Splish-splash Aidan got his first bath.
All thanks to Katherine McClure, Lane Animal Hospital’s new professional pet stylist.
She made it a very safe, soothing and stress-free experience for the young lad. From her calm, friendly and confident demeanor to her professional knowledge, skills and efficient style, Aidan looked, smelled and (best of all) felt great when she was done.
But let’s start at the beginning.
McClure made sure to first ask all the right questions about what, exactly, I wanted done. Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers aren’t a breed that groomers see very often.
I opted for a “fluff and fold” (dog show people’s description of a bath and a blow dry).
The appointment began on the grooming table, something Aidan is familiar with and he had his nails done. McClure includes a nail grind with every appointment.
From there, it was off to the tub. Although you can ask for a tour of the grooming rooms beforehand, I was already familiar with them and was there taking photos. I can attest to the very safe and secure tub completely covered with non-slip matting on the bottom. And although he was secured with a tie so he wouldn’t try to jump out, there was never any panic on his part.
Yes, there were times when Aidan wasn’t quite sure what was going on – with it being his first bath and all. First with the wet down phase, followed by the shampooing phase, and then the thorough rinse out phase. At each step along the way, McClure proceeded at his pace and quietly assured him that all was well if he acted at all concerned.
And, McClure includes a conditioning phase with each bath as well, so an application of conditioner and a second rinse out phase took place.
Then he was blown dry while still safely in the tub. Since he’s seriously shedding his thick winter puppy coat, the air in the grooming room quickly filled with a cyclone of red fur. It was everywhere.
The loud noise of the blow dryer was a bit disconcerting at first, but again, McClure’s training came in handy as she had already placed an earmuff snood over his ears to cancel out some of the nose and she gave him plenty of time to adjust to this whole new life experience.
When McClure finished blow drying him in the tub, he looked amazing.
And he was made even spiffier looking with a final soothing finishing brush out.
Lane clients may already know McClure since she has been working at the veterinary clinic since 2018 in the kennel area downstairs.
She says during COVID, she helped the previous groomer with bathing dogs and discovered that she really liked it. This led her to learning how to groom dogs properly.
So, she went to work for Petsmart, which put her through its training program. She said the program included two weeks of hand’s-on training and two weeks of book work before completing 200 grooming sessions under the guidance of a salon leader.
Only then was she allowed to groom a dog solo.
While she was working at Petsmart, Lane staff was keeping tabs on her progress in the hopes that they could lure her to join the team as their new full-time stylist.
So once McClure had fulfilled her commitment to Petsmart, Lane staff approached her to be its full-time stylist and she agreed.
McClure started as the veterinary clinic’s full-time groomer in the beginning of May and is now accepting new clients – both canine and feline – Tuesday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
McClure says she will groom all breeds of dogs and cats. And, she offers add-on services such as de-shedding treatments, de-skunking, de-matting and scissoring. She also does ear cleaning and sanitary trims as well. Please call 734-475-8696 to book your appointment today.
Lane Animal Hospital Salon and Spa is located at 701 N. Main. St. You can email [email protected] or visit https://laneanimalhsop.com/pet-grooming-chelsea-mi/.
McClure says you should plan to return to pick up your pet 3-4 hours after drop off, so that gives you plenty of time to get errands done while your pet is being pampered.
