How Did I Even Get Here?! Part 2

   Here enters the most intimidating woman I have ever met in my years. She will henceforth be referred to as "Scary Dane Lady". Why is she the most intimidating woman I have ever met? Because she is 10 feet tall, built like a lumberjack and is flanked by two Great Danes.

   I arrive at the grooming school with my posse ( Mom, Dad, Sister-in-law) and there is nobody in sight. Noise is coming from behind a dutch door beside the reception desk, so I walk over and give it a timid knock. The top half opens to reveal Scary Dane Lady, an obviously active grooming salon and two very large Great Danes. Maybe I was naive to think that this would be a formal interview; that my posse would greet Scary Dane Lady and then she would ask me to step into a quieter, more privet area to conduct the interview. After all, I had made a special plane trip specifically for this interview at this woman's request. Instead she greeted me and then immediately sat back down at her grooming table where she was working on a dog. Shocked, I just stood there. I had no idea what she wanted me to do. Was I supposed to wait until she was done the dog? Did she want me to come in? But she hadn't asked me to come in! Finally she said something to the lines of "Well come on in then!" and, "Don't worry, they're friendly. Getting past the Dane's is the first test! HaHAAH!". Scary Dane Lady obviously thought that I was nervous of her dogs and that's why I hadn't come in. I wasn't scared of the Danes, I just hadn't understood that her "Hello! I'm Scary Dane Lady, nice to meet you" followed by a hasty retreat was apparently her way of inviting me to come in and make myself at home.

   So, there I was, standing awkwardly in the middle of the salon while Scary Dane Lady whittled away on the dog and her assistant dried another with a very loud drier. This is where she proceeded to tell me all about how hard grooming is.
   SDL- "Grooming is not for everyone. It's very physically hard work. Sometimes I make my students run around the block. Do you work out? Are you in a sport or something?"
    Me-"No I don't, I was in sports in school but that's about it."
 
   Awkward silence.
 
   SDL- "Grooming means that you will be handling dogs all day long. You have to know what you're doing, and you will probably get bit, scratched, peed on and pooped on." *Waits for response*
   Me- "….o..ok"

    Awkward silence.

    SDL-"Do you have any experience handling dogs?"
   Me-"Well I grew up with dogs and the dog I have now, I trained her myself, and I had never trained a dog before. I'm very comfortable around dogs."
   SDL-"So you don't have any grooming experience?"
   Me-"….no."
 
   The entire interview went on like this while Scary Dane Lady continued to groom, her assistant continued to dry with the loud drier, and the Danes wondered around like giant shadowy spectres . After a confusing 15 minutes of hearing all the cons of grooming and answering questions only to be given an "Are you serious?" look,  Scary Dane Lady said goodbye and that she'd let me know by the end of the day if she thought I was right for her school. Then she continued on with her groom and we let ourselves out.

   Everything Scary Dane Lady had said was totally correct, but the whole thing had just been so bazzar and not anything like what I had imagined. Needless to say I wasn't very surprised when I got the call letting me know that I had not been accepted into the school and that I was to get more experience and then try again.

This is not the end of the story, but it's a long story. This is just intermission. Check back for "How Did I Even Get Here?! Part 3". If you missed Part 1 you'll find it here.

How Did I Even Get Here?! Part 1

  When I first started up, people would ask what made me decide to become a groomer. Truth is, I have no clue. There was no growing love of all things grooming, no Ah-Ha! moment, not even a stray thought remotely close to it. I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life. All I knew is that I hated school and did not want to go from high school right into college or university.

  Graduating was the most exciting and terrifying thing I've done thus far. Graduating felt so final. Like the end of the world as I knew it; and I was completely ill-prepared for the new world I was being released into. Was I supposed to be independent now? Was I supposed to move out and get a job? Was I supposed to go to college? Wasn't I supposed to have everything together by now?! I remember crying when I turned 18 a few months after graduation, because at least I had been 17. Adulthood was coming on fast and the pressure was crushing me.
 
   It took some time, but I finally started to acclimate. I lived at home and got a job in retail while all the geniuses I had graduated with went on to change the world through academia. One day, in the spring of 2010, I was given a sign.  My Mom and I were running errands. As we drove by the local pet store, a large sign was positioned so driver's could easily read it. "Experienced groomer wanted". My Mother turned to me and said the 5 words that changed my life and filled me with the one thing I craved most…direction. "You'd be good at that." That's all she said, and thank God she did!  I don't remember thinking "Perfect! I will be a groomer!" I just couldn't get what my Mom had said to stop resounding inside my head. When we got home I immediately got on the computer to do some research. This completely random career was acctually something that I could envision myself doing and even enjoying!

    After doing some research I found that there were a lot of online courses, a lot of correspondence courses, but only a few schools. I'm sure there are people out there who can learn dog grooming online and stay motivated to do their work under their own steam; that person is not me. Plus, it just made sense to me to learn a hands on skill in a hands on way. There was nothing keeping me from going to school; nothing to tie me down. I found a school in the BC lower mainland that just happened to be a 5 minute drive from my brothers place. I mailed off my application and in a week or so I was asked to come in for a face to face interview. Now, I live 12 hours away by car and 2 hours away by plane from this school; but sure! I'll just pop over for an interview! However my exceptionally supportive parents decided it was a good excuse to visit my brothers and their families. So we booked the interview and hopped on the plane.

   This is not where the story ends, but it's a long story. So this is intermission. Check back for How Did I Even Get Here ?! Part 2.

Welcome to The Unleashed Life!

   Hello, and welcome to my ramblings, rants, and observations on life, dogs, life with dogs, and anything in-between! 

   My name is Amy. I am a professional dog groomer, certified dog trainer, a small business owner, and, really just an over-all dog enthusiast. "Crazy dog lady" if you will. I'm hoping to use this blog to write about my adventures as a groomer who is still learning new things everyday, and maybe  give some insight to fellow K9 lovers through my bumbling efforts. 

   I am also a Christian. Since I've started up my grooming business I've been thinking about how my efforts can also be used to reach people; not to "evangelize", but just to love people the way I know my God loves me. Still haven't completely figured that one out. I'm hoping that while sharing my struggle with you the reader, I might be able to better understand things myself. 

   So, it should be fun! I can't wait to get started and I hope you enjoy reading about my Unleashed Life!