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Natural, holistic grooming for pets
By ELLEN MOSES Susan Griffin, 52 Groomer, holistic pet care consultant Co-owner, Clip Joint -- Naturals for Animals, 514 37th St. N, St. Petersburg What is a holistic pet care consultant?We're about the relationship between people and animals, and making that a good one and an emotionally sound one. I do in-home counseling and specialize in puppies because a lot of people don't realize that a dog sets its basic behavior patterns and attitudes in the first 14 weeks of life. What kind of hours do you work?Because we do more than just groom dogs, we do keep longer hours than most groomers. Most do not have a full retail business along with the grooming. We've cut grooming to four days a week. We're here 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Sundays we're closed. How many dogs do you groom on any given day?We've cut it down to between 20 and 30 dogs a day. We used to groom six days a week, and 25 dogs was a slow day for us, so we have cut down. How often do you see dogs for grooming?Most of our clients are regulars. Most we see weekly and some every other week. How is your shop different from other groomers?We do totally natural grooming, for one thing. We don't use chemicals. We specialize in skin problems and natural health remedies in eliminating flea and skin problems and really creating healthy animals. What is Critter Oil?That's our own product. It was a divine gift about 18 years ago. There are 15 essential herbal oils in it, and each of them has a different purpose. You can make a shampoo with it, you can make a spray, you can make a carpet powder out of it. You can use it on dogs, cats, horses, birds, you name it. What is your regular grooming routine?The routine depends on the breed, the coat type, whether the dog needs prework, and is here for a bath. If their coat is matted, they spend time on the table getting brushed and having their pads and nails done. Then they go for their bath cycle, then to the drying cage, then they get on the fluff-dry table. Then if they're a clip dog, they come back to get their finish work. Can you describe a bath cycle?We do three dogs at a time. We water then down, take a diluted solution of Dawn dish wash and do a prewash with that, then rinse. If they're filthy, then you do it again. Then we use the Critter Oil to wash them up. They'll soak for about 15 minutes in the Critter Oil shampoo mixture because some of the oils condition the coat and are naturally antifungal and antibacterial. So it is conditioning the coat and helping heal the skin. What is the hardest thing about your job?Physically, it can take its toll. You see groomers with everything from carpel tunnel to bad backs. For us, it can be hard emotionally, because we do care the animals and there are some people who just aren't ready to let us help with their dog's problems.
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