Haven't updated in a while, huh? (a non-grooming post)

I feel like such a schmuck for not updating this sooner. But honestly, I have had so much going on that I couldn't keep up with the site.

Firstly, I found a Grooming job that was closer to home - as you know, I was working in Aventura, and I live in Fort Lauderdale. It's about a twenty-mile commute in VERY heavy rush-hour traffic. So I found a job less than a mile away. No joke.

Unfortunately, about six months later, Florida was hit very heavy by the economic crisis and I had to be let go. I was an independant contractor, so I didn't go for unemployment. But then something happened. Before I could find another job, I found out I was pregnant. Since my husband makes good enough money that we could get by with him being the only one working, I stayed home, getting bigger.

Of course, I wasn't alone. There was Toby, my Maine Coon. Bagheera, my old friend. And our newest addition: DC, the little Tuxedo. While I was working near my home, my husband found a tiny black-and-white kitten, about three weeks old, in the street. Momma was nowhere to be found, and since our street is dark and can get quite a bit of traffic, he brought him in. Boy, we had no idea what we were in store for. Needless to say, DC stands for "Damn Cat". Then, you all should know my dog, Georgie, the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel.

Well. It was a very long nine months, but on June 10th, Andrew William Johnson was born, despite the fact that he was supposed to be Charlotte June. I'm not kidding - the ultrasound tech had told us it was a girl, and this was when I was 8 months. So... SURPRISE! Needless to say, we were thrilled, since we had wanted a boy. I'm actually writing this as he sleeps, so I can't keep this up - he'll be waking soon.

Anyhow, all this time, I've still been writing, just not here. You see, I'm a writer at heart and since one of my hobbies is collecting manga (Japanese comics, for those that don't know), I've become a fanfiction writer. That basically means writing stories based on a fandom. It could be for anything - Grey's Anatomy, Survivor, Spongebob Squarepants... If you're a fan, you can write a story for it. So, I write fanfiction. I'm also writing a biography for myself, and I'm working on a sci-fi novel.

So, now that I'm still at home, writing, I thought, "Maybe I should get back to the diaries." But, if I'm not grooming, then what to write about? Here's my suggestion:

I'll be writing tips on grooming. Whether it's breed-specific how-to, or general knowledge, I'll post. Also, if anyone has a question, I'll adress it. So don't be shy! Ask away! I'll start in a few days, once I've decided on a good topic. And I'll probably post every few days.

So, I hope to see both your comments and questions! Until then...

PitaBread

Well, well...

I am, to say the least, abashed. I really didn't want to open this site up and then abandon it, but it almost seems as if that's what I've done. However...

I found my stupid memory card. I can't believe I found it on my nightstand. It was just sitting there, UNDER a little piece of cloth I keep there. *sigh*

Now, here's the scoop:

I haven't worked at Sky Lake for some time now. It's a long story, but it just wasn't working out. Now, I've been working at an actual grooming salon since February. It's a funny story how I got the job there, but I'll save that for another time. In the mean time, I have a few pics from Sky Lake of dogs I did before I left... I hope you enjoy them. ^_^ I don't remember their names, sorry. -Pita

Aah... Thursday.

*****EDITED***** Apparently, one of the clients didn't appreciate her dog having its' photo taken (are you kidding me? It's a DOG.), and threatened me with legal action if I didn't take down his photos, so they're not there anymore. Sorry. -Rita



Thursday is my favorite day. Know why? Because I have Friday off. Then I work Saturday, and have Sunday off. But it was also a good day because one of my favorite dogs came in today. But I'll tell you about him later. ;o)











So, first I handled Baby, a little female Shih Tzu whose right eye is missing. I think you can only tell in the 'after' pic, and even then, it looks like she's winking, lol. She's sweet,

and has a 'brother' that is a Chihuahua. Regardless, once again, this is another client that just prefers her dog with short hair, so that there isn't much hair in the house (although I suspect the Chihuahua sheds more). After shaving her, she got a special bath in a Tee Tree Oil shampoo (she has bad skin), and finished up. In the after photo, you can clearly see that she's missing an eye, but she's perfectly happy without it.












After Baby, I started working on one of my favorite dogs. Tony Montana (that's right). He's a Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier. I've always wondered why they call them that, when there is no other version of a Wheaton, only a Doft-Coated version. ^^ Anywho, Tony Montana is VERY well behaved, and very smart. He's not very large, but large enough that I lower the table to get him up there.

Tony's mom, Mrs. Rishkes, is one of THOSE people. I was 'warned' about her before Tony came in the first time, and dreaded her and the dog. But in reality, after meeting both, Mrs. Rishkes was only concerned for her dog. Apparently she had never been happy with any groomer that had touched him. She complained that people never listened to her and always cut him the way they wanted. So I assured her I was trained well, she told me what she wanted, and left Tony in my hands. What you need to know is that there is a certain way the Wheaton Terrier is supposed to be cut - it is unique to their breed (for pets, I mean. The show dogs are natural) and not everyone has been trained for them since they're kind of rare.

The thing is, Mrs. Rishkes doesn't like Tony to be cut like he should be. Instead, I basically do a puppy cut, and do a 'teddy bear' face. There wasn't much of a difference when I was done. I cut Tony only a month ago, and for dogs with hair like his I recommend only getting cut every 8 weeks. A "bath & trim" can be done in between to keep them smelling good and knot-free. So it was unecessary, yet she was impatient to have him cut again. So he basically looks the same, except neater.

*sigh* Oh well. See you guys Saturday!





If anyone wants to know: Tony M. - I used an Oster 1/2" comb over a #40 blade for his body/legs, used the 40 to clean around his eyes, and scissored his head, face, legs and feet. Baby - I used an Andis #7f ceramic blade on her body, a #5f on her head/face.