About Me:

I am a professional Pet Groomer. I have been grooming for 28 years. This Blog is a kind of diary of my work. I wish I had started years ago, writing some of the experiences I have had while grooming. Most days are fun, some can be sad, some can be just down right crazy. If you are a pet owner and come across this blog, I hope it helps you understand how your pet is groomed. If you are a Pet Groomer, I hope you can relate to some of the stories. Maybe even learn a grooming tip or can leave a friendly grooming tip for me. There is always something to learn, no matter how long you have been grooming.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

A Pity Party For Me!

Sorry I have not been blogging much lately.
Just have really been out of sorts for the last couple of months.

I can not wait for 2013 to be over.
It has been a tough year.

Tax issues at the beginning of the year. (I do my own taxes now)

It has also been a year of record no-shows, and late cancellations.
This is usually not that big of a problem, because we have a waiting list to fall back on, but for some reason this year, more often than not, the people on the waiting list are not available to replace the appointments.
I know that every groomer out there deals with no-shows and late cancellations, and they each deal with them in different ways.
I just haven't found anything that works yet  (for me) to stop the no-shows and cancellations.

We are also dealing with the Health Insurance issues.
My premiums really went up last year when my husband turned 50.
Then they went through the roof when I turned 50 also this year.
We are at our max.
We just can't afford to pay any higher of a premium.
So, next month, when the new insurance laws come into effect, we may lose the good insurance that we have had since I opened my shop.
I have already been told, that as of Oct. 1st, my premium will go up significantly.

So, we shell see.....

The worst of all this year has been the sudden and unexpected passing of my Mom last month.
Still dealing with that one.....

I have also been dealing with a lot of angle pain for the last 6 months.


This is what I will be wearing for the next month and possibly beyond. (let's hope not)

I have sever tendinitis, and because I waited so long to go to the doctors and favored my foot too much, I also have plantar fasciitis (heel spur).

The result of standing for 30 years for 12 or more hours a day.


I just can't sit and groom. :(


Now I will have to walk around Groom Expo with this thing on.

Speaking of Groom Expo.....

To top everything off so far this year.
My daughter and I were supposed to be competing in the Rescue  Round-up together.
I found out yesterday that my on-line registration did not go through.
Jess will be competing, but I will not.
Even though we called to confirm the on-line registration the next day, they some how missed my registration for the rescue round-up.
My Mom passed away a few days after I registered, and I never checked the confirmation letter they sent till yesterday. :(

I am registered to compete in the Abstract runway.
I had planed on using my girl Hanna.
A couple of weeks ago I noticed that she was starting to have some skin issues.
I thought that I got it under control until this past weekend.
As of today, she is now on meds for a skin infection. :(

I will still be competing, but I will be using my other Standard, Lily.
She is a sweetheart, but I stopped trying to compete with her a few years ago, because she refuse to let the Judges touch her.
Thankfully, the Judges for the abstract do not touch the dogs, they just look.
I spent a couple of hours after work tonight scissoring one side of her.
Tomorrow I will do the other side.
No room for error, no time for hair to grow back if I make a mistake.

I am looking forward to Groom Expo just to get away for a while and forget everything.
Hopefully it will give me a boost.
Hopefully it will get me back on track, and I will get back to writing again.

Okay, pity party over.
Sorry about the whine. :/
I really need to get back to the Happy Grooming.

I do plan on taking a lot of pictures and sharing them with everyone. :)

Happy Grooming

16 comments:

  1. What a sad news about your mom and your health.
    I understand you wish this year is over soon.

    Hope you enjoy the expo!

    With ensurance it is so unfair, years of paying and not much claiming and now extra because of the risks...

    Greetings, Claudia / NL

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    1. Thanks Claudia,
      We did really enjoy the Expo and it did help make me feel better. :)
      Lisa, MFF

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  2. I hope everything gets better for you soon. I'm a new groomer and I love your blog. It has been very helpful and I'm desperately trying to soak up as much information as possible. So I love everything u do! Feel better.

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    1. Thank you Stephanie,

      Congratulations on becoming a groomer. I am glad that me blog is helping you. It does make me feel good when I know that I am helping a fellow groomer. :)

      Lisa, MFF

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  3. I will be attending grooming school in 2 weeks. For the past month or so I've been searching the internet like crazy looking for information on pet grooming because I just can't wait! Lol. I just stumbled across your blog today and I can't tell you how happy I am to find it! What a wonderful, user-friendly, and personable way to get tons of great grooming advice. Thank you so much for being you! I am so sorry to hear about the tough year you've had and by all means you deserve to vent but please keep your head up, take care of yourself, and just keep on being the beautiful person you are. Remember, happiness is not about what we have, it's about making the best of what we have. For me, 2010 was by far the worst year I've ever had. I will spare you all the ugly details but I will say it included a divorce, a fire, 7 moves, deaths of friends, family, and pets, ,an 80-100 hr work week (for salary, eww), and an abusive relationship. Overall, it was a horrid year to say the least. But I had one thing that kept me going...my dog. My elderly GSD mix that I adopted while I was still in high school. She's been with me through school, my marriage, my son's birth, my divorce, that horrible year, and more. She is 14 now and she has been through more with me than anyone else. I am so grateful to have had her that year and I truly believe she is my guardian angel. Somehow we made it through and now I am so overwhelmed with all the blessings we have in our lives now, I still can't believe we made it here. I'm sorry this is so long but I guess what I'm trying to say is I understand what you're going through. And just from reading a few of your blogs I know you are a beautiful person and someone I would look up to. Persevere and it will be worth it in the end. If there were never any hard times, me wouldn't be able to truly enjoy the good times.

    Best wishes,
    Kasi, groomer-in-training

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    1. Thank you Kasi,

      What very nice things to say. I know that this will all pass. I know that there are many other people dealing with far, far worse things than I am. I am sorry you had such a bad year.....I am very happy to see that things are going great for you now. :)
      Have a wonderful time in Grooming School. Soak up as much information as you can. Don't worry if you feel like you couldn't possibly remember everything. The more you groom, the more you will retain, and the better you will get.
      Oh, one other thing, I had a dog just like your GSD. She was a small mix that came into the Grooming School I was working at. The owners could not keep her. She was only six weeks old. I had her for 19 years. She was there at the start of my grooming career, my wedding, opening my shop, and the births of all of my three children. I lost her 10 years ago and I still miss her, but I still have all of the wonderful memories of my 'heart dog'. :)

      Lisa, MFF

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  4. Stay strong! I've also had a tough year and can't wait for it to be over!! x

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    1. Thanks! I hope that your year gets better also. :)
      Lisa, MFF

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  5. (Hugs!) Sorry to hear problems seem to be piling up. Isn't there a saying that bad things come in three? Well, there's your three. You should be free and clear for a while after this ;)

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    1. I hope that you are right Morgan. Thanks for the hugs. :)
      Lisa, MFF

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  6. You deserve a pity party! That is so much to deal with :( I hope that 2013 ends well and that 2014 is better for you!

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  7. Wow you have had a very crazy year. Being a small business owner is so hard especially in this economy. i know that the health insurance is a major struggle. I'm paying my own health insurance as my company doesn't offer it. I'm terrified what obamacare is going to do to premiums! You sound like an amazing person though so i hope things do look up for you. Really enjoy your posts!

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