Blog Post Archive

Almost everyday a client will ask me “Do I have a favorite dog that I groom”? Of course, I love all the dogs I groom but, every once in a while there are those special ones that are my “favorites”. One of those very special and truly extraordinary dogs was Tanti.

Sadly, Tanti passed away two weeks ago very suddenly of kidney failure and even now as I write this, it is very difficult. Tears start to well up. He had an amazing disposition – so sweet and affectionate and funny! He was just so jubilant!

I groomed him every 2 weeks for 15 years. Yes, having a coat like that is a commitment and his family was so dedicated to him and keeping him true to the standard of a Coton du Tulear. It was a privilege to be able to groom such a dog for his entire life.

Tanti also was very special because he “assisted” his Dad in his office. His father is a psychiatrist and Tanti joined him during his sessions. He even had his own business cards!! The patients loved him! Tanti would sit on the couch with the patient and be patted and loved which gave comfort to my client’s patients. I once asked David what happens if a client would not want Tanti in his office during his session and he replied “I guess they will have to find another psychiatrist”!!

In two weeks he would get messy and dirty and then I would come to groom him and he would transform into a magnificent floating fluff of white hair. Most times I was alone grooming him so after 15 years of grooming him every two weeks, I became extremely attached to him. He was my handsome boy! I will miss him. He always behaved like a prince and allowed me the privilege to create magic every two weeks. You can see his entire portfolio in Gallery 2 on my website.

Here a few pictures, please enjoy!

 

I don’t normally post my opinions on message boards other than my blog but, this morning there was a discussion online through LinkedIn in the Professional Pet Industry group where I am a member. Someone had made a comment about the importance of microchipping so, I decided to chime in too about how important it is to have all dogs and cats microchipped. I feel so strongly about it that I think it should be required and each time a dog goes to the vet, the vet should scan the animal to verify that all the info is updated and accurate. I can’t tell you how many dogs I have picked up just lost and wondering the streets of the Bay Area with no collar/ID that I have returned to Animal Control. I actually have all the phone numbers in my cell phone for each Animal Control agency throughout all the counties I service. I have the vets numbers too in my IPhone. This was vital to todays events!

Back to today. As I pulled up to my last client for the day there was a delivery truck bringing something into the front entrance. All the gates and doors were open. I knew someone was home so, I assumed all was safe and sound. Not so. One of the dogs slipped out during the delivery and all hell broke loose. The owner was not home just the housekeeper. So, she and I got into our cars and drove hoping to find him. After 15 minutes with no success, I called Animal Control (I had the number in my cell phone) hoping that if someone had found him they would deliver him there. By the grace of God, someone had found him and delivered him to the local vet office near my client. So, I called that vet (I had that number too in my IPhone) and asked if the dog was OK and they said he was fine. I started to cry. I was so relieved. This is San Francisco with lots of cars and I was so scared that maybe he had been injured.

I called the housekeeper on her cell phone (I had her number in my IPhone too) and told her to meet me at the vet’s office and that the dog was fine! This dog had been a patient at one point so, they had a file for him and they recognized the housekeeper. It all ended safe and sound.

The dog though did NOT have a microchip! If the dog had had a microchip with all current registration info, phone calls could have been made immediately to the owner (who was at work) to notify her that the dog was safe and sound. I was so grateful that a stranger had the good sense to bring him to a local vet and that I had all the phone numbers of all the vital people in this story in my cell phone so his return was swift and safe!!

What I find so amazing is that just this morning I made a comment about the importance of microchipping and by 3PM this afternoon I was actually experiencing the importance of my words. Very Weird!

Here is a Kent’s Kanines model. She is a fantastic Golden Retriever that goes up to Napa for the summer. As you can see in my portfolio pictures on www.kentskanines.com Gallery 1, she normally has very long furnishings. Beautiful, long and flowing but, in summer that all comes off so she can enjoy romping in the pool in Napa. I am told that if she could spend all day in the pool swimming, she would. I do not take down the coat all the way on her back. She has the most beautiful red fur and her owners would flip if I did that. I skim her body with a 7 blade and basically give her a puppy cut. I do trim her stomach very, very short so that when she lies down on the floor she cools off quickly.

She also hikes a lot and with her “Summer Do” she doesn’t pick up as many burrs or fox tails. Also, tick patrol is much easier with less hair.

She is prone to yeast infections in her ears and neck under her muzzle because she is always wet from swimming and it can be very hot in Napa. I shave the hair on the inside of her ear flap and also her neck. This has worked very well the last few years to prevent any infections.

Hopefully, you will see through this video her good natured and adorable personality. Grooming her is always a joy and she rewards me with lots of kisses and lots of wags!!!

Well, in the video below you will see my “crew” except one, little Whisper, an abandoned Chihuahua from the streets of Daly City. He was in my office behind a gate because he pees everywhere! He knows to go potty on his pad but, he is still a little naughty about the peeing.

When I walked down the stairs to go to work last week, I turned around to look at the top of my stairs and my “crew” were all lined up bidding me farewell!
It was so darling that I had to document it. They all had wistful eyes staring at me and I felt guilty leaving them to go to work. It was as if they got together in the kitchen as a little herd while I was getting ready for work and had a meeting. Maybe the conversation went something like this:

Niblet: If we stand at the top of the stairs and give her the soulful eyes maybe she will stay home.
Flirt: Yes, I will even stand still and not twirl and maybe she will know how much I love her.
Nellie: I will stare her down with my aged wisdom look.
Caviar: I will just be a fluff ball that she will not be able to resist and she will have to stay home and cuddle with me.
Dolce: I will appear and then disappear and when she calls me I will come obediently (which is hard for me) to show her my good manners.
Niblet: I will even cough a lot and really clinch the guilt thing!

Leaving those little faces and loving hearts was hard but, I had to go to work. Oh, the Woes of a Working Mom!!!!!!!!!

The video below is of Maddie, Madeleine, a tiny Yorkie. This Yorkshire Terrier had her lower jaw removed due to periodontal disease. Yes, it’s true. Her gums became so infected that her jaw had to be removed. Consequently, her mouth is always open and does drool quite a bit. Recently, within the last 6 months she has had and operation to suture the sides of her mouth a little so her mouth is a little more closed. Thankfully, it worked. Her tongue still hangs out and she is fed by hand daily but, she eats with great gusto and seems no worse for the wear!

When it comes to grooming though, it is a huge challenge. I have been grooming for two years now but, her previous groomer was very rough with her so I’m told and it has taken me all this time to slowly train her to trust me. The fact that she drools a lot adds to the matting on her front legs so that must be de- matted before her bath. It must be done very slowly because she really fights it! And now we come to her face. It is a really big deal. You wouldn’t think so given that she is the size of a pea but, the saliva and dog food mix together and start to stick together forming very hard stringy mats (see video) very close to her remaining gum line. In the beginning she fought me tooth and nail when I tried ever so patiently to scissor them out and now I do believe she trusts me and permits me work on her face. It is very meticulous and dangerous work. I must concentrate thoroughly and focus. It is important that the room be quiet for her. She and I have a “Zen Thing” going now!

Bathing her is also very tricky. I temper the water pressure to just a dribble and direct the sprayer very carefully around her mouth so that the water does not flood her mouth. Since she does not have the ability to self-regulate by closing her mouth completely herself, I work very slowly. It is important that I cleanse the area around her mouth very well so it is kept clean and hygienic. My main goal with Maddie is not so much that I scissor her perfectly as I normally would do but, to work quickly and carefully just so that her face is clean and short and her body is cute.

Maddie is quite an amazing dog. She lives with 5 other dogs, 2 other Yorkies and 3 Brussels Griffons! They are featured in the Diary of a Dog Groomer blog post Lions,Tigers and Yorkies! Click here.

Well, here is another “Before and After”. I am really trying to remember to video when I have a good opportunity for documenting a before and after sequence. Maybe one day, I will have someone video the entire process live and then edit it so that you can experience the “magic” of grooming. That is one of the delights of home grooming. My clients are welcome to watch as I go through the process from beginning to end.

Dakota is an eight year old Westie that was hand stripped (not by me) for many years so, his coat does have some coarseness and wireness to it but, his owner decided a while back to stop the hand stripping and just proceed with haircuts using clippers and scissors and as a result his coat has changed and is becoming soft. No worries though, he is still a very handsome Westie.

When I arrived to groom him for the first time I saw that his coat was very uneven and choppy. Party that is due to the shift from hand stripping to clippers and I also think to the poor execution of the transition by the previous groomer. He has a wonderful thick coat which is perfect for puppy cuts. I did my best to even him out and hopefully by next time he will have grown out somewhat so I can create a masterpiece!

Here is a before and after of Alice. She a two year old Norwich Terrier that lives in beautiful Marin County. I started the video midway through grooming her because I didn’t think to do a ” Before and After” video. I think when I arrived I was so shocked to see the little hedge hog I just went straight to work. She did look very cute though with all that hair. Sort of ” The Whoolly Mammoth Look” :)!!

Thankfully, Alice is blessed with an excellent coat and has only been stripped so, her coat is very coarse and the color remains true. The integrity of the fur on her head was compromised somewhat due to the time lapse between groomings and lost some of its’ color and coarseness. After such a long stretch between groomings, the challenge is to create a very even finished coat with absolutely no redness or abrasions. Hand stripping is truly an art and the technique of this process is not only very important to the overall visual look but, most importantly to the well being of the dog.

I am very pleased with the result the hours of work it took to get little Alice back in shape. Her saddle (the black portion of her back) is very flat and even and her face looks great with no signs of redness. She is a very athletic dog, loves hikes at Point Reyes and plays endlessly with her family so, I keep her furnishings short.

Thank you Alice for another “Makeover Madness”. If you would like to see a full video of Kent’s Kanines Models in “Makeover Madness” please click here.

Well, yesterday was a first. I went to a client that I have known for over 10 years. I first met her and her first dogs prior to her children’s arrival. She now has three beautiful, fabulous girls that I have all known in utero and now are 4,7 and 9. The eldest one and I have become good friends and she loves to watch as I groom her Cock-a-Poo. As a home groomer serving my clients for years, I develop relationships with all members of the family, not just the canine. This is one of the great benefits of my job.

Well, I arrive yesterday afternoon when all the girls were in school and their mother informs me that the eldest daughter had a dream me about that night. She dreamt that I was a surgeon and was operating on her foot. I guess her Mom told her I was coming the next day and she was upset that she couldn’t be there because of school so, she dreamt of me. Her mother and I just cracked up!

Maybe this is a case for Freud but, I just loved that this little girl thought of me as a surgeon. Sometimes, my job as a dog groomer does require special scissoring skills and I guess this little girl saw that I care for her dog meticulously and patiently! Well, that my pop-pysch explanation.

Mia is a Shih Tzu that I have been grooming since she’s been a puppy. She is now eight years old. About three years ago, her eyes started to become cloudy and swell and she was diagnosed by a veterinary eye specialist with Glaucoma. She was immediately given multiple eyes drops that had to be administered 4 times a day. It has been three years now and Mia has lost her vision but, because of the diligent care of her owner constantly getting her eye pressure checked and the medication adjusted if necessary, Mia now has stable eye pressure. She lives a great life and is happy!

The medication treatment causes her eyes to tear a lot and as a result she accumulates a lot of eye secretion in the corners of her eyes. This slowly moves downward on her face too. Shih Tzus have a flat face with very little space between their eyes and their noses so this extra moisture from the tearing in combination with hair growth can be problematic. The area needs to be cleaned every day and once a month I come to give her a complete grooming. One of the medications she receives for her eyes is a antibiotic. That over time can cause yeast infections in her ears (the antibiotic works systemically) so, her ears too must be cleaned daily. Her monthly grooming haircut is essential to her overall health.

Prior to the bath, I assess her eye area and see if I can scissor any of the hair from the corners of her eyes. Eventhough her owner does daily cleaning with a warm damp cloth and combs the area gently to remove any drop accumulation for air circulation, there is always some the medicine stuck around her eyes. Sometimes, it is so stuck that I must soften the area in the bath and then comb through the stuck on medication in the bath but, I generally always scissor the hair in the corners of her eyes prior to the bath so that when I do bathe her, I can really get the shampoo in that area to fully cleanse the area as well as facilitate a speedy drying. I am very fastidious and thorough about this. Really the hard part is rinsing that area to remove the debris and shampoo. I must take extra care about the water temperature and pressure. Since her nose is so close to the corners of her eyes and I do not want water to go into her nose and then into her lungs, I work patiently and slowly and direct the stream of water exactly.

It has been very fortunate that Mia has only known me as her groomer. She had six years of my voice, my smell, my grooming process before she became blind. I basically follow the same procedure each time I groom a dog so when she could no longer see, I don’t think she was ever afraid of being on the table. She knew what to expect. It is really remarkable that she sits so quietly and obediently while I work around her eyes. She is a valiant girl!!

Below is a video of her after her bath but before I gave her a haircut. I forgot to take some photos before the bath showcasing what her eyes look like prior to a grooming after a month of growth. I will take some next month and add to this post.

Today I worked all day in Marin. First in Ross and then Mill Valley right off the main road to Stinson Beach. It was a good day but, one of my clients was very matted and needed extra time and attention and another that had not been hand stripped for four months. This just adds a little more stress. (I will feature that dog in another post this week) The volume of hair that I extracted was amazing! I forgot my delicious lunch on my kitchen table which was homemade Gazpacho and a salad of fresh steamed vegetables as I dashed out the door. I realized I had left it just as I was about to get on the Golden Gate Bridge to go to Marin this morning; had no time to go back home and get my lovely soup. So, I stopped and picked up a quick salad and shoved it down as I was driving to my last appointment at 2PM. I hate doing that, not eating a healthy lunch and then racing to finish it. Then a long drive home, thankfully not too much traffic and proceeded to gobble down the Gazpacho I had put in my insulated thermos that I had left on my kitchen counter. Dinner.

All in all it was a good day. But, it proved to be a lovely ending to my hectic day. When I went to my mailbox an hour later, I saw a hand addressed letter with hand writing I recognized but, really couldn’t put the handwriting with the person. Upon opening the sweet little light blue colored small envelope, there was a light blue thank you note from a long standing client of mine whose dog had recently died. I had groomed this dog for the entire 10 years she had Mayzie; she was adopted when she was 7.

I have scanned the note for your perusal. The most amazing thing is that there was a check included as a gift of gratitude. I was just so touched. I had a long stressful day and to come home to hand written note and a check expressing her thankfulness to me really was a lovely surprise.

My clients are fantastic!