The Groomer Had It - Now You do!

“The Groomer” has definitely had it - and I haven't even seen it. Yet, this seems a good time to mention the big grooming effort going on in our house – trying to trim Jake’s nails.

First, a word about Jake’s nails. I think of them as WMD protruding from his nice padded paws. From time to time, Jake tries to attract some attention by running his paw across my outstretched leg on the coffee table (or, he’s just trying to teach me some better manners). With summer coming up, I’m not fond of revealing the major scratching and bruising that can result when Jake’s nails aren’t kept reasonably trimmed. There just isn’t enough self-tanning cream in the world to cover up Jake’s handiwork on my legs.

So what’s the big deal, you might well ask? When Jake first came home, I bought a guillotine clipper. Problem is, it is too scary to use. Jake’s nails are very black and I can’t see where the quick is. They are also very dense and it seems unlikely that I’d be able to cut through in one motion. Maybe they could have named the clipper something less frightening. I read too much French literature to use a guillotine of any sort. So, somewhere in my house is yet another tool that will never be used.

Jake hasn’t liked having his nails trimmed since the third time I brought him into the local Petsmart for a trim. The groomer of the day, a creative young woman, with multiple body piercings and tattoos, grabbed Jake very fast without making what might be considered a proper introduction. She just kneeled down to the floor and grabbed his paw and used the guillotine. Jake’s reaction to this was immediate – I feared he might nip her and was glad he did nothing more than make a move for her. After that Jake didn’t even like walking into Petsmart – and when forced to, well, he made it quite clear that he wasn’t going anywhere near the grooming station.

So, Jake’s nails have been kept short by Jeff, our favorite vet-tech, who is very patient with Jake. Overall, it has been a positive experience. Jeff says that Jake is well behaved – and Jeff even gives him kisses on his nose during the process. This has allowed Jake to visit the vet’s frequently and bond with Jeff, all without any major pain being inflicted (unlike that time when he went in happy and left with a collar around his head). This has kept his anxiety about going there to a minimum (though still very evident). This routine is not, however, convenient for me, and it comes with a $19 charge every few weeks.

So, I heard that using a Dremel is the way to go. Unlike the “guillotine” which compresses the dog’s nail before it slices off the end, the Dremel (when used properly) doesn’t seem to hurt. I’d bought a Dremel for a house project and, after many months, finally decided to proceed and introduce it to Jake – even if it is a power tool. My mentor in this process is Dawn. She does so a fantastic job of explaining all the details on her website, I’ll leave it up to you to go there. Also, on YouTube there are several videos, and you’ll find my favorite below - the woman does such a great job of making things fun for her dogs.

So, after one week on introducing the Dremel to Jake, Wags helped me focus Jake on some treats while I tried to figure out how to file down his nails. This was definitely a two person job at the beginning. I think we were both surprised that Jake – who hates to be manhandled – took the procedure so well (though we didn’t do all the nails). And, I’m am exceedingly pleased to report that yesterday evening he allowed me to file several of his nails, including a few while he was lying down on his side in a nice calm state of repose. You don’t have to do all the nails at once!



If your dog has WMD at the end of her paws, consider the Dremel. And, as everyone will say, don’t just grab the Dremel and your dog’s paws. It is, after all, a power tool, and you want ensure that your dog is ready for it. Make the whole routine positive and you can be your dog’s best groomer. Good luck!

Groomer Has It: trying to untangle the knots….

Apologies for the hiatus.... I'm still recovering from suffering through the first episode of "Groomer Has It."

In the interest of the blog and due to my dedication to the thousands of “Two Wet Noses” fans (okay, handful) who valued (and more importantly, agreed with) last week’s review of “Groomer Has It,” I decided to confront another week of a bad reality tv program. So, I watched (endured really) the second episode of “Groomer Has It.” In the interest of full disclosure, I have to say that I was unable to watch “live” on Animal Planet and had to view the show on the computer a few days later, but I suspect my reaction would be pretty much the same….

Just like last week, the script is appalling. Must we be subjected to these pathetic “plays” upon words, including such pearls as “claws come out” “a leg up,” and something about a hydrant.

In addition, Jai Rogdriguez is still a terrible host. He has the personality of a fire hydrant….and he certainly doesn’t demonstrate any charm (smiling is not charm) or knowledge of the material a la Tim Gunn of Project Runway, or even Tom Colicchio, taciturn chief judge on Top Chef.

And speaking of judges, these three don't hold up in comparison to the teams on Project Runway or Top Chef: Xavier Santiago is just unpleasant and unattractive; Joey Villani seems to hold the most promise in terms of being personable and willing to tell Xavier he's full of it; and can you even remember what "Doc" Halligan contributed to the episode? This week's guest judge didn’t add any value to the program…. we care about her, why???

In the end, these shows succeed or fail based on the contestants. This crew is not only dull, but tedious. Do we have to hear more about who is the real "celebrity" groomer? These people certainly aren’t interesting enough to root for. In last season's Project Runway, from the outset, when Elisa spit on her material, we all knew she was a nut. And Christian was just a little arrogant (yet very talented) twerp…. In the case of GHI, either they are dull ego maniacs or even duller also rans. I mean really, who cares who wins this “competition?”

It’s too bad that we don’t get to bond with the dogs during the course of this tanglefest….. Then maybe it would be worth watching to see who gets bitten by a real dog as opposed to by those dreary judges.

Please tell me I don't have to watch another episode.....

"Groomer Has It" needs to be snipped! Quick!

I have quite a high tolerance for what others might deem to be bad television, but I think that last Saturday I may have stumbled across one of the absolute worst television shows of all time: Animal Planet's Groomer Has It which among other things has a tedious host, dull competitors, is scripted with appalling doggie related word play (the show’s title should be your first clue about the low level of creativity of the writers) and a lame prize: a mobile grooming truck, $50k and the title “Groomer of the Year” -- which will be meaningful to who?

This show is a complete knock off of Bravo’s Top Chef one of my favorite shows, especially this season since it takes place in Chicago…. but I digress

First we have our host: Jai Rodriguez formerly of Queer Eye. I’m sorry, but after watching this show, it is clear that your ten minutes of fame are over.

Then we have our twelve contestants who will be residing in "The Dog House." Doesn't sound very attractive to me, and when you see the inside, it's not... festooned with awful doggie art. Two of the competitors -- Jonathan and Jorge -- are engaged in a 'sub-battle' of who is the 'real' celebrity dog groomer..... who cares?!?!? If you are really making so much money making house calls to your celebrity dog clients, what are you doing on this ridiculous show?

Format wise, we have the “Quick Sniff Challenge” (sounds like.... "Quick Fire Challenge!") where the winner gets an advantage over the other clippers…. not immunity, at least in the first episode. As part of this challenge, one of the groomers sniffed one of the dogs in the derriere! Gross!

Then we move along to the "Elimination Challenge" which is launched with an inspiring: “Ready, Set, Groom!” In this first episode, the contestants had to groom yarn dogs… basically a stuffed animal, to find out “which groomer has it.”

One groomer broke his dog’s leg!
One groomer colored her dog completely pink (magenta really)!
One stenciled “I love NY” on his dog.

If you “meet the standard” you are safe; if you win the challenge, you get the “pick of the litter” for the next Quick Sniff Challenge; if you are the second worse, you “go back to the dog house with your tail between your legs” and if you are at “the back of the pack” you have to leave the “dog house” immediately. Can you see how awful the scripting is???

When we thankfully got the the point of getting rid of one of these people, Jai says “Every dog has its day. Lisa, it’s not your day.” I can’t believe I even lasted the whole hour….

Thumbs down, paws down, tail down.... no treats for Animal Planet....

In honor of my big black dog

Did you see the article on CNN.com “Big Black Dog Syndrome leaves them homeless?” The article discusses many people’s fear of big black dogs. As a result, black dogs, regardless of size, are the most difficult shelter dogs to place. The article also mentions blackpearldogs.com a site dedicated to the cause of the black dog.

Fear of black dogs is something I am familiar with because, until recently, I had a (sort of big) black dog. It was not uncommon for people to cross the street when they saw him coming, but Sherman, a border collie lab mix, was the sweetest dog in the world.

Sherman was found wandering the streets of the Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago by a co-worker. He was probably about a year old and was such a mess that she called him Grizzly. When I was first introduced to him, he smelled terrible, his fur was coarse, and he was very gangly and uncoordinated, with thin legs too long for his body. Not a very appealing prospect really. But, one look from his steadfast gaze and the pressure from his head leaning against my leg, and I was hooked.

Sherman had a gentle disposition. Sherman’s tail wagged like a metronome, steadily and rhythmically, while you petted him. He grew into his legs and was just the right height that his chin fit perfectly on your lap. He was just the right weight that when he put his head on my chest at night I could still breathe. He loved to chase the tennis ball, but wasn’t very good at giving it back. He loved walks and when we would stop to chat with the neighbors, he would lean his head against their leg -- this always resulted in getting his head petted. He would abandon me at the dog park because he always found someone who would throw the ball for him which he would chase unendingly until, oftentimes, his pads bled. He loved to swim and to fetch the ball in the lake.

Sherman was a truly great black dog. He was a steadfast and wonderful companion. We were together for more than 11 years. I miss him very much.

Welcome to Flea Season, Chicago!

Welcome to April and flea season, and the heartworm season will be just around the corner, too, in Chicago. Our blog and dog friends live around the world – we’re now visited by interesting people and fabulous doggies in 16 countries – so we know it is always flea season somewhere.

This morning, as the ground is beginning to warm here (even though the tv weatherperson said this morning that there could be snow showers later in the week – will it never end?!), I began to ponder Jake’s fleas and heartworm needs. Peering into his stash of supplies in the kitchen “Jake drawer” (and it is difficult to do so without Jake trying to nose around in there at the same time), it seems the supplies are getting low.

I’ve always purchased our supplies directly from Jake’s vet – whom we both adore – yet the office has always given me the impression that they may charge a bit more than others. Sometimes I’ve been lucky enough to tap into a special manufacturer’s deal for vets' patients and get an extra vial in a 6 pack. My impression has been that Jake’s vet sells the medications as a convenience (and for profit) for the pets and their owners (to make sure they take them for the pet’s health), and that I could rest assured that Jake would be getting the real stuff and not a knock-off. So the additional cost was acceptable to me. Indeed, sometimes when I would see Frontline hanging in some pet supplies stores (that shall go nameless), they appeared dusty and worn – making me wonder, are they knock-offs?

As I've always say – “nothing but the best for my dog!”

Today, for a change, motivated in part by my desire to be of some use with this blog by having my fingers do the walking for you, I decided to pay a visit to Doctors Fosters and Smith to do a bit of comparison pricing. They look like a couple of nice guys, although Jake didn’t take a shine to them the way he does to Dr. Grogman.

Surprisingly, not only did Dr. Fosters & Smith have some good prices, they were also helpful in my general research. Searching for Frontline Plus (the brand Jake uses), I found a complete, up to date comparison table for pricing several pet supply companies.

Turns out that Jake’s 6 pack of frontline at Dr. Grogman’s is $88.80 and that Drs. Fosters & Smith charges $73.99. A similar exercise for Heartgard Plus (12 tabs) was $80.04 and $65.52.

So, just as I was about to tell you that I was going to purchase from Drs. Fosters & Smith, I took a stroll over to Amazon and found a vendor who will sell a six pack of Frontline Plus to us for $59.99, but I don't know what the shipping is. Drs. Fosters & Smith doesn’t charge for shipping on these medications. . .and they have a well known brand. So, you figure out for yourself which is the best deal. (And, I'll leave it to Wags to put up the Amazon contact info to the right...)

Yes, I’ll feel a little guilty buying from someone else - I do like supporting my local vet. And, don’t tell Jake. In any event, I’ll make it up to him with a visit to Dr. Grogman and Jeff, the best vet tech, soon.

Tails from the backyard

The past few days were very active here because Jake was visiting. He’s pretty fun to have around in spite of his ridiculously big pointy ears. Did you know, when he was a puppy his ears were bigger than his whole head!

When he visits, one of the first things I do is remind him who is Queen of the Castle. This weekend we only had one knock down drag out over the tennis ball. Wags had to yank us apart.

Wags also paid a lot more attention to Jake than to me these past few days. This is because Jake is not as well mannered as me. He has a habit of running out the back door and barking like a maniac at Tango, the neighbor’s new dog. (It was even worse with the neighbor’s old dog, but that dog just vanished one day….)

Wags doesn’t like all the noise when dogs bark at each other for no good reason (at least from her perspective)…. Something about disturbing the peace. So, she invented a game for Jake. She would open the back door, they would run out together, she would tell him to be quiet, and if he was, he would get a treat. If he barked, they would go back inside right away. This back and forth, in and out, seemed to go on for a long time. But, Jake loves treats so it wasn’t very long before he was running outside, being quiet and not paying any attention to Tango at all. He’s not 100% yet, but good progress was made. Wags seemed very proud of herself and of Jake.


In the meanwhile, it was my job to watch and look beautiful. I have included a photo of me just so you can enjoy looking at me!

Queen Phoebe

From the Dogs Around the World Category...

The big news in the UK is that, starting this weekend, if you lose your dog, your dog may be lost to you forever. At least that is the concern. Seems a brand new law was put into place this weekend that has relieved the police from any responsibility to take care of strays and placed it squarely though not definitively on the shoulders on the local authorities. UK animal charities, like Blue Cross (not be be confused with Blue Cross in the US which is designed for humans who only feel from time to time that they are treated like dogs), Dogs Trust and the http://www.rspca.org.uk/ are worried. See news article.

Seems that the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has faith in the local authorities (and, it would be helpful if someone from the UK could help translate this term to me, because back where I come from, the local authorities are the police) will do a good job of tending to local strays. Taking care of one's own, so to speak. Seems that the DEFRA unloaded £4 million pounds from the police budget to local authorities as part of this recent change of law. Still, the animal charities don’t think this will cover the expense, pointing out the enacted law was vague. They note that the law requires local authorities to create 24-hour drop-off points for the dogs “where practicable” but, then again, what’s your definition of practicable?

The charities think that, when £4 million is divided up, this will be less than £10,000 per local authority. Huh? How many dogs are escaping from each UK hamlet every year? What are fences and leashes for, anyway?

Of course, the greater concern is that “stray dogs may be left wandering the streets during times when dog wardens are not available, such as weekends” or, worse yet, local authorities have the right to destroy dogs after seven days, according to the charities. (Isn't that what police do? All this goes to show that we may think we speak the same language but we don't.)

Yet, wanting to end today on a happy note, sometimes one person's stray dog is another person's life saver. The Daily India reported today from Chennai that Julie the stray dog is saving lives at Marina Beach. Seems Julie has been assisting the patrolling policemen (local authorities, perhaps?) by keeping a watchful eye over children and barking and preventing people who are practicing unsafe beach and water use from running into the water. “The regulars on the beach say that they have been noticing the dog for the past one month rendering extraordinary humanitarian service to the society.” Now that Julie is around, no one drowns at that beach. So, the police are now training several more strays. Won't someone bring them home? What more do they need to do to earn a nice place at the foot of the bed?

Doggies around the world – we love them. Ta - and have a great weekend!

Skidboot's afterlife...

It’s hard to love and lose. I loved and lost a dog in less than three weeks. His name was Skidboot.

About three weeks ago, I fell in love with Skidboot and David on Pet Star. Well, I really liked the man, but I loved the dog. What a team. They did an incredible routine – “the sneak” – in which Skidboot worked with David in response to every command about approaching and, ultimately, taking a toy. David’s control of Skidboot, and Skidboot’s intensity and self-control, were the amazing.

Jake and Skidboot share a common heritage – the Australian Cattle Dog. Perhaps I connected with Skidboot because he reminded me so of Jake. Perhaps it is because Skidboot gives me a better idea of what Jake can achieve . I’d like my doggie to meet his own full potential. Jake knows 30+ commands so far and, for a brief moment today, I toyed with the idea of sending him to David because he could do so much with Jake. Still, Jake and I are a team and we’ll just do our best together. And, Jake won’t have to share me with lots of other dogs or be taken about the country for performances (he doesn't like new places or even new people much, but David could probably have helped him with that). He can just perform for his biggest fan.

Meanwhile, after remarking to a friend that I wish she had seen the recent program with Skidboot, she sent me a link to tv news report. All very hot news, it seemed. I must have seen a rerun on Pet Star, I thought. Watching the report, last night, my eyes welled with tears to learn that Skidboot was “now” going blind and how this affected his relationship with David and their enjoyment of life. This morning, on Skidboot’s website, I learned that Skidboot was laid to rest on March 25, 2007. That’s more than one year ago – and apparently, almost 623,000 viewings ago on YouTube, as well as performances on Oprah, Jay Leno, etc. And, no, I don't get around much -- I work for a living.

Now we know…there is life after death. And we know where to find it.




(PS to David Hartwig – if you ever read this, please come and visit us – see what you can do with my little guy! Jake and I hope you and Barbara are well now, a year after losing Skidboot, though we know that, like Mr. Bojangles, after 20 years you’ll still grieve for him.)