12/04/2024
One of our fantastic groomers Criston - read a little about her below.
Meet your groomer!
I have a lot of new clients/followers, so I figured I’d do a little about me post.
My name is Criston and I’ve loved animals for as long as I can remember! My grandparents had a farm in South Carolina so I spent my younger days crawling right in the pens with all the chickens, goats etc. my earliest memory is of a baby chick hatching in my hands when I was around 5 and then taking her back home to Richmond with me where she lived for 7 wonderful years!
I always knew I wanted to do something with animals; my first dream job was a veterinarian or marine biologist. I took a 2 year vet-science course my junior and senior year in high school at our technical center and fostered many of the class pets like the cats, snakes, rats, chinchillas, ferrets, hamsters, & even a newborn kitten that I had to bottle feed every two hours.
I got a job at a boarding kennel when I was 16 and worked there for 6 years. While I was there I got introduced to my love for grooming dogs. I went to CC and majored in science before I realized what I really loved in life.. grooming.
I got certified after a 2 year program with an externship and have been grooming ever since. I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life. There’s something so fulfilling about making dogs and cats feel better while providing education to owners to improve their dogs experience at the salon.
I’ve worked at a veterinary practice for the last 5 years as a dog and cat groomer. I’ve always delt with “difficult” pets with patience and a way of getting them to trust me with positive reinforcement. Ive done fully sedated grooms now with veterinary supervision for 5 years as well as dogs who need trazadone/gaba/ace to calm them for their spa days. I pride myself in trying everything before it gets to that point, but fear-free grooming is a practice I stand behind and always will. I still love my job just as much as I did when I was 16. I spend my free time with my large pack of animals (rescues have always had my heart). I have 5 dogs, 4 cats, a sugar glider, fish, & fosters. As if I can’t get enough doggy love, I pet sit my clients too! I can’t wait to serve the RVA community for years to come!
