These are real inquires, comments and stories
from the shop. Guaranteed to drive any groomer crazy! Included are *old wives
tales* I have heard!
Do you use Drugs in your shop?
First unspoken thought-
No, I prefer to indulge at home. Maybe some caffein or tylenol, although we do
have days I wish I could toss a shot or two!
No ma'am/sir, it is
illegal for anyone other than a liscensed vet to administer drugs to anyone's
pet. There's too much risk of overdose or allergic reaction, and anyway a
drugged pet is really tough to work on. (I've done it when I worked in vet's
office) In cases of severe anxiety consult your vet, there may be something
safe the pet can take before coming in.
Do you use restraints when you groom?
First unspoken thought- Of
course not! It's so much more fun to chase a frisky pet around the shop with
clippers and scissors and hope I make a mark! You have no idea how much fun it
is to chase a soapy dog who has jumped out of the tub! I do have a few scamps
I'd love to put into bondage tho!
Of course we use
restraints. An unrestrained pet could get hurt jumping out of the tub or off a
table! Not all pets get along with other animals, and it would be dangerous to
let them *mingle* unsupervised. In cases of fearful pet, muzzles may be used
until pet realizes it is a pleasant experience and they are not going to get
hurt. Everyone's safety, pet, groomer, and other pets is a
priority!
"Fluffy is awful matted, but I don't want her clipped, just give her a
bath and trim a little
Aaawwwwwwwkkkkkkkkkk!!! Fluffy is matted
solid, about 1 inch layer, if we get her wet it will get even tighter! Of
course, the soap and water won't even reach her skin! She'll never dry and
there is no way in H**l I'm going to own up to doing THAT job!
'I've been brushing *Pet's
name here* every day. I don't know what happened, she got out and got dirty and
matted....
(picture this, pet is filthy and matted solid, looks
like at least a year since last grooming if not more...Well, Mr/Ms., it's
a good thing you got her/him here. Sometimes you brush but you don't know the
proper way to do it. The top looks great, but underneath is a mess. We'll take
care of it, why not schedule the next appointment so we can make your job
easier? (Groomer tries real hard not to clobber
customer...)
*Pet's name here* is pretty tangled, I tried
giving him/her a bath, but that didn't help at all!
First unspoken thought-
OMG I didn't know they made shampoos to disolve matts. I'd ask for my money
back since it didn't work, maybe you could sue for grooming
costs...
Real answer, you need to comb out the tangles before you get the
pet wet! Bathing causes the matts to become tighter. I'm afraid we'll have to
clip *Fluffy* pretty short this time, combing would be too painful now. How
about booking your next appointment so this doesn't happen again?
"Don't trim the hair over my
sheepdog's eyes, he will go blind"
Now that's a good one, oh yes. In all my life,
as a groomer and before, I have never heard of a sheepdog going blind. Many a
farmer has shaved his sheepdog during the summer, or when the dog was no longer
outside herding sheep. I have many customers requesting specifically trim hair
away from eyes. I have had the vet I used to work for request that I trim a
sheepdog's face clean. And what about sheepdog puppies? Do they keep their
eyes closed until their hair grows long? (yes, right...)
Yes, they will start or squint if exposed to
bright sun or light. Don't you?
If you shave a long coated dog
once, his hair will always be curly (frizzy, thin, etc..)
OOOOOOOOOOkay, hair grows from the
hair follicle root out, right? A double coated dog or most long hair breeds
lose every hair on their body twice a year as it is replaced with brand new
summer/winter coat. Explain, please, how future hair will be
affected?
More stories will be added here as they
come to mind! | 
