No Woman Wants A Dog – Unless Of Course It’s The Four- Legged Kind

I believe I was always an independent, free spirit. My glass is neither half full nor half empty; it runneth over with positive energy. I believe that one should never worry about how long something will take to complete, or what age you are when begin.
Since the age of eighteen, I had been a secretary. I worked with many different companies in both Ireland and New York. In 1987, I returned to New York after living in Ireland for several years; leaving my family and friends behind to start a new adventure on my own.

It’s a known fact that I love all animals; however, I feel a very special connection with dogs. Presently, I have three, two Irish Sheep dogs, my Trixie and Mollie, who were international rescues, and a Shih Tzu named Toria (pronounced Tory), which means Bandit in Gaelic. In my lifetime, I have been blessed to have had a total of ten dogs come across my path.

My brother-in-law Mark and my sister Rosheen would always tell me that I should have a career in the dog grooming business. When I would arrive at their home, their three dogs would greet me at the door before my nephews and nieces would. For years, I toyed with the idea and would casually research grooming schools. I would then put the idea on the back burner because I was either too busy with work or too busy keeping up with my son’s sports programs.

My sister, her family and their dogs eventually moved to Vermont. One day I received a text from her telling me that because of the demand for services in her new town, it would take six weeks to get her Yorkshire Terrier, Prince an appointment for grooming. We thought that was not only an absurd wait time, but a sign that I really needed to consider going into the grooming business.

I started my search again and found out there were two grooming schools in New York. The New York Grooming School and The American Academy of Pet Grooming. I searched online for reviews and called the schools to get more information.

One day on my way home from a long day at work, I decided to make a stop at my local neighborhood bar, where my good friend Amanda was the day bartender. While waiting to chat with her, I overheard her saying that she would be giving up her day shifts at the bar. When I was able to talk with Amanda, she said she had just enrolled in a dog grooming school; another sign that NOW was the time. The following week I went on a tour of The American Academy of Pet Grooming, and that was all that it took. I was no longer going to put my dream on hold.

In April 2012, I began a new life journey. I enrolled in The American Academy of Pet Grooming and the next month I started evening classes to learn how to groom dogs. At the time, I was also working at United Parcel Services (UPS) part-time and now I would be going to school on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday nights from 6:00pm to 10:00pm. I had gone to school for only two weeks, when during a trip out to Vermont I was able to groom my sister’s dog. We joke now that if Prince could talk he would say “I’m royalty. My groomer makes house calls.”

When I graduated the following August, I began grooming dogs in my home. I knew that I had only mastered the basics of dog grooming and that if I wanted to improve my skills, I would need to find employment with an experienced groomer. I applied to many grooming salons; however with very little experience it was difficult to find employment. I was still working for UPS part-time and was looking for a grooming position part-time as well. In January 2013, I received a call from the Assistant Manager of Petco in College Point, New York. I explained that I was a recent graduate and wanted to get my “paw in the door”. I then went to Petco to be interviewed in person by the General Manager of the store. When I arrived, I realized it was going to be a group interview. There was another woman being interviewed for the same grooming position. I had never been a fan of group interviews. However, I desperately wanted the position, and I just said to myself “Be you. If you don’t try, the answer will always be, “No.”

After the interview, I had to prove that I could groom. In the grooming world, you need to do what’s called a “technical.” Like a secretary would need to take a typing test, a groomer would need to groom a dog and then have the dog inspected by whoever was overseeing the technical. I must have impressed them because I was hired on the spot and have been since happily employed there.

Interested in becoming a dog groomer? Here are a few tips based on my personal experience:

1) Grooming school can be expensive, costing as much as $5,000. Therefore, if grooming is your calling, but finances are a concern, I would recommend that you try getting a job as a bather first. Many of the corporate pet stores that offer grooming services are looking for bather/groomer assistants. You will get on the job training and may have the opportunity to advance to becoming a groomer, with the company paying for your training. If the employer pays for your training, there will usually be a contractual stipulation, requiring you to work for them for a year or two. If you break the contract, you would then have to reimburse them for the training.

2) Many people think I just play with the doggies all day, but there is a lot more to it than that. At any given time, you could receive a nasty dog bite as some dogs simply do not want to be groomed. On occasion, you may even have a second person assisting you and still the dog will be uncontrollable. In situations such as this, I have to stop the services, return the dog to its owner and recommend that they bring the dog to the vet to be sedated. Some Veterinary Clinics/Hospitals have groomers on staff and are best suited to handle those situations.

3) You will have a client who absolutely loved how you groomed their dog on the day of service and a week later will complain and demand their money back. Therefore, while you always want to make the customer happy, you must also have a thick skin, be objective and always strive for excellence.

4) The majority of grooming jobs are commission based. The average rate is 50% of the groom. In the area of New York in which I work, Shih Tzu, Maltese and Yorkshire Terrier basic grooming services start at $68. Poodles and Pomeranians start at $73. A basic groom would consist of bath, blow dry, haircut, ears cleaned and nails trimmed. Other packages are available which include tooth brushing and an upgrade of conditioner and could add $17 to $20 to the groom.

5) If you don’t go into work, you are not making any money. If you work for a corporate pet store, you would likely be paid an hourly minimum wage if your commission is low. To “commission out” (avoid being paid an hourly minimum wage), you would need to make a minimum of $400 per week in commission. Since dog grooming is commission based employment, be prepared for competition in the salon. Groomers unfortunately are stereotyped as being divas and unpredictable. While I work hard to avoid that unreliable label, I’ve been labelled a Dog-Loving Diva on occasion!

I love what I do! I enjoy when I am walking around the store, and I see one of my doggie clients, and they are pulling away from their pet parent to get to me. To be a dog groomer you need a lot of patience and of course, you must be an animal lover. You really should also be in fairly good physical shape, in order to be able to handle the larger dogs. Inevitably, I sometimes get dogs that weigh more than I do. I had a Bernese Mountain come in one evening, and the owner looked at me and said “You are just a bit of a thing; she will drag you around the place.” I laughed and said “don’t let my size fool you; I am a lot stronger than I look.”

I followed my dream and landed my dream job. If you want something bad enough you have to go for it.

I took a leap of faith and I’m thrilled that I did. #noregrets

Beverly Copas Rock lives in Queens, New York, is a wife and mother of a human son and three four legged children. 30+ years as a secretary, a self- taught cake decorator and owner of Bevy Cakes.  She is a graduate of The American Academy of Pet Grooming, currently employed as a Pet Stylist for a Corporate Pet Store. 

UPDATE: Beverly continues to advance in her career and effective 10/6/14 She is now a Dog Groomer @ Pet Supplies Plus. Congratulations, Beverly!

Followed your dream and want to be featured here? Contact me @ jacquelinedujour@gmail.com