Two dogs, one cat who was owed treats, and a groomer who left those treats at home.
We will get to the cat. The cat is both the villain and the victim of this story.
Addy: professional good girl
Addy is a black Labrador and one of the genuinely good ones. Short, dense, glossy coat. Big floppy ears. A face that says, “I have never done anything wrong in my life,” which is a lie she tells extremely well.
Here is a piece of coat science that explains a lot about your own house. A Labrador wears their coat in two layers: a short, dense topcoat that shrugs off water and dirt, and a soft undercoat underneath that insulates against both cold and heat. It is an excellent system. It is also exactly why Labs shed constantly rather than dramatically. There is no big seasonal coat blow — just a permanent, gentle dusting of fur over every surface you own, forever.
Which brings me to the thing people ask about every summer: no, shaving a Lab does not make them cooler. That coat is the cooling system. Taking it off removes their insulation and their sun protection and leaves them with none of the benefits. For double-coated dogs, the haircut is not the answer — brushing out the undercoat is.
Addy had a bit of a rough stretch recently. She ate something out in the yard that she absolutely should not have eaten, and it made her properly sick for a while. She is back to being a good girl now. If you have ever sat up all night with a dog who ate the wrong thing and felt personally betrayed by your own yard, you have my sympathies.
This is also exactly why “my dog is acting a little off” is not a detail I wave away. You know your dog’s normal better than I ever will. If something is different, say so, and we plan the day around it instead of pushing through.
Addy chose a bandana with apples on it. She sat beautifully for her photos, which is a genuine skill and one she takes seriously.
And yes — I forgot her nails. Completely forgot them. I remembered after she was already inside, grabbed my tools, and did them on the kitchen floor. She was extremely gracious about it. I was considerably less gracious to myself.
Addy also has a cat. I had planned to bribe the cat into being my friend with treats, and then left the treats at home. The cat has been promised double next time. The cat is keeping score.
Bear: an entire weather system in a small package
Bear is a Pomeranian. If you have never been close to one, understand that the Pomeranian’s entire plan is to be small enough to carry in one arm while producing enough hair for a much larger animal. Bear has a warm golden coat with darker sable shading around the face, tiny triangular ears mostly lost in the fluff.
Another piece of coat science, because Bear is the perfect example. A Pomeranian is a spitz breed, and that means a true double coat: a harsh, stand-off outer layer over a thick, cottony undercoat. That undercoat is what creates the puff. It is also what tangles, because the hair that sheds gets caught inside the coat instead of falling on your floor.
So brushing has to get down to the skin. Skimming the surface of the fluff feels productive and accomplishes almost nothing — you are brushing the part of the coat that was never going to mat in the first place. Get under it, a little at a time, and the coat stays healthy instead of packing into felt against the body.
And this is a coat you do not shave. The “summer cut” sounds kind and helpful and is neither. Shaving a Pomeranian can permanently damage the coat so that it grows back patchy or not at all, and it removes the insulation that keeps them comfortable in both heat and cold. A Pomeranian is not wearing a sweater. A Pomeranian is wearing climate control.
Bear stood beautifully. He sat, he stayed, he let me shape the parts that needed shaping, and he tolerated having his ears cleaned in exchange for a snack, which is a fair trade and one he negotiated well.
I also found one single hair that was longer than all the others. Just one. Sticking straight up out of an otherwise perfect coat. There is no way to unsee a thing like that, so it had to go.
The best moment of the whole day: Bear kept looking up at his mom at the hand off, like, “do I have to?” And she handed the leash over to Nicole and he settled right down. With lots of snuggles and pets he is a dog who checks in and gets reassured is a dog who is going to be fine.
I told him his mom needed to do Christmas pictures with him, because that face deserves a card.
Two dogs. One forgotten set of nails. One cat holding a grudge and a rain check.
Honestly, a pretty good Monday.
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.