After talking to my husband about it for a couple weeks - about the demands of grooming - we have decided that I will no longer be grooming. After my knee surgery, I couldn't groom for a while, and then my body was never the same. My knee injury is on my right, and I have a hip that goes out on my left along with a high left rib that also pops out of place, and alternating my weight back and forth while grooming just isn't cutting it anymore. I think my hip may be pinching a nerve that shoots horrible pain up my back, and it's not just while grooming, I can hardly bend over at the waste anymore without getting "stuck," and grooming makes it worst. So we have decided that it's best if I don't push my luck anymore with those things and stay away from the bending, contorting, and other physicalities of grooming.
HOWEVER, I will be offering groomer training to anyone who would like to learn to groom as a career or would just like to learn so that they may groom their own dogs at home. Yes, I am a certified groomer, but you do NOT have to be to groom dogs. And I know you will ask, so, NO, I cannot certify you. You will have to go to an accredited school and spend 8 weeks to a year to get certified. If you would like groomer training, please contact me via email for more info. Pricing may vary, however this is the basics:
$60 for a 2 hour session (Preferred for people who plan to groom at home.)
$250 for one month (three hours a day, one day a week, for one month.) - Career Beginners
$200 for one month - Career Intermediate
$100 Career Brush Ups (2 day brush up course at 2 hours per day for Groomers who would like to learn a specific breed cut or haven't groomed in a while and would like to brush up on the basics.)
RINGO!
Remember the little dog I was telling you about, Ringo? She had back surgery for a ruptured disc and I was pet sitting her for my parents...
Well, she's doing much much better! After the first week that I was sitting her she was pulling herself around because her back legs still didn't work, and Mom thought she was getting better, so I was no longer needed to sit her. About a week later, I went to Mom's and saw that she was walking again! I took this video:
She can now get around pretty well. I just groomed her for the last time yesterday and she did so good. She stood all by herself and I only needed a second pair of hands when it came to lifting her back legs and getting her belly. She still doesn't have full use of one of her back legs, but I hope that will come with time!
