Shiner

Another reoccurring article that we wanted to start was a pet profile on some of our clients that come in often. We will choose these animals because we love them and want to share our experience taking care of them. They might have a special background, or something funny that they do, or they might be so cute we just die every time we see them.

The first one is our friend Shiner Lovoi. Shiner has been coming to Midtown Grooming for a long time. Yes, she is named after the beer. She is very special because she is a Coyote mix. Very Rare! As you know coyotes are wild animals, and to have a mix almost never happens. Shiner's parents found her on the side of the road, and have tamed her wild side. She is now the Grande Damme of her parents hearts, and ours. She is getting a little older now, so when she stays with us we are very careful with her. We get to take her on walks and she gets excited to go. When we take her out and someone is walking by they are always fascinated by her and ask questions. She also likes to make sure that she stops at every bush and flower to smell (and sometimes the trash cans). She has taught us a lot of things, the biggest thing is to stop and smell the roses.

The 10 Questions

As one of features of this blog we would like to start is "The 10 Questions" In this article we will ask one of our employees 10 questions (obviously) and they will have to answer each and everyone! We will try and put them on the spot so we can get to all of their secrets. Now you can get to know our groomers, bathers, and managers.

So here is the first one: This person is very special to us. We wouldn't be here without her! It's Karen Ryan the Midtown Owner, Operator, and all-round tough girl (not really!).

1. How did you get in to the doggie business, and why?

My entry into the doggie business began with pet photography. I studied studio art/photography in college and discovered, after graduating, that I enjoyed photographing animals. I am a life-long animal lover. I was heavily involved in 4H when I was a young girl. I competed in equestrian events and my best friends, since childhood, have been my dogs. Having started my photography business, I eventually went into the grooming business with my family.


2. What do you do for Midtown grooming?

I am the owner. As the owner of a small, local business, I wear many hats. My primary responsibilities are the oversight of day-to-day operations, accounting, human resources and community relations. I am also Head Poop Scooper.


4. What is your big dream for Midtown grooming?

I want Midtown Grooming to become the premiere grooming/boarding facilities in Austin, and the state of Texas. My goal is to grow our specialty services while keeping our focus on a personalized experience. I pride myself on Midtown's reputation for having a staff that truly cares about each animal that walks through the door and our insistence on gentle, loving care. I intend to continue and improve upon our high-end services. My ultimate goal is to allow Midtown Grooming to grow, and it's staff members to advance their careers, as we add services and features to the business.


5. What do you like the most about working at Midtown grooming?

The animals! I love getting to know the interesting characteristics of the different breeds and the wonderful personalities of individual dogs. I also love seeing a pet that was in need of grooming come out looking, and feeling, like a million bucks. I am proud when I see daycare benefit a dog that seemed hopeless. I am thrilled to be able to brag to friends and associates about the wonderful care that my staff gives to the animals. Lastly, I love learning from the innate wisdom of animals.


6. I know you love your job, but every job has something about it you don't like.... What is yours?

A tie between being on the phone with IRS and emptying the poop-trashcan.


7. Who are your doggies? Tell me about them!

Gus is a Blab; a custom, one-of-a-kind Bassett Hound-Labrador. He is my sunshine. In my mind, he's a lot like the character, Brian, from the show Family Guy. I rescued Gus from the Town Lake animal shelter when he was 2 years old. That was 8 years ago. He has been my dream dog since the day I brought him home. He is very mellow and his strange appearance is a great conversation piece. Gus brings a smile to everyone he meets. He is very gentle and sweet.

Birdie is a little pitbull. She brings me absolute joy and laughter. She is the most affectionate and snuggly creature I have ever encountered. I rescued Birdie from Town Lake Animal Shelter this past summer. She has many cat-like qualities; Birdie likes to hide under the bed, sit on my lap when I type, jump up on the nightstand and drink my water, and she can practically climb trees. Birdie is an almighty terror, but I am so smitten with her that I just can't get mad at her. Little Buddha that she is, she is helping me overcome attachment to material things by destroying everything in my house. For example, see assisted in breaking me of my shoe fetish by chewing one shoe from many different pairs. Now, I keep only enough shoes to fit in the closet with the door closed.



8. What else do you do besides work at Midtown grooming?

I am a pet photographer. I enjoy doing artistic animal photography more than anything. I think my love for it comes out in the images that I make. I don't see much difference between photographing a human and an animal. Animals communicate very easily with their eyes and their bodies. And... there is no better feeling than hearing that a client is so thrilled with their photos and how much it means to them. One woman brought me a bouqet of flowers to say "thank you" and it meant the world to me. I also like yoga and running. I live a very quiet life with my dogs. Pretty simple. Nothing fancy.


9. What is the one piece of advice you would give to your clients about taking care of their pet?

To remember that there is great dignity in being an animal and to let their little animal be just that.
This is one of those "do as I say...not as I do" gems of advice because I put sweaters on my pitbull and bumble-bee costumes on my bassett-lab.


10. When you get your next doggie what will it be?

That's a tough one. A french bull dog, possibly. I also love pugs and chihuahuas. A catahoula if I had land. But, I think that pitbulls are in desparate need of loving, responsible owners... so I might go that route again.


11. What is the funniest pet story that you have had working at Midtown so far?

A client, who will remain unnamed, told me that her golden retriever sleeps in bed with her. One night she thought her dog had gas so she turned away from him, annoyed. Well, the smell didn't go away. When she turned back over, she almost rolled onto his poop. The funny part was how irritated he was with his owner when she had the audacity to turn on the lights (in order to kick him off the bed and change the blankets). Apparently, he did not take kindly to having his slumber disturbed.

OK... That was really 11, but we had to get as much info out of her as possible. You should be happy about the extra one!
I hope that this gave you little more insight to our mighty owner and her thoughts about Midtown.

Please come back often and check our blog. The posts are going to keep coming!

Welcome!

Hi, and welcome to our new blog for Midtown Groom and Board. We are excited to start this blog to tell you about the exciting things going on at Midtown.

We are starting this blog is for many reasons. The biggest one is for you, our customers. We always get the questions from you about how the day went, what happened during the groom, and general curiosity about the daily goings on. Here we will let you in on some (definitely not all) of our secrets.

You are going to see posts about our staff, so you can get to know them a little better. Reports about the biggest doggie or kitty makeovers. Musings on the backyard playtime with our boarding dogs. Tips from our groomers on how to keep your pet looking good between visits. Lastly there will be pictures and maybe even a video or two.

So, you should suscribe to our RSS feed so that you can be updated as soon as we update the blog. Just click the RSS button to the right to sign up.

We look forward to sharing our days with you, and hopefully you will have fun keeping up to date with our daily wild animals. Who knows, you might even see your loved one here on this blog!