Shhh…she’s sleeping.
My Story
Before I yap away, here are things you should know:
My name is Christina and I am a professional dog groomer specializing in behavior. For every dog that I have the honor of having on my table, I do my absolute best to make sure they feel safe, comfortable physically and emotionally, and as confident about grooming as they possibly can.
My Experience:
- Professional Dog Groomer Since 2017
- Dog Grooming Business Owner Since 2020
- Dog Training Since 2020
- Dog and Animal Studies – Life Long
- Studied Equine Science & Management and Animal Science at University of Kentucky
- Studied Veterinary Technology
The Story behind the pawsmetologist
In truth, grooming was mostly less than fun for my first two years. I loved it, though it was very stressful. I felt pressured to get a “nice haircut” done by my superiors, peers, and clients alike. Not only that, I had to groom as many dogs as fast as possible. To me it seemed that being able to groom quickly was where your value lied as a groomer, either right before or right after how perfect your trims were. Doesn’t that sound fun? (No.)
In the beginning I focused a lot on the technical skills of grooming: the clippering, scissoring, styles, and what-have-you. Turns out, none of that really mattered when the dogs wouldn’t cooperate. The dogs I was grooming at the time were quite wild, not to mention aggressive. At that point it’s just whatever I could get done safely. This, of course, was quite frustrating, as my value was seemingly based on the quality of fast artistry.
For a while, I thought the dogs were the problem. Perhaps they all just throughly hated getting groomed. It wasn’t until I left the typical salon setup and jumped into mobile grooming that I realized that the dogs were in fact not the problem. Surprise, surprise! Rule Number 1 is that the animal is never in the wrong!
When I did mobile grooming, it was just me in the van. There were no other employees rushing around getting dogs from crates to tubs or tables, no other dogs yipping, whining, or howling. I didn’t have to answer phone calls either; in fact, there was no phone to even answer. Just me, the dog, and the generator, which most dogs seemed to not mind.
Working from salon to mobile was like night and day. I was amazed at how much the environment could change how the dogs felt about the situation. Another unsuspecting thing I learned from being so intimate with the dogs, is that my value as a groomer is not about me making the dog cute. Grooming is about the dog feeling safe and comfortable during the process, and happy after it’s done. I also learned how much of a difference being on a regular schedule made for the dogs. When I was doing mobile, it was a requirement for the dogs to be on a regular schedule, and let me tell you, many of these dogs knew the drill!
These newly found epiphanies lead me to shift my focus from the product of the haircut to the quality of time spent with the dog to make them as comfortable as possible. Not only that, but also to learn how grooming impacts their health and their life. I read many books on dog behavior, psychology, and training; I did as many grooming seminars as I could, joined online communities of like-minded professionals, I networked with other pet professionals and asked as many questions as I could get away with – shoot, I even learned more about keeping myself zen! I dove deep into learning about the minds of dogs and what I can do to help them in anyway I could.
Now, while being a mobile groomer was by far my favorite, it was still stressful. Not to mention in normal Christina-Fashion, I like to do everything my way. These new ideologies and practices of cooperative care and health became foundational for me, and I wanted to groom solely based off these new principals. Thus, The Pawsmetologist was born.
What is Grooming Like Here?
Every dog’s safety, comfort, health, and confidence are my priorities. Do I still do nice haircuts? Yes, as long as it isn’t interfering with any of those four pillars of which The Pawsmetologist stands on.
All appointments are on a one-on-one basis. You drop them off, I groom them, they go home. No extra chaos (at least that’s how it might seem to the dogs, even if not to us) a bustling salon might have. A mellow environment is crucial for the dogs. Working one-on-one with the dogs allows me to give them all of my attention, and doing so allows me to get to know your dog more intimately and perhaps notice anything unusual going on with them.
Every service is all-inclusive. No add-ons. Everything your dog needs for their health and wellness, they will get, temperament and physical ability permitting. I do not force the dogs to get anything done. Let’s say their temperament doesn’t allow it, I will work with them on whatever they find to be difficult within our capabilities. It’s a team effort.
I use only the best of the best products (Les Poochs is my jam) to ensure their skin and coat are well taken care of and maintainable at home. The products, as well as the tools and techniques for grooming and handling are tailored to your dog to ensure that all their needs are met and to keep them safe and comfortable.
It’s all about YOUR dog here.
Find out more about my grooming services!
My Philosophy
Dogs are dogs – animals. They are not people – not humans, and I think that’s where many mess up. Some people will even get offended by that. I know it’s hard because they are our babies (I get it, believe me), but in my opinion, treating dogs as people is a disservice to them because you are not meeting their needs as intended for them: dogs.
Dogs are their own beings. They have their own language, bodily functions, understandings, needs, etc. – all of which are different from a human’s in every shape and form. They also have their own emotions and feelings, which due to their animal perception, is much different from ours as well. We have to be willing to meet them where they are to help them out and not hold such high or unreasonable expectations.
My other philosophy, which is like the groomer’s creed, is “humanity over vanity”. Forcing the dog to do what it’s clearly not ready to do with no guidance or assurance, is neither nice nor fair. Or making them endure the undoing of neglect for the sake of appearances is, in fact, not a good look.
Having a dog is great, because if you are willing to see the world how they see it, they teach you a lot of compassion and patience. They really can better us as people.
They are truly magnificent beings that deserve the world, so I really would like to help as many people understand them so that everyone, not just the dogs, can live together with love and fulfillment.
My Pets
Of course I can’t NOT share my babies with you!
Raven is my oldest child at 5 years old. A black cat all of 6 point something pounds, who I refer to as Tiny. She is my cuddler and always wants to be as close to me as possible. When not snuggling me, you can find her on top of doors and other high places.
Bran is Raven’s brother (they have the same mom and questionably the same dad) of a few months younger. He is also a black cat, but unlike Raven, he is more than twice her size. He is lovingly called Chunky Boii and has odd ways of displaying affection.
Sansa is the youngest at 4 years old. There are a wide variety of nicknames for her. She is a small, but Standard Poodle at 20 inches. Like the cats, she is also black. But MAN does she keep me on my toes! She teaches me the most about dogs. I really think she’s the best and everyone who meets her says the same.
