Three doodles, one address, one day. All three standard size. Bear, Hattie, and Tuck, back to back to back.
These three are on a very regular schedule, and it shows. Their coats come in in good shape because they are not the dogs who show up once a year having grown a whole new animal. There have been stretches where an extra appointment had to be squeezed in, or everyone got a little behind, and that is fine — that is what keeps a doodle from going over the edge.
Bear went first
Bear is the first dog of the day, and he is the reason the phrase “gratitude smile” is in my vocabulary. He gives you one of those wide-open toothy grins that looks alarming in a photograph and is, in person, the friendliest face in the van.
His appointment started with the small things before the water ever got turned on: the sanitary trim, the paw pads, the nails. Then his ears, which needed real attention. He grows hair around the inside of the ear opening, and that hair traps moisture, which is never good for a dog. So that gets trimmed back before he is anywhere near a tub.
Then the bath, and then the dry. He is a big curly coat, so the drying takes a while. He wore his happy hoodie for it like a champ and came out of it almost dry and ready for the table, where the rest of the work got done. Still grinning.
Hattie was second
Hattie arrived and immediately declined to do her uppies. The uppies were rejected. She then spent most of her appointment being what I can only describe as wiggly. Some days a dog is just not in the mood, and Tuesday was Hattie’s day to be stubborn about it.
That does not change the work. A wiggly dog just means you take it slower, find the angle she will tolerate, and keep the mood light while you get through it. You work with the dog in front of you instead of fighting her. Ears, ear cleaner, dental spray, cologne, all of it got done anyway.
She got her snack at the end, with strict instructions to eat it before she went inside, and then Hattie was all finished.
Honestly? Wiggly dog or not, she is a smart girl and she knows exactly what she is doing.
Tuck closed out the day
Tuck was the last one, and by the time he came in I was already feeling it. Three standard size doodles in one day is a real thing to do to yourself.
His curls are the tightest of the three. That is the first thing you notice on him, and they are genuinely pretty. He got up on the table and there was something sticky caught in his coat — tree sap, best I could tell — so that had to come out before anything else could happen. He was very patient about it. He is also, by the standards of this trio, a small guy, which is a nice way to end a day like that.
Nails, then the tub. He did not especially want to go. He went. Then he got washed up and finished, and that was the day.
And then there was no water
I ran out of water today. In a van, that is not a small problem — I have a water heater, a clean tank, and a dirty tank on board, and when the clean tank is empty there is no tap to turn to.
What saved the day was the schedule. The good thing is that I did not have other dogs scheduled with them, so nobody’s appointment got wrecked by it. That is on purpose. I build the day with room in it, and today is exactly why.
Three doodles. Bear, Hattie, and Tuck. I was dead by the end of it — D-E-D — but every one of them went home done. Thank you to all the wonderful pet parents who trust me with their best friends. I cannot wait to see who hops onto the grooming table next!
New to Vroom Grooms? Fill out the New Client Form to get started. I am booking new clients onto a waiting list right now, and I will reach out when a spot opens up. Already a current client? Text me at 419-315-4989 if you are not already booked out.
Catch the Action Live! Want to see these grooming transformations happen in real-time? Tune into the solo live stream over on Twitch at DogGroomerNicole. Whether we are tackling tricky coat conditions, working with different breeds and weight classes, or just enjoying some puppy cuddles, you can watch it all unfold straight from the van.
While you are watching from your laptop or desktop, please take a moment to click the link below the stream to learn more about Folds of Honor, a phenomenal charity we are incredibly proud to support.
See you all on the road!
About the Author
Nicole is the owner and certified groomer behind Vroom Grooms LLC, a mobile dog grooming service serving Northwest Ohio. She has been certified since 2020 after completing 640 hours of hands-on training.
This post was drafted with help from Nagini 🐍, her digital assistant, who keeps the blog running, handles the tech side of the website, and makes sure Nicole spends more time with dogs and less time wrestling with WordPress.