Monday’s lineup was two brothers who I mix up every single time, plus one tiny girl with a whole lot of opinions. Three dogs, three pink happy hoodies, and fluff in every corner of the van. Here is how the day went.
Here is today’s pack:
Gil
Gil was the first fluffy guy of the day, and he is the chill one. Brown eyes, a tan creamy coat, and the kind of energy where he just lets me work.
Gil got the full spa menu: bath, nails, ears, teeth, blow dry, brush out, paw pads, inside the ears, eye corners, sanitary trim, and a 5/8 inch trim over the body with a flag tail to finish. He wore his pumpkin bandana like a pro.
Now, the confession. I mix Gil and his brother up constantly. I looked right at him and said out loud, “is this Gil or Google?” and then had to argue with myself about it. Gil, buddy, I am sorry. I am getting better at this.
Google is Gil’s brother, and he is the reason I get the two of them confused. Gil is tan and creamy; Google is the deeper, more chocolatey brown, with a tighter curl and a little blue in those eyes. That tighter curl also means he puffs up even more than his brother does after a blowout.
Google is also the grumbler, and honestly it is my favorite thing about him. He talks the whole way through his groom. Today’s complaint was my singing. I sang, he shot me a look, and I had to stop and ask him: you do not like my singing? You do not want me singing to you?
His side of the story, as best I can translate it: this lady sings at me, then she cuddles me, then she wants to bathe me and trim my nails. It is awful. Also, she gives me snacks. Fine. The snacks are the best part. He wore the apple bandana, and he was, as always, a very good grumbly boy.
Rosie
Rosie is the shorty of the group, and she is a very pretty girl. Bath, tub, cotton balls at the ready, and little bows in her ears before she headed home.
Rosie also keeps a small side hustle: barking at other dogs. She had a lot to say on that subject, and I had to remind her that we were going to be calm. Her mom had apparently already warned me about it.
Then came the great treat taste test. I offered Rosie a whole handful — a milk bone, a couple of other treats, a Greenie. She set every single one of them down and went straight for the chew her mom had brought along. Chicken flavor. Every time. Fair enough, Rosie. You know what you like.
Until next time, my furry friends! Thank you to all the wonderful pet parents who trust me with their best friends. I can’t wait to see who hops onto the grooming table next!
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.