About
My services stand out because I believe I was born with the gift of caring for animals. I've been working with animals and rescue dogs my whole life. I'm a Proud member of Northeast Boston Terrier Rescue and Boston Terrier Rescue of Eastern Tennessee.
I'm a widow but live with my rescue dogs:
My Pupper is an Australian Shepard/Schipperke and is 9 years old. I rescued him and his liter mates from a horders house on Long Island when he was 8 weeks old. The liter mates I placed, Pupper chose me. Their families keep in touch with me.
My Duke the Boston Terrier was purchased from a pet store by the owner. When he was 9 months old, he was growling at them and they couldn't handle him. I took him. He is now 12 and I got him in a good place.
My Baby Cakes is a 18 year old Boston Terrier. Owner surrender last year because she is in stage 4 kidney failure. We keep in touch.
My Taylor Swift is a 12 year old Boston Terrier. Owner surrender last year because owner's child needed a heart transplant. They couldn't care for Taylor anymore. All good, we keep in touch.
My Boston Terrier Chloe I just got 8 weeks ago. She's 9. My BFF in rescue Joy from PA died from heart failiure. My group had her transported to me and I drove 6 hours to pick her up. She will retire with me.
All of them are socialized and are the light of my life.
Not sure if that answers how my services stand out but I had no where else to share that info. My dogs are easy to groom. hehe
I enjoy grooming because I feel it's like an Artist painting a picture. It takes time and patience but I love it. Puppies need to be molded and that's not easy but so doable. Adult dogs need to know it's not a crisis, it's your going to be clean and pretty. I go slow, I take time to comfort them. I play jazz music and I only groom in the comfort of my home where both the dogs and I are calm. I work hard to build that relationship between me and them and I wouldn't have it any other way.
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Dee F.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I take my time with new customers. It's a bond that needs to be establsihed. After 40 years of grooming, I'm honest. The first thing we do is talk on that thing called a phone. I need to know everything about the dog and the background of their grooming experience since it needs to be a pleasant experience as best as possible. It's like any other training for our dogs... I've had them hand me their paw to be trimmed when they are trained correctly. I make it a fun thing to do.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
My dad and I are were self taught Groomers yet I'm certified in grooming, CPR and First Aid with Dogs since I ran a boarding/day care business in NY.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your services? If so, please share the details here.
Pricing for grooming is determined by the dog. I have reasonable rates and pride myself on teaching clients how to maintain their furry breeds if they want to keep their hair long.
Boarding is $40 for overnights and not breed specific as long as the dog is socialized with other dogs.
DayCare is $30 per day with 6 am early drop offs and by 6 pm pick ups.
How did you get started in this business?
I'm one of those who followed the footsteps of my dad. He was a Marine before I was born yet I learned growing up animals were his passion. He then worked for the ASPCA in NY when I was a youngster. He had hands of Gold grooming too and was self taught back in those days. I begged him to teach me to groom when I was too short to reach the grooming table. With a step stool to reach the table, he taught me. It was Artistry and I loved it. Years later when I was an adult and bought my own house, we built a grooming room in my basement. One relative, one neighbor, friend, whoever, we built an awesome business.
One day, a grooming client had a family emergency and had to go out of state and could not take her dog. Since she trusted me with grooming, she asked if I could take her dog for boarding 3 days. Of course I said Yes! The rest is history. I then incorporated boarding with all my grooming dogs when their families went on vacation.
Soon after, daycare boomed with friends and family. They would drop their dogs off at 6 am before work. Dogs would play, eat, socialize, have fun and then, at 5 pm, they would pick their dogs up to go home. Daycare was Awesome and so needed with working class people.
What types of customers have you worked with?
My customers have become my friends. We are family and I miss my NY clients. I used to cook for their dogs and make dog cookies. They would call me at the last minute and yell, can you take my dogs for boarding and grooming and of course I say yes. Those are NY people for you!
I now live on an acre of land in beautiful NC and have a fenced area of 200 feet. I'm enjoying my new clients and establishing that relationship again.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
My grooming Girl Chloe is one of my favorites. Her mom works and the teenage resident kids go to school. She gets dropped off at noon for grooming and doesn't get picked up until 6 p.m. I feed her dinner and she gets to spend the day with me and my dogs. She's family to us.
What advice would you give a customer looking to hire a pro in your area of expertise?
Tough question. My best advise to customers with long hair dogs like Poodles, Shih Tzu or Llahas is to learn to maintain them between grooming and I teach all my clients to use a comb. We don't comb our hair every 2 months so think how taxing that is for your dog to go to a groomer and be combed out after that time span.
To be honest, I own Boston Terriers who are flat coated. I don't have to maintain them because this dog groomer loves it that way.
It's what you can handle. I educate my clients yet I will do the work they can't if I have to.
What questions should customers think through before talking to pros about their needs?
I'm a Pro who really cares about the welfare of any dog whether a rescue or not. What can you handle with grooming and what do you expect from me is the question we need to discuss. If your too busy to take care of maintaining your dog or even giving it a bath, just be honest and let me know. I'll help you. Then, if you want to learn how to maintain your dog, I'll teach you. If you need help with diet, skin care, flea and tick problems, anything, I've researched it all and I'm good at what I do. Just ask me. I'm a smart New York Girl in a North Carolina World.