Grooming with Mom: Then and Now

This is Lucy, Ace Reporter, with pupdates on Millie, Gus and JoJo

Gus and Mille began coming to “Small Dog Grooming” (Groomer Mom) back in June of last year after their previous groomer passed. You can click here to read the story and see the pictures of their first groom by Small Dog Grooming. They have been coming every month since then. Groomer Mom took fresh pictures the last time they were here in February.

Millie

Gus

Next up is JoJo, a yorkie who has come every three weeks since April of last year. She is five now. You can click here if you want to see the story and picture from her first groom at Small Dog Grooming.

She got a real different groom from previously…more off her face and less off her body. Her Mom said the cold makes her eyes run. We like this look better.

Chia has been bugging me during this entire report. She wants me to post a picture of her.

Are you taking pictures of me while I’m asleep?

Lucy: There you go, Chia, not one, but two pictures.

Chia: Sheesh, Lucy, I didn’t mean those pictures!

Lucy, Ace Reporter signing off with groom updates (and sweet revenge).

We are joining Comedy Plus with much thanks for hosting Awww Mondays.

Grooming with Mom: Our Seniors

Lucy, Ace Reporter, on the Groom Beat

Today I’ve invited back a couple of our long-timers, Maggie the schnauzer and Dora the shih tsu, sporting their new winter cuts. We’ve had so many positive comments on what a great idea the concept of winter grooms is that I’m going to ride that wave. Uh, I mean, show you two more. *clears throat* Both usually get a full shave down–with the exception of Dora’s ears and tail–every four weeks. Sometimes their mom asks for just a mini-groom, but she never lets them get very long. This time, it’s been over two months, two grooms in a row, that they got the winter cut. Here’s Maggie, sporting the adorable fuzzy schnauzer look.

Maggie tucks her back legs under her because she has problems with them. Sometimes she starts to roll over backwards, so Groomer Mom positions her against the wall to help her stay steady in her sit position. Maggie will be 14 this year and has been our much-loved client since May of 2013 when she was five.

Maggie’s sister, Dora, was four when she started coming here the same time as Maggie, meaning she’ll be turning 13 this year. She doesn’t seem to be quite sure what to make of that bow.

Until this groom, she’s never left here with her hair long enough to sport a pretty bow. We sorta hope it stays in and her Mom wants to keep that part of her hair long. Guess we’ll know in a month…

Next featured is 14-year-old Sunshine. Sunshine is a long haired cairn terrier/beagle mix. She’s got a great temperament and lots and lots of long hair. Her mom wants to keep her body and leg hair long. A large pile of undercoat comes out during a thorough brushing each groom even though her mom does a good job keeping her brushed. This is what she looked like a year ago post groom:

This time, she came to Groomer Mom with that long coat very matted. Her mom had been sick and unable to brush her. Groomer Mom is thankful that she has some magic lotion and a magic comb that loosens most mats and allows them to be removed. Also, her mom wanted her face shaved. This is how she now looks.

This Ace Reporter was reassured by Groomer Mom that yes, this really is the same dog!

I leave you with this quote from Groomer Mom, “Puppies are adorable and fun, but seniors who are used to being groomed are one *bleep* of a lot easier to groom.”

Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off with wags and licks and many thanks to  Comedy Plus  for the great job they do hosting Awww Mondays.

Wordy Wednesday Grooming with Mom:Griffin

Lucy, Ace Reporter, on the Groom Beat

Hi again friends! Griffin is a shih tzu who Groomer Mom doesn’t think looks like a shih tzu. You can tell us what you think in the comment section below. He comes every couple of months, and always has mats to the skin. Groomer Mom asked me to include a collage she made of Griffin pre-groom.

It used to take Dad holding him to get his nails done. He’s a sweetie, and he’s also a busy boy who doesn’t stand still for long. Griffin was extra good this time; no help was needed. His Mom wanted a longer shave, but the long blade on the clippers refused to go through his extremely thick hair. So Groomer Mom cleaned out his ears and clipped his nails before giving him a nice warm bath. After he dried, slightly shorter clippers did start cutting his hair, with a bit of encouragement. His legs called for the next size down in blades because of the mats. It took a couple of hours to get this finished cut.

Ahhh, it’s so good to stretch. Thank you, Miss Amy. I feel so much better!

Groomer Mom looks forward to doing it all over again sometime in March. With m any thanks to Comedy Plus for hosting Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop, Lucy, Ace Reporter on the Groom Beat, signing off with wags and licks.

Grooming with Mom on Thankful Thursday: Chub

Lucy, Ace Reporter on the Groom Beat.

Xena: One of Mom’s long time clients who have Laila and Louis started bringing two of their offspring, Maggie and Bentley, who live with the client’s sister. Then her sister started bringing them, as well as Tyrian, who is their not-biological brother. Then her sister started also bringing her mother-in-law’s dog, Oreo. This time, Oreo’s brother Chub also came. That’s what this post is about.

Lucy: Thank you, Xena, for that introduction and history on this family of dog grooms. As Xena-Not-Ace-Reporter pointed out, Chub came along with his sister and cousins. That made for a total of five dogs last Monday.

First, Groomer Mom serviced Oreo. Because she’s blind, she moves around a lot, and it’s important to be sure she does not fall off the table! Here are her after pics:

Next up was Chub. Chub is also a 14-year-old shih-tzu, and litter mate with Oreo. When he got on the groom table he looked like this:

His Mom just wanted him to get a winter groom. His ears were very matted. She warned Groomer Mom that he didn’t like his face “messed with,” especially around his mouth. Yep, Groomer Mom should have listened.

Chub was loving on Groomer Mom, giving her nose kisses and wagging his tail. He didn’t even mind her working out all those ear mats. Then she took the curved scissors to trim around his mouth. Let’s just say that if his teeth were sharp, Groomer Mom would have a great big hole in the middle finger of her right hand. At that, she said, and I quote, “We aren’t friends anymore, Chub Chub.” Then she decided to try it with the clippers. She got one swipe on each side before he launched his assault on the running clippers. Groomer Mom just held the clippers there and let him attack them, thinking maybe he would get it out of his system. He kept up his voracious attack on the clippers with voracity, and Groomer Mom gave up. Therefore, here is his “after” picture:

Groomer Mom is thankful today that she still has all her fingers without any holes in any of them. This is Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off with licks and wags from a report on a semi-successful groom.

Today we are joining Brian’s Thankful Thursday, with special thanks to Brian for hosting it!

Grooming with Mom: Gus

Lucy, Ace Reporter here on the Groom Beat.

Once again we have a new pup to groom. And when I say pup, I mean a little, four-month-old puppy named Gus. Do you remember at the end of April when one of Mom’s wonderful long-time clients suggested that little Jo Jo’s mom bring her to groomer Mom? If you missed that one, just click here to see an adorable yorkie!

Then Jo Jo’s mom told Gus’ mom, and Gus came for his very first groom at 7:30 in the morning. I’d had my breakfast and didn’t really want to get up out of bed again so early, but I knew puppy’s first groom would be good reporting material.

Here is Gus before his first groom. He is a shih tzu, maltese mix. We couldn’t find the maltese part.

Gus only weighs about 2 or 3 pounds, so you know he’s tiny. He’s a happy puppy, too. While he got his nails cut he learned to count how many feet he has and how many toenails on each foot. He liked that, too. Won’t his mom be surprised when she says, “Give me your paw,” and he answers, “Which one? I have four.” BOL

Oops, I think Xena’s long, rambling stories have influenced me! Back to reporting.
Gus didn’t much care for his bath, but then who does?

Groomer Mom took her time with him, kissing him and talking to him and showing him all the grooming tools before she used them. He was very interested, too!

About an hour or so later, Gus wanted to know if it was time to go and what would happen if he jumped off the table.

Thankfully, he didn’t get a chance to find out. But he did get a little scarf and a big kiss goodbye!

Uh Mom, it looks like you missed some hair under Gus’s wiggly chin.
I am Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off with wags and licky kisses. Oh, and we are very Thankful today for Gus and all the other wonderful pups – big and small, young and old – who come to my Mom for grooming.

Today we are joining Brian’s Thankful Thursday, with special thanks to Brian for hosting it!

Grooming with Mom on Sunday Selfies: Gus and Millie

Lucy, Ace Reporter here on the Groom Beat, reporting to you from just outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. I’m not reporting from outside, or watching the groom from outside, it’s just that we don’t actually live in Chattanooga…oh, never mind. I really am starting to sound like Xena.

*Deep breath* Today I introduce to you two new pups coming to Groomer Mom for the first time. They are what’s called litter mates. Xena and I are sisters but we’re not litter mates. I’m sure my savvy readers already know the difference.

BTW (that means By The Way, he, he), Gus and Millie asked if they could be featured on the selfies today, and the only reason I could think of to say no was to not upset Xena. So, Millie and Gus are happy to join The Cat on My Head for Sunday Selfies.

Gus and Millie are two four-year-old shih tzus whose groomer just died. As a reporter I’m not supposed to state the obvious or express emotions, but, well…that’s just so sad! After that happened, they were referred to us by Griffin’s mom. If you missed that new groom story, you can catch up here.

This is Gus before his groom.

We are guessing it had been a while since he’d been on a grooming table. He got a longer shave per his mom’s request.

Here Gus is after his groom.

Yep, same dog. We aren’t making this up. Just look at those pretty eyes. Mom tried everything to get his chin beard to look right and it always came back looking fuzzy like this. Maybe next time Groomer Mom will try some hair mousse!

Next up is his sister, Millie. We didn’t get a “before” picture of her, but she was in about the same shape as her brother.

Here’s Millie post groom:

They don’t like to be separated, so they waited together on the table with Groomer Mom very close-by for their ride to come get them.

We’re going to see these sweet pups again in four weeks.

Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off with wags and kisses.

Awww Monday’s Grooming with Mom: Griffin

Lucy, Ace Reporter here on the Groom Beat today.

We got another new pup in to groom. His name is Griffin and he’s a four-year-old shih tzu. The person who has been grooming Griffin since he was a pup has been closed because of that awful flu thing that ate up 2020. One of Groomer Mom’s long-time clients suggested he come here.

His Mom didn’t really want him shaved, but realized he was pretty matted, so go ahead if it was necessary. As you might have guessed, it was necessary. Once again, Groomer Mom forgot to get before pictures. But, unlike some pups that come here, you couldn’t really see how much he was matted. Let’s hop to the end of the story and get you a picture of a totally groomed Griffin.

Is that my Mom’s car I hear?

Griffin is a lover and a hopper, and a wiggler and a fighter and was almost a biter. He’s complex. My peeps bro came downstairs and held him while Mom cut his back nails. We think he was throwing such a fit about it because one of his nails was almost grown into his skin. He started to act the same way when she began to get the hair out of his ears, and that’s when Groomer Mom “read him the riot act. *shudder* ” I sure hope she never gets in my face and says in her firmest voice that there is no reason for me to act like that and to be still and that she is in charge and that I will be still and behave. And do you understand?

Griffin understood and behaved until he didn’t. Then he got “read the riot act” Part Two. After that everything was fine and Groomer Mom got lots more kisses.

Thank you, Miss Amy. I feel tons better.

And Griffon’s Mom said he looked really cute, too!

Lucy, Ace Reporter, signing off with hopes that no one gets read the riot act this week.

We are joining Comedy Plus with much thanks for hosting Aww Mondays.

Pup Invasion

Lucy: We had an invasion.

Xena: It wasn’t good, but at least it wasn’t alien balls this time.

Are you making our brekkies?

Lucy: Their names are Louis (L)and Laila (R). Louis is a Brussels Griffon and Shih tzu mix. Laila is a shih tzu and poodle mix. Mom grooms them, but this time they are staying with us, for about 87 days, I think. They are the couple who kept having puppies, but now Laila has had her big girl surgery.

Xena: Louis kept sniffing our bee-hinds and jumped on me from bee-hind. Mommy and I both yelled at him for that. Sometimes I stand with my bee-hind against a wall, now.

Lucy: Laila was OK except she kept pooping and peeing in the house. Mom put one of Xena’s Big Girl Time panties on her, and that took care of that. Louis has finally figured out he will never be popular by putting his nose or anything else near our bee-hinds. The only things we still don’t like is that they are Mom hogs.

We’re hoping everyone (including us) has a good week.

Wags and wiggles, Lucy and Xena Schnauzer Warrior Princess (and Louis and Laila)

Grooming with Mom: Art Imitating Groom

Lucy, Ace Reporter on the Groom Beat, here. Today I have a bit of a different report. You have already met Maggie the schnauzer and Dora the shih tzu. They have been coming to Mom to be groomed for six years. Their mom’s sister-in-law is an artist. Can you see the pictures she is painting? On the left is the picture their mom took, and on the right is the painted portrait.

In other news, most of the folks wanting their pups groomed before Easter came by the weekend before. Our friend Pete the Chorkie lives in the neighborhood and his mom goes to church with our folks, so Petey came Easter Saturday and got lots of special attention. He’s been having some health problems, including a collapsing trachea and he coughs when he’s nervous.

I stayed with him to help him be calm, and we were glad to report to his mom that he only coughed once while he was here. He’s also had to get sub-q fluids every week. His mom said that he hates it so much that he runs and hides when he sees her getting things ready to do that. So she has decided to stop and hope and pray for the best. Maybe you could send him some POTP too. It sure has helped some of our other friends who sit on Mom’s table.

This is Lucy Ace Reporter signing off. *wags*

Grooming and More: Roxxii, Dora and Maggie

Today, Ace Reporter Lucy on the Groom Beat. First, we have Roxxii. Isn’t she a doll? Mom did what she calls a “Winter Groom,” leaving her body and leg hair long to help her stay warm.

Her Mom had to leave her for three hours while she worked, so Roxxii came upstairs to stay with us.Xena: Who are you and why are you here? I play bowed and you didn’t respond. Don’t even think about taking my Mommy or stealing my food or my pressies from under the tree.

Roxxii: I hadn’t thought about any of those things until you mentioned them, schnauzer dog. Where are the pressies? I don’t see any.

Xena: Just never mind. I already hid my reindeer when I saw you coming.

30 minutes later after Roxxii ran all over the house looking for Xena’s reindeer…Roxxii: I want my Mommy.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the grooming room…Dora the shih tzu: Maggie, did you see if that other dog ever came back? What happened to her?

Maggie the schnauzer: I don’t know, Dora, but I’ll protect you.

Maggie: Miss Amy, where did that other dog go? Is she staying with you while her Mom and Dad go away like we stayed a few weeks ago? Is she OK?

Dora: (As their Mom pulls into the driveway) Can we go home now, Miss Amy? Are we staying with you again, too? I really want to go home.

Angel Lexi: There’s no place like home.

Well, I seem to have totally lost control of my article, so I guess that’s all for today, folks. Wags and wiggles from Lucy, Ace Reporter who needs a lock on her computer.

 

 

Extra-Thankful Thursday

Today is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S. Xena and I have been thinking about what we are thankful for, so here goes.

First we want to say how thankful we are for Blogville and all the friends and support we have gotten. You are happy when we are and sad when we are. When Angel Lexi went over the bridge, Mom could not have made it without all of you. And oh, yes, although it is a very fun virtual reality to live in, we know the peeps and pups who make it up are real.  We love you!

In our little corner of Blogville and the world, we are thankful for the family dogs who came before us and had the hard job of training Mom. On birthdays, they taught her to say, “Let them eat cake.”This is from Sammy’s birthday on the fourth of July. Every year, Mom used to keep 10 dogs for that whole week, so they all helped Sammy celebrate his birthday. Freda was Mom’s first schnauzer.

Lexi: This picture is from my 10-year-old birthday party. I had a Healthy Choice meal with my Mom and Dad and then my very own cake shaped like a dog. I know, kinda’ weird, but Mom meant well. Can you see the happy all over my face?

But it took Lexi to teach Mom to say, “Let them eat McDonalds.”

I love birthdays and I love Micky D’s!! This is all for me!

We are thankful for our friends who we know in the furs.                                   Gracie, who never comes to see us anymore.

My (Lucy’s) bestie, Ella.

                                  The big lunk, Achilles. (We love you Achilles.)

And our newest buddy, Chaz.

And we are thankful for the memories of our friends who are now waiting at the Rainbow Bridge.

And our blogger buddies who have gone on, too.

We are so very thankful for all of our blog buddies still with us, too. We would love to meet you all in the furs, like Mommy did with Angel Lexi’s boyfriend, Noodle.

We are both especially thankful for really yummy food.

beef, kale and sweet potato

We are thankful for our Mom and Dad, who love us and give us a good home.

And I am thankful for you, Xena. I love you!I love you, too, Luce the Deu…I mean Lucy. XOX 

And, in the spirit of this holiday, we are both thankful to be red-blooded American dogs, born in the U.S.A. What was it I heard the other day? Oh yes, American by birth, Southern by grace, BOL!

We hope everyone has as much to be thankful for as we do! Happy Thanksgiving to all our furiends. Be sure to go to the the blog hop today by clicking on the picture. 

Love, licks, and wags, the Southern girls: Lucy and Xena Schnauzer Warrior Princess

 

 

 

Grooming with Mom

Hi friends. This is Lucy, reporting on a new episode of Grooming with Mom.

Maggie isn’t a newbie. She has been here before. This is her before and after picture from the first time she was here in October last year. 

She has been back twice since that. This time, however, Maggie’s Dad brought her and told my Mom to give her a short poodle cut. She is half poodle and half shih tzu, and definitely looks more poodlish.  Her “before” look isn’t nearly as bad as it was the first time she was on Mom’s torture grooming table.After a lot of shaving and some arguing over getting her face shaved, here’s how she looked in her “after.” We found out that her Mama was about to have surgery for breast cancer, and needed Maggie to have an easy haircut to manage. Please send up your POTP, good thoughts and prayers for Miss Marcia, Maggie’s Mom.

Licks and wiggles, Lucy

Slow Day and Grooms

Today is Monday. That means it is Slow Day. Mom calls it my Fast Day, but believe me, there is nothing fast about it. I don’t get to eat anything until supper time. I’m just going to chew my bully horn and look pitiful until then. And dream about what I will get for supper.

We had two grooms scheduled for 11:00 this morning. Then, at 9:00 another lady with two dogs texted to say she was on her way. Mom had forgotten to write it down! She had to hurry and push the 11:00 grooms back to noon. I have shown you pictures of them before when they were here. Laila is on the left.

 

 

This time, there was a surprise when the lady showed up with Laila and Louis. Laila looked like this, but that wasn’t the surprise.

Now she looks like this! Notice anything? I mean, besides Mom shaved her and she’s still happy?

Yep, she got knocked up. Where’d I hear that kind of language, Mom? Well…I don’t know…how about, she is in a delicate condition? Just say she is going to have puppies? OK. Laila is going to have puppies and the blessed event should happen on September 6. He, he.

Here’s the culprit, er, guy who, er, the Daddy:

I sure hope they know what they are in for!

Love and wiggles, Lucy

Grooming With(out) Lucy

I’ve given up. Mom’s never going to let me groom dogs. A couple of weeks ago she got a 15 year old miniature poodle dog named Muffy in to groom. Do you think Mom let me help? Right. Mom forgot to get a “before” picture, but she remembers thinking that under all that hair there has to be a poodle. It took her two hours to find the poodle, though. Muffy is also a screamer. Speaking of screaming, I can hardly wait for Mom to let me tell you what Riley did at the vet. (he, he)

 

 

This morning Mom did a mini-groom on Dora the shih Tzu and Maggie the schnauzer. I’ve told you about them before.

 

 

 

Then a newer client asked if Mom could groom Daisy, her cockapoo. Of course Mom said, “Come on!” and there was one more dog I didn’t get to groom. *sad sigh*  Daisy will be one year old next month and her Mom is planning her a birthday party. I bet she would have been tons of fun to play with. Oh, wait. Maybe that’s why Mom won’t let me groom.

Daisy before groom

    Daisy after groom

Love and wiggles, Lucy

 

It’s a Sign!

My subdivision, Port Royal, is relatively small, maybe 30 or 40 houses. It is also on a cul-de-sac, so we have no through traffic. There are two houses for sale on our street. Earlier this week I got a call from a lady who had been house-shopping and wrote down my number from the sign in my front yard.

She had looked at so many houses that she couldn’t even remember where I was located, but she wanted to bring  Winston, her 10 month old multi-poo-shih-tzu to me to groom. It ended up being a 20 minute drive this morning, but she didn’t seem to mind. What a wiggle butt, and a sweet boy!

After the groom, Winston’s Mom couldn’t come for him for over an hour, so after I grabbed a bite of lunch I carried the little guy upstairs to meet Lucy. She was very gentle with him while he sat in my lap and made friends with her.

My next groom had rescheduled for Good Friday, so I thought I was done for the day. After returning from a quick run to Walmart, which, for an early Friday afternoon, was uncharacteristically packed, my mobile rang with a local number I didn’t recognize. Unbelievably, it was another person who had driven through the neighborhood to look at the houses for sale and had seen my sign. They were a retired couple who had just returned from three months of wintering in Florida. She claimed they couldn’t find a groomer there for their three pound yorkie. Huh?? They lived nearby, so I told her to bring 15 year old Daisy on over. This was definitely another one of those “I wouldn’t normally groom her this way, but if it’s what you want” grooms.

Isn’t this Senior Lady precious? Their granddaughter convinced them to adopt this cutie as a rescue when Daisy was four years old. Daisy is also an experienced girl on the groom table. Such a delight!

Out of curiosity, I did a spread sheet on the origin of all my active grooms. The results are 20% from my yard sign, 55% from the neighborhood blog, 15% from referrals, and 10% from people in the neighborhood asking who groomed my dog (Lexi) when we were out walking.

Church Dog of the Week

Woof! It’s me, Gracie. I am staying with Ms. Amy and Mr. Jeff over Christmas while my Mom and Dad go on vacation without me. Come to think of it, they always go on vacation without me. It has something to do with flying, which I haven’t learned to do yet.

    I still have to travel by car.

Speaking of flying, that reminds me of wings which reminds me of Angel Lexi, who earned her wings almost four months ago. Ms. Amy left my food dish at work today, so I get to honor Lexi by eating my supper out of her green food dish tonight.

Speaking of work, I have earned the title Church Dog of the Week. Wouldn’t Lexi be proud? I went to work with Ms. Amy yesterday and was minding my own business when this appeared in the doorway to our office:

Jiminy Cricket! This beast was HUGE! He looked like he could have swallowed me in one big chomp. I was mightily afraid for awhile, but then got a bit curious why this beastie was sporting the GQ look. Maybe he wasn’t a bad sort after all. So I thought, OK, I can try to share church space with him, even if I didn’t want to be BFF’s, if you know what I mean. After a while, all that tension of trying to not let the beastie be my bestie wore me out.

               Dreaming I’m in a land far, far away.

                             Meantime…

Yep, Odin was still there when I woke up. Eventually he went in the office with his Momma and left me alone so I could help Ms. Amy get her work done.

When I went to work again today I got the best reward! There were 87 gazillion little peoples downstairs and they all wanted to pet me and kiss me. I ran between them and wiggled and kissed them back for what seemed like hours, until I got totally worn out. Lots of big people came in to see me today too, and I greeted everyone with tail wags and wiggles and they all loved me, too. I think I saw more people today than I have all year long. Good thing my bed is there so I can rest. Lexi never told me what hard work it is to be the church dog. Finally, it was time to go home.

      I’m ready Ms. Amy. Are you coming?

I’ll say goodnight for now. I need to get my rest so I can get up again tomorrow and do it all again.

Kisses and wiggles,
Gracie

Surprise Visitor

My friend Gracie came to stay with me this week. She must have heard about my illness and wanted to comfort me with her uneaten kibble  sweet presence. No one told me she was coming, so I was very pleasantly surprised when Mom and I got home from work today.

I had to check out Gracie’s digs. (I almost got stuck cause of the cone.)

Gracie had to be sure I didn’t steal anything while I was checking out her digs.