June 6, 2009 Saying Goodbye

Saying Goodbye

As a groomer, I have a regular clientele that I see over and over again and just when I get into my steady little niche of folks who come, then life happens and shakes up my world again. Clients that are dear to my heart move away, or their beloved pet passes away, or sometimes even my dearest clients pass away. Lately I’ve had several of these things happen at once and I can’t tell you how sad it makes me to see them go.
One dear dog that I’ll miss terribly is moving to another state. Cupid is an Afghan Hound that belongs to Dave and Karen McDonald who are moving on to greener pastures. I had the pleasure of grooming Cupid one last time today. Dave told me that the groomer he’s been taking him to in Georgia hasn’t ever seen an Afghan Hound before. “Ahh, you get to break in another groomer huh?” I said to him. I remember being in that position. When Dave and Karen had adopted a pair of Afghan Hounds from a rescue shortly after I moved here, Karen called me and asked me if I could groom an Afghan Hound. “Well, I CAN groom them, but I haven’t ever done one before” I told her. They took a leap of faith and tried me out. I did what they asked me to do, and was completely intrigued by the breed. Every time they came to be groomed I learned more about them. I took classes on them in Chicago and Atlanta when I went to grooming shows. I bought brushes and products with them in mind and I really did enjoy grooming them, although they were MASSIVELY time consuming, with all the de-matting that had to be done. Long locks like those tangle easily. But the dogs themselves were just unique. Regal looking, and the beautiful walk they had on a leash was breathtaking to me. These creatures were something special! Over the years, I’d laugh at their antics, weep with exhaustion over grooming them and when they aged and became sick and passed away, I cried.
Cupid is another rescue who came along before they lost their last Afghan Hound. He was just a young dog, not a year old when he came. He was scared of everything! Still, he got through grooming 101 and passed with flying colors. He had a different personality than the other Afghans but was still charming, elegant and a trooper for grooming.
It’s amazing to me how close groomers become to the dogs they groom. I have a lot of dogs that I’ve become “Aunt Sandy” to over the years. That must be why it’s sad to see them go away. Those dogs aren’t just clients, they’re family, and many times so is the person on the other end of the leash.
Dr. Pete was another client I will dearly miss. His dogs went to Chicago with me to be demonstration dogs for seminars on Terriers. The top groomer in the country got to work his magic on Paddy, Onya and Sophie and teach a room full of hopeful groomers the techniques. I learned to have my car keys in my hands when I picked them up, because it never failed that as I loaded them into my car and walked around to the driver’s side; one of them would hop up on the door and lock me out. They were always happy to see me, and their tails went a mile a minute. When Paddy was accidentally let out of his yard one day, he walked all the way to my house, I was just coming home from shopping and there was Paddy in my driveway! Now that’s love! Dr. Pete’s wife Ann used to borrow my old dog Katy to teach Paddy manners when he was a pup. Katy would put Paddy in his place when he started playing too rough, and they really enjoyed each others company.
While nobody can replace the dogs or the people behind them, there still seems to be a string of new folks calling and getting into the loop that will make more new memories for me. I’ll have to remember to write down the memories of those that leave a paw print on my heart and one day make a book of memoirs of them.