles, it seems.

Here's one now...

This is Buster, Cheryl K's terrier mix. He's a real sweeteheart.
This is a little toy poodle, weighs about 5 pounds. Before:
After:
You can see Ba Stopha in the background at her grooming station. She was around for a couple of weeks, but left for Florida this week again for a few more weeks. We are not sure when we will see her again.

This is Tavi. She hates everything about being a poodle - doesn't like her clean feet or face.... but, she's a nice looking dog.

Here's Chewie the chocolate Newfie again, here for his second appointment. There was still some undercoat there, but nothing like the first time he was here.

Here he is completed. I groomed him by myself on Saturday, as Chris took a trip to the Groomer's Expo in Hershey PA over the weekend. Chewie must weigh as much as I do. Good thing he helps get himself into the tub!
Yesterday, I had three customer, and Chris has a few today. Keep sending us good thoughts.

Catching up from the Holiday weekend.

2009-09-09T22:09:00.002-04:00

Last week was kind of slower - people going on vacation, preparing for school and such, not really thinking about their pets. I had taken more photos, but they suck! Blurry, half the dog out of the frame, red eye - YUCK.

This is the only good one. This is Mango, and he's a really nice Cocker Spaniel. He was getting his photo professionally taken after his grooming on this day. Hope her pics came out better than mine did.

Aside from Mango, I groomed two cats last week, both really nice ones thankfully. Nothing like getting right back in the saddle. My bite is all healed up now, thankfully. On Saturday, we had four dogs and closed a little early for the holiday. We were closed Monday for Labor Day and had no customers yesterday. But today, we had lots. I groomed five dogs - a mini-poodle, two Border Collies, a Doodle and a Portugese water dog, and Chris groomed a Bernese Mountain dog and a bull mastiff.

He has three dogs tomorrow, and I have a pretty full day on Friday. Tomorrow I am going to the TCSPCA to groom a couple of small dogs, and I will take and post pics. Promise.

Pics from the weekend

2009-08-31T18:56:00.004-04:00

Last week was not as busy as the couple weeks before have been. Ba Stopha of Claws and Paws moved in and has been grooming too. It is really nice to have her there, as she is a wonderful mentor for us. I'll take some pics of her this week, and post them, too.

This is Molly, a Collie/Shep/Malamute mix. LOTS of loose hair, see it all sticking out of her?
Here she is after. It looks like she's lost weight, but that was all hair. Bet she feels better and is a lot cooler now.
This is a little Bichon frise. He has a mohawk! That's the way his owner like him. Makes him look more masculine, he says. OK.
And this is Beau, a Portugese Water Dog. Yes, just like the Obama's have. He's a nice dog. That big puffy head is the breed style. It was a lot puffier when he arrived than when he left.
We also brushed out the two Briard's that we do on Saturday. They were full of burrs and seeds, and needed a good going over. Chris had a slower day today, and I have only one dog so far for tomorrow. Maybe folks are on vacation and getting ready for school and such before the Labor Day Holiday. Still learning the ebb and flow of this business.

Well, it finally happened....

2009-08-31T18:50:00.002-04:00

I got bitten by a cat on Thursday morning. I was brushing out her tail, and she was not liking it. I had her scruffed, but she twisted around in my hand, and bit my left wrist. Ouch. So, off to see the Dr. immediately, who put me on mega-antibiotics. Still, the next day, Friday, it swelled all up and turned red, so that night I wound up in the ER anyway. There was nothing they could do, as I was already on meds, just told me to rest it and use hot compresses. Luckily, it has been fine since then, and is healing nicely. The cat's owner was mortified, but we are still friends.

I guess it was bound to happen at some point, now I can say "that it is over with".

Another SPCA project, and more...

2009-08-25T08:32:00.007-04:00

First, here is the more...Look at the size of this chocolate Newfie! See all that lighter colored hair on his belly, chest and legs? That is all undercoat waiting to come out. Chris, and I for a while too, worked on this dog for almost 4 hours on Saturday. If you scroll down, you can check out a one minute video of Chris blowing out hair before the bath. If you use the high velocity blower with the pointy nozzle, a lot of loose hair just blows out. Makes for brown snow in the shop.

Here is the after pic. See how much browner he looks without all that undercoat? And, the customer was so pleased that she made another appointment for him for 4 weeks away. Good!

This is one of the SPCA projects. Here is matted Shih Tzu number two. Actually, she looks more like a Benji type (remember that movie?). She was in worse shape matt-wise than the first one. I'm not sure if you can tell, but she has hair logs around her legs.

Here she is at the SPCA after her bath. I'm not sure what that spot on her chest is - there wasn't anything there....
Back at the shop...this is Helo, a schnauzer/poodle mix. But he sure looks like mostly poodle. He's not even a year old yet, and he has perfect manners. He has a really good "dad".
This is little Ellie Mae. Ellie and her mom Sharon are moving south to North Carolina, so we will be losing them both to warmer climes. Too bad.
This is Stanford, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and a really breed-typey one. He is a British import, maybe that's why.

Too busy to take photos!

2009-08-17T16:19:00.003-04:00

WOW the last two weeks have been busy. As I said in my last post, we both worked most of that week. Well, we also both worked most of last week, too. I was on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and I worked on Thursday and Chris worked on Wednesday. It's really nice to be this busy.

This is Stella, a little Terrier mix. She's a nice little dog. before:

After:
On Friday, I had five big and hairy dogs in a row. Don't usually get that many large ones in a row like that. This is a chow mix. He's the only one I got a pic of, and this is only the before. No time for others!!
Except for... this little mess of a Shih Tzu! This dog was picked up as a stray by the TCSPCA! Ever heard of a stray Shih Tzu? Me either. Needless to say, she got shaved down, also on Friday. Boy, did she smell bad. She had rolls of fur around her legs, like hair doughnuts. Poor thing.
Look! You can see her face!
On Saturday, we were also busy - I gave a lab and malti-poo a bath, groomed a mini poodle, and tried to make a little Shih Tzu mix feel better with an oatmeal bath - he had terrible hot spots and wasn't feeling too good, poor guy. Chris groomed a Welsh terrier, a cocker spaniel, and a Pomeranian. Today, I went to the TCSPCA and gave Biscuit (above) and another dog named Tolstoy a bath.

Chris was booked for today, and I have two or three appointments tomorrow.

Last week was BUSY!

2009-08-10T19:58:00.003-04:00

So as I mentioned, Chris and I worked every day last week. I worked on a Labradoodle on Tuesday for five hours! So he came in to do the other appointments that we had. Then on Wednesday, there was one extra dog for me. On Thursday, the morning started out busy and we thought he might get to only do a half day. But then one of our poodle people called, and was going away next week, and asked if he could fit her in. So he did.

I groomed this nice white husky who belongs to Ellie Ramirez (who has Canine Companions) on Thursday.

This old Bichon on Thursday...
This mini poodle on Saturday - this is Patches, and it was his first visit to The Grooming Room. He looks happy doesn't he?
This is an old dog named Opie who belongs to one of my former co-workers from Plantations. He is one HAIRY dog here- all those tufts sticking out of him are loose hair. When I started blowing, it looked like it was snowing in the shop.
Here he is finished! Big difference.
Today was slightly quieter - had a mini schnauzer first thing, then a lab and a Pomeranian. Was supposed to have a cat, but she cancelled due to the storm. She'll reschedule, though.

All in all, a good week.

Catching up - AGAIN!

2009-08-07T20:51:00.002-04:00

This week was so busy that both Chris and I worked every day except today. He really got the short end of the stick, as I was on T&THand he wound up working both his T and his Th off.

But, it is great to be busy. Tomorrow, we have enough business for the both of us in the morning. We'll see what happens in the afternoon.

I have some pics to post, but will do so probably on Sunday.

Cat Day Monday, small dog day today.

2009-07-29T20:31:00.002-04:00

On Monday, I groomed 5 (count 'em FIVE!) cats! This was the first one, a repeat customer. Her name is Ella. This is before...

and after. She's an easy groom - I can do her by myself.
Then I bathed a little kitten, bathed and blew two cats who were driving to Florida the next day, and dematted and removed some hair off a big Maine-Coon type who was not a happy camper. I was able to get the matts off, and make him more comfy, but didn't really finish the deed. His people were very helpful, and willing to sacrifice looks for the cat's comfort. Maybe we'll try him again some day....

Today I had six dogs. Three were Maltese, one Shih Tzu and Ollie and Sammy, the springer and cocker from the dog park. Here's Sammy all shaved down.
This is Panda and Izzy relaxing in the Grooming Room after they were finished. They are two sweet and super cute little dogs.
This is Mandy, she's a perfectly mannered older lady.
And this is Snuggles, my finale Maltese - she is not even a year old yet. Here's before:
And after!
Chris had a skunk bath yesterday, and has another one tomorrow. Both standard poodles, too. He has a busy day tomorrow like I did today, and Friday is shaping up to be the same. Pretty weird how Saturday's turn out to be the slow days of the week - how does that work, anyway?!

Today is Saturday 7/26!

2009-07-25T22:18:00.003-04:00

It has been over a week since I blogged - long even for me. Last Saturday, I worked alone and gave Chris the weekend off. I had three appointments. I worked Tuesday and Thursday of this week. Tuesday was really busy. First thing in the morning I took a few loose mats from around the neck and ears of the Golden Retriever - yes, this is a GOLDEN retriever. Her hair is the same color as mine! She belongs to Melody Hammond of Famn Damily Retrievers. Check their website at www.geocities.com/famndamily. She is due to have puppies in October, and the sire is GORGEOUS! And what a good temperament they all have.

This is Beaker, a Shid Tzu mix that Paulette and Ron Chrzaszcz rescued and brought to me for cleaning up. He was skinny, and matted and smelly but otherwise not in too bad shape. He has died and gone to heaven being brought into that family. Good luck to all as they move to OK!
This was my first dog on Thursday. His name is Guyver, and he belongs to the owners of Ithaca Grain, who have been so good to us. He is a smooth coated collie, and he is nine months old. This was his first grooming. I brushed a lot of loose hair out of him, and trimmed his nails, and just got him used to being on a grooming table. He was really good for his first time.
This is Frances, and Airedale. She belongs to a friend that I know from ushering at the State Theatre. This is a close up of her head when finished - This breed is supposed to have a "brick-shaped" head and beard. The ears and top of skull are shaved close.
Here's the full body photo of France. She's a really nice dog.
And this is Frankie, a Husky (duh!) Also a sweet boy.
This is Emma, another Shih Tzu mix rescue that belongs to another friend. This is before - notice all the hair between here eyes.
Here's after with her face all cleaned up and her body hair short for summer.
It was another pretty good week. And Chris returned the favor and let me have today off - my first Saturday off in a while. Thanks Chris! I'm on MWF this week and have two cats to start off with on Monday. We'll see what else the week brings.

Cool dogs!

2009-07-16T09:48:00.002-04:00

So as you may have guessed, I was away for a few days in the Poconos with my family. A great mini-vacation, very relaxing. Thanks to Chris for manning the shop while I was gone.

The rest of last week stayed busy - once again with three or four dogs each day. Chris groomed two standard poodles on Friday, and two more on Saturday! I had four dogs on Thursday before I left and I believe he had three on Friday. Monday was a tad slower with only two dogs.

On Tuesday, though, we had seven dogs! Chris worked with me almost the whole day. I groomed this dog named Pax, a Briard. This is a Chech herding dog. One of our instructors bred and showed Briards but I had not seen one since I left grooming school.

This is Martha, and nice collie mix, who I bathed on Tuesday night.
And yesterday I bathed and groomed Don Ike's nice Golden Retreiver Cassie, who was pretty matted in back - can you see how short the hair is around her tail? She is much happier now. She hung out in the shop with me and Jack and Summer all day, and fit right in with the group. She's a great dog.
And this is Monet, my neighbor Sue N's Shih Tzu mix. His hair goes really short in summer - she calls him her little pug.
Tomorrow was looking good already. Saturday so-so. But a good two weeks all in all.

And now, for something different...

2009-07-07T21:34:00.002-04:00

This is Beth Brunelle. Some of you know her as a TCSPCA volunteer, she is also a client of the shop, and a great friend. She is fighting cancer and was starting to lose her hair from the chemo treatments. Instead of just letting it fall out on it's own, Beth had the great idea of having a head-shaving party - I supplied the clippers and "expertise". Here's Beth's beautiful "doo" after we were all finished. I think she looks stunning, don't you? Send her good vibes for the fight.

This is one of her other friends shaving shapes into Beth's head before the final shave down. See that thing that sort of looks like a lightning bolt on the side of her head - at least that what it was supposed to be... I did that.... Then we shaved it into a mohawk before the final take off.
She was a great good sport about the whole thing. and better than just letting it fall out as it will. Send her good vibes and prayers and thoughts for her continued fight.

Catching up - AGAIN!

2009-07-07T21:20:00.003-04:00

So! What has happened since June 30th?! We were pretty busy last week - up to about four dogs each a day again. I groomed Jackson - a Shepherd/poodle mix on Friday - actually, he just got a brush out and bath. He runs abut 100 miles a week with his mom, who is a triathalon-er...

Also on Friday was this Cavalier King Charles Spaniel whose name is Cookie Dough. Cute name, eh?
Saturday we were closed for the Fourth of July. Chris had two dogs yesterday. I had five today - this Aussie Shepherd named Daisy, who is a handful on the table, and a sweetheart off it. Here she is sitting on the back of the couch looking out the garage door window waiting for her mom to pick her up.
This is a little Westie named Frances. She also got a brush out and bath. You may be able to see that her left front leg is bent due to an injury. She gets along just fine on three legs though, and boy can she move fast, too.
This is Miley, Sally Compton's new Lhasa Apso. What a nice dog to groom! Sally and Pete hung out with me while I groomed her so we had a chance to catch up. They need to change her name, though, don't you think?

A couple of slow weeks

2009-06-30T12:32:00.002-04:00

Last week was one of our slower summer weeks. Chris had no customers on Monday, and I think we had only one or two each day the rest of the week except for Friday, which was pretty busy for Chris. We only had four customers on Saturday - pretty low for a Saturday.

This is Seamus, Katy Noonan's little rescue Shih Tzu mix. Here's before:

And after. Look how much his face brightens up when you can see his eyes. And notice the one blue one!
This is Roscoe, the little poodle mix from next door. He was also groomed on Saturday.
Yesterday (Monday) I had Rain the Samoyed in the morning, and then this Wheaten Terrier in the afternoon. Here's the before.
And after. We have a bunch of Wheatens all of a sudden, and they are all around the same age, too.
Today Chris had two or three dogs, and I have three tomorrow, so this week is looking better already. We will be closed on Saturday for the Fourth of July Holiday.

Catching up.

2009-06-22T16:18:00.003-04:00

So. To catch up. After our busy Saturday of last week, things did slow down a bit this past week.

I had four dogs each on Monday and Wednesday of the week, Chris had that many on Tuesday, too. Thursday was a bit slower, and Friday, I had three appointments - two dogs and a cat.

This is a terrible photo of this little mini poodle -- her face is moving so it looks like she has a growth on her muzzle. But it does show how much her hair had grown.

Here she is cleaned up - clean face and feet and trimmed down on the body.
This is Karlene's little Pom Taz in his little teddy bear cut for the summer.
This is Poppy a tiny Bichon that I groomed on Saturday. This past Saturday was one of those slow days - only two appointments all day.
So after two weeks of business, things have slowed down again. This week did not have too many appointments on the calendar. We'll see what materializes. Here's hoping.

Back to Thursday - and today, too.

2009-06-13T20:10:00.003-04:00

So for the last several weeks, each consecutive week has been busier than the last. Let's hope it is a trend.

Thursday started out with Nancy A.'s two Akita's Kuro and Nikka. This is the big K. Love these two dogs. Lots of hair blew out of K, but not so much with Nikka. Chris started out with Cal Warren's lab Rince. Then he moved on to a chow/collie mix, also lots of hair.

After Nikka, I groomed this little rescued bichon/poodle mix named Sally. She got shaved down. Here's before. Again, lots of hair.
Here's after. See that long body - that is all Bichon, not so much poodle. While I was doing Sally, Chris was working on Jackson, the big black doodle that we do who needed a skunk bath and all his smelly hair cut off. He looked really good when he was done, but I have no pics.
After that Chris bathed Cooper the Aussie mix we see at the dog park, and I bathed Murphy my neighbor Barbara's big black hairy dog, and finally another lab mix last. Nine dogs - whew! I got home around 7pm. Chris had three dogs on Friday.

Today (Saturday) I started with this schnoodle (schnauzer/poodle) mix named Margo. Chris groomed Heather Mott's other Golden, Harley (we did Casey last Saturday).
Next were these two Aussie shepherds (also a recommendation from Mary Dauber - thanks Mary) - the older one is Cooper and the puppy is Bear. That's Chris in the background.
I had time to bathe Aspen, and Chris worked on his Cocker Madelaine.

This was the last dog of the day - a sheltie/jack russell/poodle mix. What a CUTE dog this is - his name is Crackers. OMG is he cute, or what???
On Monday I have Maria B.'s two Shih Tzu's and a Bichon mix. Let's hope for another good week.

Oh, and it is official - Ba Stopha of Claws and Paws is moving her shop in with ours at the end of the month. She will be keeping her name and her clients - she will simply be sharing our space. This will work out great for all of us - she loses the overhead of having her own shop, we gain a great mentor. Should be fun.

Today!

2009-06-11T21:35:00.002-04:00

Chris and I groomed NINE dogs today! Yeah.

Will post pics tomorrow morning.

Catching up.

2009-06-10T08:01:00.004-04:00

So to catch up from last week: After our busy day on Wednesday, Chris had a husky and a papillon on Thursday, along with at least one other dog. On Friday I was also busy, with two standard poodles, Mango, a cocker mix and one other dog. This is Apollo, a BIG apricot standard, before the groom.

And after. Big difference. That's Mango the cocker in the background, and Aspen on the sofa.
This is Cameo, a very nice black standard, also before.
and after. That reflection is from her cool reflective collar.
On Saturday, we groomed 6 or 7 dogs. Two more standard poodles (where are they all coming from all of a sudden?!), Max, the sheltie, and chow mix and a couple others. Pretty bad that I can't remember them all, isn't it? This is Sadie, Peggy Haine's nice terrier mix, after.
Chris had only one dog on Monday. Yesterday, I had four dogs - two maltese, a yorkie, a shih tzu and.... This is Chubby, the Shih Tzu, after. He's OLD.
These are the two Maltese - Panda on the left and Izzy on the right.
And this is a dog called a Munsterlander - it is a hunting dog similar to a spaniel type. Another breed we'd never seen here. This is before.
This is after - all that long hair is gone, especially on top of his head. I left the feathers on his legs, and under his belly.
Chris has at least two dogs today, and I have four scheduled for tomorrow - Nancy A's two Akita's, a shy rescued mini-poodle, and Cooper the Aussie mix that comes in periodically. WE will see what Saturday brings us.

OK, so I'm a once a week blogger....

2009-06-03T20:29:00.003-04:00

Chris groomed three dogs on Saturday while I was in NJ. On Monday, I groomed Marvin, one of our monthly Shih Tzus, this doodle Charlie (see Aspen behind him on the sofa?), another doodle puppy - only 12 weeks old, and did nails only on an old Basset that we also do monthly.

Yesterday Chris was busy - he had four dogs total, I believe - a standard poodle and a golden retriever, and two more. Today, we had eight (!) dogs. Chris and I worked together the whole day. Nice to be that busy on a weekday. He did Ollie and Sammy ( a springer spaniel and a cocker spaniel that we know from the dog park), while I groomed a Peke-a-poo. Cheryl K. another SPCA volunteer brought in her three dogs - this is one of them - Buster the labradoodle. Here he is in the bathtub.
And here he is finished. That's Ollie the cocker behind him. He came in with a lab mix named Oban and an Aussie mix named Kanga (as in Kanga-roo!). Lastly, I groomed a really nice mini schnauzer named Jessye. No pics, though.
And yesterday, after all his grooming, Chris and his partner Clement hung up our SIGN!!!!!
Looks good, doesn't it?

Today is Thursday!!!

2009-05-28T19:58:00.002-04:00

This week I worked Tuesday and Thursday. Last Saturday was busy - we had two dogs at 8:00 am - Petals, Carol and Steve's dog, and a big collie mix named Charlie that Chris did. Blew a ton of hair out of that dog. Then I bathed a lab mix and we did two standard poodles and a hound mix in the afternoon. It was our Learning Web student, Nadia's, last day with us. Monday was the holiday. Tuesday I groomed 5 (count 'em FIVE!) Shih Tzu's all belonging to one man. They arrived at 8:00 am and left around 5:30 pm.

Chris had two dogs yesterday.

Today I had a cat in the morning, this Shih Tzu named Otis in the middle of the day, and

this Tibetan Terrier named Caspar at the end of the day. I also gave Jack a bath today.
We have heard that a fellow groomer, Kathy of Town & Country Groomer in Lansing has had to close her shop, as one of her sons has a brain tumor! Our hearts go out to her and her family. We are getting calls from a lot of her customers, which I don't mind, but I HATE the reason are getting those calls.

Chris will groom two more poodles, a cocker spaniel, and one more dog tomorrow, and he is on his own on Saturday, as I have to go to NJ for a family thing.

I work MWF next week, and already have several appointments on each day. Yippee!

FINALLY here I am

2009-05-22T20:32:00.004-04:00

OK! So this past week had it's up's and down's. Saturday was busy enough - I was on alone, and had enough clients to keep me busy all day. Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday I had three no-shows, two cats and one dog. Those are the first of those we have had. I had one or two customers those first three days. Wednesday I did not have customer until 4:30, and then wound up staying until 6:30. That's just the way it goes some days.

This is a little Bichon puppy I did early in the week - I'm not even sure which day. Here's before.

After.
On Wednesday or Thursday, I had this big Old English Sheepdog named Charlie. He is one big old hairy dog. Or was. Before.
After. Big difference.
This is my friends Carol and Michael's dog Simon. Simon is 14 and still going strong. He gets shaved down every summer. Here's before. He looks a little like Jack, no?
Here's after. He's a sweety!
This is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Cookie Dough. He's a young man, only 2 years old.
This is one of those rare breeds we don't see much - a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever! He belongs to my friend Kristin Ahlness, another Audrey Edelman realtor. Isn't she a beauty? I'd never seen a full grown one of this breed, only puppies.
And this dog is Aspen, the Cayuga Dog Rescue dog I groomed last week, and my current foster dog. Isn't she adorable?
Both Thursday and today, I was plenty busy. Today I did a big doodle, two cats, and two more dogs. We have lots of business tomorrow, too. Chris is back with me tomorrow, and it's a good thing. There are too many appointments for me to do on my own. Are things finally turning around again?

I'm such a bad blogger!

2009-05-21T20:45:00.002-04:00

I know, I know I haven't posted in days.

I am at the shop every day this week, as Chris is away. And I have photos to post.

I just don't have time to post them....

Maybe tomorrow? Maybe Saturday? Maybe not until Sunday....

I've had some slow days and some busy days this week. About par though, on a whole.

More soon, I promise...

A better day

2009-05-12T21:07:00.002-04:00

So after our dismal Saturday, Monday was the first day since Feb 25 that we had 0 zlich nada not one customer. Ouch.

But today I had three, Maria B. with her two Shih Tzus, Ann S. with the little Yorkie Goldie, and a pain in the a** bichon puppy named Poppy. Should have had a cat to, but no show.

And Chris has three dogs and a cat tomorrow, too. So the week is looking up!

You all must be sending good vibes our way. Thanks. Keep up the good work.

This past week

2009-05-09T15:32:00.002-04:00

Let's see - I last posted on Monday, and this is Saturday. So much for posting every day.

Anyway, this is Lucy a Bichon mix puppy. She's learning how to stand still for grooming, and improves each time. I groomed her on Monday in the morning, and then groomed a cat in the evening. The cat's people stayed to help me with her. She was BIG.

On Tuesday, Chris had a quiet day. On Wednesday, I groomed this nice English Setter belonging to Kelly S., on of my friends from Cornell Plantations, and bathed a little husky mix named Carly.

I think there was one other on Wednesday, but I can' think of who it was right now.

Chris had two dogs on Thursday, a poodle puppy and a Terrier mix.

This dog is also named Carly, a sweet Aussie shepherd that I groomed on Friday morning.

This little dog, named Pip, is a chihuahua/terrier mix. Look at those ears! She was rescued by her people from a yard in Groton, and weighed half what she does now. See all that rough wire hair around her collar? Here you see it:
Here you don't. This is the nicest little dog - stayed on my lap while I ate my lunch, and then watched me de-matt a 130 lb breeding male Newfoundland named Fletcher until her mom came.

Fletcher belongs to Lois McFall of McFall Newfoundlands. I took some pics, but they came out pretty bad. It was his first groom, and he started out nervous, but settled down into a calm dude. Even fell asleep for a little bit while we were brushing him out. Lois stayed with me and helped with the lifting and brushing, and it was great to get to know her. They have puppies now, too!

Today, Saturday, the only appointment we had was Chickadee the Chinook. So after Chris came in, I came home to do some gardening and such. But now a thunderstorm has chased me inside - that's OK, as I'm overdue for blogging anyway. Next week looks like it may be another slow one. Keep your fingers for us that is gets busy again.

Thursday, Saturday and Monday.

2009-05-04T19:09:00.002-04:00

It was pretty dead at the shop on Thursday. I had one customer walk in for nails, and gave Obi Wan the little Jack Russel a bath. That's it. Long, slow day.

Chris was busy both Wednesday and Friday, though. It is so hard to predict!

Saturday was back to normal - but I forgot my camera, so no pics at all from then. Started out with a cat, groomed an old Border Collie while Chris did a spaniel mix and a Maltese, did a big Goldendoodle's first groom...one more I think. We were there late, which is fine.

Today was slow again. I had Lucy the little Bichon mix puppy in the morning, who I have pics of but I left the camera in the shop (can't seem to remember to carry that thing around with me!), and then nothing until 6pm when I just did another lion cut on a cat. Good thing our instructor Sue convinced us that cats are worth doing, because they are! Now I just need to get pics of some of them.

I already have two appointments for Wednesday, so that will keep me busy.

Tuesday this week

2009-04-29T19:17:00.003-04:00

On Tuesday, I groomed three small dogs. The first was Cromwell, who I don't have any pics of.

This is Stella. I had expected Stella the doodle (big dog) but it was Stella the terrier mix - not a big dog at all. Here she is before.

They asked for her short summer cut, and here she is after.
This is little Rosco, the dog who lives next door to me. He and Jack are good buds. Rosco is a Chihuahua/poodle mix, and he weighs about 5 pounds. Here he is before.
And after. His tongue is always out!

Chris was busy today - Diesel the Shih Tzu in the morning, then a new customer with a Portuguese Water Dog, and a dog in the afternoon, too I believe. I know I have at least one customer in the morning tomorrow, a cat, I think. Hopefully the afternoon will get busier. And we have two appointments for Saturday already. Busy, I like it busy!

What gives with these Saturdays?

2009-04-26T19:34:00.004-04:00

So once again my pics are out or order....this one should be at the bottom, with the pictures of Taz, Karlene's Pom mix. This is the image she sent me of how she wanted Taz to look when he was finished. Is she not the cutest thing? Hold onto this image for a moment....

These images are from Friday - this is Jackson, a poodle/shepherd mix. He is a really nice, really big dog -must weigh over 100 pounds. His owner runs about 50 miles a week with him, and he is in terrific condition. His coat has been pretty long through winter, but she asked for the summer clip this time. This is before - see how shaggy he is?
This is after. He looks just like black velvet.
This is Ruby, who was not too matted, but her owner asked for lion cut anyway. Lion cut is where you take away all hair below the ruff, along the entire body, and leave the tail and feet. Here's before.
This is after. It's hard to see her as she had already taken refuge in her carrier, but you can see the side of her body shaved down.
So Friday was OK, I had three customers that day. Last Saturday, while I was at the Pet Expo, Chris was so busy that he had customers roll over into Sunday. So busy. I was hoping for the same for this Saturday. Maybe it was the nice weather or something, but I had ONE (count 'em 1) customer all day. And it was Taz. Now, remember back to that first image of how Karlene wanted him to look. Here he is before in a more traditional Pom cut.
And here he is after. Looks an awful lot like that first image, doesn't it? I was pretty proud of myself. Again, just too cute for words.
I am off tomorrow, hopefully the week will pick up where last week left off. I'll let you know on Tuesday how the week is shaping up.

Monday and Wednesday

2009-04-23T22:01:00.004-04:00

I groomed this cute little dog on Monday. She got her summer cut. We are doing a lot of those these days. Here's before:

This is after.
Here's another who got her summer cut. This is Lilly, a rescued Shih Tzu, before:
And after. You can see her eyes.
This is a Cayuga Dog Rescue dog named Winney. She is a chow/sheltie mix as near as we can guess. She arrived from a shelter in Ohio or Kentucky last week. She is 10 years old, and is in foster care with CDR until she can find her forever home. Winney got a bath and brushed out, had her feet and nails trimmed too. She had a lot of loose hair, and a few mats. She is a sweetheart!
Here she is with her foster mom, Audrey.
Today I went in to help Chris with a big fluffy orange cat named.....Fluffy. He got a lion cut, and it took both of us to do him - one to hold, and one to use the clippers. His mom was one of the people I spoke to at the Pet Expo on Saturday.

I am also grooming an English Setter tomorrow, for another person I spoke to on Saturday. Those two new clients already make spending the day at the Expo worth it.

Images from the Pet Expo

2009-04-20T07:12:00.002-04:00

The World of Pets Expo at the mall on Saturday was pretty good - better than I expected given the lack of advertising and the beautiful day outside. There were plenty of people walking around - some with their dogs. This is my table all set up with magnets, treats for dogs and people, and the laptop with website pulled up. My grooming table is in the back, as I offered brush outs for dogs.

This is a Kinkajou. There was a group called "Wildlife Education Coalition across from me. They had a small alligator, a couple of birds, a big snake and a marmoset. Pretty cool, and a good draw for people to our area.
This is Henry the Great Dane, one of the ambassadors from the CU Vet School, next to a therapy pony. They are the same size! There were two therapy ponies walking around for a while - very cool animals. Henry was not too sure about the whole idea, though.
I gave two brush outs only, but gave away lots of magnets and talked to lots of people, so hopefully we will get some clients out of the deal. Carolyn Miller, who runs Rochester Institute of Dog Grooming, where Chris and I went to school last summer, was there with retail grooming equipment from her Groomer's Outlet. It was great to see her, but her booth was way down the mall from me. The SPCA was there, along with the Finger Lakes Kennel Club and Greyhound Rescue. A good day all around.

The World of Pets Expo TOMORROW!

2009-04-17T10:28:00.003-04:00

The Shops at Ithaca Mall and The Good Life Magazine are hosting

The World of Pets Expo tomorrow from 10:00 am through 6:00 pm.

There will be booths specializing in areas of pet care, grooming, treats and toys, fencing, adoption and so much more. The Tompkins County SPCA will be there with cats for adoption, as well as the Greyhound Rescue group, and many more.

I will be there staffing The Grooming Room table, and will be offering brush outs for your dog and nail trimmings too. People are allowed to bring their dog or cat into the mall with them for this event.

Should be lots of fun, and interesting, too! Be sure to stop by and see me.

Here is the link: http://explorethegoodlife.com/2009/03/pet-expo/

Catching up.

2009-04-17T10:14:00.004-04:00

This is Shasta, my good friend Mary H.'s dog. She's an SPCA puppy, and not too comfortable on the grooming table, as you can tell from her sort of bent-over posture. She gets a bath and brushed out, and is getting used to the whole procedure. She's a real sweetie. Mary has several dogs, two of which are SPCA dogs, and is the A-#1 dog volunteer at the shelter.

These are two Yorkies, Toby and Lola, relaxing after their grooming. They are just too cute for words.
This is a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who came to Ithaca all the way from Brooklyn to be groomed.
This is Xena, who is available for adoption at the SPCA. I groomed her on Tuesday.
This is Lady, an elderly girl who is also very sweet. This is before.
Here she is after.
And this is lovely Rain, after. I love how Samoyeds look SO happy!
And this is everyone's favorite, Toby.
I also groomed a cat on Wednesday, but once again forgot the photos. Maybe one of these days....

Another Cool Connection

2009-04-17T09:55:00.002-04:00

Another of our customers, Gossa Tsegaye, who brings us Ruby the little Wheaten terrier puppy, is a film maker at Ithaca College! Chris has groomed Ruby when she has come to us, so I don't have any photos of her, but she is a cutie.

Here's the info about Gossa's film, (it is in the Ithaca Journal today). The headline is

Takeover story paints a 'Vision of Struggle'.

Here's a quote from the article: Soon the images of the Willard Straight Hall takeover will meet the voices of those who lived through it in a new film by Gossa Tsegaye. The black and white half hour film called 'Vision of the Struggle: A Look at the Willard Straight Takeover' will be shown May 7th at The History Center in Tompkins County to reflect on the 1969 event, History Center officials said.

This relates to the 1969 takeover of Willard Straight Hall on Cornell University campus by armed students.

The article goes on to say that: Tsegaya is a documentary filmmaker and assistant professor at Ithaca College. His film is a retrospective look at the takeover and how it impacted both Cornell and Ithaca communities and features rare footage from the event as well as interviews with many key players.

Pretty interesting stuff out customers do, don't you think???

A nice connection

2009-04-13T20:45:00.002-04:00

I noticed a nice connection with Daisy's mom (the Labradoodle I blogged about on Friday). Daisy's mom's name is Katy Gottschalk, she works at CU. She is giving a lecture tomorrow, April 14th at 4:30 pm. Here's what the little blurb in the Ithaca Journal said

"Professor Katy Gottschalk will lecture on the topic "Omit Needless Words: The Strunk and White Phenomenon" at 4:30 pm April 14th in celebration of the 50th Anniversary of "The Elements of Style." White's papers and many editions of the book will also be on display. The lecture will take place in 2B48 Kroch Library, Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections on the CU campus. This event is free and open to the public.

I love finding these connections between our customers and the world at large. Go Katy!

Friday (and Saturday)?

2009-04-10T19:42:00.002-04:00

So after three (count 'em three!) days off in a row (thank you, Chris!) I was back in the shop today. Chris groomed four dogs on Tuesday, two on Wednesday and one yesterday. An average week. This is Daisy, she's a labradoodle. This is her second visit to us. She's a really good dog. This is before.

This is after. This is her summer haircut - much shorter than it was, and a lot shorter than her winter doo. She has a really nice coat that scissors very nicely. Fun to groom. Still a three hour dog.
I also had a walk-in Great Pyrenees one year old "puppy" named Leah. This was her first groom, not only that but her first bath. She was not a happy camper. Didn't like the water. Liked the dryer even less. So rather than stress her out, she left the shop on the damp side. Her person was OK with it, as she only came in because she had rolled in some poopy (yucky) and he just wanted her clean, which she was.

Maybe next time she'll be a little more used to us and we'll be able to do more.

Tomorrow I have Mary H.'s SPCA dog Shasta. I'll be sure to take a pic of her, but I won't be posting until Monday, as I'm heading to PA for Easter with the family. On a personal note, my dog Jack had some minor surgery on Tuesday, but he is fine now. They were not able to remove the thing that needed removing, but with some luck it will not bother him (too much) I hope.

Happy Easter, all.

Saturday and Monday

2009-04-07T21:01:00.002-04:00

Ach! Forgot to upload these in reverse, so they are all backwards time-wise. Oh well. On Monday, I had two Am. Cocker Spaniels walk in. This is Toad (funny name for a dog?) this is after. They were both super dogs.

This is before - here he is in the bath tub. Some pure-bred Cockers have lots of health issues and Toad is one of those. He has skin allergies, and ear infections, and lip fold infections. His owner is really good at managing all his issues, though. Good for Toad.
This is his buddy, Buddy. After only. I should have a before on him, as he was pretty fuzzy all over. Black dogs so hard to photograph. Maybe you can see on these guys that little "fuzz" of hair over their brows that cockers are supposed to have. They get smooth face and neck and top of head and hears except for that little puff above the eyes. Fun dogs to groom, though. And I'm getting quicker at them, too.
This is Sadie, the larger of the two labradoodles that were in on Saturday. Her sister Stella is a little smaller and has curlier hair. This is after.
This is before. Chris groomed another Airedale, named Frances, and we also had a lab/Bernese mix for a bath and blow. Four dogs on a Saturday is OK, but not great.

I had the two on Monday, Chris had a doodle, two poodles and Chickadee the Chinook again today. My dog Jack had to have minor surgery today, and Chris is picking up my Wednesday so I can pick him up tomorrow and get him settled at home. So I don't get to the shop again until Friday.

See you all then!

Ode to Mr. Quigley

2009-04-06T21:06:00.003-04:00

Today Mr. Quigley went over the rainbow bridge. Our hearts go out to Maureen and Lis. We know there are many friends to meet him on the other side and show him home. Still, we will miss him terribly. Maureen and Lis made his last few years wonderful as could be. They loved him, he loved them back. They treated him as a king - as he deserved to be treated.

Maureen and Lis, treasure those good memories. Keep him close to you in your hearts, as will Chris and I. Our thoughts and prayers are with you both.

Two dogs named Charlie

2009-04-02T21:02:00.002-04:00

This is Charlie the Golden Doodle - this is the after pic. Look at how nice and smooth his legs look.

I also bathed Charlie the poodle I groom every two weeks. These two dogs look very similar except for size. And you should have seen them playing with each other. Too funny.

The cat I had scheduled re-scheduled to tomorrow. But, I did get another call for a cat who was skunked but good. So I did wash a cat, just not the cat I was supposed to do. And boy, did she stink! It's a good thing that peroxide/soap/baking soda mixture works. Two good soakings and she hardly smelled at all. And was her mom glad.

Unfortunately, I still smell skunk. Must be on my clothes or in my nose or something...

We have two more doodles on Saturday morning, Sadie and Stella the two we groom once a month. I'll be sure to take their pics, too.

Pics from last week

2009-03-31T19:48:00.003-04:00

Look, two posts in two days!

This is Zippo the Airedale. Bad reflection at the top of his head, though. Look at his tail wagging.

This is Chickadee, the Chinook. She's happy to be finished.
This dog looked a lot like Jack when he came in - lots o f wavy curls. His name is Buddy, and he's a Spaniel/Beagle mix.
This is Lucy, a Bichon/Cocker mix. She's still a puppy. I forgot the before pic before the tub, but I wanted to show how long her hair was. She was somewhat matted under there, too. I had to clip some of it out with a short blade. I did some breed research over the weekend to see if it was too early to cut her puppy coat down. But, being that the mats were there, the owner and I thought it best to remove some of the length - make them both more comfortable.
This is after. She's CUTE! Her owner was in an auto accident right outside the shop today - got backed into by a big black pick up - right into her driver side door while she was in the car. He put his truck in reverse, didn't look back, and plowed right into her.

So, we got to keep Lucy with us for a while while the police came, and the tow truck came....
Lucy got to play with Marvin the Shih Tzu while she was here. Here's his before. He's a sweetie, too, and also still a puppy.
Here's his after.

I also did Isis the old white Husky today. Chris had a HUGE day yesterday, I think he did 6 or 7 dogs, including Charlie the poodle, Maria B.'s two Shih Tzu's, Catie one of our other Wheaten terriers, and a couple of new dogs, too. Good for him!

So I won't blog tomorrow, because I will be home - nothing to post about. Thursday I have an appointment with a long haired cat, and I will take pics of that process. I haven't blogged too much about the cats we have done yet.

Last week was better

2009-03-30T10:19:00.003-04:00

Hi friends.

I am going to try and be a better blogger and post more than once a week. Last week did pick up. Monday was slow, with only one customer. I spent the day creating a database for our customer information. Tuesday, Chris had two. Wednesday, I had two or three. Thursday, Chris had a Cocker Spaniel and a Springer Spaniel at the same time, so I came in and helped him get them done quickly. Friday was pretty busy. He came in to help me. First, Sarah McN came in with her new rescue dog, a cute husky mix named Otto. I shave my first cat down on Friday, long hair totally matted NO hair left when I was finished. And that took a LONG time. Chris groomed Zippo the Airedale while I was doing that. I groomed a dog named Chickadee who is a breed called a "Chinook". I have photos of Zippo and Chickadee, but I left my camera at the shop (will pick it up later today and post them). I looked in the rare dog breeds book, and she was in there. Nice dog, too. Then I had an elderly Golden who was very sweet. She also took a while, as she was pretty much laying down the whole time I was brushing her out.

On Saturday, I had a spaniel mix in the morning, we had another Brittany later that morning, a bichon and last but not least a collie mix. I went straight from the shop to the State Theatre to usher for the Preservation Jazz band/Blind Boys of Alabama show, which was terrific.

I also had a wonderful birthday on Friday, thanks to many of you. Good week all around. Today, Chris has two dogs. I have at least one tomorrow. Let's hope April is as good as (better than!) March.

A slow week, and weekend

2009-03-22T18:31:00.002-04:00

This past week was pretty slow, we are guessing because it was spring break and lots of folks were away. We had on dog each day during the week - that's it. Not even Saturday was busy. Chris and I spent the morning on Saturday driving around to kennels and even other groomers introducing ourselves and saying hello. It was very useful, and informing, too.

We did do a couple of sets of nails, two dogs nails and two cats nails, and Lucy the doodle puppy came in at the end of the day - that was pretty much it. I have been dealing with this endless head cold all week (which I STILL have, BTW) and so left the shop around 4pm.

I am on MWF this week, and we are hoping things will pick up again.

I have a busy end of the week - I'm giving a session on bathing shelter dogs at the TCSPCA on Thursday, Friday is my Birthday celebration with my girls, and Saturday I am ushering at the Blind Boys/Preservation Hall Jazz band a the State theatre. I'll be a tired but happy camper by then.

Friday and Saturday

2009-03-16T18:56:00.004-04:00

This is Peggy Haine's cute dog, named Sadie. This is the first time she visited us, and we were so glad to have her in the shop.

Peggy sent a very nice note of thanks for Sadie's haircut. What a sweetie, yes?
This is Mr. Quigly. He is a PBGV - Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen. He has an interesting story. He used to live in a no-kill shelter in Middletown NY called PetsAlive. It was run by a woman who did great job, accepting retired carriage horses from NYC, and farm animals, and pets too. Until she developed cancer. She said she could still care for all those animals, but of course she couldn't. Things went down hill. When she passed away, Best Friends Animal Society, a great no-kill shelter located in Kanab, Utah took over. They did a TON of work, excavating lots of feces from the barns, putting up fences for the farm animals to get outside again, getting dogs and cats out into the sunshine. Their blog was amazing. This was a couple o f years ago. They are now up and running fine again, with a new board of directors and such, and doing a great job again. This guy came from PetsAlive. He was adopted by two great women, and because I am an "ambassador" for Best Friends, when they asked for a volunteer to do a home inspection in Ithaca, I was able to do it.
So Quigley has been living in Ithaca the last couple of years. He is an OLD man, maybe 15 or more. He has lots of lumps and bumps all over him. But he seems to know how lucky he is to have this great life now. Here he is groomed. His coat is so silky, and that silvery color is so unusual.
This is Kashi, also an unusually colored Cocker. Unfortunately, my camera batteries died here, so I don't have the after on her. She left with about 1/4" of hair on her body, and a little more than that on her legs. She looked REALLY different.
So on Friday I groomed Sadie, and three other dogs. On Saturday, Chris and I groomed seven dogs - aside from Kashi and Quigley, we groomed two labs and two Aussie shepherds, and Petals, my friend Carol's dog too. We had great assistance from Nadia, our Learning Web student, who washed and dried three dogs for us. She is learning lots of stuff, and I think she is enjoying herself, too.

This week so far looks slow. If every day were like Saturday, we would be golden. Here's hoping it picks up.

Last week, and part of this.

2009-03-12T09:54:00.002-04:00

This is Percy, my neighbor Anne and Steve's dog. Mostly Belgian Shepherd, wouldn't you say? He is so handsome here, and SO happy he is finished with grooming! Percy is a nervous boy, but a good one. We had I think one day last week with no customers. Saturday was busy again.

This week has been good so far. I had three dogs on Monday, Chris had three on Tuesday, and I had three yesterday! This is Cromwell. He was quite the mess. Can you see how all the hair around his mouth is brown and stuck together? He is also a good dog, though, and stands perfectly still while you groom him. His mom, Rose, works next door at Novarre Mackesey.
Now that's better!
This is Caspar, Joy W's 15 year old poodle. He can't see or hear too well anymore...before:
After! Look at those nice eyes (and yes, his legs are like that on purpose, for medical reasons...)
I have two dogs on Friday, that's a good start. Thanks for all your good thoughts, keep them coming.

Long time...

2009-03-04T15:33:00.002-05:00

So the last time I blogged was over a week ago! Time does fly. We had some quiet days last week, some OK ones. This is Milo, a white and red Cocker spaniel. Here is before:

Here is after:
He is owned by a vet student, and is such a sweetie! Don't usually see many cocker's this color. On Saturday, we had SEVEN dogs! Great day. Two golden retrievers, a doodle and a Portugese water dog, a german shepherd, a lab, and Lucy the little doodle puppy. Busy day, but good. We also have a Learning Web student who started with us on Saturday, to find out if she wants to work with animals or be a groomer. Cool kid.

After Saturday, I left for a Pocono weekend with my girlfriends. Fun times!

On Tuesday, I groomed Karlene's Pom Taz (who I neglected to get a pic of AGAIN sorry Karlene) and this little dog of Shawne G.'s. Her name is Phoebe, and another sweetie.

This is before:
This is after:
We are starting to get more and more return clients, we now have several once-a-month clients, which is so good. We hope these Saturday's continue to be quite busy, and that the week days pick up soon too. Once again, keep your fingers crossed for us!

Of Doodles and skunks

2009-02-24T21:12:00.003-05:00

On Saturday, we had a pretty good day. It was doodle day. Judy A. brought in her two golden doodles. After that, I groomed two small dogs, a Bichon puppy, and a peke a poo, while Chris did this handsome Labradoodle. This is a very nice, very cool looking dog, and a real sweetie, too.

On Monday, it was skunk bath day for me - Nancy A. brought Nikka in, who got into a skunk the night before. Here Nancy is with Nikka and Jack. This is post groom.

Then I went up to the SPCA and picked up a petit little red husky who also needed a skunk bath. Finally, I bathed Isis, the white husky at the end of the day.

Today, Chris had Kelly S's cocker Fozzie, and then two Shih Tzu's. I'm not sure who I have tomorrow - but here's hoping it is busy. We sure are looking forward to the end of February here - it sure has been cold, and we are ALL tired of it.

End of this weeek

2009-02-20T12:52:00.002-05:00

It was quiet for Chris on Wednesday - only one dog. On Thursday, I bathed and blew out these two nice poodles. This is Annie, with Jack. These dogs belong to my friend Ellie H, another long-time SPCA volunteer. What great dogs!

This is Charlie. This was their interim groom - no clipping, just bath and brush out. They look good!
Chris was working on a cat when I spoke with him this morning, and had an old english sheepdog waiting, too. That's good. Again, we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Today is Wednesday, right?

2009-02-18T15:13:00.003-05:00

On Monday, there was one dog on the schedule - but Chris wound up with four. On Tuesday, there were no dogs on the schedule, but I wound up with three. Today, he had one on the schedule - we'll see where it winds up. So, things ARE picking up.

This is Nemo, a little rescue Shih Tzu - before:

After.
And this is Molly, a pretty red Aussie shep. Don't see too many her color. Look at her pretty gold eyes.
We will see what tomorrow brings, friends. Keep your fingers crossed still, please.

Scarves for sale, too

2009-02-16T11:28:00.003-05:00

In my ongoing effort to keep funds flowing in, I have made some more velvet embossed scarves, theoretically for Valentines day, but that is now past.....

They are for sale at The Kitschen Sink, located at 210 Elmira Road in Ithaca. Kitschen Sink is a great, eclectic mix of jewelry, art, antiques and collectables and more. It is run by Lizzie Tilley. Go check it out. Fun Stuff!

Catching up.

2009-02-16T11:20:00.005-05:00

So where are we?

We have been doing OK. Some days slow, some days not too bad. I think I had three dogs last Monday. Chris had a couple on Tuesday. I had NONE on Wednesday, again a couple on Thursday and I had two on Friday. We had four on Saturday - two new, two repeats. So that is good. This is Midnight, a very nice mini-Schnauzer I groomed on Friday. He looks good, doesn't he? I also did Charlie, Micky Roof's dog, and Isis the white husky, and Cooper the Aussie-mix... It's nice getting to know the dogs, and the owners, too.

Chris has Monty, the Bernese Mountain dog today, and Zee Zee the Marremma shepherd on Wednesday - two great repeat customers. Onward and upward?

The Website is UP! The website is UP!

2009-02-11T19:32:00.002-05:00

Here it is

What do you all think????? Yippee!

Busy/Slow week

2009-02-06T19:46:00.002-05:00

Well, the beginning of the week started out good. Chris had two dogs on Monday, I had three on Tuesday. On Wednesday, I was supposed to be off, but we had six (COUNT EM 6) dogs, so I was there most of the day. Then came Thursday....dead..... but, not bad for the first week in Feb. I have lots of people telling me "I'll be there, but I'll be there in a month" so, in a month we will be slammed. Looking forward to it. But, everywhere I go, I hand out cards to friends and acquaintances. We are starting to get more repeat business, and new business keeps coming in, too. Our website will be up on Monday. That will help. We'll see what tomorrow brings....

Don Ike comes for a visit

2009-02-01T17:25:00.003-05:00

It snowed on Wednesday here - making a slow day even slower. But, my friend Don Ike, who also happens to be a GREAT plumber (Empire Plumbing and Heating) stopped by with his Golden, Cassie. Don and I barter his plumbing repairs for grooming. Here's Cassie on the table - she is a great dog, and looked really good when she was done.

Here are Jack and Cassie begging for Don's lunch. Don't they look the same from behind? I swear Jack is mostly Golden, except for the black part. There is a DNA test you can buy that for $50 will tell you the genetic makeup of your dog. I'm going to get one for Jack, and really find out what's in there.
Not too much else new. Our website, GroomingRoomIthaca will be up soon, but not until we get our act together... we had two dogs on Saturday, a Portuguese Water Dog and a big brown Doodle, but we both forgot to take pics..... This week is shaping up just as slow. Keep your fingers crossed for us, folks.

White Dog Day - Plus more.

2009-01-27T14:43:00.004-05:00

Last Thursday, I picked up two of these puppies from the SPCA to give baths to. They were a riot. They were never still enough for a photo, but at least I got one of them. She is leaning on my knee, looking into the camera. Very funny!

In the afternoon, I did Goldie, this little Yorkie mix, owned by a vary cool woman who lives in T'burg, used to run The Gazebo B&B. We had a nice chat. This little dog was a sweetie, too. Here's before.
After.
This is Shasta, one Mary H.'s SPCA dogs. This was her first time being groomed, and she was a little nervous, but fine in the end.
Yesterday was white dog day. This is Rain, one of the Samoyed's we do every month. She is quite happy here - she knows she is finished. Then I bathed Isis the old white Husky who also comes in every few weeks - no pic, though sorry.
And this is Ellie Mae, a Peke-a-Pom, and what a cuty! She is only 9 months old, and she has all of us wrapped around her finger - er - toe. Her mom lives in Conifer village ( an assisted living community), with her mom, and offered to hang a flyer and some cards for all the folks living there with small dogs. That is my next client base to hit - all the assisted living communities around here who allow pets. We will offer pick up and drop off services for those not so mobile, too.
Keep talking us up, folks....it is working.

OK, so now it is slow....

2009-01-17T19:14:00.005-05:00

Well, it finally did slow down this week - way down. I had one dog on Wednesday. Chris had two way cool dogs on Thursday - and Airedale and a Maremma shepherd - another breed you never see. He has the pics, though - I need to get them from him. These are the dogs we had today - two Westies - this is after:

This is before. Typical Westie, too - can't touch the feet. Ugh.
This is Jonah, a nice shepherd mix just adopted from Cayuga Dog Rescue, a real sweetie!
And this is Monet, my neighbor Sue N.'s little Shih Tzu mix. This is after.
This is before. Below Monet is Toby, the spaniel mix that I did on Wednesday. The good thing about almost all these dogs - Monet, Toby, anyway - and Diesel, the dog I have tomorrow - is that they are REPEAT customers! Yeah, we love that. And the two Westies belong to one of our current clients, so that still counts in my book. So that is great, we love repeat business.
Here's Toby.
Isn't he a cutie? Hope you all are keeping warm......

So this is slow??

2009-01-11T13:13:00.002-05:00

These first to pics are from yesterday, Saturday the 10th. We had two golden doodles, a cockapoo, two dogs for nails only, and a long haired cat. Busy day - great. This is one of the doodles after Chris finished up her face. The next pic is the before of the same dog.

Sadie, before.
This is the after pic for Charlie. He is just the sweetest little dog.
And the before.
S as I mentioned, January is supposed to be slow. Maybe we are still adjusting to what "slow" means, but we have had customers almost every day - two dogs here, three there.... not that I am complaining. We are loving it. OUr web site is almost ready, and I'll post that address here once it is up. I am also now on Facebook,, for those of you who live there too, and this blog is linked there also. Our ads are coming out in the Pennysaver each Saturday, too. Lots of godd stuff.

Happy 2009

2009-01-05T17:16:00.002-05:00

Well here it is, January 5th already. Where does the time go?? Business has not been that busy since Christmas eve when I posted last. Which is not really that surprising, what with people traveling and two holidays and what not.

We are trying not to worry, as we were predicting that this would happen. We had no customers over the weekend, and none today, but we have a couple tomorrow and through the rest of the week. So that is encouraging.

Yesterday, I went to the AmericanCat open house. See Susan G's Wildrun blog link to the left for details. It was a smashing success - most people I have ever seen in her little cat facility. Warmed my heart right up, and Susan's too, I am sure.

Anyway, since there is not much new, I will not blabber on. Hopefully will have more to post tomorrow or Wednesday.

Here's to a great 2009 - "maybe this year will be better than the last"...

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-23T18:13:00.003-05:00

Last Friday was Aussie mix day - I groomed this handsome boy - doesn't that black dog shampoo make the coat just gleam? He is only 7 months old, and already a sweety. I did a second Aussie mix that day, a red and white version.

On Saturday, Chris and I groomed a chocolate colored Cocker named Kashi. No pics, unfortunately. This is a Brittany Spaniel named Seamus - a recommendation from Kelly T. Thanks Kelly!!
On Sunday, I also bathed Jack in preparation for our family Christmas visit. This is him all wet.
I was supposed to have the day off on Monday, but Chris got busy, so I went in for a while. Here's a great story: When I worked for Cornell Plantations, I met a wonderful woman who made a donation for a bench in the Arboretum in memory of a deceased son of hers. We became friends during this process. I had not spoken to her since I had left Plantations. She saw our card at the vet that Chris uses, said to herself "I know Nancy, I bet she's a good groomer. I need to take my dogs there". And so she did. Saturday, we groomed her two Shih Tzu's, Cherub and Annie. Both sweeties. We also had another walk in Shih Tzu, a rescue, and a recently rescued cat too. Chris also did a Husky later in the afternoon. So that was a 5 pet day for us - great!

Today I had another Samoyed named Rain, a doodle puppy, and Cal W. brought Rince in for a bath, too. Rain's mom made another appointment on the spot. Great! We also had calls from two other returnees for holiday baths for Chris tomorrow. GREAT. Is there a theme here? you bet.

Tomorrow, I am off to the family for the holiday. I will be back in the shop on Monday the 29th. Chris will be ably manning it by himself for the weekend. Thanks Chris, for a long weekend with the family. Merry Christmas, all!!

Dogs and more Dogs

2008-12-17T21:27:00.002-05:00

So here are some of the dogs we have done in the last few days. This is the cutest little dog named Lulu. She was really more active than this, and very cute. I did her today, along with another Samoyed, an Aussie Shep and a tiny Maltese.

This is Casper, Joy W's little poodle. This is after.
This is before. He was tired when I was done!
And this is Otto, a shepherd/collie mix. I groomed him on Monday. Chris had a Bernese Mountain dog and a Shih Tzu mix on Tuesday. So we are still into big and hairy, but are getting some small dogs, too.
We have a couple on Friday, a couple on Saturday, and a couple each day next week before the holiday starts. I enjoy getting up and going there, and I am having FUN each day. So nice to have a job that is enjoyable!!!!

This week was good.

2008-12-12T18:13:00.003-05:00

Hi friends. Been a few days since my last post. As I mentioned, Chris and I are working one day on, one day off. So this week I had Mon/Wed/Fri off. Three days in one week - haven't had that many days since I started attending grooming school in July. I am catching up on my home chores, which have been woefully neglected. And, we actually have had appointments this week - at least one dog each day. I had an appointment cancel on me, but then had a walk in, so that was fine. The phone is ringing, and even sales people are stopping by - people are finding out about us! This is Nagel, a Samoyed I groomed on Thursday. He had knee replacement surgery a few months ago, and had not been in for a groom since prior to that. Boy, did he have a LOT of hair to lose. This is before. Notice the dread-type hunks of hair in his chest just waiting to be blown out of him. I blew him out before the bath - hunks of hair went flying.

This is after. I blew him after the bath. More flying hair. And while the change in him is impressive...
The condition of the shop was even MORE impressive! There was not one surface that was not covered in white hair. It looked like it snowed in there. This customer has three Samoyeds,will be bringing us the other two, and found us on Craigslist. I love that free advertising!
Chris has added some more comfy furniture to the shop, used both by the dogs (ours and customers) and us. Notice Jack fast asleep in the chair. The sofa cover he found makes it look just like the sofa in our logo...
And as promised in the last post: Our Logo:
The text says: Lovingly Grooming Pets of all Sizes. The full tag line is Lovingly Grooming Dogs of ALL sizes...and Cats, too! This sign is located out at the corner, next to Village Take Out's sign (they graciously agreed to let us leave it there - they are great guys in that shop - and make good pizza, too!)

Tomorrow, we have appointments for 5 dogs, and a bunch for next week, as well. For only our second month in business, I'll take it.

Still slow and steady...

2008-12-08T11:31:00.003-05:00

Well, after our busy day the day before Thanksgiving, we had several DEAD days that made both of us very nervous. We had no customers on Saturday, Sunday, Monday after Thanksgiving. One on Tuesday, none on Wednesday. But then, things began to pick up again. I had two dogs on Thursday, Chris had two on Friday, we had three on Saturday and two yesterday. And, we have at least one appointment each day this week except Thursday and Friday. So, things are picking up. Thanks again to all of you who send people our way. Relying on word of mouth as we are, that is such a HUGE help.

I have pics to post of the sign I made of our logo, that will go out on the corner of State and Seneca streets. But, I have not downloaded them. So, they will have to wait for later today. Gives you something to look forward to?

A little Side Job

2008-12-03T19:47:00.002-05:00

It has been very quiet at the shop since our busy day before Thanksgiving. I was there alone on Saturday and Sunday with nary a customer. And no customers on Monday. Chris got back into town late Sunday, and took Monday off, so I was on my own for a few days.

I volunteer for Ithaca's State Theatre mostly as an usher, getting to see shows that I want without having to purchase tickets. But, because I enjoy it and because I have the theatre background to do it, I help them out with other projects, too. The theater is celebrating it's 80th Birthday on Saturday. They wanted this bar spruced up - it was painted black like the image on the bottom. One side:

I created a fuax facade that I attached directly to the old black luan surface. That way I was able to most of the creating in the comfort of my very own basement, and only needed to do the installation on-site. It looks good, if I do say so myself! Both sides.

And this is how they looked before. These are the concession bar units in the lobby (because I forgot to take before pics of the actual bar...). But they do look a LOT better, no? Think they'll ask me to do these next???

Tomorrow I am back in the shop. Thanks to Chris for minding the store while I was playing with wood these last two days.

We were BUSY!!!

2008-11-28T19:19:00.002-05:00

So the Wednesday before Thanksgiving - have to remember that for next year. We were BUSY! I think we groomed eight dogs between the two of us - had two appointments, and the rest were either walk-ins or called late on Tuesday night. What a good day!

I groomed Rufous, a big mixed breed - maybe newfie/golden? of two neighbors of mine. Then I did Rosco, the little poodle mix who lives next door. And Poppy, a quite matted Bichon who took me a LONG time. Chris did a cute little Golden mix who was a reference of one of our other clients (great!). Then he did two Shih tzu's for a woman who just moved here from North Carolina. Then Chris did a walk-in doodle puppy for nails and face trim. Finally, we each did half a little Yorkie. We didn't close the shop until almost 5:30! Great stuff.

I drove to PA to my folks house for Thanksgiving. I have so much to be thankful this year - I feel it is a new start finally after two years of not so good starts. I have so many of you to be thankful for as well - both family and good friends who have been there through all of it with friendship and support. I love you all.

Enough mushy stuff. I'll be at the shop alone tomorrow and Sunday, as Chris is on LI with his family. Stop by and say hello!

It's a steady dribble...

2008-11-24T20:05:00.003-05:00

We are getting customers - Yeah! It is one or two a day, a steady dribble - which for our first month is just fine with me. This is Josie, our first repeat customer. Yes, she is a Great Pyrenees, bigger and whiter than my Tasha, but she reminds me of her never the less. She was going away for the holiday, and just needed a brushing and neatening.

This is Diesel. Her owner is Denny of the Hairy Canary in Ithaca - a great contact to have.
And this is Charlie - his owner is Micky Roof (!) She walked in today to support her local West End businesses (how about that?!) He was a super boy, and he looked great when he was finished. He goes to her jewelry shop every day with her...what better advertising could we ask for?

Two Big, Hairy Dogs!!

2008-11-20T19:38:00.003-05:00

So as I had mentioned, we groomed two Newfoundland "puppies" on Tuesday - and I use the word puppy very loosely indeed! These were easily hundred pound + dogs! First, this is Brigit, who I groomed today - a lovely girl.

This is Star, an 11 month old Newfie, whom Chris had the pleasure of grooming.
And this is Dante! Technically, a black and white Newfie is called a Landseer, after the man who first bred bi-color Newfies. Now, I think they are called Landseer Newfoundlands. I any case, he - at about 6 months, I believe, is one BIG dog. Their mom brought them to the shop in her Camry sedan. Can you imagine? They were playing afterwards, in the shop - and that was another thing I couldn't imagine - having two dogs this size playing in my house.
Fun stuff never the less!

Things are SLOW....

2008-11-16T20:09:00.002-05:00

Yes, I know we have only been open for two weeks, and that my expectations are probably a bit high...BUT...we had more customers the first week than we did this past week. And, we only have a few appointments for next week. However, two of them are Newfoundland puppies - 10 and 7 months - they should take a while and be fun, on Tuesday.

So, now I just have to be patient and wait for customers to fine us. We have done all the advertising we can afford at the moment, and have hung up lots of flyers and handed out lots of cards. It will just take t i m e....and I will have to learn how to be patient.

Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Nikka gets groomed

2008-11-10T20:59:00.004-05:00

On Friday, Nancy A. brought in one of her beloved Akitas, Nikka. Nikka and I are best buds - she even woo woo's for me when I come to walk and feed them. Nancy has a hard time keeping up with all Nikka's fur, so she brought her in for us to work on. This is her before pic - notice how flat her coat is laying, and how her feet look.

This is after. Look at how white she is, how fluffy - plus she is smiling because she knows she is done. We blew a LOT of hair out - she was so happy afterwards.

It's so great to do this for friends - really makes us feel good - both Chris and I, but Nancy and Nikka, too!
t

Bad Blogger! Bad, Bad Blogger!

2008-11-09T19:30:00.003-05:00

Sorry I have been MIA for a whole week, but I have not had one single second free. We had 20 clients our first week in business. Well, we counted Nancy A twice, because she brought in bot Nikka and Kuro for grooming. Thanks for good friends! This is one of two Retrievers we did this past Saturday. This is before - no after...see how wet he is?

These are two photos I took from Thirsty Owl's deck on Wednesday, when it was sunny and 70 here. It was hazy, like a summer day. With the warm fall colors, it was just beautiful.

And this is an Aussie Shepherd we did one day last week - a walk-in friend of Wendy K's. THis is after - doesn't she look nice?

We have been handing out lots of cards at the dog park and other places. We have flyers in at a bunch of the local vet offices. Our ad came out in the Advantage pennysaver yesterday. So, hopefully we will be as busy this week (or more so) even though as of now we have no appointments at all this week..... Keep your fingers crossed for us.

Our First Day

2008-11-03T08:01:00.003-05:00

So we opened on Saturday. We had two set appointments - a cat at 9:00 am (who was fine), and Karlene's little dog (see below). Then, we had two walk-ins - puppies both. See Chris grooming this little poodle mix puppy in the next image. Then Carol brought in Petals, too. So it was a pretty busy day!

My dad took these photos - he and my mom surprised me by coming for the day. That was super of them, and a lot of driving. They brought us in lunch, and hung out with Karlene and Susan G, and a bunch of other friends who stopped in during the course of the day. Pam S. brought flowers, too. So sweet.

It was a great day all in all. Yesterday we had two dogs in the morning. Hopefully this week will bring in more walk ins too. Thanks to all my friends who brought us and bought us things this past week. Wendy K and KC and all the girls, and Pam and Susan and Mom and Dad - too many to list here, really. You all know who you are, and how much I love and thank you all.

We Open Tomorrow (EEEKKK!)

2008-10-31T21:00:00.002-04:00

First, some Halloween giggles:

This is my housemate Kelly in her old man costume. She has the walk down, and lowers her voice. It is so unlike her actual self, it is hard to believe that is really her in there. VERY funny!

Here's the shop set up for opening tomorrow morning. That is my table and our tub. Chris's table is hiding behind the pole.
Both tables are in this view. You can see the corner of one of the crates in the lower right corner. We have about 7 crates of varying sizes in that corner. We really need some stuff on those awfully white walls. Wendy K came by today with a coffee pot, and brought us one of Q Cassetti's beautiful prints. Maybe we'll go and get some more of her stuff, it is SO cool.
We have a cat to groom at 9:00 am! Then Taz, Karlene's Pom, then we'll see what happens. I'll take before's and after's too. I think I'll keep the blog up, change the name to The Grooming Room, and link it to our website once it is up and running. That way our customers can keep track of what we do in the shop daily, too. Should make for some interesting blogging. Wish us luck.

Today is Sunday

2008-10-26T20:49:00.004-04:00

So once again these images are all out of order, and I can't seem to get them in correctly, and I really don't feel like fighting with it tonight. So here they are, out of order....

These two below are from Friday night, the girls took me out to celebrate, and they all chipped in and got a crate and filled it with towels and other goodies. They even tied the towels up to look like little bunnies. They are so funny. So, thanks to KC, Brigid, Kelly, Karlene, Sharon, Mary Grace and Susan. You guys ROCK. This one is yours truly, in from of my gift. Thanks for the pics, Brigid.

This one is from today - that's Chris putting rubber mat tiles together for under the tub we had just put together. We got the tub up, but no plumbing yet, and got our tables up and in place. Tomorrow we will get it plumbed, and do some arranging and decorating type stuff.

These are the last three dogs I did at school - two on Friday, one of Thursday. This is after - see how white!

And before....look at those green feet!

This is after t00 - this dog's card said "cutie cutie pain in my bootey". Is that the funniest thing??
And before...
This was Thursday's dog - after...
Before:

This week, I am at Thirsty Owl Tues and Wed, I have tomorrow and Thurs to finish up the set up, and Friday I take Jack to the vet for a lump and bump check. Saturday, we open. A BUSY WEEK!~

FINISHED!

2008-10-24T21:10:00.003-04:00

So, today was my last day at grooming school. I would post my pics, but the camera is in the car, and I am too lazy to go out and get it. I groomed two dogs today....

I have been getting so many nice cards and notes from people - Jim and Kinda Karl sent a VERY NICE card and gift, my Thursday girls took me out tonight, and got a new crate for the shop, and a big donation of towels and a HUGE gift certificate for more goodies. You are all WAY TOO GENEROUS. It all leaves me with such good feelings, I cannot tell you how much of a difference that all makes. Wendy K is working on logos and looking at our flyer and such....I am so blessed to have so many good friends. So blessed.

Thanks, all.

Love you, Nancy

ONly TWO MORE DAYS!!!

2008-10-22T20:13:00.003-04:00

Hi kids.

So here we are on the very last week of my 15 weeks of school. July 7th seems like it was a long time ago. I took my written test yesterday, kind of spur of the moment. I was supposed to take it tomorrow. I had Wilson, the poodle puppy (below) and he only took me half the day to finish. I was sitting in the kitchen studying, and Faith came in and saw me, and said you know, you can take it now if you want to. I said no, that I had Tuesday and Wed. nights set aside to study. But while I was sitting there, I thought you know, I know this stuff. So I took it then. Got a 91. That's good!

So now just two days of grooming, and I am DONE. I am so looking forward to NOT getting up at 5:30am every morning. Our ad came out in the Ithaca Times today - check it out all you locals out there. I'll see if I can attach it next post somehow.

Anyway - these dogs are backwards time-wise. I did this Wheaton terrier Ivy today, a very nice (not a twitchy) terrier even though she was all matted. Here is after:

And before.
This is Wilson, the poodle puppy, after:
and Before. He is such a cutey, and very sweet too. He lay on the dog bed next to me the whole time I was taking my test. Almost makes me want to get a puppy (NOT!)
And this monster of a dog is Pelzer. He is a Bouvier/Briard/Shepard mix. He must weigh 125 pounds. Look at the before pic - he came in with this big lion mane. She asked for it to be less, but I really took too much off around the shoulders. All he had left was his big head.
She said she didn't mind not having all that wet dog hair in her house. Hope she wasn't kidding.
I already have two appointments for November first - Karlene's Pomeranian Taz, and Nancy A's Akita Nikka. Thanks to both my good friends for their support!

Keep you posted for the end of the week.

Here I Am!!

2008-10-19T16:42:00.002-04:00

Here it is Sunday already! Where did the week go? Well, it was a short week because Monday was a holiday. Friday was a book work day - no dogs - so I only groomed three dogs last week - Tuesday I did Arial the poodle. Then on Wednesday, I did this little Havanese dog. Here's before:
And after:
Then I Thursday I did this cockapoo. He was an annoying little dog - never were all four feet on the ground. But, he did look cute when he was finished.

Saturday I was at the winery. Today I finished up the chores I didn't get to last week, except for the garlic. But I still have time for that.

We have an opening date for The Grooming Room: November 1 for sure. Our first advertisement comes out in the Ithaca Times on Wednesday. This week is my last week of grooming school, and I can't wait to be finished so I can help Chris with all the set up. He has been doing so much - dealing with utilities and phones, and lease and more. Our tub was delivered, and he will install it as soon as we can get into the building. A LOT GOING ON!!!

I've never had a point in my life where I don't know what is going to come next and at the same time am so curious to find out what that is. I mean, lots of time you don't know what is going to come next - but usually there is worry or anxiety or anticipation attached to that. This time for me it is all about curiosity. I am so curious to see what happens - like reading a book where you can't tell where the plot is going. I can't really explain the feeling - except to say that it is a new one for me!

We do need some things, so if any of the locals have any of this stuff they want to "donate" we will surely accept:

A small microwave oven

coffee maker

small size fridge

bath-size towels

any medium or large dog crates out there?

I'll let you know what we come up with - thanks, all!!!

Slacking on the Blog, and in life...

2008-10-14T20:29:00.003-04:00

Sorry I haven't blogged since last week. I've been slackin' off. Not really.

On Saturday, I did blow off the whole day. I did not do one productive thing the entire day - just had fun! Sounds like it should have been great, right? But, all it did was make me feel even farther behind than I already was. On Sunday, I worked at Thirsty Owl. Yesterday, I mowed the lawn, did the laundry and vacuumed the house. Sounds like a lot, right? But, I didn't get the garlic planted or do a couple of winterizing projects I've started around the house. Ah well, tomorrow is another day, right?

On Thursday, I did this Golden Retriever named Buddy. This is just after - he didn't look to different before. He was a much happier pup on the way out, though.

This is a Portuguese Water Dog named Zoey. She is a big girl for her breed - hefty in body and face. It's kind of poodle-like hair - tight curls that blow out.
Here's her after. So that was Friday.
And today, Tuesday, I had this Standard Poodle named Ariel. A pretty girl, but quite the twitch.
I finished her all by myself with NO help. First time for that. I do need to get faster at them!
Shop update: Our lease takes effect on November 1, so that is when we will open, on or about.

I ordered a bath tub and table, which will be delivered this week, I think. Chris is working on getting a phone number and having signs priced, so we can start with fliers and advertising and such. Too much to think about.

Monday, Tuesday and final Cocker test!

2008-10-08T18:19:00.003-04:00

On Monday, I did an old shepherd mix. Just brush and bath, didn't even take a picture. On Tuesday, I did this young Schnauzer named Mazy. She had never been groomed like a Schnauzer, so was really fuzzy. She was a real sweetie, not your typical twitchy terrier. The breeder cropped her ears and did a terrible job. Not only were they too short, they were NOT THE SAME. Poor girl.

Here she is after. She was really cute.
Today, I had my cocker spaniel test, even though I thought I was not supposed to test again until next week. This is Nickel. He was also pretty fuzzy on entry.
And here he is completed. She was waiting for him, so I didn't get a photo of him on the table, this one is out in the parking lot, and he was watching the guys across the street cut down a tree. But, I got a 97! So now all the dog testing is complete! I have 12 days of classes left.
Tomorrow, Chris signs a one-year lease for 1015 W. Seneca St. Our lease starts on November 1, so I hope that is when we will open, or maybe a few days after. I filed my DBA today, for Pawsitively Purrfect. And after three changes, Chris filed his for (drum roll please...)

THE GROOMING ROOM. That is the final decision and we are official! Now all we need is a phone number and we can make business cards and fliers to start handing out. Still scary as hell, but very exciting, too!

Surprise Poodle test on Friday

2008-10-05T21:01:00.003-04:00

On Friday, I did this very nice poodle named Zach. He was a sweety, great on the feet and everything. I did a good job with him, and he looked very nice when finished.

Here he is completed. I didn't think he was a test dog because usually test dogs are all scissored, and not clippered. He was clippered, but I finished him by hand. When I was done, Carolyn said that she thought he looked great, and asked me if I wanted him to count for my test.
I said sure, if I get a good grade, then he can count. She asked me how 99 sounded?! I thought that was pretty good. So now that test is completed, too! Only one test dog left!

On Saturday, I did a little work on Karlene's Pomeranian, and tomorrow I am working on a Great Pyrenees that one of my instructors recommended me for. The people live in T'burg, so that makes it easy to do on my way home. I may also groom Rosco, the little dog next door, this week as well. Hopefully Chris will sign the lease this week, and we can start planning for serious.

Oh - his final name for the shop is Grooming Spot.

What do you think?

Wednesday and Thursday

2008-10-02T21:10:00.002-04:00

On Wednesday, I did two dogs. This first Shih Tzu, Annie, was an energetic little girl. She did not sit still one second, and loved to give me hugs and kisses. Here's the before.

And after. She has one blue eye - can you see it?
Then I did a brush and bath on this little guy, Max. Brush and bath involves no clipping or trimming, simply (as the name implies), a bath and brush out. Before:
After. He sure looks whiter, and a little neater, but not too different. And, I was still done an hour early. It is good to get quicker at these dogs, so I can start to figure out how many I can realistically do in my own shop.
Then today I had this cocker spaniel named Charcoal. No before pic (damn!). I won't get another cocker until my test the last week of class. So this was a good practice run. He is really the first one I have done these last three months. He is a cutey, and a nice dog, too. See how much he looks like a smaller version of Jack in this pic?
Tomorrow is Friday, we will see what that brings. My day off is Saturday this week, and if the weather is good I will start to put the garden to bed. I REALLY need to work on my business plan this weekend, too. Must must must! Sunday is Thirsty Owl day. Should be fun.

Two Interesting Days

2008-09-30T20:12:00.002-04:00

On Monday, I tested on this Schnauzer, named Otto. He was slightly twitchy on his feet and legs, and I did have to muzzle him to comb them out. But, we got along for the most part. And, I got a 96 on my test. So now I have three out of five tests completed - I have only poodle and cocker spaniel left to test on. And the written test, of course. I am counting down days: 18 days of classes left after today.

Before:

After:
Then today, I groomed this Himalayan cat named Kiki. These before and afters don't look too different, but he has a lot less hair in the second photo than in this one, believe me.

I did have to clipper a few matts out of his belly, which he was fine about. He comes in every 12 weeks, so is quite used to the goings on in the room.
He really doesn't look too happy, though, does he...?

Thursday and Friday, and the weekend, too. (Again...)

2008-09-28T12:35:00.003-04:00

This is a Glen of Imaal terrier. This is the after (no before pic once again). He was a pretty matted mess, as you may be able to tell from his pretty much shaved feet and legs. He also has a twisted front leg. This dog is two years old, but looks much older. As one of the other students said, he needs to be confiscated from his owners. Although a terrier, he was not twitchy at all. He is, in fact, the sweetest little dog! All the pulling I was doing on him to try and get the mats out before cutting him down, he didn't cry or whine one little bit, and was not stingy with his kisses. What a sweetie.

On Friday, we did go to the Wine Country dog show. But me, bad blogger that I am, forgot my camera! So, I have no pics of all the cool breeds we saw there.

Yesterday, I was at Thirsty Owl for the second of their case club events. And today, I have my first day off in 21 days. Whoo hoo! I am catching up on cleaning the house, doing paperwork and chores I have not been able to get to, and watching the Mets and Jets hopefully both WIN today. It is a very rainy and foggy day here, or I would be out doing garden chores. Ah well, just as nice to be inside for the day.

Tomorrow starts the 13th week - three weeks left of school.....

Airedale today

2008-09-24T20:04:00.003-04:00

Today I had this Airedale named Hurley. She, of course, was your usual twitchy terrier. Terriers, as I have mentioned previously, have this very wiry coat, and hers was really wiry. Gobs and gobs of hair came out on the pre-brush and hand stripping procedures. She didn't like her feet or legs touched, and I didn't even try to do her toe nails. But, brushing and clipping were fine. She is a young dog, only a year old, so still learning the ropes.

She cleaned up nicely, although she took most of the day. I had all those little short pieces of terrier hair in my clothes, and was all pinchy for the drive home. Felt like I had just had my won hair cut, but all over. Pinchy!
On Friday of this week, we head to the Wine Country Dog show at Sampson State park in Romulus, NY. A much closer drive for me, and longer for everyone else (for once). That should be fun, except it is supposed to rain.

Only four weeks left

2008-09-23T20:18:00.003-04:00

On Monday, I had this Schnauzer, named Muffin. No before pic - still having trouble with that after all this time....She was a fine dog. A little touchy on pulling her little hairs, but we got along fine.

Today, I brought Jack in with me to get his allergy bath. You have to let the shampoo sit on the dog for 10-15 minutes for it to work optimally. Carolyn thought Jack looked cold, and wrapped this towel around him while he was sitting in the tub. After his bath, I blew him dry, and then put him in a crate so I could groom my dog. He wouldn't stop barking. Not steady barking, just woof. woof. woof. Like "I'm over here - why are you paying attention to that little mutt and not me?". Finally, I had to put him in the car to make him stop.
I took him out for lunch, and then brought him back inside, finished up my little cockapoo, and brushed Jack out and trimmed him up a little. He was tired when we left!

Here's the little cockapoo. He had hair like rabbit fur, really silky. I really wish I had a before pic on him, because he looked really different. I couldn't get a good pic of him, this is the beginning of a yawn... Tomorrow will be the first Wednesday I am at school in three weeks.

Shop Name

2008-09-23T06:13:00.002-04:00

So here is the name plan:

We will be under the name of Ithaca Dog Grooming, which Chris is going to register as the lead owner.

I, as the second, will register my own name of (drumroll please): Pawsitively Purrfect Grooming Spa. I love that. Implies both dogs and cats, and spa along with straight grooming. I think I'll have time on Friday to go to the clerk's office.

Today I am bringing Jack with me to school to get his allergy bath and a quick groom. I'll post more pics tonight.