How Did I Even Get Here?! Part 5

   So off to school I was. Mom and I made the 12 hour drive in my teensy tiny car. It was an uneventful drive, with the exception of one minor incident in which my mother panicked about the oncoming ambulance two blocks away and pulled some sort of action movie sequence which resulted in my car getting the sense knocked out of it by the curb. Thankfully my car had just been concussed and wasn't actually broken, so we arrived safely at my biggest brothers house.

   The next day was my first day of class and I was so incredibly excited! Unfortunately I was also so incredibly sick. Somewhere between home and school I had picked up a nasty bug. Driving to my first day of class was…interesting, and I remember praying that I wouldn't pass out. As I walked in I was greeted by Tera, the instructor I had talked to on the phone. I was told to choose a station which consisted of a grooming table, and stool, and a tall plastic organizer.

   After everyone was seated, Tera welcomed us all to Western Dog Grooming School, and proceeded to tell us her life story. And what a life she had had! I was shocked that she would tell us, complete strangers, such privet detail about herself. I soon found out that this lady was just an amazing person. She is a lady with a big heart that accepts everyone for who they are with out judgment and expects others to do the same. I was very privileged to have had her for an instructor. We then introduced ourselves, though not to the extent that Tera had, and our equipment was passed out to us. After all kinds of "house keeping", she brought in a Yellow Lab and began to demonstrate how to properly and safely give a bath, as well as how the shampoos and conditioners work.

   This whole time, though I was very interested, I was feeling steadily worse. As soon and the bathing demo was done, I ran to the bathroom and threw up. When I came out Tera looked at me and said "You don't look very good." Somehow I drove myself home, crawled into bed and slept straight until the next morning. I survived off grapes and carrots for the first month of school because for some reason, that is all my stomach would let me eat!

   So this is how my school worked. Western Dog Grooming School is situated in an actual working grooming salon, meaning that we got to work on dogs from the get go. We had two instructors as well as a helper of sorts. Tera was the main instructor, but twice a week Kat came in to teach us the show grooming side of dog grooming, usually bringing a dog to demo.

 Monday to Thursday were practical days in which we would groom dogs up to the level we had been taught, and then the instructors would finish the dogs off and the owners would pay half price for the groom.

                                    


 Friday was theory day on which we learned grooming techniques, patterns, how to read dogs, as well as memorizing every dog and their characteristics in the Canadian Kennel Clubs Terrier, Non-Sporting, Sporting, Working Dog, and Toy groups. This means that Tera would say "What terrier is 12-14" in size, can have cropped ears or un-cropped ears, and comes in salt and pepper, black and silver, or solid black.?" And we would answer, "Miniature Schnauzer". We also learned about K9 health including vaccinations, disease, allergies, oral health, parasites, first aid ect. In addition to everything we had to learn for school, some of us chose to learn extra so that we could take the tests to get certified through what was called then the Canadian Professional Groomers and is now called the Canadian Professional Pet Stylists. As you can imagine school is a blur for me. I made some friends and had a lot of fun, and by the end of three months (yes, THREE MONTHS!) I was a professional groomer, a certified Professional Pet Stylist and was heading home to start up my own business, The Unleashed Boutique!

This is almost the end of the story, but not quite. Check back for "How Did I Even Get Here?! Part 6"

 

How Did I Even Get Here?! Part 3

   I must admit, being rejected from a grooming school because I "didn't have enough grooming experience" was disheartening. I was frustrated. How was I supposed to get grooming experience without being taught how to groom?

   Back at home, I took my resume into the only grooming salon I knew of and applied for the bather/brusher position. Whoever it was at the front desk (possibly the owner) read my resume, looked me in the eye…. and scoffed. I can't remember exactly what was said but it was condescending and just plain rude. I could feel my face grow hot and my pulse race as I watched her raise her eyebrows and smirk at my hopes and dreams. I left outraged. What is wrong with these people? Is everyone in the grooming world arrogant, rude, and completely self involved?! Luckily, my ever wise mother suggested the completely obvious solution of volunteering at our local SPCA. Of course! Why didn't I think of that? Probably because I was too busy being pissed off at all the injustice keeping me from my goals that it didn't even cross my mind to volunteer my time to help others. Oh dear, maybe I fit into the dog grooming world better then I thought.

   The SPCA welcomed me with open arms and I started volunteering a few hours a week to brush and bathe some of the dogs. From the first day I could tell that this was going to be quite the experience. There were no tubs, no tables, and nowhere to tether a dog. I was directed to a kennel and given towels, soap, a hose, and a Husky. After a failed attempt to make friends with the Husky, I decided to just get it over with. Mr. Husky took to the water like oil, and the next hour was spent chasing him around the kennel, hose in hand while I pleaded desperately for him to just hold still so we could be done. By the end of it we were both exhausted, soaked, and relieved to be out of each others company.

   +10 experience points.

   Despite the fact that volunteering to do the bathing and brushing at the shelter was, at the very least, inefficient and tremendously uncomfortable, I did learn a lot. I learned that Huskies will scream bloody murder if you try to get them wet. I learned that a Yorkie can, and will, climb all the way up your chest and down your back to escape a bath. I learned that a lonely dog doesn't care if you have a brush in hand if you would only allow them to curl up in your lap. I learned that understanding, patience, and preparedness are essential when working with dogs. Mostly though, I gained a greater respect for the people who work at our rescue organizations. There is no doubt about it, they are super heroes. It is not by any means a glamorous job, but all the hours of training, caring, cleaning and dealing with crazy people who want to give up their dog because it didn't come potty trained, after all of it, at the end of the day they've helped a heart find it's home.

  Several of the staff and volunteers are now my clients. I still volunteer my services to our SPCA and give monthly donations. I find myself surprisingly, but not regretfully, thankful to Scary Dane Lady for sending me away to meet those wonderful people and precious animals.
 
This is not the end, but it's a long story. This is just intermission. Check back for "How Did I Even Get Here?! Part 4". Here is Part 1, and Part 2.