Tag: dog grooming

Bailey Pup Returns on Happy Tuesday

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia26 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter on the Groom Beat, here at
WGroomingWithMom. We have sad news and happy news all for the same pup today. Let’s get started

First the sad news…two years ago next month, one of Groomer Mom’s (GM) clients passed away. She was the sister of another one of GM’s clients, Marquita. Since then, the pup’s dad has had to take over everything she did, and the last thing he was thinking about was getting Bailey (who you will see shortly) groomed. Marquita, brought Bailey a couple of times when she was bringing her own pup, Peyton, to be groomed

This past weekend, Marquita brought just Bailey. GM was so glad to see her! Bailey’s hair had grown very long, and was actually quite pretty, except for places like her head and face and feet, where it really needed trimmed. Even so, Marquita wanted her shaved short like she used to be. It seems Bailey will be staying with her while Bailey’s dad tries to sell his house.

Bailey was extra good for GM during the entire groom. Here she is, all finished up!

Isn’t she a pretty girl with big, pretty eyes?

This is Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off with another successful groom.

Grooming with Mom and Fritz on Sunday Selfie

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia26 Comments

Hi folks! It’s been a while, I know. Since we last met, Groomer Mom (GM) has groomed five schnauzer puppies as well as their Mom and Dad!
She was so busy with the pups that she forgot to take pictures of all but the last pup, Fritz. Fritz was adopted by our neighbors, and 15-year-old Clare is his new Mom. If you missed our Christmas Eve post about this, you can find it here.

After GM got off her office job on New Years Eve, Miss Clare brought Fritz over to be groomed.

This is a picture of them on Christmas Eve when Fritz arrived at his new home and had played himself into a stupor.

It’s getting pretty cold around here, so the decision was made to leave most of the hair on him that usually gets shaved off from his back, head, chest and ears. He still didn’t like being groomed and kept grabbing GM’s hand with his sharp little teeth. She had to get firm with him, and he responded to that with slightly better behavior. He still didn’t want the sides of his face shaved, so GM had to use the scissors, which he didn’t like either. Miss Clare stayed and held on to him, but he was still a challenge. Here is Fritz, finished, although not quite to the satisfaction of his worn-out groomer, AKA his Aunt Amy. And we let Fritz have the selfie this Sunday!

In one more picture GM asked me to include, she used ChatGPT and placed Fritz in a fancy salon with a mirror.

On New Years Day Miss Clare told GM that after his groom, Fritz went home and fell fast asleep. He had worn himself out, BOL!.

This is Lucy, Ace Reporter signing off with another (mostly) successful groom!

Thanks to The Cat on My Head  for hosting Sunday selfies!

An Ellie Groom on Awww Monday

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia34 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter here on the Groom Beat with happy news of a new groom.

Some of you may remember my sad report about Griffin crossing the Rainbow Bridge after he ran off, frightened by a storm. He was his Mom’s heart dog. About a month later one of his Mom’s elderly clients asked her if she would take his shih tzu. He had bought the puppy at a pet store, along with everything they suggested he would need. He spent over $4,000. But he couldn’t care for her. She reluctantly agreed. She told Groomer Mom that she really wasn’t ready for another dog, but wanted to help him. She is giving Ellie a good home. The first time she needed Ellie groomed, G. Mom didn’t have availability for several weeks, so she went to someone else a couple of times. But she came back to have G. Mom groom 10 month old Ellie for the first time last Saturday. Groomer Mom didn’t get a “before” picture, but she wasn’t in terrible shape. Here is Ellie after her groom.

Ellie is a very sweet girl. She stood real good to get her nails cut and to get shaved and trimmed. But she refused to have the hair pulled out of her ears. G. Mom actually growled at her, and guess what? Ellie let her clean out her ear. Same thing when G. Mom tried to shave the bottom of her feet! And when she was done, Ellie gave her a kiss on her nose! She got lots of praise for being a good girl.

Lucy, Ace Reporter wrapping it up with another successful groo!

Thanks to  Comedy Plus for hosting Awww Mondays! 

Lucy’s Strange Sunday Selfie

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia23 Comments

Xena: Thanks to The Cat on My Head  for hosting Sunday selfies! We have a bit of a different selfie to show you today. It was storming hard with lots of rain and thunder, so Daddy let us go downstairs with Mommy while she was grooming. It’s a lot quieter down there. There was a medium sized Golden Doodle on the table, who became very interested in us. Lucy got under the table as her “safe place” from the storm. That’s when things got a bit weird. Lucy, why don’t you take it from here?

Lucy: Yes, it was thundering hard, but I felt safe under the groom table and between Mom’s legs. I felt so safe that I decided to practice my Jewish name: Ora. Ora means light or shiny. I had just had a bath the day before, so my coat really was shiny. But I wanted to be a light to the sweet girl up on the table. So, here’s my selfie!

Yes, I love the feel of freshly cut dog hair falling on me.

Peace and light and love to all my friends. *wags* Lucy

Coco’s Transformation on Happy Tuesday

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia19 Comments

Thanks to Miss Sandee at Comedy Plus for hosting Happy Tuesday Blog Hop!

Hello! Ace Reporter Lucy here with a new groom for your reading and viewing pleasure. Today I would like to share with you an amazing transformation of a shih tzu who only gets groomed two times a year.

Coco is a very nice and good girl. She came to us looking like this.

Groomer Mom needed to wash her first, but knew that she’d never get all those mats dry enough to shave if she did. So she got started and, made good progress. Here is Coco with most of the shaving part done. Lots of hair had already hit the waste basket.

G. Mom would have never gotten through this without Coco’s cooperation. She seemed to know G. Mom was trying to help her. Finally, after everything was off or trimmed and bathed and dry, Coco was like a new pup.

Just look at those beautiful big eyes! Groomer Mom had a talk with Coco’s Mom about bringing her more often. We kind of doubt that’s going to happen, though.

Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off with another successful groom.

Lucy Ace Reporter with Sad News: Griffin

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia20 Comments

Today I want to pay tribute to the terrible loss of one of our regular and favorite pups, sweet little Griffin. Here is what his loving Mom wrote to Groomer Mom.

” …I wanted to let you know, Griffin ran off scared during the [thunder] storm Friday morning and he did not survive. 😔I wanted to let you know why I won’t be reaching back out and thank you for taking care of my baby. He loved going to see Ms. Amy [Groomer Mom].”

Rest in peace, dear Griffin..

You can’t really tell from this picture, but8-year-old Griff was teeny, much smaller than my sis, Xena. He started coming to Groomer Mom in January of 2021 because his then-groomer closed because of COVID. He’s been coming to Small Dog Grooming ever since. And last month when he was here, it was the first time he let G.M. cut his nails without someone having to hold him.
If you’d like to read a little more about Griffin, you can follow this link.

This is sad Lucy signing off….

Grooming with Mom: Rhett’s Tail

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia19 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter, here on the Groom Beat.

Today I have a “funny” to report to you. Rhett is a shih tzu who comes to Groomer Mom on a more or less – irregular basis. It had been about four months since last we saw him. Here he is in his “before” picture.

If you look closely at his tail, you will see some type of paper stuck in it. G. Mom laughed out loud when she saw what it was.

We can’t tell if it says he was “manufactured” in China. Being a shih tzu, he or his ancestors probably were!

Catch ya’ in a few months, Rhett.

Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off.

Grooming with Mom: Gracie

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia20 Comments

Hi folks, Lucy, Ace Reporter here, with another episode of Grooming with Mom. Here here we are today with Gracie, an 8 month old Goldendoodle. Before we go any further, a shout out to Miss Sandee at Comedy Plus for hosting Happy Tuesday Blog Hop!

These folks have been coming regularly to Groomer Mom since 2021. First they came with Sophie, who passed last year at age 16. Then they added Sammy, who is now 15 1/2 years old!

Miss Gracie was one of a litter of Golden doodles bred by an Amish family. She was six months old when he wonderful new family adopted her. And she is terrified of her new dad. He is a great guy, and it’s obvious that his other pups have always loved him. The only thing that anyone can figure is how the Amish man treated Gracie and her litter mates. We know that most of the Amish view their animals as, well, as animals. They are only sources of food or money. *sigh*

Back to the groom. G. Mom forgot (again) to take a “before” picture. Think of her hair down in her eyes and he rest of her hair a couple of inches longer. Here is Gracie, groomed.

Gracie was extra good on the table. She did try to jump off once, but the strap G. Mom used on her surprised her when she got pulled back. She didn’t try again. She didn’t even mind having her nails cut! Uh, oh. I hope I didn’t just remind Mom that mine are getting a tad long…

Ace Reporter, Lucy, signing off with another successful groom (and going to hide on the bed).

Lucy with Another New Groom

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia18 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter here, with another new groom. Although this pup will look sort of familiar, I promise you, she is a different dog. Let’s get right to it.

Do you remember Pumpkin, the Doodle I reported on just a few days ago? Well, this here is Gracie, who sure does look a lot like Pumpkin. In fact, she came to us looking a lot like Pumpkin did before she was groomed. Groomer Mom totally forgot to take any pictures at all, probably because Gracie’s Dad stayed during most of the groom in case G.M. needed any help with her (she didn’t). He was kind enough to send us this picture after they got home.

Gracie was born on July 29 of 2024 and is a Golden Doodle. She came to the family to keep Toby, their wild Doodle, company. She’s not too crazy about her big brother, but at least it keeps Toby busy and away from poor little Sammy, a shih tzu mix, who is 15 years old. Toby’s gotten too big for Small Dog Grooming, but Sammy still comes for a groom on a regular basis.

That’s it, friends, for this episode of Grooming with Mom.
Your Ace Reporter and Birthday Month Girl, Lucy

R.I.P Sweet Everly

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia24 Comments

This morning we lost Everly, a dear neighbor and friend who came to be groomed. It makes us all sad.

This is an excerpt from my report on Everly when she first started coming to us in September of 2022:

Everly was rescued from a cruel puppy mill several years ago. At the puppy mill her tail was docked to “provide better access.” This reporter is not quite sure what that means, just that Groomer Mom choked back tears when she heard this. Everly is a quiet “soul”, gentle and cooperative. Her Mom said they named her Everly because they were giving her a for-“ever” home!

Everly, you have a new home now, a new furever home, on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge. Pumpkin has some big shoes to fill with you gone. We love you, Everly.

Fun with Mom’s Grooms: June and Cash

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia28 Comments

Hi there friends. This is Ace reporter Lucy with 2 more new grooms to tell you about. Groomer Mom once again forgot to take a “before” picture, but she said they weren’t in too bad of shape.

These sweet Maltese puppies were left for three days without any food or care before anyone discovered that their Mom had died of a stroke. A previous client, whose precious yorkie had died tragically at the paws and jaws of a Great Dane, was able to adopt them on January 1st.
Cash was born July 6 of last year, and is only five pounds. With G.M’s approval, his Mom stayed to help keep him calm. We think it may have been his first, or at most his 2nd, time being groomed.. Here is Cash after his groom, with his sweater on and ready to go back to his new home.

Cash wasn’t really on this blue blanket, but I asked my Mom if she would help me play with PicMonkey during this, my birthday month. I tried hard and hope you like it. Isn’t Cash pretty?

The other little Maltese goes by June. She was born February 16 of last year. She’s smaller than Cash at only four pounds. By the way, they aren’t related. It was obvious that June was used to being groomed and wasn’t in bad shape. She stood perfectly still on the grooming table while G.M. spiffed her up. Their new Mom had just given them both baths, so G.M. only washed their faces that had lots of eye goo (that’s a grooming term). Again, I asked Mom to help me show June off in a pretty PicMonkey picture.

It was a sad story with a happy ending for Cash and June. We’ll see them back in eight weeks at their next appointment.

Lucy, Ace Reporter and Birthday Month Girl signing off. But before we go, we want to thank Comedy Plus for hosting Awww Mondays.

Pee Ess: I may or may not be back tomorrow…it’s my birthday!!

Grooming with Mom: Pumpkin

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia18 Comments

Lucy here, reporting on Grooming with Mom. It’s been a while, folks, since Groomer Mom has given me a new groom to report. Today I have news about a young sister to one of our regular neighborhood dogs You may remember Everly, the elderly King Charles Spaniel who lives across the street (and one house down, to be more accurate) from us. You can see and read about her here if you like.

Before we continue, I want to thank  Comedy Plus for hosting Awww Mondays!

Pumpkin came to live with Everly and her family because all the relatives said they needed another dog. And since Everly’s aunt had a Doodle stud, why not keep it in the family, so to say. At about 6 months old, Pumpkin finally came on over for her first groom. Here is her “before” picture.

G.M. (Groomer Mom) had already started scissoring her when she remembered to take the picture.
Pumpkin was extremely good “on the table,” especially for a first time. She’s only about 15 or 20 pounds, so if she doesn’t grow too much more, G.M. will be able to continue to groom her.
Her Mom asked for something kind of like a Teddy Bear cut, so the scissoring took almost an hour. Then came the bath, and she was still a very good girl. She wasn’t too crazy about the drying, though.

But even then she didn’t fight, she just tried to pretend it wasn’t happening! What a sweetie she is.
Finally, Pumpkin was done and ready for her folks.

They were thrilled with the results, and Pumpkin got more treats.

Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off with another successful groom.

Grooming with Mom: Pebble on Happy Tuesday

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia16 Comments

Hi folks, Lucy, Ace Reporter here, with another episode of Grooming with Mom. Groomer Mom has had several new pups to groom over the last couple of months, but has been too busy to help with the photos and reporting. So here we are today with little Pebble. And, before we go any further, a shout out to Miss Sandee at Comedy Plus for hosting Happy Tuesday Blog Hop!

One of G. Mom’s clients told Pebble’s folks to go see Groomer Mom when Pebble repeatedly couldn’t get into her regular groomer. G. Mom’s client spoke so highly of G. Mom, that they immediately called and set up an appointment for the same weekend. Pebble is a King Charles Cavalier/Bichon Frise mix, and is three and a half years old. She was absolutely wild when her pawrents were here with her, but mostly settled down when they left. I ended up going down and working my Zen magic on her, and it helped a lot!

Here is Pebble pre-groom. (Just a bit of shaving had happened before G. Mom remembered to take a picture.)

G. Mom tried to shave her with the longest blade (a #3.5) as the client requested, but the blade wouldn’t go through the mats. Then she tried with the next blade down (a #5) and even that one wouldn’t go through the mats. Her back and parts of her legs were not matted so G. Mom had those areas shaved before she realized that was all she could do with either of those blades. After a text to Pebble’s folks with an explanation, she used a shorter blade (a #7) to shave her all over. Then G. Mom worked for quite a while getting the mats out of her ears and tail. She also had to trim her face a lot shorter than she had planned to do. What should have been a 1 1/2 hour groom took 2 1/2 hours! And G. Mom only charged an extra $10.
Groomer Mom didn’t get a picture of her before her folks arrived for pick-up, and then it was too late. Pebble went back into “crazy” mode when she saw them. This was the best G. Mom could get, with Pebble next to her Dad before she went home.

Her folks said they had no idea she was so matted and checked with G. Mom to be sure they had the right tools to keep her in better shape. (They do.) And, strangely enough, they said this was exactly the length they wanted her to be! I went outside too to meet the pawrents, and they thought I was wonderful. *blush* I do my best and am glad it helped. Pebble already has an appointment to come back in five weeks. At least now G. Mom knows to just start with the #7 blade!

Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off from another successful groom.

Happy Tuesday: Coco & Sophie Get Groomed

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia24 Comments

First, Thanks to Miss Sandee at Comedy Plus for hosting Happy Tuesday Blog Hop!

Hi there, dear readers! I’m Lucy, Ace Reporter reporting on two pups coming to Small Dog Grooming for the first time. Their Mom found us, er, I mean found Groomer Mom, on the local Nextdoor App and was glad to have someone nearby to take care of her pups’ grooming needs.

Both pups are rescues and about eight years old. First, let’s take a look at Coco, a tiny five pound shih tzu. This is her “before” picture. (Guess her Mom had been looking for a new groomer for a while!)

Her Mom was very specific about how she wanted her groomed, including leaving her ears that long and the very different look of how her face was to be groomed. She wanted the whole top part shaved, and the lower sides and bottom part left long. Well, even though that went against the grain, so to say, with G.M., she did what was asked. By the way, Coco is a very sweet little girl and even gave G.M. a couple of kisses.

Here is Coco after her groom:

Next up is Coco’s adopted sister, Sophie. She’s a PomChi, and also only five pounds. She’s very much attached to her Mom and was a bit scared being left here. But Groomer Mom loved on her and talked sweet to her the whole time to try to help her feel ok. Here is Sophie’s “before” picture:

She’s also a precious girl, and asked G.M to hold her. She was only getting what G.M. calls a “mini-groom.” That’s when the pups get their nails cut, face, private areas and paws cleaned up. Her Mom also wanted some of the hairs sticking out around her “scruff” trimmed just a bit, as well as her ears. G.M. also slightly trimmed her legs. So, now, what you’ve been waiting for:

Their Mom was tickled, and later texted G.M. to tell her how much she loved their grooms. She said with the difference in price in what she had been paying (about half), she could get them groomed more often. (She also tipped G.M. very well!) G.M. will welcome these two sweet girls back anytime!

Lucy, Ace Reporter, with signing off.

Grooming with Mom: Laslo

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia21 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter back with a first time groom. Read on…

Laslo is a 5 month old Yorkie, and she was here for her first groom. Through the years, Laslo’s Mom’s family have brought all their yorkies to Groomer Mom. Her Mom held her for her nails, and the first nail Groomer Mom cut bled. So, since G.M. had not cut it very short, she decided to just use the dremel on the rest of the nails. Not! Poor Laslo freaked. Maybe next time…
Here is Laslo before her groom.

Laslo was not happy about the groom, either. It was all so new to her. And the bath…let’s not even talk about the bath. Groomer Mom -with her owner’s permission – tried CBD oil. It didn’t help. A kind but firm tone of voice did help. And treats. Lots of treats. Here is Laslo as she waited for her Mom to come for her.

We hope to see Laslo again in the near future!
Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off with another successful groom.

Grooming with Mom: Funny Ears

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia15 Comments

Today’s grooming report, brought to you by Ace Reporter Lucy (me) at W-Grooming-With- Mom, is about one of her current clients.

Those of you who have been with us for a long time may remember Maggie, the pretty little poodle/shih tzu mix. Here is the story of her first time with us. She was almost 3 years old. Since then, her Dad, who started bringing her when her Mom got cancer, but don’t worry, her Mom is doing fine now, uh, her Dad agreed to Groomer Mom grooming her as a poodle. So her face and paws got shaved. He brings her every six weeks like clockwork, unless, of course, he or Groomer Mom are on vacation.

Xena: Is this all really necessary? Just get on with it! *yawn*

Ace Reporter Lucy: Xena, go back to digging in your critter holes and leave me to do the reporting!
So where was I? Oh, yes. So this last time it was 7 weeks because Mom and Dad and me and Xena were all up in Inn Dee Anna at their usual six week appointment. As Dad Dan was handing her to Groomer Mom, he commented on her “crazy ears.”

Groomer Mom was unable to get an after picture, as her Dad Dan showed up and she went crazy with excitement. Just imagine her shaved all over except her poodle head and her now not-crazy ears!

This is Lucy, signing off from the crazy ear groom.

Grooming with Mom: Doobie

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia20 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter, here on the Groom Beat. Today we have another new pup to introduce to you. Nothing exciting, but I think the word is “sweet.”

One of our current regular clients has a young teenage girl living with her. The girl has a seven month old beagle. She wanted Dooley to get a bath and a nail trim. Here is Doobie:

I didn’t get to touch her ears, but Groomer Mom said they feel like velvet. She is a very precious girl, and a bit scared of the nail trim and also the bath and dryer. Groomer Mom tried to give her cheese (with her owner’s consent), but she was too nervous to even eat it! Wow, look at those big eyes!

Before too long, Doobie heard a car pull up, and she was right; it was her Mom come to get her.

Well, folks, that’s all for now. Lucy, Ace Reporter signing off with another successful, uh, bath and nail trim.

Grooming with Mom: Sad News/Happy News

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia23 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter from Grooming With Mom on the Groom Beat. Today we have both sad news and happy news.

Over the past couple of months we’ve lost two more of our sweet clients. Sunshine and Sophie were both senior ladies, and passed from natural causes. That doesn’t make their loss any less heart-rending for their loving parents. Run free Sunshine and Sophie and may all your happy dreams come true on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge.

On a happier note, Groomer Mom has another new client, a 3-year-old toy poodle-chihuahua mix named Pixel. When asked how she got that name, Pixel’s Mom said that when she adopted her, she wasn’t much bigger than a pixel! Her Mom doesn’t want her to look like a poodle, but she did want her coat and head and face rounded. So Groomer Mom did not do “poodly” things like shaving her feel and the top of her tail But it’s still pretty hard to make her not look like a poodle:

Isn’t she a little doll baby! To give you an idea of her size, here’s another picture with Groomer Mom’s hand holding up Pixel’s chin. (This was before her head was finished.)

By the way, for any of you who have long-haired anipals, note the bottle in the background. It is The Stuff, and it practically dissolves mats so they can be combed out. Groomer Mom recommends it to her clients.

Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off, and wishing everyone a lovely day.

Lucy Ace Reporter with Lucy

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia22 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter here on the Groom Beat with happy news of a new groom.

There’s another dog named Lucy in town. Can you believe that? Only this one is a red miniature poodle. She lives a half hour away from us, and Groomer Mom forgot to ask how she found out about Small Dog Grooming. *sigh* Groomer Mom also did not take a “before” picture. *sigh* But she said that Lucy (the poodle, not me) had hair hanging down over her face and hair all over her little poodle paws, and so on.

Lucy’s Mom didn’t want Lucy’s coat cut at all just a good brush-out. So Groomer Mom “cleaned up” Lucy’s face and paws and tail and private parts and gave her a good bath with a blow-out. What do you think?

Lucy was a “wild child” on the grooming table. She kept trying to crawl onto Groomer Mom’s shoulders and she licked G. Mom in her mouth and in her eye. Then Dad came downstairs to ask G. Mom something, and G. Mom had to go upstairs to find it for him, so Dad sat down on the grooming stool and talked to Lucy while G. Mom was gone. Lucy laid a good lick on him and tried to crawl on his shoulders, too! You can’t tell from the picture, but if she didn’t have all the hair, she’d be about the same size as our Xena. Her Mom’s already made the next appointment, and we’re looking forward to seeing Lucy again!

Lucy Ace Reporter signing off with another successful groom.

Lucy Ace Reporter with Sad News

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia42 Comments

It’s been a long time, folks, but your Ace Reporter is back and ready to give you all the details on all of our new grooms.

Groomer Mom informed me that she has been getting in new clients, but has kept forgetting to let me know. In light of that, I am starting a Grooming With Mom series. Today, though, I want to pay tribute to the terrible loss of one of our regular and favorite pups, sweet little JoJo. Two days ago she was viciously attacked in her own yard by a Great Dane. She didn’t stand a chance. We have shed many tears over this senseless violence, and send prayers up for her grieving Mom.

Rest in peace, dear JoJo.

If you’d like to read a little more about JoJo, you can follow this link.

This is Lucy signing off….