Over the Top Grooming
Published December 15, 2008
"Let me put the hoochy in your poochy," creative groomer Carmon Baker announced at the 2007 SuperGroom award show. Apparently, she means business.
Her dog was decked in high heels, fishnet stockings, and fake furry bosoms. This is just one of many examples of an increasingly popular pet market: using dogs as a canvas to create beautiful art.
Although creative grooming may seem like a new concept to pet owners, it's actually been around for quite some time. It began with unusual haircuts and progressed into colored dyes, glue, feathers and a festival of other accessories. These doggy-masterpieces were first introduced at the All American Grooming Show in Chicago, IL in 1980 to mixed reviews. Some people were appalled and dubbed the process as pet torture. Trying to turn dogs into something else by cutting, clipping and decorating them is still a controversial area among the canine community.
Any dog with hair long enough to style can be used for creative grooming, but white standard poodles are the breed of choice. Sandra Hartness, an award winning groomer in the business, has shaped her poodle into everything from a Ninja Turtle to a Grateful Dead bear to win first place in seven competitions. "People think I'm injuring the dog but I'm not. The dogs actually enjoy it because for the moment, they get to be the center of attention." She says that big themes for the 2008 grooming shows include Pirates of the Caribbean and the Wizard of Oz.
So how are these outrageous, over-the-top designs produced? The dogs are colored with semi- permanent hair color for people that lasts anywhere from one to three months, blow pens that children use for watercolor art, food coloring, and even colored chalk- all of which are pet friendly. Florida is the only state in the U.S. that outlaws the coloring of dogs. Other essentials include child-safe glue, hairspray, feathers, rhinestones, pom poms, water, and towels. Voila! A show-stopping dog sensation is born.
Joe Villano, who appears on the TV show "Groomer Has It," loves the different patterns and themes he has seen in this niche market over the past 30 years. "The only thing I would remind these groomers of is that dogs have pores and different skin than we do. They need to be sensitive to the fact that their skin will react differently to products than a human test subjects would." Competitions such as SuperGroom and the Les Poochs Poodle Challenge at Pet Fashion Week give them the stage to shine. After competitions, the dogs are all shaved down while their groomers wait six months before their hair grows back completely. Dogs can only do two contests per year.
Creative grooming isn't just for show. Pet owners everywhere are bringing in their pooches to spruce up their everyday look (without giving them a complete identity crisis!) Coloring the coat and shaving the hair into a Mohawk are the two most pup-ular services! If you'd like to spice up your dog's style, locate a groomer near you.
Health & Home
Comments (2)
totally agree with Eris and Chele. I also am a groomer and will second what she said...you really have to love dogs to put up with getting scratched, bit, peed on, etc! The vast majority of pple who are involved in these competitions spoil their dogs rotten and love them like any other family member. Go campaign against real abuse, like dog fighting, for example!
You can tell if a dog is happy by reading his body language. It's not difficult. If the dog is relaxed and wagging his tail, he's in a good mood. If these dogs were not happy about being groomed and shown, then they would let the owners and groomers know about it by growling, raising their hackles, laying their ears back, and growling or possibly even biting. If the dogs felt threatened, they would put their tails between their legs. Some dogs truly enjoy the attention, just like some people enjoy performing or competing.