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No proof of grooming education
is required. Consumers must rely
greatly on the goodwill and
nature of pet groomers to
properly handle and
aesthetically groom their pets,
and by and large groomers come
through. No wonder referrals
from satisfied clients are the
best form of advertising for
grooming businesses. Experienced
pet owners know that consistency
between grooming businesses is
anything but certain, and in
extreme cases, their pets are at
risk! It may not sound like we are
highly-optimistic about this
industry, but we are. Our
optimism explains why we have
been members of the industry for
over 45 years, and why we
prepared this report for you at
no charge. The grooming industry
has been wonderful for our
family, and it can be for yours
too.
We also want to recognize
the millions of wonderful pet
owners that patronize pet
groomers and give us the
opportunity to serve them and
their beloved pets. They
innately desire clean and
attractive "family member" pets
in their households and know
that well-groomed pets are
happier and healthier.
The pet
grooming industry has some
wonderful attributes to bark
about. Pet grooming is an
industry that suffers little, if
at all, during economic
downturns. Most pet owners don’t
cut back on basic grooming care
for their beloved pets. Few
professions have that
peace-of-mind so consistently.
If there is any angst in our
attitude it’s that we as a body
haven’t come together to protect
pet owners by seeing to it that
all groomers meet minimum
standards of education and
operation before they groom
pets. Don’t we owe it to them?
Are they not our most important
client and the source of our
income?
When we entered the pet grooming industry in
the early 1960s the tools of the trade were
few, as were outlets for grooming services.
The industry was no where near as advanced as
today. When we started grooming shops were
scarce. Groomers were hired to work in
departments within kennels and mom and pop pet
stores. Mobile grooming was years away. Air
conditioning was not yet commonly available
and it made the work truly hot and sweaty much
of the year. “Force dryers” which save so much
time didn’t exist by today’s standards, and
you relied on heating elements adding to the
hot environment. Today’s tools, equipment and
supplies have changed the industry for the
better.
 In
the last 10 years there has been a surge of
new career seekers leaving jobs in corporate
environs and entering the grooming industry to
fulfill passionate quests to work with
animals. As career consultants to hundreds of
them we asked, “Why now?” The almost universal
answer was the availability of grooming career
information on the Internet. It makes sense.
Confidence is derived from acquiring
information from those that have gone before
you. Our sharing with them gave them the
confidence to “take the plunge” and crossover
into a new grooming career leaving behind
careers in sales, medicine, insurance,
banking, office work, military and dozens of
other mainstream professions. That’s how you
turn the passion to work with pets into new
careers with a reliable road map.
Continued on the next page.
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