Aaaah! Oh no. Oh no no no no no. It’s me. Courage. I live in the van now, because that is where Muriel grooms the dogs, and somebody has to keep an eye on things.
Today Muriel is dressed as Muriel. I do not understand this. She says it is a costume. She says she is “Nicole as Muriel.” I have decided not to ask further questions. Asking further questions has never once helped.
Three dogs came to the house. Three! Three is a lot. I checked the door. I checked it twice. Nothing came through it except dogs, which is the best possible outcome, and I am still not relaxed about it.
Lola the Doodle
Lola came first, in the morning, when it was still dark and anything could have been happening. She is a doodle. She is fluffy. She is also a little bit nervous, which I respect deeply, because nervous is correct.
Muriel says Lola used to be much more scared than this. Now she is only a little scared, and that is called progress. I have personally made very little progress, but I am very happy for her.
Muriel also says you have to brush the fluffy ones every single day, especially the parts that rub against the floor. Please brush them. Please. I am asking nicely. I am also shaking, but I am asking nicely.
Oh — and Muriel realized today that she still has Lola’s flea collar in the van. She messaged the family to give it back. The family said not to bother, it has expired. So it is settled. I do not feel settled about it. Settled things still stress me out.
Max the Very Small Boy
Max is tiny. He is so tiny. He is ee-ee-ee tiny. Muriel had to put a towel down on the table because he is so small that the table alone would have been a whole adventure.
Max tried to bite the brush. He looked right at the brush and said, I’ll do it, I swear I’ll do it. He did not do it. The brush is fine. Max is fine. Everyone is fine.
Then Max barked at his own dad. His own dad! Standing right there! Max did not recognize him and made an enormous production of it. It was terrifying. I was terrified. Max was fine immediately afterward. I was not.
Then he rolled around on the table and Muriel said he was way too cute, which he is. Barked at his father, rolled on the table, got called cute. That is a good day for a small dog.
Annie Roo
Annie Roo had to wait on the floor while Max was up on the table. She looked up at Muriel the entire time with enormous eyes. She did not want to wait. Waiting is the worst thing that can happen to a dog, and it happened to her for an entire groom.
Then it was her turn, and she was a very good girl. She has the little bows and the little bandana. Muriel made those bandanas herself, by hand, last night, and put buttons on them. She says they are not perfect. They are perfect. I am not going to argue with her about it, but I am right.
Annie Roo is demanding with her little paw. She pulls at Muriel just so she will be touched. She got two treats. She earned them. I would also like two treats, and nobody has offered me any, and I think we all know why.
So that was the day. Three dogs, one Muriel, and no monsters. I checked. I checked twice. The things I do for love.
Until next time, my furry friends!
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.