10/02/2026
🐶Long Educational post:
I received 2 calls for help from 2 different rescues. I was able to work the two dogs in today with a little help from "no show" clients.
❤️ Dog #1(yorkie/shih tzu) This was an old girl found wandering the streets yesterday. Her owner was found but she was badly in need of some help due to severe matting on her head, front legs, and tail. She also had very long nails. The dog was clipped on the back already.... from my understanding the family moved to the area, took the dog to a groomer, and got a call to come pick her up and not bring her back due to her behavior.
Here's the educational part of this post. As dogs enter their golden years many of their senses tend to fade, their bodies ache, they can develop dementia etc. JUST LIKE PEOPLE. This girl is 15 years old, and said to be going deaf and blind along with heart problems. Often times a dog can go years with little to no issues with grooming until their health starts to decline. Just like people they sometimes just dont want messed with. I dont know the condition the other groomer saw the dog in, or how long it had been since the attempted groom had been made. What i can say is sometimes we have to know when its time to stop. We have to look out for the dogs safely and ours. This does NOT mean there's no help out there. Groomers are all different with different expertise levels and specialities. If you ever find yourself in this type of situation dont give up. Reach out to other groomers, rescues, veterinarians etc and explain what is going on. If they cant help you they may be able to point you in the right direction of someone who can.
I have elderly( and some younger) dogs that I have to give "comfort grooms" like this dog or partial grooms due to health issues and stress levels. With this old girl I completely shaved her( even the non matted areas) to keep her comfortable longer and with less maintenance. At 15 years old I as a groomer would rather keep her short so shes matt free and doesnt have to be groomed frequently because she does stress easily and get snippy with her declining health. With patience and some breaks I was able to complete her groom. Is it pretty? No. This is a comfort groom. She was not a happy girl about being messed with but shes now matt free.
In pictures you may see red areas and irritation, lumps and bumps etc. I had to shave her front legs with a surgical blade they were so tightly matted. Irritation is sometimes unavoidable in these severe situations.
I am happy to report the rescue has now reunited this pup with her owners and we are hopeful she is kept up with grooming. ❤️
❤️Dog #2(bichon-possible mix) This girl had a very similar name🤯 and a senior with some matting. Her owner had passed and the caregiver could no longer care for her. She is now in a foster home. She was absolutely the sweetest dog and let me do whatever needed done.
