A Round Of Appaws

06/19/2024

03/30/2024

02/14/2024

🐾 🩷💙 Happy Valentines Day 💙🩷🐾

01/16/2024

Happy 1st Birthday Levi!! We sure hope you’re enjoying some special treats today. 🐾💙🐾

12/31/2023

We want to wish all our clients a Very Happy and Healthy New Year! Thank you for your loyalty to us, and we look forward to continuing to love up your pups in 2024 🩷🐾🩷🐾

12/26/2023

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! We wish you a Happy New Year with lots of love and happines!

Thank you for everyones support and trusting us with your wonderful dogs this past year! We enjoy and love them just like our own.

12/22/2023

Scissors down!
That’s a wrap for Christmas 2023
Thank you for allowing us to beautify your pups for the holiday festivities 🎄🐾
Merry Christmas from all of us at
🩷🐾 A Round Of Appaws 🐾🩷

12/16/2023

Some pretties from this week

12/14/2023

I didn't write this but could not agree more!!! This is perfect!

Dear Client Who Didn’t Come Back,

I want to say thank you.

I know that trusting a pet stylist with your pet is scary.

Grooming is a big deal!

A good groomer can make your pet feel amazing, while a bad one can leave you sour for months.

So thank you for trusting me.

A few years ago I would have lost sleep over the fact that you didn’t come back for another visit.

I would have taken it personally, or wondered what the heck I did wrong.

However, after over a decade of grooming, I now realize that it’s not about me.

It’s about you.

It’s about your needs.

Maybe seeing me was out of your budget, and you can’t justify coming back.

Maybe you loved your pets grooming, but the location of my salon isn’t ideal.

Or, maybe you didn’t like me at all.

And guess what?

That’s okay.

I truly hope you find your soulmate pet stylist.

Everyone deserves a soulmate pet stylist.

Every client that goes elsewhere after seeing me leaves more room in my schedule for clients who are a perfect fit for me.

I am overjoyed that my schedule is filled with clients who I absolutely ADORE.

If everyone who saw me came back, I would not have met many of my current clients!

So thank you for not coming back because you felt like you should even though you didn’t want to.

Thank you for being vulnerable and continuing your search for your soulmate pet stylist.

If you ever need anything, I’m here.

The relationship between groomer and pet can be something so special.

As a pet stylist, I want my clients to feel comfortable, confident, and valued.

If we missed the mark, I apologize.

But, again, that’s okay.

I guarantee there’s a salon home out there that’s right for you.

And I truly hope you find it.

Sincerely,

A Groomer You Saw Once or Twice

12/09/2023

Prettier than presents 🐕 🎁 🎄🩷🐾

12/02/2023

Some cuties from this week 🎄 🐕 🎄 🐾

12/01/2023

Our books are almost full, give us a call to get your pup ready for Santa.

11/29/2023

Next time you visit your dog groomer, please be kind and consider how you speak to them. How would you like to be spoken to?

I speak for a lot of groomers at the moment, especially with the upcoming festivities, in that we are not feeling very appreciated at the best of times. Now don’t get me wrong, we have some absolutely wonderful customers, who are lovely in every way and they make us feel very much valued. A big thank you to those customers!

We love our job (most days), meeting all your lovely dogs and making them look wonderful. We take pride in our work and will always do what’s in the best interests of your dog and have their well-being at heart. We do try to keep costs as low as possible so that having your dog groomed is affordable for all.

However, this is also our career and we are running a business. We don’t do it just for fun and if we do not make profit, there simply would be no point in continuing.

It costs thousands of pounds to train as a dog groomer, hundreds to insure per year, thousands again to purchase the best equipment and products and then further money to maintain that equipment. On top of this, we also have rent, water bills and electricity to pay - we can all appreciate how expensive energy bills have become recently. We also don’t get paid holiday or sick pay.

So next time you are thinking about questioning the price, break that down and think about how much we are actually taking out of that for ourselves, to pay our bills at home and sustain a simple home life. Having a dog is a luxury, not a necessity.

Please treat us with respect, as you would like to be treated.

The above photo is a recent one taken by my colleague of myself after a free nail trim. Yes, a free nail trim. We didn’t charge. I held the dog whilst my colleague trimmed her nails and this was the result for me. Scratching, biting, growling, dribble faeces and urine are all things we have to contend with on a daily basis.

09/24/2023

Brushing your dog the proper way

08/02/2023

This post is from another groomer, and I agree with every word.

Too often I hear the comment "grooming is so expensive " and while yes, it is a big chunk of change to spend on a beloved pet at once. Ultimately its really is not that expensive considering everything that goes into it.
I thought i would take a minute to break it down for ya.
As groomers, we run on commission. Usually 50% is the normal percentage. So lets say you have a small shihtzu. Your groomer charges you $60. The groomer gets 50% so thats $30. It takes the groomer 2 hrs. So ultimately its only $15/hr.
Heres another scenario for larger breeds. Lets say you have a 90 # doodle. Groomer charges $125 and it takes them 4 hrs. 50% is $60. Divide that by 4 and again, its only $15/hr.
You guys, McDonald's workers make more than that these days!!!
Dont forget, your groomer has paid for schooling, continuing education, going to seminars and shows to perfect their craft plus they have to buy their own tools, pay for sharpening and still try to pay their own bills.

Now lets look at the other side as a business owner. That other 50% has to go somewhere right? This is just a basic list
*rent
*insurance
*taxes
*tables
*dryers
*tubs
*shampoo/conditioner
*bandannas/accessories
*water
*electricity
*cleaning supplies
*short term disability
*aflac
*CPA
*building updates
*computer software
*internet
*phone
You can easily look up prices for any of this stuff to see how much it costs just to start up a business. Just for a gallon of shampoo it runs between $50-$70. Times that by 5 bc you have to have a variety of shampoo/conditioner to fit each dogs needs.
Now heres another scenario bc i also hear "well so and so only charges me $60 for my 70 lb doodle." Lets break that down and say that doodle takes 3 hrs to groom. Thats $30 for the groomer. Divide that by 3 and that groomer is only making $10/hr. Could you imagine putting your heart and soul into something and not only being treated like crap half the time but only make $10/hr? Now imaging your animal being groomed by someone that isnt getting paid well for their work... i can promise you, its not a good environment. Believe me, ive seen it!
Now, lets talk about no call/no shows. Can you imagine going to work and having to sit there and not get paid for it bc someone didnt think it was important to call and cancel their appointment? It happens more often than you would think. And to top it off, you are still expected to pay your bills/daycare etc while not getting paid. That is why we are forced to put policies in place. By not showing up, you are directly effecting someone's familys income.
I know as a client its really hard to see the whole picture. Nobody bats an eye at spending $100s on their hair, clothes, nails, vacations, vehicles etc so why would you question a professional who has dedicated their careers to taking care of your animals for you?
Please for the love of God, do your research before buying a pet. Look into all expenses it is going to take to care of it especially if you are not going to maintain it at home. Believe me, we're not getting rich from doing this job. It truly is a labor of love. To finish this off, please be nice to your groomer, we are only human and we're just trying to make it like everyone else.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk.
As always, if you have any questions please feel free to reach out.

***this post is not directed at anyone, it was only to be informative ***

07/30/2023

Sunday funny

07/18/2023

Sharing from a fellow groomer’s page~

Next time you are booking a grooming appointment for your dog and the groomer is booked out, whether it be 2 to 3 week or 2 to 3 months, I want you to remember a few things:

~Groomers put up with a lot.
~We are overworked.
~We are generally and genuinely underappreciated.
~We push our bodies to the brink.
~Our work is intensive and laborsome.
~We can only groom so many dogs in a day.
~We are artists with a special skill that not everyone has.
~A lack of prior planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on our part.
~It is hair. It grows back.
~Grooming is expensive. We already know it costs more than your haircut. You do not get your entire body shaved and you certainly do not p**p on your hairdresser or bite them.
~There will never be enough groomers to keep up with the amount of dogs needing services in this country.
~If you treat your groomer poorly, they can and will fire you as a client. 💯
~We treat your dogs like our own and love your dogs like our own.
~We cannot ever promise you that nothing bad will ever happen. That isn't a promise we can keep. But we CAN promise to always handle any situation that arises appropriately and quickly.
~This career takes an immense level of passion and compassion.
~Grooming is a fulfilling and wonderful career full of beautiful moments.

Most importantly, I want to remind you that you can be the bright spot in that groomers day. YOU can be the difference between them being accused of being an awful person and being the person to make them smile. Please be kind. Your groomer is doing the very best that they can every minute of every day.

💜🐶🐾 ✂️

05/19/2023

True!

04/17/2023

Dog Grooming is not an easy career choice 🐕

I would challenge anyone to try dog groomimg for the day and not be phsically and mentally exhausted.
Dog grooming requires allot of stamina, patience, skill and knowledge. Groomers need to know aboout all of the hundreds of recognised dog breeds and crossbreeds, breed styles, diseases, parasites, canine anatomy and confirmation, hair structure and the skin, safe handling, dog behaviour the list goes on.

We are working with very sharp tools around sometimes very lively/fidgetty dogs sometimes trying to avoid being bitten by aggressive dogs. Dealing with neglected matted dogs which can be totally soul destroying and very stressful for us and the dog.

We spend thousands of dollars each year on training, seminars and equipment often going without things ourselves to make sure the pooches have the best products used on them. .

We sacrifice our own health with the physical manual handling, lifting dogs bending and twisting each and every day.

Some people pass comments like "you just cut dogs hair" "ah you get to play with dogs all day" "how hard can it be?" I challenge anyone to try doing what we do just for one day, they will find its not as easy as it looks 😂 dog groomers are amazing 💪💖🐕
(Borrowed from another groomer!)

03/27/2023

Vote for Artichoke, Cheryl’s colorful poodle. Just click on the pictures and scroll down (He’s just past the Great Dane) ❤️ give his picture a like. All votes appreciated 😊

12/30/2022

Scissors down! 2022 grooming has come to an end. Thank you to all our amazing clients for allowing us to care for and love your pets 🐾❤️🐾 We look forward to another year of serving the Lake Orion community to the best of our abilities. May we all have a Happy and Healthy New Year!!

12/25/2022

Merry Christmas!

12/20/2022

Christmas Cuties 🎄