Good Dogs

For all the times I've complained about hard days, naughty dogs, or difficult customers, I thought I should make up for it by writing about some of my favorite dogs and customers.

I'm trying to remember to take more pictures, but I either forget or run out of time, so bear with me as I build up my picture arsenal. I did get one picture today. This is the best Alaskan Malamute ever!

Not the best picture, sorry. I am definitely a better writer than photographer. Anyway, she's huge and hairy and usually takes a full two hours start to finish, but she behaves perfectly well. She likes to talk a lot, but she  jumps everywhere I need her to without being asked twice. I can take her leash off as soon as she walks through the door and never have to worry about her. She helps make up for all the big dogs I have to pick up into the tub or wrestle to trim their butt.

Then there are the dogs you love for no particular reason. One of my favorite dogs is a really old cocker. I think he's about 17. He's all skin and bones, deaf, wobbly, and covered in moles, but I just love him to pieces. His mom makes me a little nuts sometimes, but he is the sweetest dog ever - well, except when he has a senile moment. Those aren't pretty. He's a little difficult to groom and I can't make him look all that great, but I love him all the same.

There are also dogs where maybe you don't love the dog itself, but the customer is so amazing that you can't help but love the dog, too. I do this Tibetan Terrier who is getting a little older and fussier. The customer likes her feet to look "like square Grinch Feet," which still frustrates me after grooming her more than a year because the most emphasized shape in grooming is round. Round, round, round...square? Anyway, I don't dislike the dog herself, I like her OK, but I LOVE her mom. This woman is absolutely amazing and has adopted/rescued two highly special needs dogs. She is always perky and bubbly, even at 8 in the morning.

I also have dogs I enjoy because they either make me feel like a good groomer or make me feel like I'm learning more on my way to becoming a better groomer. This is particularly true for this one customer who has a bichon and a Westie, and she likes both of them to look pretty close to show dogs. I don't think I'm quite that good yet, but I definitely get better every time.

Here's the Westie. She absolutely positively REFUSED to look at the camera. She doesn't particularly like to look straight ahead when I am attempting to trim her face, either. So here's a side view, and I am pretty impressed that her skirt looks hand stripped rather than cut with clippers (I used a 4F blade for you other groomers out there who might care).

Some dogs I love because of their personality, some I love because of their parents, and some I love because I can make them look good.

I definitely like most of the dogs I groom. Unfortunately, the difficult ones tend to stick out in my memory the most. So I will try to throw in pictures and stories of my favorite dogs from time to time to balance out the other stories.