I know the dogs I will have the day before because at the end of every canine crowded day I print out a little list of my appointments (made by the FDG's) and write down the notes I have made on how they should be primped. My first day had two of the most aggressive dogs I groom. These are the dogs that, if I am not ready and well rested, make me want to quit and once again become a number, working to the least of my potential while sitting in a tiny cubical, pushing paper around, staring wistfully out the window resenting the poor air quality that surrounds me every day. I was not ready but got them done. I found the positive by being grateful I had them both on the same day and reminding myself they are now over and done with and won't be back for a while because of it. Then I'm taking my notes and I realize there is yet another one of my most savage dogs coming in to be groomed. Scary dude. It also means his teeny freak out of a sister will be joining him and she's not aggressive but is a very hard groom. Picture grooming a fuzzy grasshopper that hops about and struggles any time you come close to it. Now scissor it's face. Not so simple. Oh my, and here's Lucky, which means I am not so lucky as he wants to maul me if I so much as look at his feet. But he's just an asshole. Then Peanut, the viscous Lhasa. Once again she was sent home with the message I will not groom her. I tried, I really did. She ended up biting the shit out of my hand over nothing. She freaks out so much and hyperventilates so badly her gums turn purple. Am I willing to work with her? Sure, but not at her expense. I am clearly not her groomer. I don't care how much I could charge to force her through dealing with me. However, I brush it off and again remind myself that I might not be working with as much patience as usual but it's okay because I'm getting them out of the way. Besides, it's not their fault someone royally fucked them up, right? Then today... are you shitting me? You guessed it. I decide to maybe skip ahead a little and see what the hell is going on. Apparently, it's dangerous dog week.
Keep in mind, I am usually totally happy working with these dogs. Hey, I'm the one that agreed to take them on and try to get them to the point where they won't lunge for your face any chance you relax enough to not have cat like reflexes. I am all about bringing untrusting dogs around because I know most aggressive dogs are scared and just need encouragement and patience. Trust is not built in one measly grooming session after all and I am so good at this. No, seriously, I'm not just saying that. I am so fucking good at this. Give me enough time and I can get most dogs to a point where they can handle a grooming. And by most I mean I have one dog I cannot work with. He also mauls his owner every chance he gets. This is a super dangerous dog who stays this way due to lack of leadership, boundaries, training and exercise. He's not scared and he's not kidding. Lucky for me, he comes in heavily sedated and I have a muzzle. And I don't use muzzles unless absolutely necessary. Necessary meaning they have proven over and over that they will seriously hurt me. I simply can't chance being damaged or believe me, I would.
The rest are coming along nicely. Little Maddux who used to be totally out of control and couldn't handle any stimuli whatsoever can now be groomed with the door open, loud music playing and Tabitha and her Scotty friend running about on the floor making noise. Poor little Lucky (different from the above not so lucky Lucky) who just needed to be shown he wasn't going to be ruthlessly dematted and forced into things with violence just to be labeled "an angry asshole" when he showed his discomfort the only way he knew how. He still (understandably) has reservations and needs to see everything I am doing but he no longer bites, he just puts his mouth on my hand when he is nervous. And that's okay by me. My not so buddy T.J.. I don't know what happened to him but it appears to be something very bad. We still use the muzzle and he's the one that shoves his little face into it once I take it out. He doesn't like biting me as much as I don't like it but will seriously hurt me due to nothing more than rising anticipation. We have an agreement. I can even unbuckle the muzzle now to do the back of his neck and he keeps his face pressed into it no matter what. Before removing the muzzle and shaving his face, I scruff the back of his neck and even though he bares his teeth and threatens me for all he's worth, he no longer kicks off the table to launch an attack at my closest extremity. I see that as much progress. And teeny 3 pound Sophie who, when she first came to me was an emotional basket-case ready for the torment that would eventually cause her agony. Her last groomer ended up cutting her side badly with a pair of scissors because "Sophie fights everything". Tell me, how do you fight something that is 3 pounds? That's a losing battle on both ends. We are at the point where she will offer me the body part I am looking to do next. I love seeing her standing there, vibrating, while her tiny back leg is extended all the way out with total faith that I am going to do the right thing. She has a very hard time standing still so we do one thing at a time with little breaks where she is allowed to run wildly about the table while I celebrate and tell her how fabulous she is. Which brings me to my next point. I also see that I am not using the grooming noose on most of my dogs. There is nothing keeping them on the table except for my encouragement and the knowledge I am not going to do anything that pushes them past their threshold.
That certainly isn't all of them. Hell, that isn't a fraction of them. All these dogs have a story, I just had to listen to what they were saying and do right by them. That's how relationships are built after all. Our egos get in the way of so many things. Our arrogance is our greatest communication breakdown. I'm not just talking about dogs here. But, the way I see it, at least they aren't trying to pull one over on you by lying or pretending to be something they're not. I might come across as some crazy dog lady when I say this. Take it or leave it, but I promise you, you can't have a healthy relationship without knowing these things. Dog, human otherwise.
I'm heading home to MA soon. I'm leaving behind these damaged dogs to whoever takes my place. I can only hope they are kind and patient. I find myself making long notes of how to handle their behavior but I'll tell you something and it may sound like arrogance but I don't care. I haven't met another groomer that can handle the dogs I can handle. Certainly not in the way I go about it. Anyone can slap a muzzle on a dogs face and put something around their neck to keep them still. Anyone can be violent enough to force submissive behavior. I just hope I have brought these dogs around enough so the next person to groom them doesn't get frustrated and resort to typical cruel grooming techniques. I hope I can meet this person and explain that to them...
Once back, I am going to start my own dog deal up. I am tired of working for other people. I am sick of becoming known for my excellence when regarding dogs who "can't be groomed" just to have major progress with them and walking away, not knowing their fate. I like that I offer a safe haven for these little worried dogs that have what it takes to be spectacular dogs and just need someone to show them. If that's not enough reason to start my own deal, what is?
