Pantops Pet Salon & Spa
Charlottesville's Professional Dog Grooming

Below is a video of our bathing process.

For detailed information about the bath process, click here

Archived from “The Paw Report:”  Issue #10, April

If you follow politics or advertising, you know that it is possible to find backing for any opinion you want—just design the question then test or experiment in such a way that you get the results you want.  In researching different topics for my own knowledge as well as sharing in the newsletter, I have to be very careful of my sources.  When writing about nutrition, I don’t value a study conducted by the Purina dog food company nearly as much as that of an independent source that doesn’t have financial ties to the outcome.  A veterinary association or the government department of health are sources I would consider more reliable.  That’s not to say that I don’t read the findings of the Purina research, I just make sure I look at other resources to see how it all adds up.  The more varied the sources are, the more likely you are to get an accurate picture.  So when you need articles about pet care, be sure to see who is doing the research and what the organization’s stakes are in the outcome of that research. 

Case in point—we have a host of scientists telling us global warming has been influenced by our behavior, yet there are also climatologists out there that think it is a natural cycle and they have graduate degrees in their field as well.  The issue has become political—it is divided along party lines with Democrats often believing in human-influenced global warming and Republicans believing in natural climate change.  Who is doing what research, what are the financial stakes and what does politics have to do with science?

A Career as a Dog Groomer

 Can I Watch?

Continuing Education

Dodger’s Daring Rescue

Grooming is a Great Experience – For All of Us!

How Long do I have to Leave my Pet?

The Time it Takes and Why

Who is Doing the Research?

References

We recommend 4-5 hours, at least four, and for larger dogs with thicker coats we definitely need 6—so it all depends on the dog!  Some dogs are small but have a lot of hair that can add time to brushing and drying while Brownie our Mastiff friend may be large but her coat is so easy to clean that it takes us less time to do her than to do a smaller dog.

Some dogs dislike certain aspects of grooming too so we like to make certain that we have the time to work slowly and carefully with them.  If you ever need an early pickup we recommend calling to reserve your spot in advance and ensuring that you arrive as close to when we open that day as possible so that we can get started immediately on your dog.
 
We may take longer than other grooming shops because we prefer to give dogs breaks between parts of grooming and we also like being on time so we give ourselves breathing room in case anything unexpected comes up—and it usually does!

~Jenna

We have been discussing the senses of dogs in previous issues, but what about our senses in relation to dogs?  Grooming provides a positive stimulation of many of our senses—sight, hearing, touch.  Most of our customers react very positively when they pick up their dog(s)—and they should!  After all, the dogs look good, smell good, and feel soft and silky to the touch.  Some dogs will bark or squeal their excitement as well.  After all that, how can you not reach out to pet that smiling doggy face?  I know that after Lizzie gets a bath and brush, I can’t help but give her extra petting and bury my nose in that soft, clean-smelling fur. 
Yes, it lowers my blood pressure and really helps you understand the benefits offered by therapy dogs.  This use of so many senses produces a strong positive exchange which reinforces the bond between owner and dog.  A freshly groomed dog gets a little extra love and this is an experience that we appreciate being able to be a part of.  Every day, we get to make dogs more comfortable, beautiful, and endearing to their owners.  Nothing beats the happy smiles on canine and human faces when they are pleased with a groom. 

We’d like to thank you for being part of that experience!

Archived from “The Paw Report:”  Issue #9, March.

We need about 4+ hours to groom the average dog. Of course a Chihuahua or a beagle bath is certainly the exception, but for most of our pets the brush out, clipping, and bath takes time. If we were to work straight through on a dog it would take us an average of two hours, but it is more efficient for us (and less stressful for the dogs, especially the geriatric) to work in four phases.

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This is quite a frequent question!  The answer is not as simple as “yes” or “no.”  Can you stand amidst us as we work for 3-5 hours on your dog?  No, that is not practical.  Can you see the grooming process?  It depends.  The main grooming room can be seen from our reception area over the top of the café door and past the main grooming room you can see into our holding and bathing areas. 

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As I described in the last issue, there are certain breeds that we just don’t do.  I groomed Chows for 25 years before I decided that I had enough.  Has my experience with the breed been unique?  I went online to find out.  Next Day Pets gives a candid overview of each of the breeds including a graph of characteristics as compared with the average dog.  Here’s what they had to say about Chows:

Archived from “The Paw Report,”  Issue #6:  December

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I’ve been in the dog business for 31 years now and believe that I understand a good bit about dog ownership.  I figure we see an average 15 dogs a day or better.  For 25 years, that was 7 days a week for 5,475 pet encounters a year.  Do the math and I’ve handled or witnessed the handling of about 169,725 dogs to date.  This only includes my experiences in the environment of boarding and grooming but couple that with owning plenty of my own dogs and that’s quite a knowledge base to draw on!

However, I don’t rely solely on my own experience to make claims about dog behavior.  I would like to share with you several sources I frequently use as research to validate my opinions before I say them.

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Archived from “The Paw Report:”  Issue #4, October 

There are several breeds that we don’t groom including Rottweilers, Chows, and Siberian Huskies.  I did not make the decision to deny these dogs arbitrarily.  In fact, I groomed all breeds for a full 25 years (even groomed cats too).  It was a difficult decision—saying no to a customer means I don’t make the money, a situation I couldn’t afford when I was starting my family.  I’m in the business to groom dogs so why would I say “no” to these dogs–not just an impossible individual dog, but entire breeds?  Why, after 25 years did I finally say, “That’s enough!  I quit!”

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