What Good Dog Breeders Do

I’ll return to my ‘regular’ blog subjects next week, but I see from my stats that many people come to this blog from what I’ve blogged about dogs. Those blogs get shared a lot. I have about 200 regular subscribers, but many of the posts have been shared hundreds of times.

I started blogging because I loved dogs enough to learn about them, but a guy (Dan London, out of business for years, & who thinks integrity is a character flaw—like Trump) tried to make my life hell because I refused to work for him—& give him credibility he didn’t deserve. Beware of dog businesses where they address how much their employees ‘love dogs‘ but have never trained a dog to off-leash reliability, have never brushed their own dog, and think ‘breeds’ don’t matter.

There is some confusion among alleged pet lovers: this is the 21st century. there are no ‘accidental’ breedings—just irresponsible pet owners who refuse to manage their pets’ fertility…& they seem to think that the rest of us who are responsible should bail them out. Sort of like people who feel children are a gift from God, but can’t take care of them, so we must morally take care of those kids.

That said, “I’m not a breeder, my dog just had puppies,” is not an excuse or explanation for NOT taking responsibility. If you can’t manage your pet’s fertility, your should be neutered. Yet, the ADOPT DON’T SHOP crowd blames breeders NOT causing the problem of surplus pets—-& tries to guilt the rest of us into solving a problem we haven’t caused. How is that working?

This is what breeders who love their dogs do:

First, when planning the breeding, they do all known genetic and health testing of the breeding dogs. Even when doing this, sometimes dogs are born with genetic defects. I have friends who breed Golden Retrievers, and they have at least 3 generations of dogs that are OFA (CERF) (that means the dogs have had their hips xrayed, fair, normal, or excellent), yet still, when their offspring pups are xrayed at 2 years of age, some have a form of hip dysplasia, It happens. Same with deafness (BAER tests) and Juvenile Cataracts (dogs developing cataracts before age 3). If you love dogs, you want to avoid breeding dogs that will be disabled.

Once the pups are born, they are raised in a normal ‘noisy’ environment, where they get to hear sounds of regular life. After all are accounted for, the breeder checks for cleft palates and missing toes. These problems are more common in toy breed dogs (including designer mixes) and bracheocephalics, and usually humanely euthanized.

Those breeders trying to guilt you into taking a puppy with a cleft palate (which would need surgery) are unethical.

Breeders who love their dogs and puppies will have the litter on an absorbent, nonslip surface. Many use washable pads to avoid paper waste. They will also have what may be described as ‘crib toys’: items hanging down for puppies to interact with. Good breeders want their puppies curious and stimulated.

When the weaning process starts, breeders start cutting toenails and ‘stacking’ puppies individually on a table. Breeders do this not just to get the dogs used to being picked up and handled, but to get the dog used to being groomed. We call this ‘training’ BEHAVIOR SHAPING. Also, if they breed bracheocephalic dogs—especially the coated ones (Shih Tzu, Affenpinschers, Brussels Griffons), they get the pup used to having their muzzle held while combing under the eyes. This is so important. If this isn’t done every day until the pup gets used to the grooming motions (the genetic reaction would be to flinch and move away, but this must be overcome), the groomers will not be able to do this without risking injury to the eyes, and the dog will have to be sedated for grooming.

Once the weaning process is underway or completed, breeders put collars on the puppies, and may have them drag a leash, or the breeder may take individual puppies around and coax them.

Once the pups have had their first shots (and wormed, if necessary), the pups can go to new homes, usually between the ages of 8 to 12 weeks. It’s important for puppies to learn to play and fight with their siblings. It’s a known fact that ‘singletons’ and dogs taken too young (under 8 weeks of age) often become unnaturally aggressive towards other dogs.

The breeder should ask you if you own or rent your home, and ask for proof. Animal shelters know one major reason they get dogs back is, “Landlord won’t allow.” Chicago Animal Care & Control—our open admissions CITY DOG POUND —-asks to see a signed lease and they call the landlord as well. I’m shocked at how many pet buyers never consider any of this. Many breeders will ask how long the puppy will be alone during the day, or what arrangements you’ve made for a dog walker. Some will suggest dog daycare. I discourage daycare for a puppy under 8 months old, Why? Most dog daycares are not run by people with ‘dog experience’ : that is—by people who’ve worked in kennels as well as trained dogs, & recognize dog behavior. Loving dogs is not enough. I’ve worked for several businesses that put young puppies with mature toy dogs, ‘because they’re all small’. What happens is that the older dogs bully the puppies. This also makes aggressive dogs.

The breeder will also suggest a crate and why crate training is so important (if your dog is sick or injured, it will be in a crate at the animal hospital—& the dog is always safer in the car in a crate)

If the breeder is selling coated dogs (shedders and nonshedders), she will show you how to brush the dog, and explain what grooming tools you will need and where to get them. I worked for an Afghan Hound breeder, the late Fredric Mark Alderman. He didn’t sell you a puppy if you had never had an Afghan until you spent an afternoon grooming dogs with him. He didn’t want to hear that you had no idea how long it took, or how often it needed to be done, or that you needed a grooming table and a stand dryer.

A breeder who loves their dogs will give you written feeding, grooming, and housebreaking instructions, as well as a pedigree. They will have you sign a contract that says that if you can’t keep the dog, you will return it to them. Keep in mind, everyone wants a puppy. As they mature, they go down in value, not up…unless your dog matures to be a show dog.

A responsible shelter or rescue would also give you care instructions.

This is the 21st century. It’s easy enough to get pet care information. However, it’s a free country. You don’t have to control your impulses or pocketbook. However, if you really are concerned about dogs ending up in shelters, don’t buy or take a puppy from a dog owner who tells you the litter was an accident. that’s not your problem.

Dubai, 2024

In my new book of contemporary fiction, The Pleasure Seeker” my main character, Dayal Singh, has married a woman from Dubai. Through the narrative of the book, he and his wife return at least once a year to visit her family, who are emigres from India. Near the end of the book, I have Dayal saying that he never liked Dubai because it’s a land out of science fiction: You never see people on the street. Not like Arusha (Tanzania), where people are always walking around and you have a good chance of greeting someone you know.

I got my initial impression of Dubai about eight years ago when I was there overnight. I had chosen Emirates Air from Chicago to Zambia, because their fare was comparative to United, and I have issues with United & their Starfleet Alliance. The nice thing about Emirates: since there are no direct flights to Lusaka from Chicago, they put me up over night, dinner and breakfast included, in Dubai.

8 years ago, the drive from the airport, at dusk, revealed only sand, sand for miles. I was able to take a tour of the town. It wasn’t a great tour, just an hour or so with another traveler like myself, but we went from the hotel to the Burj Khalifa (not in, but to the driveway) and back. They were just working on the monorail then, and it had 2 stops: the beginning and the end. There was no greenery.

Dubai has exploded in these past eight years. The sand for miles from the Airport? Now mostly warehouses and car dealerships, with other industrial related businesses. The Metro has several routes now, and beautiful stations. The central business district has quadrupled in size. You want to see architecturally significant tall buildings? They are in Dubai. The Dubai Mall,

When I got in to Dubai, it was overcast, but it was around 5 in the afternoon. In the morning, it was raining, It never rains in Dubai, and I had taken my umbrella out of my suitcase. Our guide, Faheem Abbas, was excellent. He explained that rain is so rare, they aren’t prepared for pools in the roadway & people get stuck. So, Radio & TV announce that people should work at home & schools are also closed.

But we had a big tour bus. Our 1st stop was the Dubai Mall so we could get to the top of the Burj Khalifa. The mall is huge, and filled with chain stores from the USA as well as boutiques with souvenirs. It’s almost overwhelming. There is also the skating rink , the ski slope, and an aquarium. In Chicago , we have the Hancock Center & the Willis (sears) tower ‘skydecks’, so I’ve been to the tops of tall buildings, Still, the view is impressive. I wish someone had given us a tour or explanation of the mall, and that we had a bit more time to spend, but we had to get to the skydeck, and thousands of people (I am not exaggerating) go up the every day. It’s not a huge deck, but you aren’t crowded in, either. When we got back, there was a break in the tour, and we reconvened for ‘orientation’ & to meet each other, Tho all were ‘American (at least green card holders), there were 2 Indian couples, an Indian woman & her friend (who came to Dubai from Indian), a Filipino couple, 2 Chinese couples, a Viet Namese family, a woman from the country of Georgia who had been in the USA 40 year, 2 black American couples, and me. Interesting mix.

Day 2, we went to Abu Dhabi to see the ‘grand mosque’. You travel past the water desalinization plant & the power plant. Yes, they use oil for fuel now, but are building a big solar field for the future. A rich Muslim guy built this gorgeous mosque, but it is a ‘demonstration’ mosque: a large marble plaza, and the marble building is inlaid with precious stone flowers like the Taj Majal. There are several large chandeliers with Swarowski crystals, and the larges prayer rug ever made. But…. it is no longer for prayers.

Under the mosque (actually, the parking lot…) is a huge shopping mall with a McDonald’s, a Tim Horton’s, and many candy and souvenir shops. You have to be dressed appropriately to enter the mosque, which you do from the underground mall. I thought I was ok, but the guards objected to the sheer sleeves of my blouse, so Faheem bought me fake sleeves. In any case, the building is beautiful and impressive. On the return, we stopped at what was supposed to be a ‘traditional’ village, but it was really a poorly marked museum of weaponry and coins. All the small buildings we tourist oriented & overpriced. We went into Dubai for lunch, which was ok. Then, we went to the Louvre Abu DAbi. We were given about 45 minutes, which is just about enough time if you race through it. I would have taken the ‘traditional village off the tour to spend more time at the Louvre.

Day 3 We drove to Al Sharjah, another emirate. Faheem explained that the Crown Prince of the town was very conservative & no alcohol or tobacco were available. We went past the mosque and we were supposed to drive through the American University campus, but for some reason we couldn’t go in, so we returned. Since the drive is long, Faheem explained that in a city of 10 million people, only 2 million are Emirati. The rest, including him, are ‘guest workers’. Years ago, most construction workers were from Bangla Desh. They are now recruited for the hospitality industry mostly from Malaysia, Philippines, & Eastern Europe. You must speak English, You are provided with housing, cramped tho it may be, and if you lose your job, you’re sent back. Balli Kaur Jaswal wrote a story involving Malaysian guest workers in Singapore called, “Now You See Us,” involving a character accused of murder. At the end, she has an essay on how these women are treated. In any case, you can not become an Emirati by marrying in. However, this is a capitalist country. You can buy property. It is freehold (meaning not on a 99 year lease).

Day 4 We drove to the metro to take it to Palms Jumeirah (see photo above). I wish I could have gotten a Metro map and gotten on to explore where it goes, but no time, We took the metro to the end of Palms. Palms was an idea eight years ago. It is totally sold out now. Mostly single family homes (starting at $5 million dollars) and some townhouses & the Atlantis Hotel. Pure opulence. From there , we visited 2 small museums, but all the gift shops sell the same tourist stuff made in China and India. Then, we went to the old Souk. On 1 side, it is ‘gold’ and all jewelry, the other side is spices. I guess if you come from a small town, all this would seem exotic, but I live 2 miles from an Indian/Middle Eastern shopping district. We can get all the fresh spices in Chicago. & gold? I don’t think so. I wanted to buy a bar of camel milk soap. The vendor stall owners wanted an equivalent of $8 a bar. They would not accept $4, so I didn’t buy soap. I later went to a local grocery store and found very extoic tumeric and ayervedic soap for under $1 a bar.No joke. In the evening, we took Toyota trucks with experienced drivers & drove in the dunes near Al Sharjah. Not real dunes. The desert is pretty flat with rolling hills. It was fun, but then we went the the Bedouin BarB Q—but it wasn’t a BarBQ. I was expecting meeting actual Bedouin families with kids—and maybe Salukis. It was not. The dinner wasn’t typical. It was ok: chicken in pita, salad, hummos, baklava that kind of thing, set up on a buffet, and they gave out coffee, soda, and water. They had a little entertainment: a guy twirling around like a dervish, and another juggling things with fire. They had women doing henna, so I got my hand hennaed. For $90 extra, I felt it was overpriced.

Day 5 Before I came to Dubai, I googled “Dubai Salukis” and found the BarkPark link, and arranged to meet Jan, the owner. A very interesting Scottish woman, she was recruited to work in Dubai, and liked the lifestyle. She married an emerati, had a son, divorced, went back to Scotland because her mother was dying, Her mother didn’t die, so Jan returned, and via her ex-husband’s connections, was able to lease the land to have her boarding and dog daycare business. We were on the same page on most things. She had a 16-year-old white Saluki from Hamad Alghanem ) known as ‘Mr.Saluki’). & I swear, the dog could step into any show ring in America and contend. She also had 2 rescues. She told me there were no more Bedouins in the area. and the Salukis we used for hunting by Muslims.

This was my last day. half our group had left for home. Back with Gate 1, we took the smaller bus to the Al Shadaya museum. We were only there about 1/2 hour, & many of us felt that 90 minutes would have been more appropriate, It was so interesting. They had 1 room devoted to how various perfumes are made, and a lovely multimedia show on the history of Dubai. We were taken from the to another shopping center , designed like an old souk, very pretty, but all touristy stuff. Then, Faheem brought us to the beach. He left us for 90 minutes, way too long. It’s very touristy, and I didn’t want to spend $$$$ on snacks.

We all thought the time would have been better spent at Al Shadaya.

I got to visit 3 emirates: AbuDhabi, Dubhai, and Al Sharjah. I got to meet a fellow Saluki lover, and maybe a day or 2 more would have been fun. I wish Gate 1 had given us maps of the city. As it was, this trip cost me under $1500, so if you can afford it, do it.

This is what a country looks like when the leaders are sophisticated & employ the best civil engineers and architects. It is a monarchy, not a democracy. There is no trash, no grafitti, no beggars, very little crime. You are a guest. You aren’t employed? You have to leave.

Venus: Eulogizing a Dog

I’ve worked in the pet industry virtually all my working career. I’ve worked for several imbeciles who’ve told me how many dogs they’ve owned, as if quantity proves you’re a dog lover.

We recently euthanized Venus, Yes, it was sad, but as I told friends, the real sadness was knowing that the end was near.

I turn 70 in a few months. ‘My’ 1st dog (that I was responsible for) was Khyber, a black Afghan. What a pedigree…but he was proof that you don’t breed pedigrees…you breed dogs. He was very loyal. He was the first dog I seriously trained. he was good, but i didn’t have the confidence to compete with him: i didn’t know how he’d be off-leash. in fact, when we started training, i was 13, and so many people tried to discourage me, nobody trained an Afghan! That’s what i was told. But my father and I couldn’t imagine why not. this was the late 1960’s.

Unfortunately, he died at age 9: he had a heart attack, so I had him euthanized, and I had an autopsy done, as he had always vomited bile. Turned out he had undiagnosed pancreatitis. 50 years ago, it was almost impossible to diagnose without a biopsy, and even then, there wasn’t really a treatment. However, it is still somewhat common in Afghans,

I got Aswan from Wally Pede when I moved out of my parents home. Another dog with a spectacular pedigree, but who didn’t mature to my tastes. She was to be my foundation, but I chose her (or rather, Wally chose her for me) too young, and she never developed a brisket, had an east-west front, and a very plain head…& no coat pattern. I ended up having her spayed. Still, I put a CD on her (novice obedience title), trained her for Open (jumps & retrieves), but she could never be counted on to do everything on one command. I couldn’t afford the entry fees if she was going to ham it up for applause. She became an ASFA field champion, and was a joy to watch run. She had a gorgeous silky strawberry blond coat. She was a very good dog once I trained her & lived to be almost 15. She became blind, deaf, incontinent the last couple of months of her life, and I knew the end was near, so I euthanized her. This was about 1987.

My husband didn’t want another Afghan after Khyber died, so I got Bari. Another dog with an exciting pedigree, but who also didn’t mature; no brisket, and flying ears. I put a C.D. and Field Championship on him. He was a very sweet dog, but Aswan was a roughneck with him. When I went into Peace Corps (after being divorced and finishing grad school…), several friends wanted him because he was very well behaved. He live to see me return, but his last few months, I could tell he was uncomfortable. When he started vomiting and couldn’t keep food down, I euthanized him at age 14.

During this time, I was involved in Afghan rescue, and ultimately left the Afghan Hound Club of Greater Chicago. This was the mid 1970’s, and no breeders supported rescue. The only club member who was a breeder who supported rescue was Fredric Alderman, and that was because he did an extremely good job of screening potential buyers. The rest of the club members who were breeding mocked me. I got Bali from Chicago Animal Care & Control, from the old facility, which was horrible,. I had been alerted by an employee there. She was in awful shape, down to 28 pounds when I got her. She vomited tinfoil and bottle caps for a few days, and I had to shave her—even her ears. I placed her, but she kept escaping, and finally the person I placed her with asked me to keep her. I have no idea how old she was: over 6—younger than 10. She looked very Belden (bloodlines) She had hookworm disease, and when she started hemorhaging, I euthanized her, but she was so loyal while I had her.

I wanted to consider a larger sighthound, after Bari died, and I called Jayne Harpling (Al Talat), who I knew from lure-coursing, She was no longer breeding dogs, & she referred me to Bill & Cindy Brown, They remembered me from ASFA field trials. I told them that I didn’t want a puppy, and they called me back a few days later telling me they had too many male dogs, and would give me ‘Bari’ whose name I changed to Sadiq. They told me he had never been in the house alone, and my 4 years with him were fraught. He was never fully housebroken: no crate could contain him He loved me & my then roommate, but was very nervous, would steal anything he could reach (fruit from a hanging fruit basket), hated obedience training. and ultimately died of lymphoma (after I spent over $2000 trying to treat it).

I learned about Saluki Rescue Central, which was sort of an ad hoc group formed by the Huron Valley Saluki Club, and there were no Salukis in rescue, but I was referred to a breeder who had kept 2 young males, both over a year old. I drove with my roommate, Melvin, to Fennville Michigan and Nancy (den Hollander) Badra gave me Dazzle.

Nancy didn’t think Dazzle was show quality, but after seeing other Salukis around me, when he was mature, I felt he was, so she said go show him. He finished quickly, We had trouble finding majors, but he got them when he was shown (usually Best of Winners over bitches—where the majors were). I didn’t spend $500 showing him to his title. We tried lure-coursing, but he got disqualified for ‘playful interference’, endearing me (as you can imagine) to all the other people running Salukis. So that was the end of that. He also didn’t like being in a class with common dogs, so we didn’t do obedience, but he was so naturally well-behaved. An anomaly! He was with me 14 years and seemed fine until one day he couldn’t stand. I knew it was the end, even though he showed no other signs of illness or pain. When I had had Dazzle about a year, Whippet Rescue (this was a forerunner to WRAP) called and asked if I’d take a young male. I had been on the waiting list for 4 years! His owner had died, and the person fostering would keep him, but the dog & her bitch played too hard & the bitch wasn’t healing from an injury. I said I’d take him if he got along with Dazzle. We called him BeBop. As soon as he walked in, he walked under Dazzle, a sign of dominance, but they got along fine. Bop was a calming influence on Dazzle, who was also a bit nervous.

Bop lived to be 14, and this was a sad time for me because by this time, Kunihiro was living with me, and he had never lived with dogs. Bop slept with him, and he didn’t want me to euthanize Bop. Bop fell down the stairs one night, and although he seemed ok, he wasn’t. The next day, I returned home from work and found him collapsed in the kitchen laying in a pool of urine. I said it had to be done. By this time, we had been lucky to find Dash.

I put the word out that I was looking for another Whippet.

Dash, who we got from Sarah Shakespeare & Linda Larsen, was returned to them for chasing the cat! Although he and Bop didn’t play a lot, they did play. I managed to put Beginner Novice, CGC, and Rally Excellent title on Dash. We started lure coursing, but he broke his leg in a freak accident (he stepped on a deflector), and that was the end of that. Linda referred me to an excellent veterinarian, and Kunihiro paid at least half the bill—which was very high. Just before COVID, Dash seemed to be dying. We knew he had a heart murmur, but nothing else was showing up. After a few weeks of back & forth with the Vet, and COVID complicating everything, we brought him to be euthanized. Again, Kunihiro asked the vet if nothing could be done. After he died, about a quart of liquid spilled from his lungs.

We had gotten Venus a few months after Bebop died. She was originally named Tosca. She was returned to her breeder, Sally Long, at age 7 due to a crisis her owner faced. Just by networking with other Whippet fanciers, I learned about her, and picked her up at the American Whippet Club Specialty outside Milwaukee in 2008.

Venus adjusted quickly, but aside from being housebroken and walking on a leash, she needed training, She was a nipper, and vocal when she got excited, but she bonded with Kunihiro quickly. I started training her in Rally, and within 3 years she had CGC and Rally Excellent titles. We were going for an RAE, which required 10 groups of 2 qualifying scores in 2 different classes at each trial. We got 3 groups of 2, but she started ‘NQing’ Rally Excellent, usually jumps. However, I had paid the entry fees and did the Advanced exercises. She had so many qualifying scores in Advanced that she was nationally ranked! We did a little WRA straight racing, but by this time she was a senior.

Both Venus and Dash were great hunters. Venus caught a rabbit 1 evening in the yard and ate it. The next day, her stool was filled with hundreds of wiggly black worms. Scary. I brought her next stool sample to the vet I worked for: nothing. Shed them all. Once I saw Dash grab a squirrel right off a tree. I have a friend who has trained dogs and thinks she knows animal behavior, and thinks it’s horrible that I ‘let’ them kill animals. It happens so fast. I was working at a very poorly run kennel that was in an old warehouse, and they both caught mice there all the time.

By this time, I agreed to foster a dog for WRAP. I had taken 1 dog, who initially seemed fine, but after a few days, he started bullying Dash, so I returned him and agreed to take Delilah.

The story I got, which was 3rd hand, was that she came from a hoarding situation.; maybe, but all the dogs they took (at least a dozen adult dogs) (& at least 2 litter of puppies) could walk on leashes and were housebroken. More: Delilah had been obedience trained. I realized this when I started taking her to classes (I am a member of Northshore Dog Training Club, so we’re always going to classes. $50 for a 6 week session for members). Also, it was clear, at least the 1st month we had her, she was looking for someone when I walked her around the neighborhood. She didn’t go willingly from whomever had her.

WRAP found a home for her, but Delilah just freaked out. She got into the car to leave me, but when they got her to the new home, she bolted. They chased her, she bit someone, but they got her back into the car, and they brought her back to me. Not what I had planned, but that’s how it was. She is extremely nervous, but she loved both Dash & Venus, it was clear. She continued to try to sleep next to Venus, but Venus wasn’t having it, By this time, Venus was old, and couldn’t take a rambunctious dog. We have no idea how old Delilah is. I’ve had her 5 years, so 6? 7? She won’t let me do her teeth, and I can’t pick her up without muzzling her.
Sally Long, Venus’s breeder, asked what happened with Venus, and the short answer is: she wore out. As old dogs do, she lost muscle mass. She didn’t have cataracts, buy opacies. Not unusual. Her hearing went. She was rickety, but I knew she still enjoyed her life, What she started doing on walks was sniffing a lot more. I usually don’t let my dogs sniff on walks, because it’s too easy to ingest ‘something’ Khyber got giardia from ingesting.

How do you know when it’s time? By knowing your dog, I tell my grooming clients that they’ll know: the dog will sleep a lot more, not want to go for walks, start pacing in the house—possibly end up stuck in a corner (a sure sign of dementia), but that wasn’t Venus, In the end, she stopped eating, and due to neuropathy in her legs, couldn’t stand.

Kunihiro, her buddy, was very broken up, Just three days before he bought latex boots and some nonslip rugs, He carried her up and down the stairs, but he knew.

My vet is ‘fear free’—so my dogs always liked going because they got cheese and that Henry Shein soft-moist fudgy fake meat. Venus had a peaceful death with us with her at the very end.

Have I really owned that many dogs? I don’t think so. It’s been important to me to have a personal relationship with my dogs. At 1 time, I wanted to own a kennel, but those days are gone. Perhaps if I had married well, things might have been different, but I learned from my dogs and from having a wonderful roommate (over 20 years with Kunihiro), it’s better to have reliable than drama and disrespect.

I have loved teaching my dogs and competing with my dogs. I’ve met some really wonderful people from dog training and performance (which off set the imbeciles who wanted to be in the dog business but never bothered to learn anything about dogs, and disrespected me to the point of sabotaging the success of their businesses).

Now. I’m retired. No more drama. We will begin searching for another dog to keep Delilah company in a few weeks.

The PGA & LIV: Follow the Money (as there is no integrity).

So here’s the question; Would you do business with a known murderer?

I’m retired. I worked in the pet industry for over 50 years. I’ve worked for assholes who beat dogs into seizures when they got bitten (I quit). I’ve worked for veterinarians who either had no practice manager or had an incompetent manager. That meant dogs were sitting in their own shit, or were obviously under extreme stress—& there was nobody I could ask to manage the situation. I worked for at least 1 animal hospital that didn’t have an isolation area for contagious dogs—& put them in my grooming area, with healthy dogs. One place I worked told me to put groomed dogs in the kennel, & allowed their idiot staff to spray the clean dogs with water (“cleaning the runs”). Stupid. One, which employed a veterinarian who didn’t want a groomer, allowed a vet tech to shave dogs that had come in for grooming, so I wouldn’t be paid.

I’ve also worked at kennels with owners and managers who didn’t know anything about animal husbandry. They’d also put sick dogs in my grooming space. They’d squeeze dogs into cages that were too small (illegal, actually). One kennel ‘lost’ 3 dogs in less than a year. Dogs climbing out of the ‘covered’ runs (or digging out)…and gone…or escaping from pick -up. Seriously. Taking dogs over Independence Day, when there’d be fireworks and gunshots—-allowing owners to think their dogs wouldn’t be under terrifying stress.

I briefly worked for one guy (Pocket Puppies) who bought dogs from Amish farmers (puppy mills—& claiming they were home raised) to resell. I could not be a party to that,

I’ve worked for groomers who bred dogs and did no genetic testing (like Trump said—if you don’t test, you don’t find problems). Ultimately the puppy buyers would find out, but…so what?

I worked briefly for several pet stores that didn’t sell dogs, but would allow backyard breeders to post the puppies and kittens they bred. Or, would offer specials on animals, so would buy a bunch to resell, many would die, but that’s how it goes. I worked for a Pet Supplies Plus that was giving away Betta fish (in 2 cup glass bowls—the hope was of course the taker would buy a complete aquarium set-up). At the end of the promotion, about 50 live fish were flushed down the toilet.

I’ve worked for dog daycare businesses where staff were incompetent and not trained well, so blind dogs were left alone ion a pool area & could have drowned. Where they took dangerous dogs, and because the business owners didn’t know dogs, the rest of us had to deal with those dogs.

Sure, there are degrees of lack of integrity, but I found this really demoralizing. My last job was with a great kennel, run by dog people who really loved dogs and were extremely conscientious. Unfortunately, the owner had a terminal illness and the land was worth more than the business. A real shame. What I learned was that I wasn’t wrong about my feelings.

So now we have a sport, governed by a group of men in a nonprofit organization—the Professional Golfers Assoc, who decided the money was too good to pass up. Time will tell how many golfers say it’s not worth the money to work for a murderer. On paper, LIV us owned by the Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which is controlled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was implicated in the murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

When I commented on Facebook, one of my Catholic ‘friends’ made excuses: the golfers don’t really have a say, they don’t control the PGA, many aren’t making a living.

So that’s where the issue comes down to personal integrity. I think the Christians will justify the fact that nobody’s perfect, they have to make a living, and they will ask Jesus to forgive them and go to heaven, even though they know who REALLY gets rich off their ‘labor’.

Me, Sikh and spiritual, don’t buy this reasoning. If I played golf, I’d still play, but I wouldn’t play in PGS/LIV events.

My CV

I don’t have one. Nor do I have a resume anymore. When I got my last job working for Rob Engelking at King’s Kennels in Riverwoods, Illinois, I knew that would be my last job. In fact, it was my dream job, for so many reasons. Logistically, I could get the 20 miles to the kennel in half the time it took me to get downtown, where the job I had before that (at K9 University) was. At King’s, I could park in the parking lot and not have to drive around looking for a place to park.

Then, the grooming room—in fact the whole kennel—was wonderful: safe, clean, and had every piece of equipment a dog groomer could want. More, the Engelkings had a reputation among people showing dogs. Certainly, we groomed a lot of pet dogs, but we had a high percentage of dogs being shown or retired from the ring, and of course, they were all well behaved. Also, Rob was the best boss ever. He knew dogs. He knew what we could do and what we couldn’t. He had a great sense of humor, and he respected me.

If you were to look at my resume, you’d laugh. This is the blurb I send out when I submit short stories to journals and they want a bio:

Robyn is a retired dog groomer who has titled dogs  in performance and conformation. She also has placed in grooming contests. She didn’t go to college until she was 30, and  took CLEP exams to avoid prerequisites. She has degreesin anthropology with concentrations in African & Indian studies, and a master’s in urban planning. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi. Most of her published writing has been nonfiction in pet industry magazines, though she has published fiction stories. Most recently her essay, “On the Water,” was included in the SCARS anthology for 2022.  She has Asperger’s and sees the world from the perspective of a visitor from another planet.

I went to the New York School of Dog Grooming in Chicago in 1970, where I learned basic Poodle grooming five days a week. I then got several short term jobs until I graduated high school, the last one at Becker Animal Hospital in Northfield, assisting poodle groomer Mimi Colman. Then I moved to Milwaukee, took a short term job also grooming for a mom & pop until a friend saw an ad for a groomer way across town for Jo-Kor’s Klippette. Joan Fredericksen, the owner, was a member of the Waukesha Kennel Club, and through her, I met some amazing people, including Charlie Prager, the breeder of the Center Ridge Bedlingtons & inventor of the first portable dog grooming table and stand dryer. I learned to groom terriers so they didn’t look like Cocker Spaniels.

When Joan sold the business about two years later, I moved back to Chicago, in winter.I ultimately got a job assisting Jan Condurso at The Collar & Leash. Her parents raised Bedlingtons, Poodles, and Boxers. She learned to groom Bedlingtons from Jack Funk. I was there about two years making good money when we had the first oil embargo, and business slowed to almost nonexistant.

Then I got a job working for Jocelyn Slatin, who had Jamboree Airedales. I loved that job, but she also planned to move. About that time, I knew of fellow dog fanciers who had a business out in Schaumburg, Illinois, who wanted to sell their business. My parents lent me the money and I bought Reigning Cats & Dogs. I thought my husband and I would move out there, but that never worked out. He got into law school and we got divorced. I was very demoralized, and sold the business, and went to Arizona and worked for Jocelyn, who had moved to Prescott, Arizona. When I got back, I took a part time job grooming, but got hired as a Project Manager for Literacy Volunteers of Chicago, setting up ESL training sites. We were very successful, but I was a ‘VISTA VOLUNTEER’. I got insurance, but the pay was terrible, so I had to keep grooming dogs part time.

I spent several years as an independent contractor, going to a bunch of different shops, piecing jobs together. So many microbusinesses that the owners either sold or shut down. I shlepped out to Naperville (40 miles from home) several days a week for two years. worked as a dog trainer, training people to train their dogs, going from Zion up north to Flossmoor south, and west to Elgin. Lots of driving. Then, in 1985, at the age of 30, I went on an African safari, and it change my life.I quit the dog training job, went to college while I groomed dogs part-time, at Shear Comfort in Skokie, and for a while (until i couldn’t take the lax management & noise) Critter Cleaners out on Harlem. I also learned I had Asberger’s. Suddently, between anthropology & this diagnosis, my life made sense.

I was a research assistant for the two years I was in grad school, and then there were no jobs again. I took a job at the Velvet Bow in Hinsdale, but quickly got a Peace Corps assignment in Malawi, as a Town Planner. I returned, still no jobs. I took a job for Women’s Self-Employment Project when Connie Evans (a woman who had never owned a business) was the Executive Director. That was 1 of my worst jobs. Our program was based on the Grameen Bank model, which works in Bangladesh, where women are illiterate and not mobile. Not so much in Chicago, where you can borrow money, move a block away, and disappear. Connie really had no idea how we got women into our programs. I got Plantars Fascitis from ‘pounding the pavement’ looking for women who had business ideas. From the very start, I was lied to about how much I would be paid, and ultimately they wanted me to train my next boss. What an insult!I got a job with Grooming by Gerri which was great, but I was offered an opportunity for a job with….BENEFITS!!!

The Chicago Christian Industrial League had a resale store that grossed about $300 a day in quarters! The CFO wanted to know why we weren’t making more. He hired me to be a manager, even though the two people managing, Calvin Franklin & Sally Ross, knew what the problem was. Within a week, I could tell as well. Not to go into petty details—the organization’s land was worth more than their program, but from there, I worked for the Ark—a Jewish based social service agency where I was cheated out of health insurance due to lies and bad management. There was so much potential, but management was inept. I finally decided to return to grooming dogs.

I loved grooming dogs, but it’s so physically demanding. In 2000, I bought a business with the hope of ultimately buying a boarding kennel, but first, we had 9/11, and a big scandal with Arthur Andersen (which some of my clients worked for), and the Enron mess, and slowly, slowly, during the Dubya years, the economy got pretty bad and I could see the writing on the wall. I would have possibly stuck it out, but my core business was dogs that got groomed every week and every two weeks, and as those clients dogs’ died of old age, and the clients either lost jobs or their own clients. I just felt I had bought a job for myself. I tried finding a smaller space with less rent to move the business to, and I could not find a properly zoned building within five miles of my shop. I closed up and continued to work for other people.

I went back to work for Shear Comfort, now in Evanston. I took 2 weeks off to be a UN Volunteer in Bosnia & CY (the owner) practically had a fit. I worked for a PetCo, where I was really taken advantage of, and later for a Pet Supplies Plus. I also spent a very bad year on and off working for Jennifer Stavrianos at Pet Care Plus. That was almost surreal. Another business with so much potential owned by a woman who had never trained a dog and wouldn’t even bathe her own dogs.

I worked for a couple of animal hospitals that either had no practice manager, so nobody was in charge, or had a practice manager that didn’t care and I was put in either dangerous or no-win situations constantly (my ‘favorite’ was the year dog flu/kennel cough was rampant, and the veterinarians had no isolation kennels and put sick dogs in the grooming room).

I took a job with a business owned by a veterinary technician who promised to make the grooming area better and safer, and never did, and who trusted another groomer & didn’t realize that she didn’t have enough grooming clients for a viable business.

I was hoping things would work out at K9 University, as I really like Ruby Madrigal, but she also didn’t manage her own business and her staff didn’t know enough about dogs. The whole place was dangerous for so many reasons. They actually lost 3 dogs the year I was there—either during transport, or dogs that climbed out of kennels and ran away. They kept putting nonsocial dogs right outside the grooming area, stressing me and the grooming dogs with the barking.There was so much potential, but I just couldn’t do it anymore.

So, when a client told me that Rob was looking for a groomer, I called him. Then COVID, Also, we knew it would happen: he got an offer on the land, and the land was worth more than the kennel business…. due to life.

So now I’m retired. I’m not bored. I read, I write, and I irritate the scammers and unethical people selling baby animals on Craigslist. I collect books to send to schools in Africa, I travel, I train dogs. Even though I could hardly say I had a ‘career’, I planned well.

Rob Engelking, GSP Breeder, Field Trial Judge, & Great Guy

I was going to post 1 of my regular rants today, but I learned last night that Rob died. It wasn’t a shock. What was a shock was that he had hung on for as long as he did. Hhe had been in declining health for about a decade, the last few years being terrible. He was diabetic and had other stomach issues. He couldn’t see. He had neuropathy, and couldn’t feel his hands or feet.

His long time companion, Gilly Rank, took care of him and managing Kings Kennels for the last several years.

When I closed my own grooming business in 2006, I has wanted to work for him, but his sister, Diana, ‘managed’ the kennel and grooming until her death in 2013, and wasn’t interested in any nonfamily coming in.. Rob mostly trained hunting dogs, and he had obedience training clients and had basic obedience and handling classes in the evening.

When Diane died, Rob knew he needed more help. His mother, Marianne, couldn’t manage, and Melissa was in school, so he worked with Gilly. They hired me in 2017 when they thought they’d lose their other groomer (and as it happens in so many cases, when a groomer gives notice, Debbie was there when they hired me and the next day decided she couldn’t afford to move out of state).

I had started grooming in the late 1960’s, learning from hobby breeders. Back them, EVERYONE who had a grooming business was a fancier: either handling dogs at shows, breeding, training for performance, or grooming. Things changed. As time went on, fewer and fewer of my employers had any dog experience. They just loved dogs. Loving dogs is not enough if you don’t want to learn about dog conformation, coat types, dog physiology and psychology and training methods.

I was working part time for the Machados, breeders of the top winning Morninglow Coton de Tulear, and they told me Rob was looking for help.

It was a dream job, really. Rob and his father had built the kennel. There was radiant heat in the floors, and the dog runs were huge. Also, they were double fenced. Climbers were put in inner runs (around an enclosed court). You could eat off the floor in this kennel. He also had several huge paddock areas for dogs to really run. it wasn’t pretty. like a lot of places that offer dog daycare—BUT IT WAS SAFE.

Many dog clubs took advantage of the spacious grounds, Weekend were filled with club activities. There were matches and training. For years, Lincolnwood Dog Training Club for German Shepherds trained Schutzhund at Kings.

Rob was incredibly easy to get along with. He helped as much as he could. He was practical. We groomed a lot of retired showdogs, so our clients were picking. We had everything an experienced groomer could want. We had a Primo bathing system so we didn’t have to dilute bottles and bottles of shampoo. We had 2 Edemco ‘groomrooms’—enclosed cages with blowers attached—-particularly helpful for large dogs (we groomed an amazing number of Newfoundlands)..

What did us in was…consumer stupidity. We didn’t offer dog daycare because it’s dangerous. Dogs get injured all the time and it’s a great way to spread parasites and diseases. We offered dayborading: individual play. But you know, the buyers of designer dogs have this fantasy that their dogs play all day in daycare. Some do. Some dogs are bullies, and some are bullied.

In any case, because we didn’t offer daycare, we didn’t get a lot of new clients unless they were picky about grooming. The kennel was also affected by the economic collapse right before Obama was elected…and never totally recovered. COVID was the nail in that coffin: our clientele was upscale, and many traveled frequently. That ended. Grooming really slowed. I was about to retire, anyways.

Also, the land appreciated more than anyone could possibly imagine. It was less than a mile from a Tri-state Tollway interchange. Discover, the credit card company, opened a huge campus right behind the kennel land. They wanted kennel land for …parking. They were made an offer the Engelkings could not refuse.

Rob was a real dog lover, and I’ll miss him. He had a lot of integrity, which a lot of people in the pet industry don’t have. Yes,. the fancy is part of the pet industry. Rest in Peace, Rob.

She Bites

People, particularly Americans, seem to get a lot of their ‘information’ from TV. I think we believe that ‘the government’ would protect us from untruths & BS. Apparently not.

Having worked in the pet industry, mostly as a dog groomer, I have frequently heard from dog owners that they can’t brush their dog because…the dog bites.

I used to have a dog that bites, and I’ve had a few who were almost chronic biters. This is what I’ve learned from dog trainers and animal behaviorists.

There are only 2 reasons a dog bites: the dog is either fearful and trying to protect him or herself, or the dog was bred with no bite inhibition and is grappling for control.

I’ve had a couple of my own dogs who grappled for control as maturing puppies, and I dealt with the behavior immediately and let the dog know I was in charge. I didn’t have to beat the dogs up, but I had to outwit and outmaneuver the dog. I have never owned a dog who bit from fear, but I’ve groomed many.

Whether people want to believe this or not, temperament IS genetic. Some breeders take this very seriously. They’re involved in competition, and they need not just conformation, but a temperament type. Most dogs are not bred for any other purposes than because the owner was lazy and would not control their pet’s fertility, or they wanted to make money selling puppies. Sad but true—and these pet owners do not give a rat’s ass that they are breeding dangerous dogs.

When it comes to correcting bad behavior: biting, most dog trainers and behaviorists agree that you can communicate with most fearful dogs, and if they are with a consistent owner, biting can be reduced or eliminated. Biting a can sometimes also be eliminated if a dog biting to establish dominance. I’ve done it by rewarding good behavior and curtailing bad behavior.

I do know that most people won’t take the time to correct bad behavior and just ignore it. You go into their homes, and there are a bunch of rules about interacting with the dog: don’t try to pet the dog. Don’t try to be friends with the dog. Don’t make eye contact, don’t touch the dog’s (ears, withers, feet…)

I find it shocking that most people with bad dogs don’t realize their children are in danger. Sometimes, adults just don’t want to believe that there are bad dogs. They can’t all be pets. Just because they are domesticated, it doesn’t mean they belong in a home with a family. Shaping the dog’s behavior will help, but it doesn’t solve the problem of genetics.

Are More Pets in Shelters Than in the Past? What are the Stats?

I am a retired dog groomer & volunteer & network with ‘rescues.’

Keep in mind, a pound is a city-run ‘shelter’ which may or may not cooperate with a ‘rescue’.

I was afraid, during the start of the pandemic, that there might be more adoptions & returns, because shelter/rescue personnel just want to get animals out of the ‘situation’ & don’t ask enough questions of adopters…& people lie. They lie about how much time they have, how much research they’ve done, their living situation.

We really don’t know if more people are breeding their pets (face it—if a pet is not neutered, there is over a 50/50 chance of that pet procreating—particularly cats left out). We live in urban environments now, Fewer pets are roaming, There are no accidental breedings—just irresponsible pet owners. &—as long a the ‘adopt don’t shop’ crowd continues to focus on ‘breeders’—whether they be commercial (puppy mill) breeders supplying pet stores & shipping to whoever sends credit card info,  or hobby breeders breeding for the betterment of their breeds, allowing the  “I’m not a breeder my dog/cat’ just had babies’ off the hook…here’s the problem.

How to solve it?  This probably has to be done on the state level; for every puppy/ kitten advertised  (Craigslist is a favorite) we need to send a ‘humane inspector’ to chip those babies!  Then, when they end up in a shelter, we know who to fine—& we must make those people responsible. I’m sure commercial & hobby breeders won’t mind—they’ll tack another $20 onto the price of the dog—& they want those dogs back!

Nobody Wins

For most of my working life, I worked with dogs; in dog grooming shops. animal hospitals, pet shops, and boarding kennels. I learned to groom dogs because I loved dogs, and being ‘hands-on’ with them. Early in my career, most of the bosses I worked for were also hands on.

You can’t learn about dogs just by reading books: you have to be mentored by people with experience. Not everything they know is written. Their knowledge is passed on by ‘word of mouth’, and we call it indigenous knowledge.

What happened, I think, was that the economy changed. As old timers retired, family members didn’t want to work in those businesses.

So, they got sold to ‘dog lovers’ with capital. The ‘conventional wisdom’ was that there wasn’t much to know. These pet business owners mainly hired confident people who seemed to know what they were talking about, to work with clients.

Some did know about dogs, many didn’t. Some of the business owners said THEY’ wanted to be ‘hands on’, but that usually only lasted a week or two. Most had never groomed or trained a dog, and had no plans to do so in the future. They changed the nomenclature: from dog owners to pet parents. They started giving their dog owning clients bad information about grooming, training, feeding, and handling….and problems started to emerge.

The veterinarians I worked with mostly suggested over-vaccinating dogs—to make money (as a result, rabies shots are mandated to be given to dogs every 1—3 years—whether they show titer or not), and the neutering of immature dogs (which often stunts the dogs physical maturity and often causes incontinence). They never (I can’t even say rarely) address abuse or neglect: severely matted dogs, dogs with toenails so long they limp, genetic health impairments, and dogs not being controlled by their owners. They are too afraid of losing clients.

Pet shops rarely sold what their groomers suggested, instead relying on their distributors (old men reluctant to modernize). thus managers have employees sell ineffective products and dog owners get frustrated.

Grooming shop owners either didn’t go to dog grooming school or believed that everything they were told by the schools were best practice, and communication between groomers and pet owners was restricted. Many dog groomers who did know about dogs and what was proper were humiliated by business owners when we suggested that we show dog owners what kind of brushes to use and how to use them.

The worst businesses are generally the kennels that offer dog daycare. Those run by trainers tend to be safe and well run. Those run by ‘dog lovers’ tend to be nightmares. Not all dogs want to play. So many dogs are not good with other dogs. I worked for one business that put the small adult dogs in with puppies, and the mature dogs bullied the puppies. I could see that the puppies were stressed, but I was ignored.

Dogs get injured all the time at dog daycare. Dogs also get abused in boarding kennels because owners don’t prepare their pets for separation, an the facilities don’t train their staff people to work with integrity.

You can’t be too careful, and you can’t be too clean. I quit several jobs at businesses that were unethical or dangerous—or both. I actually had friends and family tell me it was not my business to address this. I’m a dog lover. when I cited a problem, and it wasn’t seriously addressed, it was a matter of personal integrity to leave the job.

I was talking about this with several friends a few days ago, and today saw a story in the paper about a dog that was killed in dog daycare through ignorance (and it was at a business I used to work for).

The dog was a puppy, and he was picked up at his home from a driver who had gotten minimal training. When he unloaded all the dogs at the kennel, nobody asked him how many dogs he had, or counted. it wasn’t until several hours later that an employee asked about the missing dog. Someone went to the van—and the dog was near death due to heat stroke. Seems the drive just did a ‘visual check’ of crates to see if all dogs were offloaded—but didn’t go back into the van to check the crates, an the puppy was sleeping under something and he didn’t see the dog. They started trying to cool the pup (rather than rushing the dog to an emergency veterinarian—a tough call, of course), and the dog died.

This wasn’t the first time a dog died due to neglect at this business.; they’ve also ‘lost’ a few dogs that were left in supposedly escape proof (covered) kennel runs, discounting that dogs can climb and dig. When I worked there, I suggest that dogs we were told would climb be put in kennels where staff could see if they were climbing or digging. I was ignored. I also suggested that the people who put dogs in kennel runs set the timer on their phones to check a dog every 15 minutes. I was told it was a good idea…and I was ignored.

I suggested that kennel staff pick up dog food that wasn’t eaten after 15 minutes…and was ignored. So, we had a rat infestation. So many suggestions I made were ignored.

You just can’t assume that everyone who works in the pet industry loves animals enough to learn animal husbandry and behavior, and has the INTEGRITY to hire people who do understand. Everything is legal, including ignorance, and lack of integrity, until you make it illegal.

The Newfoundland With the Instagram Account

Americans! Anyone can be an influencer if they have a smart phone. It might have started with ‘Mannie the Frenchie’ (a French Bulldog) but now everyone who doesn’t want to actually work has time for an Instagram account.

I came in to work one morning and Anne was leaning against the counter drinking her coffee. The first thing she said to me was, “I may need some help today. You’re lucky you weren’t here yesterday.”

“Why? What happened?”

“We got this new Newf client. I guess she heard about me from daycare…”

“Where was she taking the dog to daycare?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t ask. Jane made the appointment. but I knew there was going to be a problem because she had the dog on a harness…”

“Ugh. How old was the dog?”

“I think she said 18 months. And—get this—the dog had never been groomed.”

I started to laugh. “Did I ever tell you about the client I had who put a Fitbit on her dog’s collar? & she had the chutzpah to complain to my boss that on the day I groomed the dog, the dog had 200 fewer steps. And my boss actually came to me and asked why.”

“You’re joking,” Anne replied.

“I’m not. I was thinking that if she logged the dog’s steps, next time I’d put the thing on this Sheltie who spun in the cage when I put a blower on him. She’d get triple the dog’s steps. Anyways, what happened?”

“I lowered the table and tapped it, thinking he’s walk on, and of course, he started pulling me out of the room.”

“How was the owner able to handle him? I mean, why a harness?”

“She probably went to a pet store and they sold her this thing. Totally untrained.”

We, at the kennel, were of the mind that only sled dogs and guide dogs should wear harnesses—because the harness is designed so the dog can pull you unimpeded. Why would anyone want a dog to do that? And this is why I worked for Bob and Anne: they knew dogs.

“Didn’t the breeder….?”
“Who knows? but he wouldn’t walk on to the table, so Donna and I lifted him, and, of course, he jumped off, so I had to call for John out in the kennel. He, Hubert the dog, I mean, would not stay on the table. We tried grooming him on the floor..”

“I hate that. They do that at PETCO. Then they all complain how their backs hurt…”

“Really. I just wanted to do a sanitary on him, and she wanted the rear butt cheeks trimmed up. And, get this, she tells me the dog has an Instagram account with over 5,000 followers.”

I started to laugh.

“Then, of course, he wouldn’t walk up the ramp to the tub, so John picked him up and lifted him in. I hope his back is ok. The dog, of course, kept trying to jump out of the tub.”

Ya gotta love it: the Newfoundland that doesn’t want to get wet.

“And look at this! He pulled the O ring out of the wall! Wouldn’t let me touch his feet. so, all he really got was a bath. We hardly did any real grooming.”

Usually, on Newfs, we trimmed up their feet, up their hocks and pasterns, trimmed the butt cheeks, and took a thinning shears to the fluff on the ears.. We had about a dozen clients with Newfs because Anne used to show them and people knew her.

“So, my back is messed up,” Anne said.

“I always wonder about people who set up Instagram accounts for their pets. Are they expecting free stuff, or what? I don’t use Instagram,” I said.

Anne shook her head and replied, “I have no idea. And, she wanted to make another appointment, and I told her we couldn’t take him.”

“Did you tell her he needed training?”

“I told her I couldn’t handle him and I was too busy.”

“You know, Casey stopped taking Newfs for grooming. She told me she’d have to charge $150 like we do, and she didn’t want to charge over $100 for a dog. I wonder where these people are going to go.”

“Let them go to the chains, where all the groomers have health insurance.”