Housing Crisis

The domestic animal "Rescue Movement" of this past decade is unprecedented!  It is the childhood dream of many, come true.  Never before have so many had such a common, powerful manifestation of compassion and action toward domestic animals.
There's almost no such thing as "buying" a pet these days.  They're either rescued or adopted.  There's such power in those terms.  They reflect the compassionate intentions of the heart as opposed to the selfish desire to possess things.
We are encouraged as a society to "adopt" rather than purchase from breeders, because there are so many "homeless", abandoned, throw-away pets that would otherwise be destroyed or become stray nuisances. 
The term "dog pound" is obsolete.  We now have "shelters".  More and more city and county shelters, formerly known as dog pounds, are committing to "no-kill" policies.  These shelters keep animals and care for them until a home is found for them rather than euthanizing them to decrease population, make space or cut expenses.  Many people in local communities now form "rescue groups" where they either house homeless animals themselves or sponsor them on a web site or at local adoption events to find homes for them.  If they don't have a facility to house multiple animals, volunteers "foster" care for them in their own homes until suitable permanent homes are found.  
In case you've not yet noticed, many have assigned human concepts to companion animals, equating their importance with ours.  
A childhood dream come true.........
But there are issues....
The one I'd like to call attention to in this article is that of the housing crisis within the pet parent community.  Along with the rescue movement, a couple of other phenomena have arisen - animal hoarding, and designer breeding.  Without exhausting detail about these phenomena, one problem they create is a horribly irresponsible reputation for domestic animals in general. This creates a housing crisis for pet parents.
Many, many rented and leased homes do not allow pets.  Why?  Because of the reputation pushed to the front of the headlines of the filth, abuse and general irresponsibility of many animal owners - the most visible of which are hoarders and breeders.  Now these are not the only offenders!  Many average "pet owners" just do not know how to take care of animals inside a house or an apartment.  Because there are no real legal requirements to pet ownership, there are no standards or guidelines, nor is there a stable, consistent education system for pet owners.
As a groomer I've seen some horrendous things!  I've wanted to report so many people to animal services! (And I have!)  But its not always that easy for animal services to take any action because technically... when the pet owner brings the animal in for grooming, they ARE being responsible at that moment, and so there's no offense occurring..... 
These are the people that make it almost impossible for good, educated, responsible people to have pets in their family.  
More and more apartment complexes are leasing to pet owners simply because they have to!  Everyone has a pet now!  But they limit the number of pets you can have, they limit the size of pet you can have - making it exceptionally difficult to place larger breeds into good homes, and now  they've incorporated (an amazingly standardized) "breed list" excluding certain breeds from complexes, homes or even entire communities.
Its amazing how something restricting can become so easily standardize yet no one can offer standardized basic pet parent responsibility education!
Here's the thing.... If society is going to continue to "push" for pet adoption, then adopters have to have a place to live too! We're never going to change every idiot or prevent them from being stupid OR irresponsible.  So why not just open up the lease, allow pets without so many restrictions, but require the pet parents to have successfully completed a class?  Add a page to the lease making the pet parent responsible for regular professional cleaning?  Require inspections every six months?  Incorporate pet deposits into monthly payments?  I mean, I get it!  Pets can destroy things!  Pets can smell really bad!  But what we're looking for here is responsibility, not perfection.  Yes!  My dog, in a moment of puppy-hood ignorance, ripped the carpet to shreds!  I'll pay for it! Yes! The kitten I found by the dumpster "sprayed" skunk-funk on the wall before I could get it spayed!  I'll pay for someone to come get rid of the odor!  Yes!  My dog is massively huge, but LOOK!  He has a "Good Citizenship Certificate" from a professional trainer!  
And why is there not "pet insurance"???!
There's insurance for everything else.  My complex requires me to have 'renters insurance'...  Why not generalized personal pet insurance that covers destruction, where ever you live?  The insurance companies could ensure that clients have had classes for the pet as well as the pet parent.  But if there should be an "oops" along the way, notta problem - insurance covers the repairs!
We've come so far, and done what was once considered impossible....  We can change this too!  
As non-homeowners we are a majority these days!  Where there is need, there are solutions.  When the system will not make room for responsible citizens, responsible citizens sneak........  just sayin.......
But there is a better way........  LET'S FIND IT.

Trimming Dog's Nails 101.3

It's an Issue

Referencing the .1 & .2 articles about tools, styles and methods - Of course other people have different, successful ways of trimming nails.  Can you successfully use their way?  Great!  Do it!  That's all we want - a successful, stress-free nail trim.  Of course some can very easily use cheap dollar store nail trimmers.  Absolutely some can just grab a paw up and snip away with no incident.  Can you?  Are you still looking for that magic trick?  Read on....

Pet Groomer 911 is not grooming school.  It's for the 911 cases.  We assume here that there is an "issue" and you're seeking resolution.  That's what these suggestions are all about.

The Problem

Why does a dog (most commonly a dog, but any animal...) seem so resistant or downright scared of having their nails trimmed?  As mentioned before, the paws are one of the three most sensitive parts of their body.  They do not have "hands"...  The control we humans have over our environment is largely due to the fact that we have hands.  If anything goes wrong, we use our hands.  Think about it....  An animal (except other primates) cannot do this. 
Our second sense of control is our ability to speak, to communicate precisely. 

Imagine yourself in China, or some other country where you do not speak the native language.  Imagine your arms in casts and hands taped because of some injury, so that only your nails stuck out, but your fingers couldn't move.  Now imagine yourself at a local doctors office.  You see a bunch of instruments on a tray but you have no idea what's going on.  The doctor picks up something that looks like an small electric saw and turns toward your hands...  What do you do?  If you talk, no one understands you.  If you try to push him away, you are restrained.  You cannot grab his hand to stop him because your hands are taped.  At this point you genuinely begin to feel a sense of vulnerability and dread.  You seem hysterical to the doctor and his staff....  But really, you're just confused and scared because nothing is familiar to you and you feel threatened.....

Now add another element to this scenario - This is your second visit to this doctor.  The first visit was horrible!  While you thought they were probably trying to help you, they were hurting you in ways you could not make them understand.  So this time, you're afraid before you ever walk in the door.  You start to resist before they can even do anything.  Yes they are only trying to help you, but you can't tell them that they're using too much pressure, or they're cutting too close to your skin, or that position only makes the pain worse....  Everything you do, every sound you make only makes you seem like a problem patient!  So it becomes a traumatic event.

This is nail trimming thru your dog's eyes.

When is it not traumatic?  When everyone is speaking the same language, and the doctor is exceptionally aware and caring.

The Other Problem

The animal is not the only "problem" in nail trimming.  The person trimming the nails is actually the one responsible for how your dog reacts.  Again, if that first experience was not good, chances are every time after that is only going to escalate into greater intolerance.

There are good doctors and bad doctors, good teachers and bad teachers, good mechanics and bad mechanics, good hair stylists and bad hair stylists, good groomers and bad groomers.  This is not to judge anyone's character.... this is just to point out what is actually very obvious!!!  Some people were meant to be in the profession they are in - Some were NOT!

My personal exposé  on "the grooming industry" may or may not be forthcoming, but for our purposes here and now, suffice it to say that "all groomers are NOT created equal"!  Many are not trained well, or trained correctly.  Many, even after extensive and sufficient training, never really get it and should not be in a grooming environment.  Many are very good technical groomers but do not actually know a damn thing about dogs.  And MOST know nothing about dog psychology, or that there even is such a thing.  And in the 21st century that is a very, very sad thing....!  

I can't count the times I stood and tried to mind my own business while some new kid struggled with some poor victim trying to trim their nails.  Most of those times I just couldn't take it anymore and walked over and said, "Let me try".  Immediately the dog calms down and I trim the nails relatively easily.  Like magic.....

How Can You Do That?!

I not only understand, but I acknowledge the psyche behind the paw.  I am skilled, knowledgeable, experienced, aware. I was born to do this.  This is why, in spite of all this wonderful information on the blog, I still offer services.  It takes time for some to grasp the awareness that is involved in working peacefully and successfully with animals.  

Environment
I cannot stand a noisy grooming salon!
That may sound bitchy, but I learned from the best, and their salon reflected that!
It is very possible to have a relatively quiet salon, with no incessant barking. That constant, mind numbing barking that most salons "accept" as normal, is all due to lack of control and chaotic energy in the building.  It is NOT normal, nor is it necessary.
All that energy is affecting the dogs like crazy!  It makes them more anxious, more excitable, less cooperative and less safe.
This is another reason why some private, one on one therapy outside the salon environment is often very beneficial.  It helps the animal learn about the groom without all the chaos and fear from other animals and bad groomers that 'the one or two good groomers' in the room have no control over.  A calm, peaceful, zen environment does wonders for anxious animals.  They are so sensitive that they respond much more readily than people do!
In the meantime, the dog's nails need trimming!  Call me.

Be sure to follow up with each installment to get the entire course.

And always remember, I make house calls locally if you need personal instructions or demonstrations for the family or groups.  Visit the website for info on fees and scheduling.

www.petgroomer911.com

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