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

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.

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!