Pet Grooming Career or Business – Your Choice
Pet grooming doesn’t appear to be a real job to many people. People who love animals and get pleasure from interacting with them would think that pet grooming would probably be the perfect job. It is extremely gratifying to take a neglected animal and make it look its best. In fact, even the well cared for pets need to be professionally groomed occasionally. People’s lives have gotten busier and the availability of services that can be provided by the groomer makes owning a pet less difficult.
The need for pet groomers is always growing. Many pet owners need this service and are willing to search for the right groomer for their pet. As a result, the pet grooming business can be quite lucrative. Besides the business potential, there’s nothing like doing something that you truly enjoy!
Grooms for Horse Shows
Careers in pet grooming is not limited to just dogs and cats. Groomers are a crucial part of the horse racing industry and the show horse business. This area of grooming may not be the first thought that comes to mind when you think about pet grooming, but it is certainly significant. Grooms are normally assigned to two or three horses in a stable. Their responsibilities include all aspects of needed care for these horses before and after racing or shows. Obviously, with show horses, grooming is a very crucial element.
Animal Shelters – The Need for Groomers
Many of the animal shelters have in-house pet groomers as employees or are volunteers. Many of the cats and dogs in one of these shelters have been neglected and are in desperate need of a bath and maybe a clipping. These animals benefit greatly from grooming services. When they look good, they have a better chance of being adopted. This may not be a high paying job, but the satisfaction of helping a dog or cat find a new home is a wonderful feeling.
Pet Grooming Salons
There are many pet grooming salons that need groomers and can be a lucrative job based upon how many pets you will be able to groom each day. Some salon owners pay groomers up to fifty or sixty percent of the actual grooming fee charged to clients. Add tips to this amount and you can earn in excess of a $100 a day. That’s not a bad daily earning doing something that you want to do anyway. Some pet owners may be disagreeable for various reasons, but these issues are usually handled by the salon manager.
Groomers at the Local Vet Hospital or Clinic
Veterinary hospitals and clinics usually employ groomers. Pet grooming isn’t only a great service to have available for their clients convenience. There are times when it is necessary for clipping due to medical issues. These situations can include severely matted coats where pets require anesthesia for clipping. Some skin conditions may require medicated baths or dips that may have to be performed on a regular basis. Veterinary hospitals or clinics that provide boarding services also employ groomers.
Boarding Kennels – Grooming the Guests
Boarding establishments and facilities that provide doggy day care usually offer grooming services to their clients. It doesn’t matter how clean the boarding facility may be maintained. When a dog is boarded for any period of time, they tend to smell kind of doggish. Some of these facilities provide a free bath as a good gesture to the pet owners and the pets. After staying in a boarding facility, pets will enjoy the added attention and their owners will appreciate picking up their clean and nice smelling pet.
Show Dogs – The Specialized Groomer
Groomers that work with show dogs are in a class of their own. They must be highly trained for the various cuts required for whichever breed they may handle. This category of grooming can be a major factor in the outcome of the dog show. The appearance of show dogs must be perfect and must represent the defining qualities of their breed. If you thrive in high stress situations and are a perfectionist, this area of pet grooming may be the perfect job for you. Professional groomers are in very high demand in the dog show industry.
Pet Grooming Business
Pet groomers that are career oriented may want to have their own pet salon. A large salon isn’t necessary to be a success in the pet grooming industry. You can start small and accumulate the kind of pets and clients that you want. Set up shop either in a commercial space or maybe as a mobile groomer. Owning your own grooming salon allows you to set your own hours. What more could you want? You get to work with pets doing something you love and you are in control of your hours and clientele.
As you can see, the opportunity for a pet grooming career is quite varied. We have only briefly discussed the different types of pet groomers and why they are needed. Any one of these grooming opportunities can be turned into a pet grooming business. If you have the expertise and the clientele, any of these can become a very lucrative business. Of course you’ll need funds to get your business going, but you can always start small and grow your business over time.
