Today was one of those days.....

when I sit back & say to myself "WHY am I still doing this for a living?!? I have asked myself that many times over the years & I still haven't come up with an answer.

It started off on a bad note, when I climbed out of bed this morning, my back was no better than when I layed down last night, if anything it was worse. Still hurting, but in a different place now. But that is not what sent the day on the downhill spiral.

First, a little background on my grooming shop. I used to go to the client's house & groom their dog, but my back has gotten in such a shape now that I physically can't do that anymore. The biggest complaint I heard when I started the mobile business, clients hated leaving their dog all day long for a grooming, they loved the idea of me working on their dog & only their dog with no distractions & their baby not being put in a cage. I have tried to keep my shop as close to that as I can, so I only do one client at a time, I don't have a shop full of dogs, I don't have any cages & most dogs are out in 1.5 hours. So I HAVE to stay on schedule if I am going to run the shop that way. Now, for the play by play of my day.....

I had 3 dogs scheduled today, the first one was a little terrier mix that I pick up & drop back off, he was scheduled at 10am. I was sitting on the couch, having a cup of coffee trying to wake up & stop hurting when someone rings my little doggie doorbell at the downstairs at my shop. It's 9am, who is ringing my bell that early? So down those horrid stairs I go & there stands the client that will end up being my client from Hades today! "I'm here ta drop th' dawg fer cuttin" he says. I politely tell him, "I'm sorry, but your appointment is not until 1:00 this afternoon, I have a dog I have to pick up/drop off at 10 & I can't possibly get to yours right now." He stood there on his 2 feet looking at me like I was speaking Latin & tells me his wife said, blah, blah, blah. Again, I tell him he DOES have an appt. today, but not until 1:00. So off he goes muttering something I couldn't understand & says he'll be back, but it won't be until around 1:30. I told him that would be fine, I'll see him this afternoon. So..

I go pick up Max, go by Bojangles & pick up my breakfast & back to the shop to eat & get to work. Max is a wonderful little dog that I love to groom, I normally have him finished in about an hour so that gave me plenty of time to eat first. Well, the phone was ringing off the wall today with some of the craziest people on the other end, the rain started again while my dogs were out back playing, so I had to stop, climb those dad-burn stairs again & let them all back in. Back down the stairs to finish up Max, when hubby called to tell me he was having trouble with the computer at our auto repair shop, after trying to "talk him through it" I finally told him since I would be going by the repair shop to drop Max back off, I would stop & see what I could do, I had a little time since the next dog wasn't going to be here until 1:30. I dropped off Max, fixed the computer problem & was almost home when Jake called & said "Mom that man is here with his dog" ~ the time? 1:05. Ok, so I did tell him 1:00 so I told Jake to tell him I would be there within 5 minutes, please wait if he can.

I pull up to find the man sitting on our car towing trailer, chewing tobacco & SPITTING IT ON MY CARPORT!! (another thing I had to do today, spray down the carport & get the tobacco off it!) I apologized & explained that I wasn't expecting him until 1:30 like he said, again, speaking in Latin. He gets the dog out of the truck & it is in horrible shape! Matted to the skin, full of fleas & sores from the mats. I told him she would be ready at 3:00 & he could come get her then.

I pulled her card & put her on the table & got started shearing her. After checking her card to see what blade I used last time, I noted that she had not been groomed since I did her last OCT 7! Almost a year since this poor dog has been groomed, from the looks of her, since she had been touched, period! I found hot spots, fleas, bruises from all her scratching & both ears so full of ear mites that the poor dog cried out in pain every time I touched her head. I was getting madder at these people by the minute & every time that poor dog cried, I wanted to smack them upside the head with a hammer! Grooming should be a pleasant experience for a dog, not a painful one & I HATE hurting a dog. There was just no avoiding it today. I finally got the poor girl done & she ran around the shop playing & bouncing! She was so happy to have all that mess off her. Now for the kicker....

It's 3:30, still no tobacco spitting, toothless (literally) grumbling man to pick up his dog, so I called the wife to let her know the dog was ready to be picked up. I explained to her what all was done & told her how much it was & that I charged her for a flea treatment today (I didn't do that last time) she says "OK, we'll come get her, can I pay you tomorrow, we don't have any money with us?" WHAT?! This woman was kidding, right?? No, she was not, I told her "No Ma'am, I don't do business that way, I expect payment when services are rendered" her reply "Well, honey, we ain't got no checks here at the house, I'm out of them. I can mail one to you though" Well, in the words of Briscoe Darling on the Andy Griffith show...That tears it! My reply was "Ma'am, I am not your "honey", my name is Angie, & I know the bank will give you a counter check until your checks come in, so you can go get a check or the cash, then come pick up the dog" She said "Well...." waiting for me to say something I guess, I then couldn't resist & reminded her that she can not go into the grocery store, ring up her purchases & tell the cashier, can I pay you tomorrow? This is no difference. Meanwhile, hubby shows up, acting like he knows nothing about the conversation with the wife & offers to just take the dog on home, then bring the money back. Nope, ain't happenin Dude, you go get the money & then you can take the dog.

They did come back with a counter check, paid the money, ignored the fact that the dog was in pain with ear mites & told me they just couldn't afford to take her to the vet, especially after paying $65 to have her groomed! Where do people like this come from & WHY do they insist on bothering me?

I finished the day with a little Schnauzer that I don't have to bathe (the owner does that) & got up those dreaded stairs one more time & soaked in a much needed hot bath!

So, there you have it, a day in the life of.....complete with pictures of before & after on the dog.

Blessings to you all

Angie