06/03/2022
âWhatâs it like to be a dog groomer?â
Someone asked me this today.
In my head I thought:
âHave you ever thought of adding hair to a 3 year old childâs face that covers their eyes and mouth and then holding them by their jaw hair while coming at them with the sharpest scissors known to man and you canât cut their eyes or nose off but they donât understand what you want? But you can get sued if you cut them, even if theyâre suicidal. Then people wanna tell you, you charge too much, while you have to p*e and dogs are barking when people walk in, but people wanna talk to you and you canât hear them because the dogs are barking but you donât wanna be rude but you canât handle the dogs barking because you know when they leave the dogs will stop barking, then when you get off work you have hair pierced in your skin that oozes out between the webbing of your fingers and a permanent strand of golden retriever hair that has been stuck in your eyeball since April. Your shoes are wet, you smell like a**l glands. You lost your appetite because you pulled ticks off a dog and you have Mrs. Jones mad because you donât have an opening for her dog you havenât seen since August, so she tells you youâre heartless and donât care about dogs and then the hot water heater breaks down and a dog knocks over the last gallon of shampoo right at the time you were about to turn a decent profit but youâre booked out and donât wanna raise your prices because youâre afraid your business will fail so you wait til you absolutely canât wait to raise them and then you have a new illegal uninsured hobby groomer open up down the road that charges half your current rate but you know they wonât be around long because it happens all the time and they can hardly do a mileâs worth of dogs because thereâs a groomer shortage but you still think youâre not gonna be able to pay the bills because you had 2 cancellations that went to them with no time to fill it. You hire staff to help the load and then taxes eat you alive. You get a message that one of your favorite clients passed away at the same time you get a call from someone excited about their new puppy, then you smell p**p because the dog that you just finished decided it couldnât wait any longer for their parents to pick up and they DEFINITELY need another bath, but they bite for the dryer and your shoulder gave out when you were holding them last time.â
But I said âItâs amazingâ
And I meant it. â€ïž
Thereâs a lot of âbadâ that comes with our job, but if you focus on the good.. and set boundaries youâll love this life.
The moments when you earn a dogâs trust with a little âshhshhhzzzzhhâ with thinning shears at the eyes.
The moments when the clients tip you double or bring you gifts for no reason. The educated clientele base that values your work, listens to your recommendations and tells all their friends how much youâre worth it.
The times where someone has to cancel and doesnât even hesitate to pay the bill without even being reminded of the policies. Even when youâre nice about it and tell them no itâs okay, they still tip too.
The moments when you know itâs the last few grooms with a senior pet that trusts you even with their painful joints.
Earning the trust of a dog that used to bite you.
Knowing some elderly people donât have many friends but they look forward to that little chat with you while they drop off their best friend for a spa day.
Puppies. The good part about puppies.. not the chaos đ€Ł
The pride. The art. The joy. â€ïž
The moments when clients respect you because you respect yourself. The moment they call you a magician. The moment the kids come with for pick up and they tell you âI love itâ. You know a kidâs not lying đ€Ł
We donât take care of ourselves. Mentally, physically or emotionally. This is an industry epidemic that I donât co-sign on. Charge what you have to, do your best, stay in your lane and enjoy the ride.
