Pupcakes

10/20/2026

Part doodle, part bunny, all love!

10/20/2026

Yankee-Doodle-DONE! Meet Hopper! Boy does he live up to his name. He’s part doodle, part bunny rabbit, and all love bug! He literally hops all over the grooming tub and tables! He was a challenge but so fun to work with at the same time. I was sad that his family travels for work so this was probably a one time only grooming. I’ll miss you Hopper and always remember you dearly!

10/20/2026

Had these two beautiful Chow Chows come in yesterday. I’m so bad about remembering to take good before & after photos. I had to pull some of the images from the surveillance cameras, so I’m sorry they’re not the clearest, but it definitely gives you an idea of how much was brushed out! They were in desperate need of a good an thorough blowout and deshed! I did very minimal trimming of hind ends, hocks, feet, and backs of front legs. As we continue with future grooming I’ll be able to contour and trim up the underlines and chests. It took so long to get them brushed out that I chose to do less trim work so that it would be easier on them this go round. They were such delightful babies! I can’t wait to see them again!

10/10/2026

I really am blessed by the best customers! Thank you Deanna Eckman for the words of encouragement and wisdom today. I needed the pep talk and the flowers are just over the top beautiful! I love and appreciate you so much!

09/13/2026

Please make sure your pet is safe and has proper ID on!

The Pendleton Round-Up is here. Every year, that means MANY lost pets! PLEASE prepare now! If it's too late to get an id tag for your pet, write your phone number on their collar in black Sharpie. If this won't work with the type of collar you have, you can put a piece of painter's tape or masking tape on their collar, write your number in Sharpie, and cover it with clear tape.

Please remember, for our own pets in town, this is a confusing time. There are new sounds, sights, and smells. Some of these might scare our pets and cause them to run away (fireworks, jet flyovers, announcers). Some of them (like food smells!) might entice our pets to leave their homes and follow their noses.

If you know people visiting from out of town who have brought their pets, PLEASE make sure that they have id on their pets. Many people expect their normally well-behaved pets to follow them off-leash during the Pendleton Round-Up or to stay in their RVs or trailers, and this does not always happen.

Please share to help EVERYONE have a safe and happy Pendleton Round-Up

06/07/2026

I hope this helps pet parents feel better when being out and about with their pets.

Why is my dog shaking? They must be terrified! 🥺 Can we bust a major biological myth? 👇

​If you own a smaller breed, especially a Toy Poodle, Maltese, or Chihuahua, you have likely seen them turn into a little vibrating washing machine the moment they walk into the vet clinic, a busy park, or the grooming salon.

​As pet parents, our hearts instantly sink. We assume they are frozen in pure terror or experiencing trauma.

​But biologically? You might be completely misreading the room.

​Welcome to "Psychogenic Tremors" (aka: The Sports Car Effect) ​Smaller breeds possess a naturally high metabolic rate and an incredibly sensitive nervous system. Their internal engines essentially "idle" at a much higher RPM than a big Golden Retriever.

​When they enter an environment where they know a specific routine is about to happen, their brain instantly releases a massive wave of adrenaline and cortisol. This isn't automatically a sign of fear, it is pure anticipation and hyper-focus.

​Because they have such tight, compact little muscle masses, that sudden, explosive surge of kinetic energy has nowhere to go. Their nervous system processes this sudden backlog of internal electricity by shivering to safely burn it off.

​Think of it like this: It is exactly the same as a human getting intense butterflies, a racing heart, or shaky hands right before they step onto a stage to give a big speech or ride a roller coaster. They aren't in physical danger or pain; their body is just firing on absolutely all cylinders to prepare for what’s next! ⚡

​The moment they get into their rhythm and that adrenaline naturally flushes out of their system, the vibrations stop.

​So the next time your little one starts to shiver at check-in, take a deep breath. They aren't broken, and you shouldn't feel guilty, their little sports car engine is just revving up! 🤍

​Groomers and Pet Professionals: Feel free to share this to your pages to help ease your clients' check-in guilt! 🔄

​

05/20/2026

Food for thought:

Being a groomer is a lot like being a dentist. For most clients regular brushing is required! Which leads me to a couple of questions:

1. Who is responsible for brushing your teeth between dental appointments? You or your dentist?

2. Who is responsible for scheduling and maintaining a regular dental checkup/cleaning? You or your dentist?

3. If you fail to brush/floss and end up requiring a filling, root canal, or even an extraction, who is responsible? You or your dentist?

4. If you end up needing extensive dental work due to your failure to maintain good dental hygiene do you get mad at yourself or your dentist because he/she couldn’t wave a magic wand and restore the damage you caused?

I’m going to take a wild shot and say everyone has answered that they are the ones solely responsible for their dental care between checkups and if they need work done they blame themselves not their dentist.

Then if you fail to brush your dog, fail to keep regular grooming schedules, let your pets get matted to the point the only humane thing to do is shave them down, then why do you get mad at your groomer for your lack of care?

Just like dental care can result in complications so can grooming. When you let your pets get matted it restricts blood flow to the skin. When those mats are brushed out (only if humanely possible) or shaved out, it allows the blood flow to return to the skin. This can result in hematomas forming under the skin, painful skin, tingling skin, ears will tingle and the dogs will flap their ears trying to get relief from the sensation and can cause blood to pool, drip, or even break blood vessels in the ear. Potty areas can become extremely sensitive. Groomers cannot wave a magic wand and undo your lack of care between grooming appointments. Sometimes all we can do is shave the pet down and let the healing process begin. That process is your responsibility as the owner. Sometimes all your dentist can do is pull a tooth and let the healing process begin.

Just like a dentist I try to educate my customers on what needs to be done and how frequently in order to avoid subsequent shave downs. If they fail to listen and abide by my care instructions then most likely that pet is going to end up matted and need to be shaved again. I do not take delight in seeing any pet in a painfully neglected condition from lack of home maintenance. I do not take delight in having to shave down any pet. I LOVE giving my customers the haircuts and styles they want with their pet, but when you bring me a matted and pelted mess our options are limited. I will not inflict hours of painful brushing on any pet just for the sake of the owner’s vanity. Just like you’ll have a bigger bill from the dentist for lack of at home maintenance you will have a bigger bill from your groomer.

I’m just confounded at why people get mad at their groomer when they fail to do at home maintenance between grooming appointments.

We are not magicians and we are not miracle workers. Please, I know life happens and sometimes brushing your dog gets away from you, but take some accountability and don’t blame your groomer for what happens or doesn’t happen at home that causes your pet to get insanely matted and the consequences thereof.

05/08/2026

Please help Lilly! She’s the sweetest girl and really needs our help right now!

05/05/2026

I have severe anxiety when going to the dentist. The sound of my teeth being scraped, the whirring of the polisher, the feel of someone’s hands in my mouth. It’s horrible for me. I get sick just thinking about going. I’ve never been abused by any dentist. It’s just something I’ve always suffered from, and no matter how patient and loving my dentists have been, they all still suggest I take a sedative before coming. I’ve never been able to be desensitized to the dentist. Does this mean that all the dentists who have prescribed sedation for even my routine cleanings should be ashamed of themselves for suggesting sedation? I can brush, floss, water pick, use a toothpick and all that myself and it doesn’t bother me, but when I go to the dentist I’m absolutely terrified. Does this mean that my dentist is incompetent? No! Absolutely not!

Today someone referenced they took their dog to a groomer in town and the groomer notified them their pet tried to bite and suggested sedation, and that groomer should be ashamed of themselves. Yep, I was that groomer.

Just like I’m scared of the dentist, some pets, especially when it’s their first time, can be scared too. Maybe they’re having their feet touched for the first time, maybe the sound and vibration of the equipment is scary, maybe due to the matted condition of their coat they’re in discomfort. I always offer my customers different suggestions if their pet is scared or anxious. First and foremost I suggest they come in more often, even if it’s just dropping by to say hi with their pet so we can give them a treat and build some trust with them. I also always suggest if we were able to get through the grooming to bring them in for just a simple bath package so again we can get them used to grooming and build a trusting relationship with them. I also advise they can speak to their vet about a light sedative. This doesn’t mean I’m incompetent. This doesn’t mean I should be ashamed of myself. I will never be ashamed of having candid conversations with pet parents so that we can work together to develop confident pets when it comes to grooming.

In this particular case I went slow and was able to complete the groom. I gave the owner all of the above referenced information so that they could make a decision that was best for them and their pet. She has opted to groom her pet herself and it works for them and that’s ok. I’m super happy about that. That’s what she chose and that’s ok. There’s nothing wrong with her doing it herself.

What would have been wrong is not to disclose to her that her pet was scared/anxious. What would have been wrong is to not disclose he did try to nip. What if a small child had touched his feet and he bit or she tried another groomer and he bit and that groomer lost time from work? For groomers our hands are our livelihood. It’s important to know if a pet has ever bit or tried to bite for any reason, not just where grooming is concerned. What would have been wrong is not having a candid conversation with her about ALL the different options we had to work with her pet so that he did become comfortable with grooming.

I’m sorry that she feels offended. I’m sorry she feels that I’m incompetent. I’m sorry she feels that I must have been doing something wrong for her pet to be a little nippy. I’m sorry she has taken the route she has with her post. But I won’t be ashamed for providing information and options for those pets that may sometimes need a little extra care.

04/26/2026

Got to do this beautiful girl today! She went from being a compacted mess to being an adorable floof! Feka and her sister, Penny, were just the absolute sweetest girls and so much fun to pamper!