2003 Essay Contest Entry Archive

2003 Essay Contest Entry Archive

LuLu is a beautiful black Mini Poodle, and I have realized that she is the essence of why I became a groomer 2 years ago. I am a mobile pet stylist-very new to grooming and VERY new to driving a van of any sort! Put these two factors together and you either get a scary "fur style" along with a knocked down mailbox OR you get a beautiful dog and your mail stays safe! Thank God I seem to have evolved into the latter, and only ONE mailbox has been "tapped" in my short mobile career!

LuLu was visiting a grooming shop one afternoon, and broke her leg. She is very wiggly and young and her accident was purely just a horrible accident not the fault of the poor groomer holding her. Alas, LuLu's owner could not bring her precious dog back to the shop, the accident was just too traumatic and she could not stand to be reminded of it at each visit. She also could not bear to have her LuLu out of her site. So, this sweet elderly lady phoned me when she saw my ad in the local Buyer's Guide and asked if I really did come to the house and groom dogs. I told her yes and rattled on about my services and she made an appointment.

LuLu is a fantastic Poodle! She has a perfect scissoring coat, proportional body, lovely temperament, I use a 5/8 blade on her body, scissor and blend her legs into straight columns, and she sports a perfectly round Bichon type head with cute button ears. Nails are dremmeled round and short (she never fusses) BUT these are NOT the reasons why she makes me love my job.

I love my job because LuLu's owner entrusted her best friend to ME and feels safe when LuLu is in MY care! She can watch LuLu getting blow dried and clipped! She is emotional when I bring LuLu in after an hour of pampering, and I can feel her appreciation! I love the fact that LuLu is a loved dog, and that her owner allows ME to share a part of this little fuzzy black dog every 5 weeks!

I became a dog groomer because I NEEDED to be there for dogs like LuLu. It is a calling that cannot ever fully be explained. This "dog career" was a huge change for me and it took many, many hours of schooling to complete. I started my business from scratch and it makes me proud to be out there each and every day for all the LuLu's and I pray that I will keep the all mailboxes in their upright positions!

Christina Linsalata
"Louie's Bath House on Wheels!"
Maywood, NJ