03/14/2024
Kona came for a visit today. She may not look as fluffy or "finished" as some of the pictures we post, but here's why. Kona has been coming to see us for her grooming for over a year. She started off her first visit with us accepting everything in stride. She was a little nervous about the bathing and drying portion of her visit. Nothing out of the ordinary as it is quite common for pups to feel nervous or unsure of certain aspects of the grooming process.
She has been kept on a set schedule since coming to us. However, each time Kona would come for her visits, she was getting increasingly more anxious about the bathing process. Ultimately, we decided that her mom would bathe her at home before coming to us. This decision was made for Kona's comfort and to ease her anxiety, as well as for her safety. You see, she was soooo worried about the bath that we were afraid she would harm herself in an effort to evade the bathtub.
Today was her second visit with mom bathing at home prior to her arrival. She comes to us freshly washed (mom has no issues doing this at home), and then we proceed with giving her a haircut. She is wonderful for the entire process of the haircut portion, even giving some kisses.
As pictured today, we decided to have Kona sit calmly in the tub. No agenda other than for her to just sit in there and see that it's not a place to be nervous. She did really well for that, so we decided to let the water run a bit. This is where her anxiety started to emerge slightly. We talked calmly to her while placing a hand on her for comfort. Once settled, we turned off the water and praised her. We let her out of the tub as she did great with the reintroduction.
We aren't sure why she had gotten so anxious over time about the bath. She was never hurt or mistreated. It was just something she started to fear. To ease that, we had to adjust our approach with her visits and focus on her comfort far more than her style. Today was a HUGE success for her. We hope to build off of today's visit when she comes back to see us at her next appointment.
Good girl, Kona!!!
I decided to share Kona's struggles because the grooming process can be an emotional rollercoaster for some pets. Sometimes, they accept the process wonderfully, and other times, their worries and fears take over (much like humans). The comfort of the pets in our care is of the utmost importance. If we feel a pet is struggling to accept any portion of their visit, we will adjust accordingly just like we did for Kona and have done for others as well. 🩵🐾❤️