Welcome!

Well, I don't know who's reading this, but if you are, I thank you for taking the time to do so! Let me tell you a little about myself.

My name is Rita; I have two cats: Bagheera, a female domestic shorthair, and Toby, a male Maine Coon. They're both about five years old. I say about because they're both rescues. Gheeri (Bagheera, for short) was rescued from our local Humane Society, and Toby was a Breeder-gone-wrong subject. He used to be a showcat/stud, but his breeder had so many cats, people had to help her find homes; we were happy to give him one. :o)

I also have a dog - a Cavalier King Charles named Georgie. He's about to be 8 months old. He's a great little dog, and loves the cats (although Gheeri can't stand him!). He's coming along quite well when it comes to training; I've also been working with him "on the table" (grooming table, that is) since I got him.

I'm married to a car enthusiast - luckily he loves animals, too. We've been married for about 7 months now, but have been together for over 6 years. We live in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. If you don't know, it's close to Miami.

And, for the most important part, my work: I have a great job. I work as the Groomer at Sky Lake Animal Hospital in Miami. I have the best boss, the greatest co-workers, and some awesome clients (as well as some naughty ones, lol). I'll be putting up the link to our website soon. I've been grooming for a total of 4 years, off and on. Mostly at PetsMart. This is my first time grooming at an Animal Hospital.

Mainly, I'm here to share my stories - sometimes I have a hard time with my job, whether it's because of the condition of the animal, or getting attached and finding out the animal was euthanized, or sometimes the animal is just MEAN. But mostly, I'd like to share the good stories, some before/after pictures, and even advice. That's right - if you would like a question answered that has to do with grooming, let me know! I advise new puppy owners almost every day on how to treat the skin/coat and how to train their puppy so it's not a royal pain in my ass when they finally get it groomed, LOL. You can also email me, if you would rather not ask your question in the blog.

Thanks again for taking the time to read this, and I hope to see you all in the blogs of The Groomer Diaries!