Award-Winning Grooming on Edmonton Trail

Pleased be advised that this is the

HALL OF SHAME!!

The photos contained here are of dogs and cats who come to us in poor coat and health condition.

This page is not for the faint of heart, but it IS an unfortunate part of what we do.

Dogs need regular grooming.  Period.  Daily brushing and combing. NOT ANNUAL SHAVING!!  On this site you will see before and after photos,

during photos, and photos of complications that can occur when the pet's coat is left neglected for long periods of time. 

This type of grooming is heartbreaking work for us, not to mention extremely time-consuming and difficult. 

 Many of these dogs are in pain and do not like to be handled, nor have they had any training or socializing. 

This makes it likely that the groomer may be injured during the process.  It is often this pet owner who will not understand the requirement for a shave.

He or she will demand a brush-out and a scissor cut which we WILL NOT DO AT OUR SALON. 

 We have a cruelty-free policy posted clearly in our salon in several spots and still we are the ones to take the abuse of the pet's owner, because the customer is always right, right? 

Our groomers have been yelled at, sworn at, and physically threatened by some pet owners because we would not sit for hours and painstakingly pull out every matt from their pet's coat! 

They care more about having one inch of dog hair on their pet than they do the pain that their pet would go through to have it done.  Start your pet in a grooming salon at 3 months old.

 The bare minimum of frequency for grooming, and I mean MINIMUM, is every twelve weeks.

We cannot fix months of neglect in an afternoon.

A matted coat is unhealthy, even in January.

We cannot predict the weather, if your dog is cold BUY A SWEATER.

We can only work with what you bring us.

We cannot perform miracles, and GOD doesn't groom dogs.

If you are not going to properly care for your dog, DON'T GET ONE!!

Enjoy the photos if you can.

Schnauzer 'Before' Photo, six months since last groom.

Matt Sore found on inside of back leg.  These rather harmless looking irritations are actually quite serious because the dog will go home and bite and scratch at it,

making it larger, more painful and prone to infection. Matt sores are caused by the tight matts pulling on the skin.

In severe cases the matts will cause splits and open wounds in the dogs' skin.

After photo of Schnauzer in a short kennel clip.

Sheltie Spaniel X one year since last grooming.  Note the Dreadlocks.  This is NOT a Rastafarian breed! 

This pet looks considerably happier and healthier!!

This Little Fellow had his first groom on his first Birthday. 

The recommendation is to start grooming at 12 weeks old!

Can you guess the breed?

Yup...it's a Poodle!!  (just kidding)

This poor baby can't care for his coat anymore.  It had been one and a half YEARS since his last shave.

 Note that the coat had come off in 'pelts' kind of like sheep-shearing.  Cat shearing, on the other hand, is considerably more challenging.

 Also note the cat's paws are BANDAGED...

This is one of the cat's paws.  The toenails had grown around completely and pierced into the pad of the foot.

 We had to cut the toenail and PULL the embedded nail out of the pad.  This left a huge gaping hole in each pad, stinking of infection.

 Hunks of rotted flesh peeled away from this cat's feet exposing muscle and tendon.

No further comment.

MATT SORES

Unkempt matted dogs can have open sores under pulling mats or hold moisture that creates diaper rash, fungal infections or worse.

Here we begin our journey into the Shih-tzu-Bichon Cross Breed.  This particular mix comprises a VERY large percentage of our clientele.  This breed looks great in a Teddy Bear,  that's a one/half to one inch scissor trim.  Unfortunately, to maintain this coat we recommend a MINIMUM of twenty minutes brushing and combing three times a week.  Or a bi-weekly maintenance plan with us. 

Take a guess at how often these babies see a brush at home?

FAMOUS LAST WORDS

OH, but I don't want him to be cold!

We're having a party this weekend and I don't want him to look ugly!

He's an EXPENSIVE dog, he gets a Teddy BEAR!!

You're not supposed to shave these dogs the breeder SAID!

I can't BREED him if you shave him!

He will hide under the bed for days!

I can't afford a sweater!

Oh, it's not THAT BAD!

I brushed him last night, this JUST happened!

I want her short... but not shaved...!

Still not convinced??

Does THIS ever happen to YOU at work?

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Last modified: 05/25/08