24 Hours of Fame.

Yesterday was my dog, Logan's "day" on the 365 page a day dog calendar.  I submitted his photo along with one of both my dogs and hoped for the best.  Mr. Photogenic was chosen to be  March 29th.  It's really fun to have your dog picked out of the many (I'm guessing millions, right? HA!) submissions. 

I know, this blog is supposed to be about my job, but every once in a while my personal life will show up. Let's face it, I somewhat consider my dogs to be walking advertisements for my mad grooming skills.  Especially since when people see my dogs, they generally say something like "of course that would be a groomer's dog".  I wonder what they'd say if I owned an Italian Greyhound?   I think most groomers would disagree.  I think I'm in the minority.  I think most groomers have short-haired breeds that take little maintenance.  There are days, usually during my busy season at work,  when I think they are far more intelligent than me.

I like the look of long hair,  I'm not really a smooth-coated breed fan (sometimes during the muddy season, I could easily be swayed however).  I also knew, when choosing a breed, that I wouldn't want a dog that needed a haircut on a regular basis.  I give haircuts all day long...who wants to do more, especially FREE haircuts.  So, I found the Bearded Collie to meet my needs.  A fun loving, happy breed.  I can mindlessly brush away, no need for much trimming. 

My dog's coats do take alot of upkeep.  It's the most popular question I get about my dogs..."So, do you have to brush them much?"   I find that a funny question, as I wonder if they really expect the answer to be no.    I brush them on average an hour per week, per dog.  They still get matts, and I really could brush them more often, but this has been working for us.  I bathe them every two weeks, mostly because I like really clean dogs.  I've had the breed since 1989, I got my 1st one while I was still in grooming school.  That dog and the subsequent one, I eventually clipped down for one reason or another.  That worked too.  They of course no longer look very Beardie-like, but it's the same dog, underneath all the hair.  I have yet to find a breed I like as well, but they are most certainly not for everyone.  The comment I hear from many people is, "I would have a Beardie if it wasn't for all that coat care"  Smart people, if you like the breed for the "look", in addition to the personality and athletic ability.

Wow..this post really got off-track.   Sorry about that.   You must want to see the picture now, right?  Here it is!  I didn't write the little description they have on it.  I did give some info, but found it funny that the caption is all about the color of dog show ribbons, but they never mention the green ones Logan is pictured with.  They are qualifying ribbons, for those who may not know.  If you are interested in submitting one of your photos for an upcoming calendar visit this link.