Tag: dog grooming

Grooming with Mom on Awww Monday

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia31 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter here on the Groom Beat with another new groom.

Hi friends and followers. It’s me, Lucy, here to show you another new pup who came with his brother and sister to be groomed. His siblings, Maggie and Bentley, have been here several times. They are the 3-year-old pups of Laila and Louis, who come to us very often.

Hi! We’re Maggie and Bentley. We came and got groomed too! Don’t forget US!

The new pup is Tyrian. He is a chiweenie. His hair is naturally a little over an inch long, so he wasn’t a “mess.” But his folks wanted help with the shedding. The curry comb (that’s a grooming term) didn’t remove much hair, so Groomer Mom used a #7.5 blade (that’ a grooming term) and shaved him all over and neatened up his ears. Dad had to hold him to get his nails cut, then he settled down and stopped being afraid.

Groomer Mom noticed similarities in personality between Tyrian and Chia, and knew it must come from the daschund part of each of them. His eyes and the looks he gave her were almost identical to Chia’s. Mom said she has decided she really likes daschunds! We all like our own little half daschund an awful lot, too.

This is Lucy, signing off with wags and licks until the next great groom!

We are joining Comedy Plus with much thanks for hosting Awww Mondays.

Aww Monday Grooms: Daisy May and Benny (again)

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia30 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter here on the Groom Beat with another new groom. But first…

We are joining Comedy Plus with much thanks for hosting Awww Mondays.

Once again by referral we got in a new pup to groom. Daisy May is a seven-month-old Yorkie, and what a good and sweet girl! No before picture necessary, as she wasn’t a “mess.”

Her folks are going with the traditional cut on her coat, so they asked for what Groomer Mom calls her “mini-groom.” They wanted the top knot in a bow and the hair over her eyes cut short but not too short. After seeing this, everyone agreed it would look better left long, so it will be allowed to grow out. Here she is while waiting on her ride home.

Benny was here about a year ago, and we don’t think he’s been anywhere else to get groomed since that. If so, it’s been quite a while! He’s 3 years old now, and still a crazy pup. Here he is before his groom this time.

He really should learn better manners than to stick out his tongue at the groomer.
Groomer Mom accidentally cut one of his black nails too close to the quick (that’s a technical term in grooming) and although it didn’t bleed, it hurt. He reacted with his teeth. Then he was scared and kept “biting” at her until my Dad came down and held him. He still kept doing that throughout the groom until Groomer Mom gave him “the talk.” Then he mostly stopped. Groomer Mom realized he wasn’t really going to bite her, so she just kept telling him to stop it while she continued on with the groom.

His Dad said to leave his beard a bit long, and his body shaved, but not too short. Once again, his ears were so matted that they had to be shaved. Here is the end result.

Look! He isn’t even sticking his tongue out at Groomer Mom anymore. Groomer Mom told his dad that he was too skinny – she could count his ribs and feel his backbone and his hip bones – and to feed him more. Wow! That’s a first! It’s usually, “He (or she) could stand to lose a pound or two.”

Bye, bye Benny. See you in a year, BOL!

With licks and wags from Lucy, Ace Reporter on the Groom Beat

Grooming on Awww Monday

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia25 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter here on the Groom Beat with another new groom.

Hi folks! I’m back with another happy grooming report. Once again, this new groom was referred by one of our newer clients. Shadow is a nine-year-old miniature schnauzer who looks silver. She probably started out as a salt-and-pepper, which is Xena’s coloring. In any case, she’s a beautiful silver now. Her 87 year old Mom has been in physical rehab, and is being released soon to her home in Alabama. Shadow has been staying with her peeps sister who lives near us. She wasn’t in bad shape – except for matting in her skirt – so we didn’t take a “before” picture. Here is Shadow after her groom.

Her feet were already shaved, and her legs had been trimmed short. Since Shadow’s mom is elderly, it’s hard for her to keep Shadow’s feet cleaned, so she likes them with less hair.

Isn’t she a beauty? Shadow talked to Groomer Mom a bit after her groom and thanked her for taking good care of her. Groomer Mom’s sad that she probably won’t see Shadow again since she’s going back to Alabama. She told Shadow’s care-taker that she would keep this one — as in for good — if her Mom ever couldn’t keep her. Personally, I think the Groomer needs to stay more objective and stop falling in love with these dogs. The Reporter doesn’t need yet another sister.

We are joining Comedy Plus with much thanks for hosting Awww Mondays.

Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off with *wags* and *licks.”

Grooming with Mom: Gus

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia40 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter here on the Groom Beat.

Once again we have a new pup to groom. And when I say pup, I mean a little, four-month-old puppy named Gus. Do you remember at the end of April when one of Mom’s wonderful long-time clients suggested that little Jo Jo’s mom bring her to groomer Mom? If you missed that one, just click here to see an adorable yorkie!

Then Jo Jo’s mom told Gus’ mom, and Gus came for his very first groom at 7:30 in the morning. I’d had my breakfast and didn’t really want to get up out of bed again so early, but I knew puppy’s first groom would be good reporting material.

Here is Gus before his first groom. He is a shih tzu, maltese mix. We couldn’t find the maltese part.

Gus only weighs about 2 or 3 pounds, so you know he’s tiny. He’s a happy puppy, too. While he got his nails cut he learned to count how many feet he has and how many toenails on each foot. He liked that, too. Won’t his mom be surprised when she says, “Give me your paw,” and he answers, “Which one? I have four.” BOL

Oops, I think Xena’s long, rambling stories have influenced me! Back to reporting.
Gus didn’t much care for his bath, but then who does?

Groomer Mom took her time with him, kissing him and talking to him and showing him all the grooming tools before she used them. He was very interested, too!

About an hour or so later, Gus wanted to know if it was time to go and what would happen if he jumped off the table.

Thankfully, he didn’t get a chance to find out. But he did get a little scarf and a big kiss goodbye!

Uh Mom, it looks like you missed some hair under Gus’s wiggly chin.
I am Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off with wags and licky kisses. Oh, and we are very Thankful today for Gus and all the other wonderful pups – big and small, young and old – who come to my Mom for grooming.

Today we are joining Brian’s Thankful Thursday, with special thanks to Brian for hosting it!

Grooming with Mom on Sunday Selfies: Gus and Millie

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia24 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter here on the Groom Beat, reporting to you from just outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. I’m not reporting from outside, or watching the groom from outside, it’s just that we don’t actually live in Chattanooga…oh, never mind. I really am starting to sound like Xena.

*Deep breath* Today I introduce to you two new pups coming to Groomer Mom for the first time. They are what’s called litter mates. Xena and I are sisters but we’re not litter mates. I’m sure my savvy readers already know the difference.

BTW (that means By The Way, he, he), Gus and Millie asked if they could be featured on the selfies today, and the only reason I could think of to say no was to not upset Xena. So, Millie and Gus are happy to join The Cat on My Head for Sunday Selfies.

Gus and Millie are two four-year-old shih tzus whose groomer just died. As a reporter I’m not supposed to state the obvious or express emotions, but, well…that’s just so sad! After that happened, they were referred to us by Griffin’s mom. If you missed that new groom story, you can catch up here.

This is Gus before his groom.

We are guessing it had been a while since he’d been on a grooming table. He got a longer shave per his mom’s request.

Here Gus is after his groom.

Yep, same dog. We aren’t making this up. Just look at those pretty eyes. Mom tried everything to get his chin beard to look right and it always came back looking fuzzy like this. Maybe next time Groomer Mom will try some hair mousse!

Next up is his sister, Millie. We didn’t get a “before” picture of her, but she was in about the same shape as her brother.

Here’s Millie post groom:

They don’t like to be separated, so they waited together on the table with Groomer Mom very close-by for their ride to come get them.

We’re going to see these sweet pups again in four weeks.

Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off with wags and kisses.

Grooming with Mom – JoJo

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia29 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter here on the Groom Beat.

Today we have a new yorkie to introduce to you. You may rememer Chaz and Chloe, long -time clients and friends. Their Mom knows JoJo’s Mom. So when JoJo needed a new groomer, her Mom asked, “Who grooms your yorkies? They always look so good on Facebook.” We got four-year-old JoJo in the next day, right after Chaz and Chloe. Here she is after her groom.

Her Mom said it had been four weeks, and apologized about how bad she looked when she dropped her off. Groomer Mom just kinda scratched her head at that one. Four weeks. Not long.

JoJo was scared and saying No! with her mouth when it was nail cutting time. Thankfully Dad was home during the groom and held JoJo in his arms while Groomer Mom trimmed her nails. With just her here and not a lot of barking and other stuff going on, we hope, with time, she will start feeling safer and less afraid. Her Mom loves her very much, so JoJo feeling better will make her happy, too.

JoJo’s Mom said she had been looking for a groomer who worked out of her home instead of one of these drop off and leave all day places. She was thrilled when she came back for her an hour and a half later and asked to make her next appointment. She said the last groomer had her coming every two weeks. (Well, that explains the apology for four weeks.) When Groomer Mom said she grooms her own dog every four weeks, and JoJo would do well with that, she booked the appointment right then.

We are happy to welcome JoJo the Yorkie to our grooming family!

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


We are joining Comedy Plus with much thanks for hosting Awww Mondays.

Grooming with Mom: Bentley and Maggie

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia19 Comments

This is Lucy, Ace Reporter, coming to you just minutes after two successful grooms.

Those of you who have been following our grooming stories may remember Louis and Laila, proud parents of three litters of beautiful puppies. Two of the pups from the second litter went to live with relatives, so they get to hang out with their pup pawrents a lot. The pups are mixes of shih tzu, Brussels Griffon and poodle, and are two years old now. Groomer Mom had all four of them – mom, dad, daughter and son – in for grooms.

Pictured is Bentley pre-groom. He’s a real good boy, probably 12 or 15 pounds.
His litter mate Maggie is a petite little girl, pobably not more than about 7 pounds. She is sweet, yet feisty. No pre-groom picture of her, but she was in the same condition as Bentley.

Groomer Mom guessed two hours to get them both done and she was right on the money. Here they are after being groomed, bathed and loved on!

Their Mom and peeps sisters were thrilled with the results and will be back with them next time.

This is Lucy, Ace Reporter signing off with wags and licks.

Grooming with Mom: Lilly and Master Chief

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia26 Comments

Lucy, ace reporter here on the groom beat.

First in the news today is Master Chief, a 5 1/2 year old yorkie poo. Chief’s last groom was here in May of last year. You’ve met Chief before; perhaps I should say before he looked like this!

His dad said they had a death in the family, from which they are just now recovering and catching up on some things. He asked for Chief to be shaved down. (That’s a grooming term.) We understand and are here to help. Chief is a nice dog who doesn’t want groomed. Even so, Mr. All Over the Table Wiggle Butt could not outwit Groomer Mom.

Chief got a football scarf to wear with his goofy smile. We think he feels lots better. His dad got some advice on weight control for Chief. He said he already switched Chief to a low-cal food, but will also start adding some green beans in place of some of the kibble.

Next up is a new-to-us Havanese (mix?) girl. Lilly lives in Cincinnati with her mom and dad. We also know them as “the in-laws.” Their daughter is married to our Episcopal priest, and they have a baby due on Easter! So Lilly has been here in Chattanooga with her pawrents a lot and not near her regular groomer. Mom failed to get a “before” picture, but believe me, Lilly was not in terrible shape. Although we aren’t sure she could see anything… Here’s her after picture.

Lilly is a very good girl and used to being groomed. Groomer Mom told Lilly’s mom to bring her back any time they’re in town.

That winds it up for this week’s edition of Grooming with Mom. Hope all your treats and grooms are good.

XOX from Lucy Ace Reporter

Awww Monday’s Grooming with Mom: Griffin

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia36 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter here on the Groom Beat today.

We got another new pup in to groom. His name is Griffin and he’s a four-year-old shih tzu. The person who has been grooming Griffin since he was a pup has been closed because of that awful flu thing that ate up 2020. One of Groomer Mom’s long-time clients suggested he come here.

His Mom didn’t really want him shaved, but realized he was pretty matted, so go ahead if it was necessary. As you might have guessed, it was necessary. Once again, Groomer Mom forgot to get before pictures. But, unlike some pups that come here, you couldn’t really see how much he was matted. Let’s hop to the end of the story and get you a picture of a totally groomed Griffin.

Is that my Mom’s car I hear?

Griffin is a lover and a hopper, and a wiggler and a fighter and was almost a biter. He’s complex. My peeps bro came downstairs and held him while Mom cut his back nails. We think he was throwing such a fit about it because one of his nails was almost grown into his skin. He started to act the same way when she began to get the hair out of his ears, and that’s when Groomer Mom “read him the riot act. *shudder* ” I sure hope she never gets in my face and says in her firmest voice that there is no reason for me to act like that and to be still and that she is in charge and that I will be still and behave. And do you understand?

Griffin understood and behaved until he didn’t. Then he got “read the riot act” Part Two. After that everything was fine and Groomer Mom got lots more kisses.

Thank you, Miss Amy. I feel tons better.

And Griffon’s Mom said he looked really cute, too!

Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off with hopes that no one gets read the riot act this week.

We are joining Comedy Plus with much thanks for hosting Aww Mondays.

Awww Monday with Chief

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia26 Comments

We are joining Comedy Plus with much thanks for hosting Awww Mondays.

Hi, Lucy here. This isn’t an official “Grooming with Mom” post by me, Ace Reporter on the Groom Beat. But it has to do with one of our newer grooms.

You may remember that each time Chief comes, we’ve been noticing the color changes on the puppy’s hair. Mom predicted in October that he had reached his adult coloring. Chief was here last week, and we want to look back to see if there is any change.

Chief is still a very active and wiggly puppy. That means that both grooming and photographing can be challenging. Here are just two of the photo failures.

And here are post-groom pictures of Chief since he started coming to us for his spa day.

  • July 3
  • August 13
  • October 7
  • December 11

I think Mom’s prediction was right. What do you think? You can click on each picture to biggify it.

Lucy (Ace Reporter) giving you wiggles and licks

Grooming with Mom on Aww Monday: Oreo and Sunshine

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia25 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter here on the Groom Beat today.

First up is Oreo, the eight-year-old brother of Cooper, who Mom groomed a few weeks ago. Y’all might remember Coop, the darling pomeranian who started out on the groom table with about 87 pounds of hair and ended up – per his Mom’s request – like this:

Cooper

Oreo is half pom and half chihuahua. Once again, Groomer Mom was neglectful in getting a “before” picture, but he looked so much like furry Cooper that she thought that was who his Mom had in her arms.

When Groomer Mom was trying to clean out Oreo’s ears, he grabbed her hand with his teeth and said, “I don’t like that!” Just to be safe, Groomer Mom slapped a muzzle on his face and finished his ears and nails. He figured out she wasn’t going to listen to him and there wasn’t anything he could do about it, so he sat still and let her do her thing. He ended up being a really nice – if kind of scared – pup, giving Mom hugs and kisses while she told him what a good boy he is. Here is the finished product, er, dog.

Oreo

Our second featured groom today is a precious 13-year-old who has been here once before. Groomer Mom neglected to even record the previous visit, although she remembers it well. Sunshine’s Mom is a new client who sees our grooming sign every time she drives through the neighborhood to her daughter’s house. She called Groomer Mom and explained she has a terrior mix who needed a bath and a few areas – such as face, paws and behind – trimmed. Mom says here’s a perfect example of ass-uming. She assumed this pup – Sunshine – had short hair and would take less than an hour. Boy, was she wrong. Here is Sunshine before her groom.

Sunshine is a Cairne terrier and beagle mix. She has lots and lots of thick undercoat (that’s a grooming term) that Mom spent at least a half hour just brushing. While under the dryer (another grooming phrase) Sunshine went wee-wee in the kennel and had to have a second bath. At this point Groomer Mom texted her next client and pushed the appointment back by a half hour. That was Sunshine’s first time here

This time Mom kept her on the table after her bath and gave her a blow-out (I think this is a hair-dresser’s term). Here is Sunshine after her trim, bath and blow-out.

Doesn’t she look happier? She even said, “Come closer and let me give you more kisses, Miss Amy.”

We join Comedy Plus with much thanks for hosting Awww Mondays.

This is Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off and wishing everyone a happy weekend.

Grooming with Mom: Cassie

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia28 Comments

Today’s headline: Cassie gets her first groom!

Hello there, friends. I am Lucy, Ace Reporter, on the Groom Beat. Today I am here to tell you about our friend Anne’s new pup. You might remember her schnauzer, Maddie who has been here to be groomed.

Maddie’s Mom has taken over her grooming, and does a good job, too. We heard Maddie is almost white now!

Back in the spring, Maddie got a new little sister. Cassie is a cavapoo, and a delightful girl. Mom kept waiting and hoping Anne would bring Cassie soon for her first groom, as Mom was excited about meeting the new puppy. Cassie is nine months old now, and quite grown, but still a pup. Here she is prior to grooming.

The swirl of hair on top of her head absolutely had to stay. The Groomer did a “scissor cut” and, per client’s instructions, only cut a little off the subject’s ears and beard. Umm, I mean Mom gave her a pretty puppy groom with a warm, relaxing bath, and here she is afterwards.

Although Miss Anne will now take over Cassie’s grooming needs, they – and Maddie – are welcome back any time!

Lucy, signing off the Groom Beat, with wags and kisses.

Grooming with Mom: Pebbles and Meeka

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia32 Comments

Hello friends. Lucy Ace Reporter back with you again on the Groom Beat

Next up is a pair of shih tzus. Their dad is brothers with one of Mom’s other clients, who referred them to her.
Mom began with Pebbles, who is almost nine years old and the dominant one in the family. Pebbles tried to bite her while she was removing the hair from her ears. Mom stopped working long enough to have a “come to Jesus” meeting with her. Pebbles said she understood, and, just to be sure, Dad held her while Mom cut her nails. Pebbles didn’t give her any more trouble after that. Well, OK, she gave Mom lots of trouble, but didn’t try to bite her.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is pebbles-clark.jpg
I don’t want to stand up!

Pebble’s Mom wanted her shaved and her face trimmed short. Mom remembered to take the “before” picture shortly after she started shaving Pebbles. She refused to stand up or cooperate in any way. She actually jumped out of the sink onto the table once during her bath. *sigh* Anyhoo, she made it through the groom alive even if she did poop on the table and in the sink.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is pebbles-giving-stink-eye.jpg
I may not be allowed to bite you, but how’s this for a stink eye.
This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is pebbles-clark-after-groom.jpg
Did you say my peep sisters are coming to get me?

Next up was Stink-Eye’s submissive sister, Meeka. Meeka pooped all over the floor while she was waiting her turn. *If I talk funny now ith becawwz I’m holding my nothe.

I heard what you said to my sister. Please don’t send me to Jesus.

Nine-year-old Meeka is just the opposite of Stink-Eye, er, Pebbles. She is what Mom calls passive-aggressive in the groom world. She didn’t want her front paws touched, so she kept laying her head on them while Mom was trying to shave them. She kept tucking herself into a ball until Mom finally used the loop thingy – like you saw around Stink Eye – to keep her standing.

She didn’t like her bath either, but Mom managed to keep her in the tub. Dried, groomed and finished! Pee Ess, when she lifts her ears, her hair stands up like that. She really doesn’t have horns, BOL.

Are we going home now?

Mom asked me to quote her here. I think this is how to do it:
A reliable source just informed me that both these dogs were covered underneath and in the back area with dried feces. My sourse is pretty sure that Pebbles has a bacterial infection on the insides of her back legs and her abdomen from the dried feces against their skin. She alerted their sisters – who picked them up – to this. She also advised them not to wait so long to get them groomed, suggesting every six to eight weeks.

This is Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off with more wags and wiggles.

Grooming with Mom: Cooper

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia18 Comments

Hello friends. Lucy Ace Reporter back with you on the Groom Beat.

Today let’s take a look at three new grooms, all on the same day.

The first one I’m reporting on is a breed called a Pomeranian. I’ve never seen one before. They’re little and have lots of hair. Mom forgot to take a “before” picture, so I helped her find one from Mr. Google that looks a lot like Cooper. Even the markings are the same!

Cooper was adopted when he was almost 2 years old, and his loving mom doesn’t know anything about his past. He’s six now, and a very timid little fellow. We don’t know why, but his mom asked to have all his hair shaved off. Mom the Groomer used a little longer blade, and had a lot of difficulty getting it to go through his thick undercoat. She said that’s the kind of undercoat collies have. She managed to shaved him all over the best she could and gave him a bath. When he was dry, she shaved him all over again. Here’s the results:

I’m Cooper, and I want my Mom. Er, I mean, I approve this groom.

Mom was real glad Cooper’s mom saw her grooming sign in the front yard. She liked Cooper so much she told his Mom that she’s in love… and to let her know if she ever needed a dog-sitter. (I think Xena would probably traumatize him.)

*yawn* I just realized it’s past my bedtime. I’ll be back tomorrow with the downlow on a pair of shih tzus.

Love and wiggles, Lucy Ace Reporter

Grooming with Mom: Georgia and Chief

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia17 Comments

Hello friends. Lucy Ace Reporter back with you on the Groom Beat.

Xena: Hey Lucy, I thought I would continue with my story today on my blog.

Lucy: First of all, it’s our blog. And Mom asked me to report on our latest new groom today, so you will have to wait until another day. I was just giving Sweetheart Bear some loving time since you’ve been ignoring her lately.

Xena: Coming next week: Xe Tours Paris on her Magic Flying Carpet

Lucy: Hmm, that was easier than I expected. So, moving on, in today’s edition of Grooming with Mom, I bring you Georgia A. Georgia is a very tiny yorkie puppy. She is less than three months old, and this is her first groom. Mom’s previous client – the man named John who sent his daughter here for her tiny yorkie’s first groom (click here if you missed that) – sent Georgia’s family here too. John can’t come any more because he no longer has his own yorkie, but we bet he gets lots of yorkie loving from his friend’s yorkie puppie Georgia and his daughter’s yorkie puppy Chief.

Georgia before her groom

During the groom, Georgia alternated between wanting to crawl onto Mom’s head and giving her sass about everything Mom was doing. Mom instantly fell in love with her and wanted to keep her, but didn’t think that dog-napping would go well for her grooming career.

About 90 minutes later, Georgia looked like this.

Mom trimmed under her eyes more after the picture was taken. We sure hope she grows into her ears.

When her dad picked her up, he told Mom who his folks are. They have Maggie, a poodle /shih tzu mix (pictured here) that Mom has been grooming for several years. Many of you sent prayers and positive thoughts for Maggie’s Mama, who had cancer, and she is fully recovered.

So this was actually a double referral to Mom, from both sets of Georgia’s grandpawrents. And speaking of yorkie puppies Chief was back this past week for his second groom. He did quite a bit better this time, but he screamed with every little bit of hair Mom had to pull from his ears. She was afraid the neighbors would think she was torturing someone, and was glad that the cops didn’t show up. Chief had a dark hair coat his first time here, but he is getting really light.

  • Chief July 3, 2020
  • Chief August 13, 2020
He doesn’t look like the same pup, does he?

From what his undercoat shows, we think he is going to be even lighter next time.

Aren’t puppies great?

This is Lucy Ace Reporter signing off with wags and wiggles and a reminder to watch for Xena’s next episode of her adventure tales, coming soon.

Ella and Achilles on Vacation: Day 2

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia20 Comments

Achilles: So, Lucy, to continue with telling you about the stuff I have to put up with at home… that pig! After all this time, he hasn’t even learned our language. He goes around grunting at us and using body language that me and Ella can’t understand. I used to try to stay out of Morty’s way, but it gets so tiring.

Lucy: But what does he do? And what do you do, my darling?

Here, let me show you Morty’s latest travesty.

I was sleeping peacefully on the couch when he jumped up, laid down next to me, and threw his back leg right across my nose, in front of my eyes. Aghh! I guess it could have been worse…

Lucy: What did you do, dear? Did you bite him?

Achilles: No, no, no. I might look big and intimidating, but you should know I would never hurt a fly. Well, maybe a fly. But I’m a pacifist, like you. Sometimes I get a bit worked up when I see other boy dogs, but I try to keep it under control. Anyhoo, here’s what I did.

Achilles: Enough about me. What have you been doing, beautiful?

Lucy: Hmmm. Mom’s been extra busy grooming during this COVID thingy. I’ve been working tirelessly helping her.

Sometimes I catch the hair so she doesn’t have to sweep it up. And when the pup on the table is nervous, sometime this makes them laugh!

We’ve been getting quite a few new and “haven’t been here for a long time” dogs in to be groomed. The last one was a tiny Yorkie puppy. Dog, was he a handful. Literally.

Chief: Let me go! I don’t want whatever you’re selling!

Finally, Mom agreed to let him lay in her lap while she worked on him.

Mom must have taken her patience pill that day. She said that Chief is only about three months old, and this is his first groom. First grooms are hard on everyone, so she tries to make sure the pup doesn’t get scared.

Achilles: How did it end? Did Chief survive? I’ve never been groomed, or even watched a groom.

Lucy: Like you showed me pictures to explain things, I’ll do the same for you. Here’s how it all ended.

  • Chief “before”
  • Chief “after”

Achilles: What happened to the table in the “after?” Did Chief get so light from losing all that hair that he floated?

Lucy: BOL! Mom just played with the picture so that Chief was the sole focus, BOL!
Give me another kiss and then let’s go see what Ella’s doing and if my Mom’s fixing us anything for lunch.

To be continued…

Grooming with Mom – Benny

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia20 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter here, with another episode of Grooming with Mom. Today I am featuring Benny, a 2-year-old Cockapoo. Mom first groomed Benny when he was three months old.

Mom hated didn’t like how his face looked in this groom, but it matched the picture his Mom asked for him to look like. Kinda crazy, huh?

We didn’t see him again for a couple of years, and today learned that his Mom had gotten married and moved across town. With the Shelter in Place order, it has been a long time since Benny was groomed anywhere. His Mom remembered bringing him here for his first groom, and called, hoping my Mom was open for business.

Benny has grown into a sweet and loving dog (kind of like me, he, he). He also was a very matted dog from missing all those appointments. His Mom expressed her desire to have him groomed like last time, in a scissor cut, but, if that wasn’t possible because of the mats, ok’d a shave-down. Although Mom did her best to work through the mats, his ears were matted like felt, and the only thing to do was to shave them.

After, that, the rest (of his hair) was history. That also gave Mom the liberty to groom his face and head how she thought looked good. Benny’s Mom was pleased. We may have just saved him from a life-time of ridicule by his peers.

Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off

Grooming with Mom

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia26 Comments

Hi friends! It’s me, Lucy, back with all the news worth reporting from the Groom Room. Today I want to introduce a new pup by the name of Gryff. But before I do, it’s important for you to get the back story (that’s a reporting term, you know) on how this all happened. First, though, here is Gryff before being groomed.

The day before Gryff came over, the Groomer aka Mom was grooming another little shih tzu, who we will just call “Ann” to protect the innocent. She’s been here a couple of times before, and is a sweet, if squirmy pup, under a year old. When the Groomer was done, she let “Ann’s” Mom know to come get her. Her Mom replied that her husband would pick up “Ann.” Mom packed me and Xena in the car to go to the vet, so we could leave as soon as “Ann” went home. We sat in there for almost an hour waiting, while Mom, er, the Groomer sat in the groom room with “Ann” in her lap, also waiting, for the pick up. Fifty minutes and several phone calls later, the husband showed up with both a stinky attitude and stinky breath. Mom, er, the Groomer figured out right away that he had been watching football and was unhappy about having to come pick up “Ann.”

We missed our vet appointment (I love going to the vet and always want to stay with those fun people) and we had to get out of the car. Mom called Dad and vented. She was really mad. She said if the guy had even said he was sorry, she would have been over it. But no, not even a thanks. Anyhoo, Mom finally asked God to take away the anger and forgive her for her mean thoughts. You won’t believe what happened next! A lady texted her saying “Ann’s” Mom had given her Mom’s number and she wanted to make a grooming appointment for her shih tzu! Mom called her and Gryff came the next day. Here he is after his groom.

Mom felt like God had answered her prayer, and not only forgave her, but sent her a blessing.

This is Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off.

Christmas Grooms with Lucy

Published on by Xena, Lucy and Chia17 Comments

Lucy, Ace Reporter here on the Groom Beat. Today I want to feature a couple of our pups who got groomed just before Christmas.

Let’s start off with Bailey C. Bailey has that fine hair of a Chorkie (Chihuahua/Yorkie Mix).

  • Bailey before
  • Bailey after

Bailey wanted to wear his new Christmas sweater, so you can’t see his body. But Mom did a scissor cut because he doesn’t have an undercoat. If she had shaved him, he would have looked like a skinned rat. Now Bailey looks like a pretty, groomed pup waiting for Santa Paws.

The other pup I want to feature today is Maggie. I told you about her Mom having cancer and asked for your prayers and POTP. Bailey’s Mom is celebrating a cancer-free Christmas this year!

We are sure they had a great Christmas and wish all our grooms and all our friends reading this a happy and healthy New Year.

Wags and wiggles from Lucy, Ace Reporter