Pantops Pet Salon & Spa
Charlottesville's Professional Dog Grooming

The pet industry is really hot right now. Animal Planet and Discovery Channel are full of programs about breeds, training and grooming. The Retail Industry is pushing the humanizing of our best friend and Pet Supply catalogs reflect the tastes of the “Hollywood” crowd. It’s one thing to buy a short haired dog a coat or sweater for the winter, but a name-brand dress or pajamas? How about faux suede coats, rucked satin dresses, East Side Collection Tigress dresses, Velour Royalty hoodies–the list goes on and on. And if you want to dress alike, how about an Andover Argyle hat and gloves for the owner and a matching sweater for your pet?

Sorry folks, Paris Hilton and her ilk can take a hike. I need to make a living just like anyone else, but this marketing of dogs like Barbies is crossing the line. The relationship I have with my Golden Lizzie is one I hope includes dignity and respect. Dogs, in addition to being the best companion animal, are constantly being challenged to find new and unique ways to use their sense of smell, sight, and hearing. Sniffing out illegal drugs, explosives, and tracking people has been around for years…and now we are looking into cancer detection. The bond a K-9 Police Officer has with his dog is powerful. Can you imagine him putting PJ’s on that dog at night?
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Marketing doesn’t stop with the Retail Industry….grooming is just as bad. Seen pictures of any white poodles dyed pink lately? Most of my grooming magazines are full of new and unique ways of making money, but most of it is just a gimmick to get you to spend. Now, in addition to giving a haircut, I’m supposed to offer such services as pedicures with a paw soaking bath. The dog must stand in a pan filled with a moisturizing solution for 5 minutes. After being toweled dry, each foot is individually massaged with a moisturizing creme, yada yada. These are the same paws that need to walk on the sidewalk and run through the woods in a variety of weather conditions. While we need to watch them for cracks and sores, a certain amount of toughness is necessary. This treatment can be followed with a facial, moisture wrap and therapeutic massage. And if that’s not enough, throw in an exfoliating “mud scrub.” Guess what? I’m not going there and Charlottesville doesn’t want it anyway. Maybe in New York, Chicago or San Francisco–but not here in good ol’ C’ville.

Success in grooming here comes from a sincere effort to provide the basics: a good brushing, thorough bath and proper haircut when called for. It’s not a marketing ploy or a money grab; it’s about keeping your dog’s coat and skin healthy. It’s about good work and the golden rule. We’re happy to top it off with bows or a bandana for that added sparkle but not if it makes your dog uncomfortable.

Fido eats something you’re unaware of and later that day develops a bad case of diarrhea–oh boy, “make my day!” If your dog has a thick coat on his hind quarters, more often than not you end up with quite a mess. For Collie, Sheltie and and Golden types we can blend some of that hair away when they are here for grooming, making it a cleaner process. While we do cut back on hair length, we only remove what is necessary….leaving as much as 2 -3 inches of coat. If your pet tends to have loose stool anyway, give this a thought. Simply say, “Poop shoot please.”

How long did it take you to teach your dog to fetch? Honestly, my Springer Spaniel never learned how! Imagine the intensive training that dogs must go through to become trusted members of not only the police force, but the military as well. As early as ancient Roman times, dogs have been used in war. They were sent to bite and claw enemy soldiers while wearing sharp collars. During World War I, dogs were used to kill rats in the trenches. The use of working dogs surged in World War II when the US Military deployed more than 10,000 dogs for use as sentries, scouts, messengers, and mine detectors.

German Shepards and Belgian Malinois make excellent military dogs due to their intelligence, loyalty, athleticism and even their aggression–it is war, after all. But even the most loyal dog requires training. A typical program starts with 120 days of lessons from basic obedience to how to sniff for various substances including firearms, ammunition, explosives and even people in hiding. Army Col. David Rolfe is the director of the Defense Department’s Military Working Dog Program at Lackland Air Force base. Rolfe says the reward during this training is a ball or a rubber toy and some play time because “food works only so long. What the dog really wants you to do is play with it.” After becoming certified, the dogs must spend a month acclimating with their handlers and then must continue to be certified annually.

Dogs have a leg up on humans and machines. Staff Sgt. Andrew Mier, a military working dog trainer, explains that dogs strike fear in an aggressor in a way that humans can’t. “A dog creates a strong psychological deterrent.” The loyal heart of a dog is also a boon. It may take 50 years or more before a machine can replicate the sensitivity of a dog’s nose (a sense of smell up to 10x that of a human’s). Even then, a dog has an urge to please. Rolfe says, “a dog will go looking for something on its own where a machine won’t.”

There is no other animal that we trust in a life or death situation. But that very trust is a two-way street and I’m not sure how I feel about sending dogs into a warzone. It helps to know that the military respects their working dogs as soldiers. Work is under way for improved body armor and gas masks that can be fitted to a dog’s face. There are also pills in development that may help working dogs survive a nerve-gas attack. Temperatures can reach as high as 135 degrees in Afghanistan so cooling vests are also being made. Now there’s some clothing a dog could really use! Ray Booska, head of the company making the vests, says, “These dogs save the lives of our sons and daughters and we’re going to do everything we can to help them.”

I’ve been in business since 1975–that’s 33 years of dog grooming and consequently I’ve seen lots of ups and downs in the economy, but nothing like this. While business has been slower for most of this year (around a 5% decrease), August was especially bad. While it is generally slower due to last minute vacations and kids going back to school, it seemed like instead of a gradual leak, someone took the plug out of the tub…..and it was a big plug! Down about 25%! The reality of the market has really come home to roost, and I’m told it’ll be perching for another 1.5-2 years. OUCH!
I started to get concerned a couple of years ago when credit card purchases became the norm and home values experienced annual double digit increases. I dropped my Jeep Grand Cherokee like a hot potato and bought a Toyota Yaris (40 miles to the gallon). Now you can’t give away an SUV. Glad I saw that one coming! We’ve known for years that false increases in real estate appraisals couldn’t be sustained, and we were right. Now we are in a banking crisis that is being financed by loans from China and oil cartels, to go along with a near doubling of energy costs. And where is the money coming from for relief after hurricanes Gustof and Ike? How is California paying to fight all those wild fires?
When I tell people that grooming is taking a hit as well, they seem shocked. After all, “everyone just loves their dog!” Right. You should see the condition of some of the dogs that come in–the horror stories I could tell. Anyway, professional grooming is a luxury item that many of us need to budget for and it doesn’t quite measure up to buying groceries, paying the rent, or buying the gas to get to work. Notice I said “professional” grooming, the quality you get from paying a skilled artist. Just because you may not be able to afford our services doesn’t take you off the hook to take care of your dog. While I obviously can’t sustain my business unless most of you find us within your budget, reality says some of you may do more at home and others take more time between visits. Now is a good time to consider a shorter haircut that’ll last a bit longer. Please take a moment to read our article on Matting so you can understand what we need from you if you do wait longer between visits. Also read our Brushout articlewhich thoroughly describes our process and should give you some tips for maintaining your dog’s coat (and thus health and comfort) between visits.
So, imagine our customers who used to come in 4 times a year are now stretching it to 3, that’s still an annual loss of 25% in gross sales for us-without losing the customer. What are we doing about it? A couple of months ago I gave my employees a $2.00/hour raise to help cover the increase in gas prices so they could get to work – three of them live in Greene County. This resulted in a grooming price increase of between $2 and $4 on most services. Having done that, my next objective was to streamline the business without sacrificing quality. I lost a groomer to pregnancy and she won’t be replaced. Jenna, who was my full time office manager, now lives in Savannah, Georgia. While she still works online for me, it’s only for 5 hours per week. Her receptionist and office duties have reverted back to me. I also had a part-time person close in the afternoons who I let go so I’ve taken on that job as well. I had my windows cleaned and floor waxed twice a month by outside help–a great service that adds real shine to the shop but not a necessity. I’m now taking on that cleaning too. You’ll notice that bandanas, which have increased in price by 30%, are no longer free. While not essential to grooming, they are a nice touch for some and will be available at cost – $1.00. What won’t be changed is our effort to provide quality service and professionalism.
My son Michael, owner of The Pet Motel and Salon, questioned whether we should lower prices to see if we could increase business, but I’m not convinced that we can. My employees and I are just like everyone else. We find ourselves needing more money to meet expenses, not less. And you can bet that the business needs it too–just like bandanas, our supplies are getting more expensive across the board and there are some we just can’t do without.
So there you have it. The economy is in crisis, predicted to get worse and we are all going to have to adjust to stretching our dollars to cover higher costs. Keep in mind, while grooming certainly makes your dog look good, it’s more importantly about cleanliness, comfort and health. Try to keep us in your budget, but if you can’t don’t let your dog suffer. Frequent brushing and an occasional bath can go a long way.

Dorothy Thomas has been a great customer of ours for years. Last spring, her children got together and gave her a unique and much appreciated gift certificate that she could share with her Toy Poodle, Rene. They pooled their money and bought her a certificate for $200–the equivalent of four haircuts.

If you have a special someone with a dog and can’t quite figure out what to get them, keep us in mind. You don’t even need to come in, simply give us a call and we can have the gift certificate mailed to you or your recipient.

I woke up this morning and was greeted by the first snow dusting of the season. I do a three mile walk most mornings with Lizzie, my Golden Retriever and Salon receptionist. The snow this morning got me to thinking about her paws. Poor girl was barefoot! The way she runs through the woods, on gravel roads and asphalt parking lots leaves me amazed at the toughness of her pads. But as with everything, there are limits. Pavement can be way too hot, rocks too sharp, and ice too cold. This summer when we left the salon and crossed the parking lot on our way to the river for our mid-day walk, I made it a point to avoid as much pavement as possible. Yes, it could fry an egg.

This winter, we need to avoid walking where rock salt and chemical de-icers have been used. If your dog does walk across this material, make sure to wash her paws afterward. Not only will the chemicals burn open sores or cracks in the pads, it is toxic if ingested–and you know dogs will lick their feet. The best bet for your own home use is a bag of play sand or cat litter for the driveway.

The other safety measure for paws is to keep them well-trimmed. Hair between the pads collects burrs, mud, and small rocks in summer. In winter–ice and snow. Imagine walking with icicles stuck to your bare feet! I keep the hair between Lizzie’s pads short. At the salon, when we are asked to trim the feet of most breeds, the bottom of the pads is included as well.

I guess the bottom line with paw care is fairly simple-responsible pet ownership. Happy hiking!

From cervical cancer vaccines to potential treatments, cancer research has been progressing at a hopeful rate lately. Our dogs are also susceptible to this condition of abnormal cell growth. It’s a more frequent occurrence in older dogs–nearly half of all dogs over 10 years old will develop cancer. Some breeds are more susceptible to certain forms of cancer than others. Boxers may develop skin tumors, German shepherds may develop spleen tumors and bone cancer is common in giant breeds. Some pesticides, herbicides and radiation can also increase the risk for cancer.

When dogs come in for grooming, we examine their skin and fur throughout the process. If we find anything unusual, we will let the owner know. When it comes to cancer, this means abnormal swelling, sores that don’t heal, lumps, etc. Some symptoms you may see at home include bleeding or discharge from any body orifice, difficulty eating, swallowing or breathing, and difficulty urinating or defecating among other more generic symptoms like weight loss.

If your dog develops cancer, a veterinary recommendation is to maintain your dog’s usual routine whenever possible. Frequent exercise (as able) keeps your dog healthy physically and in a positive state of mind. Like humans, dogs can undergo chemotherapy and if so they usually have increased protein and energy demands.

Click here for a thorough article on mast cell tumors, one of the most common cancers in dogs.

The latest fad in grooming is to use a rotary grinder. It is advertised as a safe and easy way to take down your dog’s nails. But take it from me, there is nothing easy about it and it’s not any safer either.

Most dogs are reluctant to get their nails done as it is. Many of them pull and resist quite a bit–even our most calm dogs are rarely happy about the process. There is a vein that grows into the nail which can be cut during nail cutting. It hurts and bleeds and we try our best not to clip too close when we use the nail clippers. Occasionally, especially with black nails, we do hit the vein. We keep styptic powder in the shop to apply and stop the bleeding but it’s not fun for either of us when an accident happens. It’s a fine line though. We often get told to clip the nails as short as possible especially in the case of owners worried about hardwood floors and scratches on their legs. Remember that the length we can cut is dictated by the length of the quick (the vein). Some dogs have nails that just naturally scrape right against the floor. Also keep in mind that cutting nails shorter doesn’t dull them. Freshly cut nails are extra sharp and need to be worn down with long walks on pavement.

Our shop stays away from grinders. We do our best to be quick and careful. As for being safer, grinders can hit the quick just as easily as nail clippers can. Nail grinding takes more time and ultimately more patience to get the job done. Most dogs will have nothing to do with it. With a nail clipper, we can just git ‘er done but grinding involves holding an unwilling dog in an uncomfortable position for much longer. This can be even more difficult with dogs who are scared by the noise of the grinder.

Cut through the advertising and do what works best for your dog. If you are interested and your dog is willing, we are able to file nails. But for most dogs, the more comfortable solution is nail clippers.

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