Thursday, May 27, 2004
More dog humor
This is from http://hometown.aol.com/stardancin/Dogjokes.html
How to photograph a new puppy...
1. Remove film from box and load camera.
2. Remove film box from puppy's mouth and throw in trash.
3. Remove puppy from trash and brush coffee grounds from muzzle.
4. Choose a suitable background for photo.
5. Mount camera on tripod and focus.
6. Find puppy and take dirty sock from mouth.
7. Place puppy in pre-focused spot and return to camera.
8. Forget about spot and crawl after puppy on knees.
9. Focus with one hand and fend off puppy with other hand.
10. Get tissue and clean nose print from lens.
11. Put magazines back on coffee table.
12. Try to get puppy's attention by squeaking toy over your head.
13. Replace your glasses and check camera for damage.
14. Jump up in time to grab puppy and say, No No! Outside! OUTSIDE!
15. Call spouse to clean up mess.
16. Sit back in Lazy Boy with a drink and resolve to teach puppy "sit" and "stay" the first thing in the morning.
How to prepare for a new puppy
*Pour cold apple juice on the carpet in several places and walk around barefoot in the dark.
*Wear a sock to work that has had the toes shredded by a blender.
*Immediately upon waking, stand outside in the rain and dark saying, "Be a good puppy, go potty now - hurry up - come on, lets go!"
*Cover all your best suits with dog hair. Dark suits must use white hair, and light suits must use dark hair. Also float some hair in your first cup of coffee in the morning.
*Play "catch" with a slimy wet tennis ball.
*Run out in the snow in your bare feet to close the gate.
*Tip over a basket of clean laundry, scatter clothing all over the floor.
*Leave your underwear on the living room floor, because that's where the dog will drag it anyway. (Especially when you have company.)
*Jump out of your chair shortly before the end of your favorite TV program and run to the door shouting, "No no! Do that OUTSIDE!" Miss the end of the program.
*Put chocolate pudding on the carpet in the morning, and don't try to clean it up until you return from work that evening.
*Gouge the leg of the dinning room table several times with a screwdriver - it's going to get chewed on anyway.
*Take a warm and cuddly blanket out of the dryer and immediately wrap it around yourself. This is the feeling you will get when your puppy falls asleep on your lap.
Dog Rules from http://www.weipowa.com/funny.html
1) Newspapers: If you have to go pee while playing in the front yard, always use the newspaper that's placed on the driveway every morning just for that purpose.
2) Visitors: Quickly determine which guest is afraid of dogs. Charge across the room, barking loudly, & leap playfully on this person. If your human falls down on the floor & starts crying, lick his/her face & growl gently to show your concern.
3) Licking: Always take a BIG drink from your water dish immediately before licking your human. Humans always prefer clean tongues.
4) Barking: Because we are dogs, we are expected to bark. So bark - a lot. Your owners will be very happy to hear you protecting their house. Especially late at night while they are sleeping safely in their beds. There is no more secure feeling for humans than to keep waking up in the middle of the night & hearing their protective dog barking and barking and . . .
5) Holes: There are never enough holes in the ground. Strive daily to do your part to help correct this problem. Rather than digging a BIG hole in the middle of the yard & upsetting your humans, dig a lot of small holes all over the yard so they won't notice.
6) Doors: The area immediately in front of a door is always reserved for the family dog to sleep on. Wag your tail so it makes tolerant, thumping sounds on the floor every time you are stepped on.
7) Sniffing: Humans like to be sniffed. Everywhere. It is your duty as the family dog to accommodate them.
8) Dining: Always sit under the table at dinner, especially when there are guests, so you can clean up food when it starts to accumulate on the floor. This is also a good time to practice your sniffing.
9) Housebreaking: This is very important to humans, so break as much of the house as possible.
10) Walks: When out for a walk with you master or mistress, never go to the bathroom on your own lawn. Always pick the nosy neighbor's yard.
11) Couches: It is permissible to sleep on the new couch after your humans have gone to bed.
12) C*ts: When chasing c*ts, never c*tch them. It spoils all the fun.
How to photograph a new puppy...
1. Remove film from box and load camera.
2. Remove film box from puppy's mouth and throw in trash.
3. Remove puppy from trash and brush coffee grounds from muzzle.
4. Choose a suitable background for photo.
5. Mount camera on tripod and focus.
6. Find puppy and take dirty sock from mouth.
7. Place puppy in pre-focused spot and return to camera.
8. Forget about spot and crawl after puppy on knees.
9. Focus with one hand and fend off puppy with other hand.
10. Get tissue and clean nose print from lens.
11. Put magazines back on coffee table.
12. Try to get puppy's attention by squeaking toy over your head.
13. Replace your glasses and check camera for damage.
14. Jump up in time to grab puppy and say, No No! Outside! OUTSIDE!
15. Call spouse to clean up mess.
16. Sit back in Lazy Boy with a drink and resolve to teach puppy "sit" and "stay" the first thing in the morning.
How to prepare for a new puppy
*Pour cold apple juice on the carpet in several places and walk around barefoot in the dark.
*Wear a sock to work that has had the toes shredded by a blender.
*Immediately upon waking, stand outside in the rain and dark saying, "Be a good puppy, go potty now - hurry up - come on, lets go!"
*Cover all your best suits with dog hair. Dark suits must use white hair, and light suits must use dark hair. Also float some hair in your first cup of coffee in the morning.
*Play "catch" with a slimy wet tennis ball.
*Run out in the snow in your bare feet to close the gate.
*Tip over a basket of clean laundry, scatter clothing all over the floor.
*Leave your underwear on the living room floor, because that's where the dog will drag it anyway. (Especially when you have company.)
*Jump out of your chair shortly before the end of your favorite TV program and run to the door shouting, "No no! Do that OUTSIDE!" Miss the end of the program.
*Put chocolate pudding on the carpet in the morning, and don't try to clean it up until you return from work that evening.
*Gouge the leg of the dinning room table several times with a screwdriver - it's going to get chewed on anyway.
*Take a warm and cuddly blanket out of the dryer and immediately wrap it around yourself. This is the feeling you will get when your puppy falls asleep on your lap.
Dog Rules from http://www.weipowa.com/funny.html
1) Newspapers: If you have to go pee while playing in the front yard, always use the newspaper that's placed on the driveway every morning just for that purpose.
2) Visitors: Quickly determine which guest is afraid of dogs. Charge across the room, barking loudly, & leap playfully on this person. If your human falls down on the floor & starts crying, lick his/her face & growl gently to show your concern.
3) Licking: Always take a BIG drink from your water dish immediately before licking your human. Humans always prefer clean tongues.
4) Barking: Because we are dogs, we are expected to bark. So bark - a lot. Your owners will be very happy to hear you protecting their house. Especially late at night while they are sleeping safely in their beds. There is no more secure feeling for humans than to keep waking up in the middle of the night & hearing their protective dog barking and barking and . . .
5) Holes: There are never enough holes in the ground. Strive daily to do your part to help correct this problem. Rather than digging a BIG hole in the middle of the yard & upsetting your humans, dig a lot of small holes all over the yard so they won't notice.
6) Doors: The area immediately in front of a door is always reserved for the family dog to sleep on. Wag your tail so it makes tolerant, thumping sounds on the floor every time you are stepped on.
7) Sniffing: Humans like to be sniffed. Everywhere. It is your duty as the family dog to accommodate them.
8) Dining: Always sit under the table at dinner, especially when there are guests, so you can clean up food when it starts to accumulate on the floor. This is also a good time to practice your sniffing.
9) Housebreaking: This is very important to humans, so break as much of the house as possible.
10) Walks: When out for a walk with you master or mistress, never go to the bathroom on your own lawn. Always pick the nosy neighbor's yard.
11) Couches: It is permissible to sleep on the new couch after your humans have gone to bed.
12) C*ts: When chasing c*ts, never c*tch them. It spoils all the fun.
$210.46, And a Full Weekend Ahead
Ordered my LIPSystem on the phone today! Stainless steel model, with the G-TNT discount, and the Valerie discount, too. Excellent! I can't wait till it comes. I had it sent directly to Valerie's shop, so I won't have to haul it down myself. Whooo-eee! I'm going to feel like SUCH a pro when it gets there and we can hook it up to my little table. Enough of a pro that *maybe* I'll overcome the feeling of ineptitude I get whenever I look at Lori's cat Ferris, whom I mangled - I mean TRIMMED - for her last week. Ferris was a very good boy for most of it, but I'll definitely need to tidy him up a bit. Maybe I can do that while I'm checking on her critters this weekend. I'm going to be heading down to Valerie's at 6am tomorrow morning, and heading back to Columbus Saturday afternoon. I'll stop by Lori's Saturday before I come home, then again on Sunday. Whew!
I've decided that I'm probably going to end up being as much of a nutcase about keeping my clipper blades clean as I am about keeping my guns clean. When I ran over that tick 2 weeks ago, my blade got tick-blood in it, and I've been fretting about it ever since. *rueful smile* Maybe I'll get over the obsession. Maybe not. Time'll tell! I think I should probably get a jar of blade-cleaning solution, so I don't have to use Valerie's up just to cater to my own compulsions. :-)
Valerie says there's a grooming show in August in Chicago. It would certainly be great fun to go, not least of all because they are going to have a demo on Komondorok, and how often do you get to see THAT? I'm close enough to drive, and that'll save money on airfare... but then again, considering that I paid $2.13 a gallon for gas earlier this week, maybe flying would be cheaper. :-(
More later!
I've decided that I'm probably going to end up being as much of a nutcase about keeping my clipper blades clean as I am about keeping my guns clean. When I ran over that tick 2 weeks ago, my blade got tick-blood in it, and I've been fretting about it ever since. *rueful smile* Maybe I'll get over the obsession. Maybe not. Time'll tell! I think I should probably get a jar of blade-cleaning solution, so I don't have to use Valerie's up just to cater to my own compulsions. :-)
Valerie says there's a grooming show in August in Chicago. It would certainly be great fun to go, not least of all because they are going to have a demo on Komondorok, and how often do you get to see THAT? I'm close enough to drive, and that'll save money on airfare... but then again, considering that I paid $2.13 a gallon for gas earlier this week, maybe flying would be cheaper. :-(
More later!
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
Bit of dog humor from the list
a few new designer breeds
Collie + Lhasa Apso = Collapso, a dog that folds up for easy transporting
Spitz + Chow Chow = Spitz-Chow, a dog that throws up a lot
Pointer + Setter = Poinsetter, a traditional Christmas pet
Great Pyrenees + Dachshund = Pyradachs, a puzzling breed
Pekingese + Lhasa Apso = Peekasso, an abstract dog
Irish Water Spaniel + English Springer Spaniel = Irish Springer, a dog fresh and clean as a whistle
Labrador Retriever + Curly Coated Retriever = Lab Coat Retriever, the choice of research scientists
Newfoundland + Basset Hound = Newfound Asset Hound, a dog for financial advisors
Terrier + Bulldog = Terribull, a dog that makes awful mistakes
Bloodhound + Labrador = Blabador, not a popular dog with CIA agents
Malamute + Pointer = Moot Point, owned by... oh, well, it doesn't matter anyway
Collie + Malamute = Commute, a dog that travels to work
Deerhound + Terrier = Derriere, a dog that's true to the end
and a few more from elsewhere:
Bloodhound + Borzoi = Bloody Bore, a dog that's not much fun
Kerry Blue Terrier + Skye Terrier = Blue Skye, a dog for visionaries
Cocker Spaniel + Rottweiler = Cockrot, the perfect puppy for that philandering ex-husband
Bull Terrier + Shih Tzu = Oh, never mind...
(this one only works if you mispronounce Shih Tzu!)
Collie + Lhasa Apso = Collapso, a dog that folds up for easy transporting
Spitz + Chow Chow = Spitz-Chow, a dog that throws up a lot
Pointer + Setter = Poinsetter, a traditional Christmas pet
Great Pyrenees + Dachshund = Pyradachs, a puzzling breed
Pekingese + Lhasa Apso = Peekasso, an abstract dog
Irish Water Spaniel + English Springer Spaniel = Irish Springer, a dog fresh and clean as a whistle
Labrador Retriever + Curly Coated Retriever = Lab Coat Retriever, the choice of research scientists
Newfoundland + Basset Hound = Newfound Asset Hound, a dog for financial advisors
Terrier + Bulldog = Terribull, a dog that makes awful mistakes
Bloodhound + Labrador = Blabador, not a popular dog with CIA agents
Malamute + Pointer = Moot Point, owned by... oh, well, it doesn't matter anyway
Collie + Malamute = Commute, a dog that travels to work
Deerhound + Terrier = Derriere, a dog that's true to the end
and a few more from elsewhere:
Bloodhound + Borzoi = Bloody Bore, a dog that's not much fun
Kerry Blue Terrier + Skye Terrier = Blue Skye, a dog for visionaries
Cocker Spaniel + Rottweiler = Cockrot, the perfect puppy for that philandering ex-husband
Bull Terrier + Shih Tzu = Oh, never mind...
(this one only works if you mispronounce Shih Tzu!)
Friday, May 21, 2004
Photo Uploading Works!!
This is a pelt that Kim shaved off one of her clients
Look! Blogger has enhanced their product by adding image uploads!! This is great!!! Ohhh, you guys just WAIT till I go down to WV next weekend. You're going to get all the Before And After Pics you can handle. *grin*
Bailing This Weekend
I've got a miserable cold, and Valerie doesn't want it. So I'm staying home this weekend, which isn't altogether a bad thing. I bought a pumice stone, and received my other #10 blade and a very soft slicker brush from A Fortunate Dog earlier this week, too.
My best friend Lori and her husband Brian asked me to clip their longhaired cat down for the summer, so I'm here to report my first unsupervised clip job went not-too-badly. We decided to give poor Ferris a break, though, and I'll finish him up in a few days once Lori and Brian have a chance to find out how short they want his hair to be. He is just loaded with undercoat, and the 'home' clippers I have are barely up to the job, even though they are Andis.
My best friend Lori and her husband Brian asked me to clip their longhaired cat down for the summer, so I'm here to report my first unsupervised clip job went not-too-badly. We decided to give poor Ferris a break, though, and I'll finish him up in a few days once Lori and Brian have a chance to find out how short they want his hair to be. He is just loaded with undercoat, and the 'home' clippers I have are barely up to the job, even though they are Andis.
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
More Shampoo Information
Valerie posted to the groomers list about shampoo pH:
Here's an article from Proctor & Gamble's website about shampoo PH. It explains it rather well, and debunks many of the myths about PH in shampoos. BTW a couple years ago Bbird conducted a study of shampoos/conditioners/dish soaps with several members of the TNT list. I was among the members that did testing in my shop. We found Ph ranges in
PET shampoos from 4.2 to 7.0 and they were all made for pets!
Many shampoo products stress pH balance. However, the language used to explain pH is often confusing. We've compiled some basic answers to the most frequently asked questions consumers ask when calling about our Pantene, Pert Plus, Prell, VS Sasson and Head & Shoulders products.
What does "pH" mean?
"pH" is an abbreviation for the potential Hydrogen of a liquid. It is the degree of the acidity or alkalinity in a substance and is measured on a scale from 0, which is strongly acidic, to 14, which is very alkaline. Anything moist - skin, hair, scalp, water, even tears - has pH. Pure water, for example, has a neutral pH of 7, whereas most
people's skin has a pH ranging from 5 - 6.5. Therefore, skin, hair and scalp - when damp - are slightly acidic, while tears are alkaline.
What about "pH" in Shampoo?
Most shampoos fall in the normal pH range of 4 - 9, which is close to the pH of the natural substances mentioned above. Even when the pH levels of shampoos differ slightly from the pH of your hair and scalp, they are not damaging. This is because your hair and scalp have the ability to quickly return to their normal pH levels after the shampooing
process.
When a shampoo with a different pH factor is applied to the hair, the pH levels of the hair and scalp are altered temporarily. However, as soon as the shampoo has been rinsed away and the hair and scalp are dry, they return to their normal pH, usually within minutes.
It is only when the pH of a shampoo does not fall within the normal range of 4 - 9 that it can affect the hair. If left on for a long time, highly acidic products with a pH under 4, or highly alkaline products with a pH over 9, can break down the bonds which hold the hair shaft together and cause permanent damage.
A good illustration of this would be lemon juice, which some people use as a final rinse. Although it has a pH of 2, lemon juice rinse left on for a few minutes will not harm the hair. However, lemon juice could cause damage if the hair were soaked in it for several days. Similarly, the pH rating of a shampoo would be crucial only if the shampoo were to be left on the hair for a long period of time.
Then you're saying that the "pH"in the range of levels of existing shampoos has nothing to do with the shampoos harshness or mildness?
We can go further than that and say that none of the major shampoos can really damage the hair. The purpose of a shampoo is simply to clean the hair and leave it manageably attractive. Judging a shampoo's harshness or mildness because of its pH is just a modern misconception, yet many people consider choosing a shampoo for its low pH factor, rather than considering its main performance benefits. When choosing a shampoo, it is best to just forget about pH and instead select a product that does a gentle, basic job of getting your hair clean.
Thanks for that, Valerie! And also for this link, too.
Here's an article from Proctor & Gamble's website about shampoo PH. It explains it rather well, and debunks many of the myths about PH in shampoos. BTW a couple years ago Bbird conducted a study of shampoos/conditioners/dish soaps with several members of the TNT list. I was among the members that did testing in my shop. We found Ph ranges in
PET shampoos from 4.2 to 7.0 and they were all made for pets!
Many shampoo products stress pH balance. However, the language used to explain pH is often confusing. We've compiled some basic answers to the most frequently asked questions consumers ask when calling about our Pantene, Pert Plus, Prell, VS Sasson and Head & Shoulders products.
What does "pH" mean?
"pH" is an abbreviation for the potential Hydrogen of a liquid. It is the degree of the acidity or alkalinity in a substance and is measured on a scale from 0, which is strongly acidic, to 14, which is very alkaline. Anything moist - skin, hair, scalp, water, even tears - has pH. Pure water, for example, has a neutral pH of 7, whereas most
people's skin has a pH ranging from 5 - 6.5. Therefore, skin, hair and scalp - when damp - are slightly acidic, while tears are alkaline.
What about "pH" in Shampoo?
Most shampoos fall in the normal pH range of 4 - 9, which is close to the pH of the natural substances mentioned above. Even when the pH levels of shampoos differ slightly from the pH of your hair and scalp, they are not damaging. This is because your hair and scalp have the ability to quickly return to their normal pH levels after the shampooing
process.
When a shampoo with a different pH factor is applied to the hair, the pH levels of the hair and scalp are altered temporarily. However, as soon as the shampoo has been rinsed away and the hair and scalp are dry, they return to their normal pH, usually within minutes.
It is only when the pH of a shampoo does not fall within the normal range of 4 - 9 that it can affect the hair. If left on for a long time, highly acidic products with a pH under 4, or highly alkaline products with a pH over 9, can break down the bonds which hold the hair shaft together and cause permanent damage.
A good illustration of this would be lemon juice, which some people use as a final rinse. Although it has a pH of 2, lemon juice rinse left on for a few minutes will not harm the hair. However, lemon juice could cause damage if the hair were soaked in it for several days. Similarly, the pH rating of a shampoo would be crucial only if the shampoo were to be left on the hair for a long period of time.
Then you're saying that the "pH"in the range of levels of existing shampoos has nothing to do with the shampoos harshness or mildness?
We can go further than that and say that none of the major shampoos can really damage the hair. The purpose of a shampoo is simply to clean the hair and leave it manageably attractive. Judging a shampoo's harshness or mildness because of its pH is just a modern misconception, yet many people consider choosing a shampoo for its low pH factor, rather than considering its main performance benefits. When choosing a shampoo, it is best to just forget about pH and instead select a product that does a gentle, basic job of getting your hair clean.
Thanks for that, Valerie! And also for this link, too.
'Burning' Issue
There's been quite a bit of dissention on the list. What, exactly, makes 'tearless' shampoos tearless? Some say it is the pH, and one person says there's a chemical added that 'numbs the eyes'. I find that extremely hard to credit, so I poked around on the Internet for a bit, and finally spent $5 at Google Answers to get the answer. There's no labeling requirements for pet grooming products, so some of the groomers actually try products in their own eyes to make sure it won't harm the eyes of the pets they groom. Here's the response I got! Google Answers ROCKS!
=========================
Usually, when one hears "no tears shampoo" the first thing that comes to mind is
JOHNSON'S® NO MORE TEARS® Baby Shampoo so I searched their website. Here's what I found on their FAQs page:
Question
"I received an email that said the reason why JOHNSON'S® Baby Shampoo was gentle to the eyes was because it contains numbing agents that numbs the eyes if contact occurs."
Answer
"The assertion that chemicals are added that numb the baby's eyes is totally false. The reason JOHNSON'S® shampoo formulas do not irritate the eyes is the mildness of the formulation, which has undergone extensive clinical testing and has proven to be as gentle to the eyes as pure water."
(Source: Johnson & Johnson FAQs)
Personally, I don't believe that there's a numbing agent mixed in "no tears" shampoo. These products have been around for years and there's no clear epidemiological evidence to support that claim.
So what makes it tearless?
"Shampoo is used to cleanse the hair. The primary ingredient of a shampoo is a detergent. Many shampoos, particularly those targeted for babies and children, claim to cause non eye irritation or sting. A "no-tear" formulation achieves this claim by carefully adjusting the nature of the detergents. In particularly, the identity and
concentration of detergents with anionic or "charged" portion are controlled to minimise both eye and skin irritation."
(Source: What makes a no-tears shampoo? - C.C.C. Heep Woh College Chemistry Department, Copyright 2003)
From the info above, the quick answer to your question is: "no tears" shampoo works because the detergents and other chemical irritants are formulated to a certain level that minimize eye irritation.
But take note...
"There is no such thing as a tearless shampoo. Even straight water poured into the eyes will cause enough irritation to produce tears. A product can be made friendlier to the eyes by using gentler surfactants, but it is still not tearless!"
(Source: Leave-in products and grooming - Duurstede Grooming Products, The W. R. Van Wyck Group Limited, © April 4th, 2004)
There's a video that discusses this topic in more detail in case you're interested:
Inquiring Minds: Episodes: 15 & 16 - BPN 6322H
"No Tears Shampoo" How surfactant - the ingredient in shampoo that causes the burning sensation and helps rid the hair of dirt - reacts with the eye's tear film. And a look at atmospheric surfactants, which are found in "no-tears" shampoo, and their properties.
(BBird says: One leetle correction: it is "amphoteric" surfactants, not "atmospheric". Whoops. Amphoteric surfactants are considerably less irritating than anionic surfactants that are usually preferred for cleaning. Most baby shampoos are formulated with amphoteric surfactants.) [kimberly says: I didn't want to change the quote, as I copied it directly from the website in the link. So I added BBird's correction here!]
=========================
So there we are then. :-) If anyone has follow up questions, let me know and I can ask 'my' researcher at Google Answers to clarify the information provided. Isn't that terrific? So Comment, folks, COMMENT!
=========================
Usually, when one hears "no tears shampoo" the first thing that comes to mind is
JOHNSON'S® NO MORE TEARS® Baby Shampoo so I searched their website. Here's what I found on their FAQs page:
Question
"I received an email that said the reason why JOHNSON'S® Baby Shampoo was gentle to the eyes was because it contains numbing agents that numbs the eyes if contact occurs."
Answer
"The assertion that chemicals are added that numb the baby's eyes is totally false. The reason JOHNSON'S® shampoo formulas do not irritate the eyes is the mildness of the formulation, which has undergone extensive clinical testing and has proven to be as gentle to the eyes as pure water."
(Source: Johnson & Johnson FAQs)
Personally, I don't believe that there's a numbing agent mixed in "no tears" shampoo. These products have been around for years and there's no clear epidemiological evidence to support that claim.
So what makes it tearless?
"Shampoo is used to cleanse the hair. The primary ingredient of a shampoo is a detergent. Many shampoos, particularly those targeted for babies and children, claim to cause non eye irritation or sting. A "no-tear" formulation achieves this claim by carefully adjusting the nature of the detergents. In particularly, the identity and
concentration of detergents with anionic or "charged" portion are controlled to minimise both eye and skin irritation."
(Source: What makes a no-tears shampoo? - C.C.C. Heep Woh College Chemistry Department, Copyright 2003)
From the info above, the quick answer to your question is: "no tears" shampoo works because the detergents and other chemical irritants are formulated to a certain level that minimize eye irritation.
But take note...
"There is no such thing as a tearless shampoo. Even straight water poured into the eyes will cause enough irritation to produce tears. A product can be made friendlier to the eyes by using gentler surfactants, but it is still not tearless!"
(Source: Leave-in products and grooming - Duurstede Grooming Products, The W. R. Van Wyck Group Limited, © April 4th, 2004)
There's a video that discusses this topic in more detail in case you're interested:
Inquiring Minds: Episodes: 15 & 16 - BPN 6322H
"No Tears Shampoo" How surfactant - the ingredient in shampoo that causes the burning sensation and helps rid the hair of dirt - reacts with the eye's tear film. And a look at atmospheric surfactants, which are found in "no-tears" shampoo, and their properties.
(BBird says: One leetle correction: it is "amphoteric" surfactants, not "atmospheric". Whoops. Amphoteric surfactants are considerably less irritating than anionic surfactants that are usually preferred for cleaning. Most baby shampoos are formulated with amphoteric surfactants.) [kimberly says: I didn't want to change the quote, as I copied it directly from the website in the link. So I added BBird's correction here!]
=========================
So there we are then. :-) If anyone has follow up questions, let me know and I can ask 'my' researcher at Google Answers to clarify the information provided. Isn't that terrific? So Comment, folks, COMMENT!
Monday, May 17, 2004
My Books Came Today!!
Remember waaaaay back when I did my first bit of shopping? Well the books FINALLY CAME! I'm so pleased with my **autographed** copy of Notes From the Grooming Table. The Complete Dog Book book looks great, too, but the Notes is what's making my heart go pitter patter. The illustrations are SO good and there's just vast amounts of info in there. Haven't started reading yet... at this moment I'm cooking dinner (Gasp!! COOKING!!!!) and going to settle down with the books in bed later. It's probably not all bad that Jim's going to be busy with homework tonight and we won't be getting together this evening. :-)
Finders Keepers??
On a suggestion from one of the listmembers that someone should distill these posts and put them on a website somewhere, here I go. :-)
"I found the most interesting thing in a dogs coat today. I have found everything from twigs and leaves to burrs and chewing gum but this was a first for me. I found a human hair roller in the dogs hair. I was bathing this slightly matted scottie today and found what i thought was a mess of burrs. So I worked at getting the burrs out and low and behold out pops this roller. I finished with the bath, put the dog in a dryer and took the "burr" up to the front to show my coworkers as I was trying to keep a straight face to show them this "disgusting thing" I found in this dogs coat... hehe I thought they were going to wet their pants.. we decided that I needed to write something cute in the
groomer's notes on his report card. I wrote " We sure enjoyed Olie's immitation of a poodle !!!" The owner thought it was funny and said we made her day.
P.S. I didn't know people still wore those velcro type curlers anymore... not
to mention dogs... hehe what have some of you found?
Dianna"
Ohhh, didn't the floodgates open at that! I was very very surprised at some of the responses. I'm going to post all the ones that I can find here.
"You name it, IT'S In THERE! LOL I have found barbed wire, fishing hooks and sinkers, crayons, tons of candy, safety pins (that were definitely NOT safe!) once a needle & thread, sponges woven into matts. Can't think of anything else right now, but I think anything you can imagine that is small enough to get in a dog's coat, I have seen in it!"
"some of the stranges things that I have found are. fishhooks, barbed wire, a book of matches, suckers-you know the big $1.00 ones-, tar, grease oil, pop can- it was chewed up and in a collies coat-, and a baby's spoon. I never get shocked anymore, but when the vets pulled a pair of scissors out of a dogs coat- he was brought in cause every time he sat down he yelped. that got me."
"lets see a collar that had been forgotton and was buried in the coat...and this one just lately....the rolled top of a condom....around the front foot"
"We had a cocker come in a couple of weeks ago, with about 4 curlers stuck in her hair under her body and between her legs. I called the owner and asked her if she was missing some curlers. We had a good laugh about that one. She did say she wondered why the dog was not walking as fast as she normaly does"
"I found 2 fishing hooks in a matted Shihtzu...luckily in the mats and not in the dog."
"Saddest Thing was a long forgotten choke chain collar embedded in a Collie's neck, it was almost an inch deep in some places. We shaved with a #40 blade around the neck to the collar, cut the collar into, pulled it out, cleaned the wound and sent dog to the Vet. Except for a permanent scar, it made a full recovery."
"I once stripped a chow that was so dirty and heavily matted it actually had a dandelion - taken root, growing and healthy right in the coat. Talk about a hardy little sucker - no wonder you can't kill them. Dandelions, roaches and fleas will one day rule the earth....."
"Some of the things I've found in dogs coats are...bubble gum, scotch tape, three flea collars on one dog, a rubber band around an ear, a human Red Toenail clipped, a dead roach. Yuch!"
"I found a piece of window screening, about a 3x4 piece, embedded in the shaved pelt on a toy poodle! Thankfully, the little guy is now on a 6-week schedule."
"The strangest thing I've found was a Barbie Doll Shoe matted into the hair."
"I have found pieces of barbed wire matted up in coats before...also found a little plastic lid..like what might have come off a can of pringles or something.....that was weird."
"I once found a screen piece, round that smelled vaguely of marijuana in a lhasa's coat.
That gave me a new perspective of the owners!"
"HAHA! I used to groom a Sheltie in PA that reeked of Patchouli when he came in, then when you wet him... OMG You could have gotten high from the pot smell! LOL He was a VERY calm Sheltie!"
"I have found old stiches.....and heard of a dog nasty matted in really bad shape..went to one vet for treatment and it had a small area shaved on its leg and a cath put in place for IV treatment and meds... it was sent home under the instructions to return to the vet for recheck and cath removal and later...grooming....they never went back.....week or so later, they take the dog to be boarded at a different vet....this vet...is unaware of any of the prior goings on...the dog lays in the kennel and chews on the cath that is STILL in the leg....it nearly bled out, it had chewed off the end of the cath, not pulling it completely out.....it was very nearly dead when the kennel folks
found it .....blood pooled everywhere....YUCK I guess these would be termed as Vet hoppers...they just go from one vet to another.....and never disclose any full history on the animal in question.... I cant even imagine how horrible that must have been...UGH Some people!"
"OMG I could write a book........
coat hanger
screen wire
barbed wire
every known seed/burr on the planet
several different types of collars ,some grown into the skin
GI Joe men
every kind of tape on the planet..(my favorite: the type left on by vets who tape legs after heartworm checks and the dog comes in months later)
every kind of bug on the planet including maggotts
tar
tree sap
and everything stuck to it
melted crayon
pieces of plastic food bowls
tin foil
cellophane
but the very best..personal experience was a white standard in full show coat that my father out out to pp and she decided to go to the barn..and soaked in the green alge in the creek behind the barn..and was green for weeks after....."
"One of my worst "finds" was a multi-barbed fishhook. Oh, I forgot the Black Widow spider! The cutest was a Lhasa that came in with about eight velcro hair curlers wrapped up in his fur. It wasn't so cute trying to pry them out, however."
"Hmm lemme think~
Cheese doodle
Fish hook
Rubber band (not in topknot)
rocks (marble size)
Very large poky thistle flower
6 inch long rose bush twig, with thorns
peach pit
Carmel toffee
M&M
Duct Tape
Chunk of metal pipe 2" long
3" Screw
part of a head gasket from a car
gum
necklace chain"
"I wasn't going to reply to this but... here goes an OES with a Kabob skewer
attatched to his leg. and a big ol hairy WhatEver with a condom buried in its
matted coat"
"Is someone keeping track of all of these? Perhaps this is another list that should be posted on a webpage :-)"
Ask and ye shall receive!
"I found the most interesting thing in a dogs coat today. I have found everything from twigs and leaves to burrs and chewing gum but this was a first for me. I found a human hair roller in the dogs hair. I was bathing this slightly matted scottie today and found what i thought was a mess of burrs. So I worked at getting the burrs out and low and behold out pops this roller. I finished with the bath, put the dog in a dryer and took the "burr" up to the front to show my coworkers as I was trying to keep a straight face to show them this "disgusting thing" I found in this dogs coat... hehe I thought they were going to wet their pants.. we decided that I needed to write something cute in the
groomer's notes on his report card. I wrote " We sure enjoyed Olie's immitation of a poodle !!!" The owner thought it was funny and said we made her day.
P.S. I didn't know people still wore those velcro type curlers anymore... not
to mention dogs... hehe what have some of you found?
Dianna"
Ohhh, didn't the floodgates open at that! I was very very surprised at some of the responses. I'm going to post all the ones that I can find here.
"You name it, IT'S In THERE! LOL I have found barbed wire, fishing hooks and sinkers, crayons, tons of candy, safety pins (that were definitely NOT safe!) once a needle & thread, sponges woven into matts. Can't think of anything else right now, but I think anything you can imagine that is small enough to get in a dog's coat, I have seen in it!"
"some of the stranges things that I have found are. fishhooks, barbed wire, a book of matches, suckers-you know the big $1.00 ones-, tar, grease oil, pop can- it was chewed up and in a collies coat-, and a baby's spoon. I never get shocked anymore, but when the vets pulled a pair of scissors out of a dogs coat- he was brought in cause every time he sat down he yelped. that got me."
"lets see a collar that had been forgotton and was buried in the coat...and this one just lately....the rolled top of a condom....around the front foot"
"We had a cocker come in a couple of weeks ago, with about 4 curlers stuck in her hair under her body and between her legs. I called the owner and asked her if she was missing some curlers. We had a good laugh about that one. She did say she wondered why the dog was not walking as fast as she normaly does"
"I found 2 fishing hooks in a matted Shihtzu...luckily in the mats and not in the dog."
"Saddest Thing was a long forgotten choke chain collar embedded in a Collie's neck, it was almost an inch deep in some places. We shaved with a #40 blade around the neck to the collar, cut the collar into, pulled it out, cleaned the wound and sent dog to the Vet. Except for a permanent scar, it made a full recovery."
"I once stripped a chow that was so dirty and heavily matted it actually had a dandelion - taken root, growing and healthy right in the coat. Talk about a hardy little sucker - no wonder you can't kill them. Dandelions, roaches and fleas will one day rule the earth....."
"Some of the things I've found in dogs coats are...bubble gum, scotch tape, three flea collars on one dog, a rubber band around an ear, a human Red Toenail clipped, a dead roach. Yuch!"
"I found a piece of window screening, about a 3x4 piece, embedded in the shaved pelt on a toy poodle! Thankfully, the little guy is now on a 6-week schedule."
"The strangest thing I've found was a Barbie Doll Shoe matted into the hair."
"I have found pieces of barbed wire matted up in coats before...also found a little plastic lid..like what might have come off a can of pringles or something.....that was weird."
"I once found a screen piece, round that smelled vaguely of marijuana in a lhasa's coat.
That gave me a new perspective of the owners!"
"HAHA! I used to groom a Sheltie in PA that reeked of Patchouli when he came in, then when you wet him... OMG You could have gotten high from the pot smell! LOL He was a VERY calm Sheltie!"
"I have found old stiches.....and heard of a dog nasty matted in really bad shape..went to one vet for treatment and it had a small area shaved on its leg and a cath put in place for IV treatment and meds... it was sent home under the instructions to return to the vet for recheck and cath removal and later...grooming....they never went back.....week or so later, they take the dog to be boarded at a different vet....this vet...is unaware of any of the prior goings on...the dog lays in the kennel and chews on the cath that is STILL in the leg....it nearly bled out, it had chewed off the end of the cath, not pulling it completely out.....it was very nearly dead when the kennel folks
found it .....blood pooled everywhere....YUCK I guess these would be termed as Vet hoppers...they just go from one vet to another.....and never disclose any full history on the animal in question.... I cant even imagine how horrible that must have been...UGH Some people!"
"OMG I could write a book........
coat hanger
screen wire
barbed wire
every known seed/burr on the planet
several different types of collars ,some grown into the skin
GI Joe men
every kind of tape on the planet..(my favorite: the type left on by vets who tape legs after heartworm checks and the dog comes in months later)
every kind of bug on the planet including maggotts
tar
tree sap
and everything stuck to it
melted crayon
pieces of plastic food bowls
tin foil
cellophane
but the very best..personal experience was a white standard in full show coat that my father out out to pp and she decided to go to the barn..and soaked in the green alge in the creek behind the barn..and was green for weeks after....."
"One of my worst "finds" was a multi-barbed fishhook. Oh, I forgot the Black Widow spider! The cutest was a Lhasa that came in with about eight velcro hair curlers wrapped up in his fur. It wasn't so cute trying to pry them out, however."
"Hmm lemme think~
Cheese doodle
Fish hook
Rubber band (not in topknot)
rocks (marble size)
Very large poky thistle flower
6 inch long rose bush twig, with thorns
peach pit
Carmel toffee
M&M
Duct Tape
Chunk of metal pipe 2" long
3" Screw
part of a head gasket from a car
gum
necklace chain"
"I wasn't going to reply to this but... here goes an OES with a Kabob skewer
attatched to his leg. and a big ol hairy WhatEver with a condom buried in its
matted coat"
"Is someone keeping track of all of these? Perhaps this is another list that should be posted on a webpage :-)"
Ask and ye shall receive!
Sunday, May 16, 2004
Interesting Website Posted on the Groomer's List
Daddy Ray's
Blade Care FAQ
Clipper Care FAQ
Shears FAQ
I'd love to see comments on these. Don't want to take stuff as 'Gospel' unless it's been vetted by Those Who Know.
I have a pair of Millers Forge shears that are just wonderful, and also 2 pairs of brand-new DublDucks that are too hard to open and close. Should I send the DublDucks out to be adjusted, before I actually have to use them?
Blade Care FAQ
Clipper Care FAQ
Shears FAQ
I'd love to see comments on these. Don't want to take stuff as 'Gospel' unless it's been vetted by Those Who Know.
I have a pair of Millers Forge shears that are just wonderful, and also 2 pairs of brand-new DublDucks that are too hard to open and close. Should I send the DublDucks out to be adjusted, before I actually have to use them?
Dancing In The Streets and Feasting Upon Sloths!
Fabulous news! My blog hosting site, Blogger, has updated the system so now folks can COMMENT on what I've written! And they can comment on each other's comments! And there can then be rebuttal commentation! This is excellent! YAY!!!!!
Saturday, May 15, 2004
Ewwwwww.... TICKS!
Today was indeed Cocker Day. We had 3 cockers, 2 Shih Tzus, and one Pekingese. The Peke was quite interesting... LOTS of hair on that critter, And Valerie gave me the pregame peptalk as I was putting this one into the tub... don't pull on the ears, and be VERY careful cleaning around the eyes, as they can ... get this ... POP OUT OF THE SOCKETS. Is this gross, or what? So I bathed carefully, and had to get some guidance when it was time to do around the eyes. Her eyes were quite tearstained, and I wanted to make sure I got them clean enough for Valerie but not worrying about dangling eyeballs. *shudder*
And then there was "Jasper Peabody" or "JP" the Cocker. His owner brought him in, saying that the poor dog gets groomed twice a year, like he deserves the Good Pet Owner Of The Year award or something. Wiseass Trainee smarts off to the owner, "Whether he needs it or not, huh?" (That was my only mistake today, aside from having to re-vacuum the floor for hair fluffs.) JP is so incredibly filthy and matted that Valerie has me clip him down before I even put him in the tub. He will take approximately 700 years to dry, if we bathe him with all the matting. So I attack him with my clippers and #7F blade. The dog is just SO dirty. I clip away at him, and clog one set of blades, and switch to my backup set. And then it happens. I've started on the second side of him, and I run over a tick. Ewwww! blood all in my clippers! I've got no fingernails, so I can't pull out the remains of the nasty bloodsucker. Valerie pulls the tick out, and as I continue clipping, I count ticks. A member of the Groom TNT mailing list said she charges a $1 per tick fee for removing them, and gives it to the person who actually does the de-ticking. Nice incentive! ANYHOW, this poor Cocker is just crawling with them. Between the clipping and the baths (no, that was NOT a typo!) and the finishing, we probably pulled 20 ticks off of this dog. Valerie just charges the dimwit owner $5 for de-ticking, though, and also tells him (doesn't ASK, TELLS) that she is going to put FrontLine on the dog. The guy says, "Well, he's not an inside dog" like that makes it OK for him to be in such deplorable condition. JP is a very good boy, especially considering that he has hardly ever been groomed, and that each time he IS groomed, it's probably an ordeal for him.
Even though JP is very well-behaved, I don't trust him. I told Valerie that I'm like an old-fashioned Southern racist: I just don't trust Cockers! They are such sweet, sweet puppies... then they grow up, get fat, and start snapping!
After I've got JP mostly shaved, I put him in the tub and began washing his face and ears. (As Valerie said, when a dog only gets a bath once or twice a year, better make it a good one!) I make a note to wash his ears with Dawn dishwashing soap TWICE. Earlier, I'd had a Cocker whose ears didn't get clean enough with one washing, so I'm going to make damsure that doesn't happen again. I don't count it as a mistake, though, because I didn't know that the Dawn sometimes doesn't get through all the Cocker Scrunge in one go. By the time I've washed his face and ears the first time, the tub has collected some water. So I put in some citrus shampoo, and begin the wash.
Before I'd got a decent start on him, the water was just runny mud, practically. Dirty, dirty dog! Completely not his fault, though; his owner just doesn't deserve to have a dog at all. I wash him as best I can, then drain the tub, clean the fur out of the recirc system, clean the tub, and start all over again. Even more ticks show up as I'm washing him! He's such a good boy, though, and stands patiently for the scrubbing I give him. Even after clipping and TWO baths, when Valerie gets him out of the drying cage, he STILL stinks. Valerie calls it PermaStink. *grin*
I've learned a bit more about blade maintenance today. Valerie disassembled two of her blades and replaced worn out parts on them. Ummm, what else did I learn today?
I learned that I have had a sitting-on-my-ass job for waaay too long. My feet HURT!
I learned that Pekes and Pugs both have eyes that can literally pop out of their sockets.
I learned that Cockers have really greasy ears and the ones that don't get groomed much need two washes with Dawn in their ears.
I learned not to drive QUITE so fast, even when I really, really want to get home. *rueful grin*
AND I learned that Valerie doesn't have a lot of patience for men who think that they're being charmingly flirtatious. :-)
That's it for now, y'all!
And then there was "Jasper Peabody" or "JP" the Cocker. His owner brought him in, saying that the poor dog gets groomed twice a year, like he deserves the Good Pet Owner Of The Year award or something. Wiseass Trainee smarts off to the owner, "Whether he needs it or not, huh?" (That was my only mistake today, aside from having to re-vacuum the floor for hair fluffs.) JP is so incredibly filthy and matted that Valerie has me clip him down before I even put him in the tub. He will take approximately 700 years to dry, if we bathe him with all the matting. So I attack him with my clippers and #7F blade. The dog is just SO dirty. I clip away at him, and clog one set of blades, and switch to my backup set. And then it happens. I've started on the second side of him, and I run over a tick. Ewwww! blood all in my clippers! I've got no fingernails, so I can't pull out the remains of the nasty bloodsucker. Valerie pulls the tick out, and as I continue clipping, I count ticks. A member of the Groom TNT mailing list said she charges a $1 per tick fee for removing them, and gives it to the person who actually does the de-ticking. Nice incentive! ANYHOW, this poor Cocker is just crawling with them. Between the clipping and the baths (no, that was NOT a typo!) and the finishing, we probably pulled 20 ticks off of this dog. Valerie just charges the dimwit owner $5 for de-ticking, though, and also tells him (doesn't ASK, TELLS) that she is going to put FrontLine on the dog. The guy says, "Well, he's not an inside dog" like that makes it OK for him to be in such deplorable condition. JP is a very good boy, especially considering that he has hardly ever been groomed, and that each time he IS groomed, it's probably an ordeal for him.
Even though JP is very well-behaved, I don't trust him. I told Valerie that I'm like an old-fashioned Southern racist: I just don't trust Cockers! They are such sweet, sweet puppies... then they grow up, get fat, and start snapping!
After I've got JP mostly shaved, I put him in the tub and began washing his face and ears. (As Valerie said, when a dog only gets a bath once or twice a year, better make it a good one!) I make a note to wash his ears with Dawn dishwashing soap TWICE. Earlier, I'd had a Cocker whose ears didn't get clean enough with one washing, so I'm going to make damsure that doesn't happen again. I don't count it as a mistake, though, because I didn't know that the Dawn sometimes doesn't get through all the Cocker Scrunge in one go. By the time I've washed his face and ears the first time, the tub has collected some water. So I put in some citrus shampoo, and begin the wash.
Before I'd got a decent start on him, the water was just runny mud, practically. Dirty, dirty dog! Completely not his fault, though; his owner just doesn't deserve to have a dog at all. I wash him as best I can, then drain the tub, clean the fur out of the recirc system, clean the tub, and start all over again. Even more ticks show up as I'm washing him! He's such a good boy, though, and stands patiently for the scrubbing I give him. Even after clipping and TWO baths, when Valerie gets him out of the drying cage, he STILL stinks. Valerie calls it PermaStink. *grin*
I've learned a bit more about blade maintenance today. Valerie disassembled two of her blades and replaced worn out parts on them. Ummm, what else did I learn today?
I learned that I have had a sitting-on-my-ass job for waaay too long. My feet HURT!
I learned that Pekes and Pugs both have eyes that can literally pop out of their sockets.
I learned that Cockers have really greasy ears and the ones that don't get groomed much need two washes with Dawn in their ears.
I learned not to drive QUITE so fast, even when I really, really want to get home. *rueful grin*
AND I learned that Valerie doesn't have a lot of patience for men who think that they're being charmingly flirtatious. :-)
That's it for now, y'all!
Friday, May 14, 2004
New Mistakes, Just Like I Thought!!
Today, we had 2 poodles, a Mini and a Toy; a Mini Schnauzer; a Shih Tzu; and a Newfoundland! The Newfie was incredible... I thought that my Old English from LAST weekend was a handful of dog! Sydney is a very sweet old girl, who is actually grey rather than solid black. I thought she was sun-faded at first glance, but Valerie assures me that she really is supposed to be that color! Sydney surprised both Valerie and me by jumping into the bathtub from the hydraulic table. Apparently, Sydney puts up a pretty spectacular fight when her human dad is there to 'help' load her into the tub. Either she's putting a show on for him, or she's realized that the tub is inevitable and she may as well save herself the effort of battle. Did hair come off of this dog? The entire bath enclosure was covered with a fine coat of Sydney when we were through using the high-velocity dryer on her after her bath. When I rinsed it off the walls and picked it out of the drain, there was about a softball-sized lump of Newfie hair in the catchbowl. We then put her into a crate to dry further. Newfies have most of their coat on the chest and neck and butt, so Idiot Trainee conditioned the hell out of those areas... but didn't rinse well enough. That was mistake #1! Fur that has had conditioner left in it never seems to dry, and it's hard to get a comb through, too. After Sydney dried in the crate for a couple of hours, Valerie took her out and put the HV dryer on her again. Holy SHIT!! There was so much hair getting blown out of that dog, it looked like the shop had never EVER been swept! We could easily have knit a Shih Tzu out of all the hair that came out of Syd's coat - BEFORE the cutting began!
Mistake #2 was letting a male dog run out of his crate to greet Mommy when she came to pick him up. While she was settling the bill, he proceeded to pee on one of the pillars... and I compounded Mistake #2 with Mistake #3: correcting him with his Mommy there. Best practice is to take the small dogs out of the crate and hold them until Mommy is ready to take them. That way, Snookums isn't tempted to mark his territory, and Idiot Trainee isn't tempted to holler at him!
I actually trimmed a dog today!!! YES! Idiot Trainee put clippers to dogflesh and shaved down her first dog. I earned a "Not too bad" from Valerie on the back and sides. But it took me the better part of an hour (more, maybe?) to do that! And I was hopelessly at sea with the rest of poor Twinkle Toes. Valerie was doing a schnauzer while I was trimming down my first victim. She did the ENTIRE dog, then had to come rescue me with the bendy parts of my Shih Tzu!! Valerie makes it look EASY - like those little gymnastics girls at the Olympics. What I need is a dog who is a perfect cube. No curves; straight lines only. I do very well with straight lines! I kept a tiny bit of hair from Twinkle Toes, and marked it with his name and the date.
Today I used the Andis clippers Kim sent me from Canada. I learned about clipper blade maintenance, and gave all of my brand-new blades a wash in cleaner/disinfectant/oil solution. Valerie gave the Millers Forge shears Kim also sent a Thumbs Up, and said I got a hell of a deal on the clippers and shears. Thanks, Kim!! I've got a set of Laube clippers on order, too. And with as slow as I am, I'll need them! Those blades get HOT. Especially when they're on for a solid hour. heh
I also broke in my Matt King today, on poor Sydney. There was an incredible amount of hair everywhere from that dog!! But she was such a sweetheart, even though she squirmed and danced on the table. Valerie gave her an intermission, did the 2 poodles, and then finished Sydney.
Holding a dog is very important, as I learned while watching Valerie trim the eyebrows of a Mini Schnauzer. There are 'handles' all over a dog: chin handles (AKA 'beard'), jaw handle, elbow handles, knee handles. All should be used when necessary to keep control of the dog and prevent unfortunate situations such as what happened with the Schnauzer. She was trimming his eye area with clippers, and he jerked his head around. His beard got a nice little chunk taken out of it, and was Valerie pissed! She says it'll take at least 8 months for that hair to grow back in.
Oodles of Poodles!
I learned about Poodle Feet today, too. AND Poodle topknots! The first male poodle was a complete shit - he about turned himself inside out trying to bite Valerie while she was trimming him. So he did NOT get Poodle Feet. But the other male that came in with him, the Mini, was much better on the table, and I did get to see Poodle Feet in action. What this involves is trimming very close between the pads, and also between the toes, up to the ankle. Especially on a small dog, this is very delicate work, as it's easy to nip the skin between the toes.
The topknot is not, as I had thought, a rubberbanded PAF on top of the dog's head. It is the entire top of the head, and the way it's trimmed to the proper proportion. Valerie showed her method of making sure that the topknot is proportional to the dog. It involves treating the long hair on top of the head as if it had four sides: front, back, and each side. Comb the hair all the way to the front, and then cut it off at the stop. Comb it all the way back, and cut at the occiput. Comb to one side, and cut at the top of the ear, and repeat with the other side. Then scissor it nice and rounded.
WARNING! Whenever you're using scissors around ears, be careful always to know where the earflap begins! Valerie is adept at holding the ear with one hand and zipping around the edges with the scissors, giving it a neat and tidy appearance. But always know where the ear begins!
The little Toy Poodle had absolutely the worst teeth I have ever seen on a dog. It was no wonder, really, that he was such a shit. His whole mouth probably hurt. He was drooly and his breath was incredibly fetid. I'm sure he eats only canned dog food, poor thing. We were talking about his pissy attitude, and I remarked that if he HAD bitten Valerie, his teeth probably would have stayed in her arm when he pulled his head back. Then Valerie grossed us both out by commenting on the infection she'd get from that dog's mouth if he bit!
Today was very full of learning moments. I just wonder what mistakes Idiot Trainee will come up with for tomorrow! Tomorrow is looking to be Cocker Day.
Note to you dog owners out there... if you take your dog to be groomed, do NOT show up early to pick your Poopsie up! It just makes him dance around because he's excited to see you, and it takes longer to get him finished. Then, if you go away again, he howls because he thinks you've forgotten him or something! Trust that your groomer knows when he's going to be ready, and don't show up 15 minutes early! It just puts the groomer behind on your dog, and the rest of her day, too, if she's scheduled tightly.
ALL of our customers were early today, and ALL of the male dogs were intact. I saw more balls today than in both of the previous grooming weekends combined. I suppose there could be a 'ball handle' too... but then again, maybe not.
Best News So Far:
I don't itch any more tonight than I did this morning! I'm still a little itchy from last weekend's silk extravaganza, but am not showing any ill-effects from the products we used today. I'm being careful in the hotel too, though. I brought my own shampoo and soap, and am wearing slippers in case the carpet-cleaning chemicals made my feet itch.
Mistake #2 was letting a male dog run out of his crate to greet Mommy when she came to pick him up. While she was settling the bill, he proceeded to pee on one of the pillars... and I compounded Mistake #2 with Mistake #3: correcting him with his Mommy there. Best practice is to take the small dogs out of the crate and hold them until Mommy is ready to take them. That way, Snookums isn't tempted to mark his territory, and Idiot Trainee isn't tempted to holler at him!
I actually trimmed a dog today!!! YES! Idiot Trainee put clippers to dogflesh and shaved down her first dog. I earned a "Not too bad" from Valerie on the back and sides. But it took me the better part of an hour (more, maybe?) to do that! And I was hopelessly at sea with the rest of poor Twinkle Toes. Valerie was doing a schnauzer while I was trimming down my first victim. She did the ENTIRE dog, then had to come rescue me with the bendy parts of my Shih Tzu!! Valerie makes it look EASY - like those little gymnastics girls at the Olympics. What I need is a dog who is a perfect cube. No curves; straight lines only. I do very well with straight lines! I kept a tiny bit of hair from Twinkle Toes, and marked it with his name and the date.
Today I used the Andis clippers Kim sent me from Canada. I learned about clipper blade maintenance, and gave all of my brand-new blades a wash in cleaner/disinfectant/oil solution. Valerie gave the Millers Forge shears Kim also sent a Thumbs Up, and said I got a hell of a deal on the clippers and shears. Thanks, Kim!! I've got a set of Laube clippers on order, too. And with as slow as I am, I'll need them! Those blades get HOT. Especially when they're on for a solid hour. heh
I also broke in my Matt King today, on poor Sydney. There was an incredible amount of hair everywhere from that dog!! But she was such a sweetheart, even though she squirmed and danced on the table. Valerie gave her an intermission, did the 2 poodles, and then finished Sydney.
Holding a dog is very important, as I learned while watching Valerie trim the eyebrows of a Mini Schnauzer. There are 'handles' all over a dog: chin handles (AKA 'beard'), jaw handle, elbow handles, knee handles. All should be used when necessary to keep control of the dog and prevent unfortunate situations such as what happened with the Schnauzer. She was trimming his eye area with clippers, and he jerked his head around. His beard got a nice little chunk taken out of it, and was Valerie pissed! She says it'll take at least 8 months for that hair to grow back in.
Oodles of Poodles!
I learned about Poodle Feet today, too. AND Poodle topknots! The first male poodle was a complete shit - he about turned himself inside out trying to bite Valerie while she was trimming him. So he did NOT get Poodle Feet. But the other male that came in with him, the Mini, was much better on the table, and I did get to see Poodle Feet in action. What this involves is trimming very close between the pads, and also between the toes, up to the ankle. Especially on a small dog, this is very delicate work, as it's easy to nip the skin between the toes.
The topknot is not, as I had thought, a rubberbanded PAF on top of the dog's head. It is the entire top of the head, and the way it's trimmed to the proper proportion. Valerie showed her method of making sure that the topknot is proportional to the dog. It involves treating the long hair on top of the head as if it had four sides: front, back, and each side. Comb the hair all the way to the front, and then cut it off at the stop. Comb it all the way back, and cut at the occiput. Comb to one side, and cut at the top of the ear, and repeat with the other side. Then scissor it nice and rounded.
WARNING! Whenever you're using scissors around ears, be careful always to know where the earflap begins! Valerie is adept at holding the ear with one hand and zipping around the edges with the scissors, giving it a neat and tidy appearance. But always know where the ear begins!
The little Toy Poodle had absolutely the worst teeth I have ever seen on a dog. It was no wonder, really, that he was such a shit. His whole mouth probably hurt. He was drooly and his breath was incredibly fetid. I'm sure he eats only canned dog food, poor thing. We were talking about his pissy attitude, and I remarked that if he HAD bitten Valerie, his teeth probably would have stayed in her arm when he pulled his head back. Then Valerie grossed us both out by commenting on the infection she'd get from that dog's mouth if he bit!
Today was very full of learning moments. I just wonder what mistakes Idiot Trainee will come up with for tomorrow! Tomorrow is looking to be Cocker Day.
Note to you dog owners out there... if you take your dog to be groomed, do NOT show up early to pick your Poopsie up! It just makes him dance around because he's excited to see you, and it takes longer to get him finished. Then, if you go away again, he howls because he thinks you've forgotten him or something! Trust that your groomer knows when he's going to be ready, and don't show up 15 minutes early! It just puts the groomer behind on your dog, and the rest of her day, too, if she's scheduled tightly.
ALL of our customers were early today, and ALL of the male dogs were intact. I saw more balls today than in both of the previous grooming weekends combined. I suppose there could be a 'ball handle' too... but then again, maybe not.
Best News So Far:
I don't itch any more tonight than I did this morning! I'm still a little itchy from last weekend's silk extravaganza, but am not showing any ill-effects from the products we used today. I'm being careful in the hotel too, though. I brought my own shampoo and soap, and am wearing slippers in case the carpet-cleaning chemicals made my feet itch.
Thursday, May 13, 2004
Weekend Coming! and Lots O' Links
Tomorrow morning I hit the road for Valerie's again! Last weekend, I made a couple of mistakes on dogs, and my goal is to avoid repeating them! Shouldn't prove to be too much of a problem. I generally don't repeat my mistakes once they've been pointed out to me - I like to break new ground and make entirely NEW mistakes instead!
I've got everything on my supply list ordered or in-hand now, I'm pleased to report. Only things that haven't arrived are the books, and a #10 clipper blade I've just ordered. My friend Kim sent me some Andis clippers, a nice pair of shears, and some straight hemostats. And I ordered from an eBay seller the clipper blades, more shears, comb, etc. So I'm doing well on that score.
I've booked my hotel for the next 2 weekends, and that's a good thing, too.
My feet and hands still itch a bit, which is NOT so good, but Valerie and I are going to do a few patch tests to see what I am - and am not - sensitive to.
I've gotten some homework from Valerie, and am posting the links here so anyone else can look if the urge strikes:
Pet Shampoo Myths
Scissoring Technique
Choosing Shears
Caring For Shears
Dematting
Other links:
Excellent prices on clipper blades
Groomers Network
Animal Humor
Groom Tools N Tips mailing list info
I've got everything on my supply list ordered or in-hand now, I'm pleased to report. Only things that haven't arrived are the books, and a #10 clipper blade I've just ordered. My friend Kim sent me some Andis clippers, a nice pair of shears, and some straight hemostats. And I ordered from an eBay seller the clipper blades, more shears, comb, etc. So I'm doing well on that score.
I've booked my hotel for the next 2 weekends, and that's a good thing, too.
My feet and hands still itch a bit, which is NOT so good, but Valerie and I are going to do a few patch tests to see what I am - and am not - sensitive to.
I've gotten some homework from Valerie, and am posting the links here so anyone else can look if the urge strikes:
Pet Shampoo Myths
Scissoring Technique
Choosing Shears
Caring For Shears
Dematting
Other links:
Excellent prices on clipper blades
Groomers Network
Animal Humor
Groom Tools N Tips mailing list info
Monday, May 10, 2004
Allergy update
Well, I'm still itching to pieces. My hands and feet are the worst, and my feet didn't even get wet with the silk-infested water. It's a bit troubling, especially when taken into account along with the light asthma and slightly swollen throat I had on Friday night. My friend Brian suggested that I talk to my doctor about getting a prescription for Epi-Pen, in case my reactions worsen as time goes on. It's worth considering, especially since there are no content-labeling requirements for grooming products. For now, Benadryl is helping quite a bit, though it makes day-to-day functioning a bit difficult. If I take one Benadryl, the itching abates but doesn't disappear, and I'm a little zoney. If I take two Benadryl, the itching disappears, and I *just* have time to appreciate that fact before I'm off to dreamland.
Sunday, May 09, 2004
Survived my first weekend...
... but it's mostly a blur! Valerie and I did 7 dogs and a cat on Friday, and 5 dogs on Saturday. Here are some random ramblings:
* I dodged my first bite! A black Standard Poodle named Angie took a halfhearted snap at me while I was washing her feet. I was keeping an eye out for her, though, so she didn't connect. She is a new dog owned by Valerie's best customers. They've got a lot of dogs, and Valerie expects that Angie will blossom under their care, and become as laid-back as Moxie, the Old English Sheepdog who also came in this weekend.
* Bathing Moxie was a blast. He's a complete goof, and soaked me thoroughly! Unfortunately, I hadn't checked the ingredients on the conditioner I used on him, and it turned out to have silk protein in it. I'm allergic to silk, and spent the rest of the weekend (and beyond, I'm afraid!) itching to pieces. It was so bad that it woke me up at 1:30am on Saturday morning, and I left my motel room to hunt down some Benadryl. I couldn't find a grocery store, so went to a BP that was open, and forked over SEVEN dollars for a box of Benadryl.
* Valerie and I are going to keep an eye out for products that she likes but do not contain silk. This is going to be more difficult than it sounds, because there are no labeling requirements for animal grooming products. You know the helpful ingredient list that you can find on every bottle of shampoo, bar of soap, or any other cosmetic you can think of for use on humans? It's not required for products used on animals. I mean, DUHHH? Who's using these products? HUMANS, dimwits! The animals don't bathe themselves, you know. Valerie says that she hopes the groomers rise up as an industry and demand labeling requirements.
* There's a puppy-mill in the area, and lots of Valerie's clients have 'purebred' dogs that come from this mill. This weekend, we saw an American Eskimo who has the build of a Corgi. Very weird. There were also a couple of Bichons Frisees with bowed front legs (called 'fiddle-front', as I learned), one of which also had terrible knees on the back. We also saw a very sweet Miniature Schnauzer probably from the same mill. She's about 2/3 the size of any other Mini Schnauzer I've ever seen, and has the thin, weak coat of a dog with hereditary Addison's or Cushing's, Valerie says. It's a shame, because Mini Schnauzers can easily live to 15+, but this dog isn't going to have nearly that long a life. Puppy Mills SUCK!
* I'm going to try to remember to bring my little refrigerator to the shop next weekend. We need one!
* All the expensive de-shedding tools in the world can't beat a $1 pumice shedding stone Valerie used on a Chihuahua mix we saw. Amazing results! Piles of hair came off this dog. It was so impressive, I took a couple pics of Valerie, the dog, and the hair.
* I finally got a gander at Valerie's copy of Notes From the Grooming Table! Amazing information, and fabulous illustrations. I can't WAIT until my copy arrives!
That's all I can remember for now. More later!
* I dodged my first bite! A black Standard Poodle named Angie took a halfhearted snap at me while I was washing her feet. I was keeping an eye out for her, though, so she didn't connect. She is a new dog owned by Valerie's best customers. They've got a lot of dogs, and Valerie expects that Angie will blossom under their care, and become as laid-back as Moxie, the Old English Sheepdog who also came in this weekend.
* Bathing Moxie was a blast. He's a complete goof, and soaked me thoroughly! Unfortunately, I hadn't checked the ingredients on the conditioner I used on him, and it turned out to have silk protein in it. I'm allergic to silk, and spent the rest of the weekend (and beyond, I'm afraid!) itching to pieces. It was so bad that it woke me up at 1:30am on Saturday morning, and I left my motel room to hunt down some Benadryl. I couldn't find a grocery store, so went to a BP that was open, and forked over SEVEN dollars for a box of Benadryl.
* Valerie and I are going to keep an eye out for products that she likes but do not contain silk. This is going to be more difficult than it sounds, because there are no labeling requirements for animal grooming products. You know the helpful ingredient list that you can find on every bottle of shampoo, bar of soap, or any other cosmetic you can think of for use on humans? It's not required for products used on animals. I mean, DUHHH? Who's using these products? HUMANS, dimwits! The animals don't bathe themselves, you know. Valerie says that she hopes the groomers rise up as an industry and demand labeling requirements.
* There's a puppy-mill in the area, and lots of Valerie's clients have 'purebred' dogs that come from this mill. This weekend, we saw an American Eskimo who has the build of a Corgi. Very weird. There were also a couple of Bichons Frisees with bowed front legs (called 'fiddle-front', as I learned), one of which also had terrible knees on the back. We also saw a very sweet Miniature Schnauzer probably from the same mill. She's about 2/3 the size of any other Mini Schnauzer I've ever seen, and has the thin, weak coat of a dog with hereditary Addison's or Cushing's, Valerie says. It's a shame, because Mini Schnauzers can easily live to 15+, but this dog isn't going to have nearly that long a life. Puppy Mills SUCK!
* I'm going to try to remember to bring my little refrigerator to the shop next weekend. We need one!
* All the expensive de-shedding tools in the world can't beat a $1 pumice shedding stone Valerie used on a Chihuahua mix we saw. Amazing results! Piles of hair came off this dog. It was so impressive, I took a couple pics of Valerie, the dog, and the hair.
* I finally got a gander at Valerie's copy of Notes From the Grooming Table! Amazing information, and fabulous illustrations. I can't WAIT until my copy arrives!
That's all I can remember for now. More later!
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Friday's Coming!
Well, I've got everything arranged for my first official training trip to WV. I've got the room booked at the Teays Valley Days Inn, joined AAA (cause I'm going to be doing some serious driving, AND it gets me a discount on the motel room), arranged petsitting, and the whole 9 yards. Here's the breakdown:
I need to be at Valerie's at 9am on Friday morning, which entails leaving my house in Columbus at the hideous hour of 5:30am. I'll potty and feed my dogs right before I leave, then Jan's going to come and feed them again around 4pm. Jim is going to come over in the wee-small hours of Saturday morning, after he gets off the late-night shift at work. He'll let the girls out, and then potty and feed them before he leaves Saturday morning. I'm so lucky to have a boyfriend willing to help me out like this! I should be home by about 7pm on Saturdays, and the girls will have their mom back.
I hope everything goes as smoothly as I've written here... but if not, any kinks can always be worked out in time for next Friday's trip.
Now, I'm trying to line up some shopping support to find a cheap laptop for my roadtrips. I'm going to be on my own in the sprawling metropolis of Hurricane, WV from about 5pm Friday until I have to be back at Valerie's at 9am Saturday morning. I want a laptop so I can at least blog and IM while I'm twiddling my thumbs! It'll keep me off the streets, anyway. It'll also be worth my while to see if there's a shooting range close to my hotel. That's a fun way to spend a few hours - making some noise, then cleaning the guns.
There's not a whole lot to report except for this planning that I've been doing, and that my order from King's Wholesale should be arriving tomorrow. I'll post more then, as I experience the Joy of Stuff.
I need to be at Valerie's at 9am on Friday morning, which entails leaving my house in Columbus at the hideous hour of 5:30am. I'll potty and feed my dogs right before I leave, then Jan's going to come and feed them again around 4pm. Jim is going to come over in the wee-small hours of Saturday morning, after he gets off the late-night shift at work. He'll let the girls out, and then potty and feed them before he leaves Saturday morning. I'm so lucky to have a boyfriend willing to help me out like this! I should be home by about 7pm on Saturdays, and the girls will have their mom back.
I hope everything goes as smoothly as I've written here... but if not, any kinks can always be worked out in time for next Friday's trip.
Now, I'm trying to line up some shopping support to find a cheap laptop for my roadtrips. I'm going to be on my own in the sprawling metropolis of Hurricane, WV from about 5pm Friday until I have to be back at Valerie's at 9am Saturday morning. I want a laptop so I can at least blog and IM while I'm twiddling my thumbs! It'll keep me off the streets, anyway. It'll also be worth my while to see if there's a shooting range close to my hotel. That's a fun way to spend a few hours - making some noise, then cleaning the guns.
There's not a whole lot to report except for this planning that I've been doing, and that my order from King's Wholesale should be arriving tomorrow. I'll post more then, as I experience the Joy of Stuff.
