DOG GROOMING HELL
This is dedicated to our dearly departed Whisper. A day that shall forever live in infamy.
This is Whisper. She's a Samoyed. She belonged to a family friend. Whisper had a million nicknames which included "Fuzzy", "Fuzzarama", "The Big White Fuzz" and the "Fuzzball". As you can see by these pics, those nicknames were well deserved...
Needless to say, The Fuzz LOVED snow!
All was well in Fuzzarama's world until March 2008. She went in for a groom job, at a big pet supplies chain who I will not name so they won't try to sue the ass off of me, with the specific instructions of...
"Give her a good brush out, shampoo her and clip down her belly as it occasionally gets matted and it's easier to maintain."
Pretty simple and straightforward instructions, right? WRONG! We should've known things were going to get ugly when the groom joint called up to say...
"Her belly is matted. It needs to be clipped. Is that ok?"
Because clipping her belly was part of the instructions given. With that said, what could really go wrong? Allow me to present the piece de resistance...
"Give her a good brush out, shampoo her and clip down her belly as it occasionally gets matted and it's easier to maintain."
Pretty simple and straightforward instructions, right? WRONG! We should've known things were going to get ugly when the groom joint called up to say...
"Her belly is matted. It needs to be clipped. Is that ok?"
Because clipping her belly was part of the instructions given. With that said, what could really go wrong? Allow me to present the piece de resistance...
We don't know what the groomer was thinking when he thought it was a bright idea to shave a Northern breed to bare nubs in the middle of winter. Whatever he was smoking, it must've been spectacular. After the initial shock of viewing such a horrific botch job, we couldn't help but to die laughing. Fuzzy wasn't too happy about being the laughingstock of the house...
After all was said and done, there really was nothing that could be done other than make The Fuzz a coat. Unfortunately, while her coat did grow back, it never was the same. Even though this happened over 6 years ago and the Fuzzarama is no longer with us, whenever I need a good laugh, I reminisce about this day.
And on that note, allow me to pass on some advice. BEFORE you buy a dog, please do research on your chosen breed. A lot of people tend to fall in love with the look of a breed not realizing that it can take a lot of work, and a lot of money, to maintain that look. Make sure you understand what goes into a breeds grooming needs. For example, when it comes to double coated breeds, some people think it's better for the dog to completely shave them down. It's really not. The dogs coat works to insulate it from the cold and the heat. Once you know what it takes to properly keep a breed maintained, most definitely do research on groomers. In some states, groomers are NOT required to be licensed and some groomers, and this is especially true at chain pet supplies stores, are taught to groom via books/video and perhaps shadowing a long employed groomer. In some cases, they are NOT given sufficient "apprentice" time before they're put on the floor to take on grooming jobs.
When looking for a groomer, it's best to look for someone who's actually familiar with your chosen breed, knows that breeds grooming requirements and perhaps has experience grooming such a breed. Their grooming expertise should be beyond a shampoo and a clipper shave down. They should provide references if asked. If you don't know where to find a groomer, a great place to ask is a breed club. They can point you in the direction of a groomer who has expertise in grooming a particular breed.
As you can see, owning a breed that requires grooming ain't no joke. Well, it can be when grooming goes bad!! LMAO!!
And on that note, allow me to pass on some advice. BEFORE you buy a dog, please do research on your chosen breed. A lot of people tend to fall in love with the look of a breed not realizing that it can take a lot of work, and a lot of money, to maintain that look. Make sure you understand what goes into a breeds grooming needs. For example, when it comes to double coated breeds, some people think it's better for the dog to completely shave them down. It's really not. The dogs coat works to insulate it from the cold and the heat. Once you know what it takes to properly keep a breed maintained, most definitely do research on groomers. In some states, groomers are NOT required to be licensed and some groomers, and this is especially true at chain pet supplies stores, are taught to groom via books/video and perhaps shadowing a long employed groomer. In some cases, they are NOT given sufficient "apprentice" time before they're put on the floor to take on grooming jobs.
When looking for a groomer, it's best to look for someone who's actually familiar with your chosen breed, knows that breeds grooming requirements and perhaps has experience grooming such a breed. Their grooming expertise should be beyond a shampoo and a clipper shave down. They should provide references if asked. If you don't know where to find a groomer, a great place to ask is a breed club. They can point you in the direction of a groomer who has expertise in grooming a particular breed.
As you can see, owning a breed that requires grooming ain't no joke. Well, it can be when grooming goes bad!! LMAO!!