Episode Transcript
[00:00:22] Speaker A: Welcome back to the wow Within. My name is Jen Potter and I am your host. Where we talk about amazing stories that people have to tell about their lives and their livelihood, the things that they are doing that encourage them to be the best possible versions of themselves so they can inspire and motivate others. Today I am joined with.
Crap, I froze. Can I start off?
[00:00:46] Speaker B: 4, 3, 2, 1.
[00:00:50] Speaker A: Welcome back to the wow Within. I'm. I'm Jen Potter, your host and our show is to. Nope, do it again. I apologize.
[00:00:58] Speaker B: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
[00:01:02] Speaker A: Welcome back to the wow Within. My name is Jen Potter and I'm your host. We have a show that inspires and motivates others to be the best possible versions of themselves. Our contributors are ones who have been through so many different life experiences and they have a story to tell. Everyone has a story to tell. And today I'm joined by Dara for Leo, who is the owner of Whole Pet Grooming Academy. She is actually located here in Massachusetts, close to where I am and I am so excited to have her on our show. She is 20 years in the pet industry and she has a lot to talk about. So thank you so much for joining us today.
[00:01:41] Speaker B: Thank you. Thank you for having me.
[00:01:43] Speaker A: Absolutely. And it was such a pleasure to know that we're so close and everything that you're going to be talking about is going to greatly benefit myself as well as people who are in our area. But what you're working on is going to affect the entire nation and so I want to just jump right in. I know you have 20 years experience doing this. Tell us a little bit about yourself and what got you into the industry.
[00:02:07] Speaker B: Ah, okay. A quick on that. I'll keep that brief. So you know, I grew up in Kentucky and I rode horses and worked actually at Churchill Downs.
Horses and dogs just go hand in hand. And when I was in high school, I had a friend from horse shows that had her own grooming shop and I started bathing and, and during being her assistant.
So from there I went into grooming school. This was gonna date myself back in the mid-90s, grooming school was an eye opener. I came out, I stayed working for her for a number of years, but it helped me get through college and I put myself through college using and grooming dogs, working at the racetrack. My whole business degree is actually around racetrack management and in the thoroughbred industry. But I ended up moving back to New Hampshire, back to New England and we don't have a horse racing industry here, so I had to fall back on my Pet grooming. And that's what I did. So I started, in 2006, I started my first, I opened my first shop. I have opened and sold four other shops since. And now we have a online grooming school that is centric around formal education and continuing education for pet industry professionals. Not just dog groomers, but pet groomers, cat groomers, any, anybody who works in the pet industry. We have education for them, which is so amazing.
[00:03:54] Speaker A: And because you know when we were talking before the show, you were talking about how that this is one of the biggest industries that's not regulated. Correct. And right. And, and so with that I'm sure that pet grooming can become very risky for someone that doesn't know what they're doing. Like I can. So, so you're telling me of what I know with no licenses and businesses, if I decided tomorrow I could start a pet grooming company and it's not regulated.
[00:04:23] Speaker B: Correct.
[00:04:24] Speaker A: Even though I have no idea what I'm doing.
[00:04:25] Speaker B: Correct.
[00:04:26] Speaker A: That is scary. So that is terrifying. Right. So I'm like, well, I like to start businesses but, but, but I'm sure that there are a lot of things that go into that that a lot of people don't know about. And so you know, with that topic and that thought process, what, what are some of the risks that there are in this industry and what are some things that we can do to prevent them?
[00:04:51] Speaker B: So because the industry is not regulated and again you, you kind of nailed it right? There is anybody can do this. Not everybody out there is, is created the same. Not everyone is created equally. And you have an industry that's been growing steadily since the 70s and people really just started getting really started having their pets groomed in, in the 80s. I think a lot of the pop up shops started really the late 70s, early 80s and you have a lot of those shops that are still around today and still doing things. And my dogs are getting ready to start barking. So I'm just gonna warn that's not.
[00:05:40] Speaker A: Part of the process. Right. This is what you do for a living. So I mean if a dog is gonna bark, I mean that was gonna be my warning before, but you gonna pass today.
[00:05:48] Speaker B: But yeah. So you know, there's the, there's a lot of traditional groomers out there and those traditional groomers have been doing things the same way since the day they opened. And then you've got a kind of these influencer groomers that are out there that are in the middle and then you've got your higher education groomers here that are kind of on our end of things that we're a little different. We, we operate differently, we think differently, we do things differently.
So finding which type of groomer is right for you is, is really making sure you're asking the right questions.
Again, not everybody is created equally. So what, what are, what are you looking for?
One of our, from our side of things, I know people do price check a lot and price checking and calling around and trying to find the best deal for the best price or, or find the cheapest.
It's not good. It's not good. And I don't recommend it. Not because I'm trying to say go. That the most expensive is always the best, but you get what you pay for. Right? So you kind of got to look at things into perspective and, and, and look at those shops and, and ask why, why are they cheaper?
What's going on?
[00:07:16] Speaker A: That's a great question. Right? Because you're, you're like, are you doing it just so you get the business or are you doing it because you're not experienced? And so I'm sure that there are a lot of, I mean, obviously there's a lot of improperly trained people. It doesn't come natural to a lot of, of individuals, but that are in the business. So if I'm looking at prices and I have to say, okay, I have to take pricing off the table, right? So that can't be a decider. Pricing can't be a decider. But what are some questions? Like, what are some. If I was to make a phone call to ask about, you know, is this right for my dog? What is, what's a general first question that I should be looking for, like as a red FL or, you know, something.
[00:08:00] Speaker B: I would say, did they.
[00:08:02] Speaker A: That was perfect.
[00:08:03] Speaker B: Yeah.
Defin. One thing to do is I don't necessarily think I would pick up the phone and call. I'd show up, I'd go to the shop first. Because the best thing you can do is what you see is what you get and you're going to know what's going on.
And if, if you walk in and they're like friendly and open and bubbly and come on in, take a tour, you know. Oh, my goodness. I'm sorry.
[00:08:35] Speaker A: That's okay.
[00:08:39] Speaker B: So going in and seeing, or if you want to call, ask for a good time to come and visit and.
Because that's going to give you that foot in the door and go see, go see before you even walk in because you know what? You don't know. And if you Call and ask that price and schedule an appointment and then get there. And then all of a sudden, now you're having red flag signals walking in. Do you want to be walking in with red flag signals going all over? And your dog is a vibrating ball of energy. That's like, what's wrong with you?
Why are we here? And now you're nervous and they're nervous, and it just makes for a really bad experience. Go first without your dog. Introduce yourself. Meet the groomers and. And look at their lobby area.
Do they have certificates on the wall from continuing education? Do they have trophies from if they've been a competition groomer and ribbon, or are they show groomers and have they done show dogs in the past? You can tell so much by the lobby.
[00:09:47] Speaker A: I just learned so much just now. I didn't know that there was such thing as competition groomers.
[00:09:53] Speaker B: Yes. Yes, that's a thing. Yes. We had our trade shows. There are competition groomers, and we do have Groom Team usa. So it is a very cool industry that there are some. There are amazing groomers out there, but you gotta find them and you gotta sit through the ones that.
[00:10:15] Speaker A: It's hard to find that. Right. And, you know, I think for me, that indication, you know, it is, when I bring my dog there, are they trying to get out the door? Are they trying to stay? And so with the groomer that we have now, when I bring our dog, it's also the same place that we board. When she gets there, she gets so excited. She's like, oh, my God, I can't wait to see my friends. I love all of these people. And so, like, when she goes up to the groomer and she's super happy, I know that that is the best choice that I made. You know, I've gone to some bigger box stores that have grooming kind of entailed with everything. And that's where I've had some tougher experiences. Because even with these bigger box stores, are they certified? Do they have certification programs?
No, that's crazy.
[00:11:04] Speaker B: No, they have on the job training programs.
[00:11:07] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:11:07] Speaker B: They do have on the job training program. So there's not. There's not anything there in place for them. But it's a different education level.
[00:11:16] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:11:17] Speaker B: And corporates have. Have that different level. So. And there's nothing wrong. You know, I think what really happens in our industry is that groomer forget that there are other ways of getting education. You don't have to just learn from another groomer how to do the perfect Bichon head or how to do the perfect pet trim. There's a lot more that needs to be taken into consideration, such as healthy skin and coat diet and nutrition.
They should be thinking about zoonotic diseases and their sanitation and cleaning process and what is passed from pet to pet. I mean, you have one dog that comes in with some type of pest or some disease, some parvo, any, anything that can be transmitted, right. You're going to contaminate the entire salon.
And, and that's cleaning processes and cleaning protocols and keeping your equipment safe and clean. It's, it's more today that should be coming from right out of COVID You would think we would have this process down.
[00:12:35] Speaker A: Like you think, right? But, but that's not necessarily the case. And before we wrap up this segment, there was something interesting that you said to me. And it has to go with, you know, these groomers that aren't necessarily taking care of the animals the way that they should be. And maybe some unfortunate events do happen with very educated people as well. But gave me a statistic and what was that statistic of pets being injured.
[00:12:58] Speaker B: Just last week alone, there were nine pets injured in salons across the country.
[00:13:05] Speaker A: Last week, just last week. So, you know, and multiply that times all the pets that weren't notated because I'm sure that there are probably a lot more and, and, and then all the way across the country all year long. So there's hundreds and hundreds of pets that are being injured and, and it could be prevented if they had proper education.
[00:13:25] Speaker B: It, one would think. And that's, that's what we, we want to get, we need to get those numbers down.
[00:13:32] Speaker A: Right?
[00:13:32] Speaker B: We need to get those numbers down. And that is the, the biggest, biggest thing that we're working towards. One of the biggest challenges that we're working towards as the school is to talk about these things and get this out there and get more people to understand that and have them write asking the right questions. I actually have a pet owner's guide that I'm happy to share with you with everyone who's watch watching too, that can download the guide of exactly what to ask and what to look for too. So plenty of resources that we do have, including blogs and another podcast that I can help direct people to and what to look for and how to, how to talk to your groomers too. That, that communication key is huge, is having that communication part because people don't know. And I think a lot of groomers sometimes get into their heavy terminology to look and sound more professional. And it's like I Don't want to go to my doctor and be like, you're talking all this medical jargon to me and I don't have a clue what you're talking about. Tell it to me straight.
[00:14:42] Speaker A: Yeah, real speak, right? Like you want to know what you're actually talking about. And, and I think that's what sets you apart. And so we're going to wrap up this segment, but on the next segment when we come back, we're going to dive deep into why you started the academy, what sets you apart from everyone else, and how this is helping groom groomers become better groomers and educating everybody around the country. So we'll be right back for the next segment. Stay tuned.
[00:15:06] Speaker B: Thank you.
[00:15:41] Speaker A: Welcome back to the WOW Within. I'm Jen Potter and I am joined by Dara Forleo. She is the owner of the whole, I'm sorry, the whole pet grooming academy. It's a mouthful, but it is the whole deal. And we were talking just before in the first segment a little bit about why it is risky to not choose the right groomer for you. And she has started a pet academy that I think is going to change the way that we view how pets are being groomed. So, Dara, thank you so much for being here again. And I'm really excited to talk more about this program that you've created because you. We talked about it a little bit in the first segment. This is unlicensed. There's, there's not a lot of regulations that are protecting our animals. Right. And how many dogs did you say were. Were in the United States just in the last week?
[00:16:35] Speaker B: About nine were injured.
[00:16:37] Speaker A: In nine were injured. And I think statistically you also said we have about 10 million dogs in the United States. 10 million dogs in the United States. And that is a lot of dogs and a lot of dogs being groomed, which, which also leaves a lot of room for error, especially if they're not being properly taken care of. Like, we have to get licenses and we, you know, need to bring them to the vet and stuff. But I'm sure that there's a lot of things that are kind of being missed. And what was it that prompted you to start your school?
[00:17:08] Speaker B: I opened. I knew that even when I went in the 90s back to grooming school, I knew there was a better way to do it and that there was gone there. There needed to be a change and a lot of updates because it's not just as simple as creating a pretty picture.
There's a lot more that goes into pet Grooming than just that external look and what expectations are. So you think about your hairdressers, your massage therapist, you want them to have a degree or some type of formal training that they receive before working on your body.
I think we're kind of missing cues here that this needs to be something considered for the pet industry as well. And it goes deeper than pet grooming. It should be kennels, it should be daycares, it should be any, any facility you, you have to have the proper TR and not just be able to walk in. And I think our industry is still looking at us as you get to play with dogs all day. That's so fun.
[00:18:18] Speaker A: I mean, that is kind of cool.
[00:18:19] Speaker B: It is, yes, it absolutely is. And seeing and to know, oh, they get to go home.
I can play with all kinds of dogs all day. But at the same time, you want somebody who's knowledgeable, working on your pets that are coming home.
You have a peace of mind that you're not bringing home anything creepy crawly to your home from a shop. So, or, or a daycare or anything. So you want to make sure that you have this. And it was important to me as a business owner. I definitely look at myself more as a business owner first and then a groomer second because you kind of can't do both. It's. It's really hard to run a business and try to be actively doing what you do in your business. Right. So I definitely think of myself more as a business owner than a groomer. And I knew that education, and I love education. I am a serial scholar. Like I constantly. I love education. I just started back from my mba and I'm gonna go back for my MBA because I want to be the best business owner I can be.
[00:19:34] Speaker A: Well, well, as a, as, as a woman who started this, this academy, you also told me what your degree is in, so tell everyone what your degree is in. Because I thought this was so cool and I didn't even know it was a thing.
[00:19:45] Speaker B: Yes, my, my whole, my whole business degree is around racetrack management and the thoroughbred racing industry, which is so cool. It is pretty cool. Yeah. But I had to, had to shift back to grooming. And you know, because I loved education so much, I thought, I'm going to open a career school. I'm going to do this. And it took me three years to get licensed in New Hampshire to actually get my career school license. And that happened in 2015 and I started floor training. So we had in person students that were coming. And again, as I'm going through this process seven years in. I'm like, you cannot create a groomer in six weeks. You cannot create a groomer in eight weeks. It does not happen. This is a skill. This is a trade, even though we're not recognized as one. But you can't create a groomer in six to eight weeks. It just. There's too much to learn. This needs to be an apprenticeship program for a year more. And it should be intensive. It should not just be, oh, I'm going to do on the job training. It should be structured with milestones and curriculum and everything that you need to know to become this particular professional. And it's not like that. I mean, electricians go, and they're journeymen and plumbers who are journeymen. There should be this journeyman structure within our industry of creating groomers. And it's a lengthy process, but people aren't wanting to get in it as much because it's a lot of work and we're not recognized as a trade or a skill. So it's very low paying. Still, right?
[00:21:34] Speaker A: Well, you said still, but I'm gonna say not yet. So. Not yet because my, my business brain just started like, going over time while we're talking. So I'm like, when we're on break, I got some ideas.
I'm like, I'm throwing some stuff at you because it's. I. The more and more that I listen to you talk and, you know, like you said, horses and dogs go hand in hand. Right.
Have extensive training, working with these large, beautiful animals that have to be very well taken care of.
[00:22:06] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:22:06] Speaker A: Very well groomed. And I'm sure, you know, when you take that little tiny pup and, you know, counteract it with like this big giant horse, even though they're completely different in size, they still have to have the same amount of care. And, you know, and I think that's where some of it gets lost, which is why you started what you start. So your program, how accessible is it to someone who is interested in learning how to do this?
[00:22:32] Speaker B: So we're different because we are not focused on people coming into the industry. We are actually focused on groomers that have been in the industry for a number of years and continuing their education. We have that next step up. We. We are, we're at. We are aspiring to be the Ivy League of grooming schools for professional groomers. So I think a lot of what groomers don't understand of what we do themselves is that we're not teaching you your basics. We're. We're expecting you to know your basics and we want to take you to the next level. We have the education that's going to make you specialized in. We have a program called the Master Cane, the Master Master Groomer Behavior Specialist. It is not creating a behaviorist, but what that particular program is, is all about creating great grooming dogs. And we want, what that program does is help groomers take a pet that's been anxious, nervous, stressed, been traumatized in a potential facility and is totally against grooming or has not been brought up properly for the grooming process and how to create that great grooming process for him or her. And we also have one, that program is nine months and it's all online for, for groomers. And then we have a 13 month master, a master therapeutic pet esthetician program which has actually elevated us to career from career college to community college level of teaching. And it is all skin and coat, anatomy, physiology, chemistry, bias chemistry, biology.
It also goes deep into nutrition. And so it is not just that aesthetics part, but it's how everything works together to create that perfect healthy skin and coat.
I love that like, and just listening to right there.
[00:24:48] Speaker A: Right, right. And it's just, it's so interesting and you know, I'm visualizing all of these things that you're talking about and, and the fact that this, because you're so passionate about it, you've, you've been able to create this higher education for these professionals. And I knew already based off of our previous conversation about, you know, jumping into the industry, but I wanted to just see what that would look like. And you know, for someone who wants to get into the industry and this may be something, you know, down the line, how would you, how would you recommend that they start their, start their journey off?
[00:25:25] Speaker B: They can reach out to us. We do have connections with people that do have properly set up apprentice. But we can also, if somebody is already active in the industry, they might be a bather, an assistant. We do have programs for those people to help with those milestones and help get them their foundation and then take them to the next level. So we do have that, but they kind of have to come in with a, with a job already.
Finding a place to take that is tough. But we definitely try to work with you on finding a place if we, if we can, depending on where you're located. So we get a lot of calls for it. But our, but that's not our expertise. Right. So we're really looking at trying to develop the industry that's there and take it to the next level. One of our other programs that we actually do, it's like your GED in dog grooming. So if you're already a dog groomer and have been, we get you your formal education because I don't really think it's a matter of when. If we keep talking about if it happens, if regulations come, if something happens, it's gonna happen. It's a matter of when and who does it. And if we're not prepared, it's going to be done by, I'm gonna say it, the pet owners, because right. You guys are, are smartening up and you're starting to see into this industry and starting to, to take notice of what's not quite right in some places. And you're the ones who are going to step up and, and regulate us. So I want to have a part of that.
[00:27:10] Speaker A: Absolutely.
[00:27:11] Speaker B: I want to assist in that and make sure that there are groomers involved with this process us, because it's it, we need to have our voice too. So, yeah, that's, that's really important is to have that information and stay in touch with us.
[00:27:28] Speaker A: But, and, and that's again, that's what sets you apart. And you also, if I'm not mistaken, you told me that you are licensed by the Department of Education, which right out the gate sets you apart from everybody else. And you have. Before we cut to the next break, you have a really cool certification program. And what is that program?
[00:27:50] Speaker B: Well, we work with a sister organization that all of our graduates come out and get their certification through that. So we're the only school in the.
[00:27:59] Speaker A: World that does that, which is absolutely amazing. So you're already taking leaps and bounds to make that happen. So I definitely think as you continue to grow and evolve, you're definitely going to have a say because what you're doing is life changing. So we're going to cut to our next break and when we come back, we're going to talk a little bit more about formal education and why it's so important.
Stay tuned.
Welcome back. I'm Jen Potter and I am joined with Dara Forleo. She is the owner of the whole Pet Grooming Academy, which is an academy that has been created to give formal education to groomers out there within our country. And what she is talking about and there are so many things within our country with dog grooming that need to be addressed that aren't being addressed. And I got a little worked up for a split second because we were talking about, we were talking about formal education And I was already starting to think in my head like as I was going through the title of all of the things that we're doing of why formal education is so important. So thank you, Dara, for being back here and, and talking about this. Right. It was funny like during the break, like both of us are getting worked up and I love it because, because what I want to, what I want to say and, and you know, I didn't say this during the break because it made me think of it and I thought it was funny and you know, maybe you won't, but I, I definitely thought it was. But we talk about formal education and anybody can get a certificate. Like you said, you can go to a trade show and you can get a certificate. Just like I can go online and I can be, you know, I can marry somebody. I can, I can become a person that can marry someone within three minutes. Right?
I can be ordained in three minutes. And so if I can be ordained in three minutes and I have no idea what I'm doing, why are we letting people who actually are handling our animals someone, you know, something that is so precious to us and just saying good luck, that's, that's pretty much like what we're saying we're putting right. And, and like we talked about, you know, a few segments before, there's, there's a lot of dangers that come with that. If we're just going, oh well, you know, this is $50 cheaper, I'm gonna go with this because this is more affordable. I would probably say in my non professional opinion, if you can't afford it, it's probably better just not to do it. Brush them yourself. Invest in a brush. If you can't afford to do it, save up your cash and when you can afford to do it, then do it. But if you can't afford to have a pet, you probably shouldn't have one to begin with. But whole nother conversation, that's a whole other conversation.
[00:31:01] Speaker B: But also, I mean there are other ways. You don't have to have a pet that's needs grooming every four weeks, right? So you can have a smooth coated dog. I, I, I personally own three Chihuahua mixes and they're under eight pounds. So I can stick them in the sink.
[00:31:20] Speaker A: That is so awesome. You know, it's so funny. And, and I'm totally gonna digress when I say this. I have we talked about this. I have a doodle. She weighs about 90 pounds and on her hind legs she's over six feet. She's this ginormous. Dog. But more recently I have had this passion to own a small puppy or dog more than anything in the world. And I think that's just because I love my dog so much, but I can't take her everywhere with me because she's so big and so there's so many options for different types of animals. And you know, I knew when I got a doodle that was going to come with a lot of work and I wanted to talk a little bit more about this too. And because you talked about and you know, things making the right choices for, you know, the right groomer, not knowing where you're taking them and even thinking that it could be a really good decision to go to that particular groomer. I think knowing more about our animals. Right. Like you, like you said, I don't. I, I thought about that, but that was because it was Covid and I didn't have anything else to do. So I researched anim.
So, so that's how I got my dog. Because I waited a year. Like I gave myself a full year out. Because I'm like, I'm not going to make a rash decision like everybody else did during COVID I'm gonna, I'm gonna make a decision and I'm gonna learn a little bit about them knowing that they have to be groomed, knowing that they were a little bit more, you know, a little bit more work than the regular, the regular dog. And you know, but I didn't do my due diligence when thinking about the grooming part. And, and I just, I want to continue to educate our listeners on why, because with the groomers that are being created through your, through your certification programs, you're changing the way that this is happening, right? You're slowly doing that trickle effect so they can get out to more and more people. And I love that. And when it comes to formal education, you mentioned the different certification programs, but there was a, one really cool one that you mentioned.
And does anybody else have this other program that you talked about? Talk that we were talking about?
[00:33:26] Speaker B: There are there other programs out there, but nothing quite like what we have. It is different. It, it makes, I'll say it makes, it makes people step back and go, what are they doing over there? So we do have a animal communication program and it is all about, there's. We have a diploma, it is a nine month program on becoming a professional animal communicator. Again, people hone into their in, you know, you just never know. And if, if that's your calling, that's your Calling. Who am I to say you can or can't talk to animals? I. I want to know, right? I mean I can't do it. It's not in me. But I have a good friend that it that can and does and helps helps people and their pets. And it is an amazing program. We have vets from all over the world that have graduated from our program.
[00:34:27] Speaker A: That's amazing.
[00:34:28] Speaker B: That's are using it in their practices because it's giving animals.
They're not doing it as a professional but to make that transition. I mean people are more aware and more conscious of these practices nowadays. And whether you believe it or not, I mean that's on you or for you or not for you. But for us it is and we talk about it with, communicating with the animal on our tables and it's, it's about understanding and being compassionate to them and seeing and being able to be aware of the bigger picture. Because I think people in our industry and I guess this really does go into why formal education matters because it is about that end result. But how do you get to that end result and what's going on internally with that animal?
Do you have to wrangle them down on the table? Are you holding them down? Are you scruffing them? Do you have to get their nails done? Dremeling by holding and pulling and they're jerking away. When's enough, enough? When do you call it? That's it. I can't do more. And if you're not aware of that animals feelings, why are you in it?
[00:35:48] Speaker A: Right?
[00:35:48] Speaker B: Why are you doing this? And so Latifah teaches not just our animal communication program, but she also teaches self awareness of your energy and what's going on so that you can internalize what's going on and be aware of the signs that animal is giving off. It might not be aggression or heavy. You, you might not even realize that they're stressed or nervous because not everybody shows things in the same way. So you have to be able to identify it yourself.
Formal education is very difficult to get because it's not in our industry. There is not. You can go to other grooming schools and learn how to groom, but beyond that you don't go to college to learn how to groom a dog. You don't go and get your diploma in these programs. You can take certificate classes, you can take seminars and professional development, but there's not a lot of formal education out there. So when you group of people together like we did and groomers from all. I mean we have educators In Kentucky, Washington. Like, we have educators from all over that teach their specialty and we teach on product knowledge, we teach on animal communication, we teach on therapeutics, on behavior, on signs. And we are the whole pet because we take the whole pet into consideration. But we also teach about creating that environment for the owners and introducing them and bringing them into the process as well. Because it's not just about that animal. If you're nervous and worried about going into a salon, then don't go. That's the best thing I can say is don't go. If your hackles are up, if you're feeling something, then you need to turn around and walk back out. Because you walking in and not being comfortable and ready and committed to let your dog go into somebody's arms, would you let your child.
[00:38:01] Speaker A: No.
[00:38:04] Speaker B: And you were dropping your child off at a new school and there was, you just. There's something wrong. You know, listen to your sixth sense, right?
[00:38:16] Speaker A: And, but that brings all this stuff into full circle, right? Like, you know, listening to yourself, going to the groomer beforehand to check to make sure it's a good fit. It. Right. Not just making an appointment blindly and showing up. Because once you've already committed, it's hard to, you know, most people won't be like, well, you know, I changed my mind. I would change my mind. But I know that there are a lot of people that won't. Right.
[00:38:43] Speaker B: Doing that. Yeah, right.
[00:38:44] Speaker A: Because you're like, now you feel bad and oh my goodness, what are they gonna think? And like, you know, that's. So you're already going against yourself at that point. You make no commitment when you go and test it out, right? When you go say, hey, I just want to meet you. I just want to see your fac. And if someone has a problem with that, that's a red flag in my, in my book, you know, when it comes to business, if someone wants to meet my staff or anything like that, I'm like, yeah, absolutely, why not? But, but that there. Oh, sorry, go ahead.
[00:39:11] Speaker B: Oh, no, I was just gonna say another way to, you know, I look at Google reviews or on reviews and I, I'd rather see a company that has some negative reviews and a mix in there than all five star. Because nobody's got a five star. Sorry. No, that's just not the reality of the world.
[00:39:28] Speaker A: Businesses become better because if they have a negative thing and then they have five other really good ones after that, then you're like, all right, it was just a one time experience because yeah, that work for us.
[00:39:39] Speaker B: But I also look at how the, how the owner responds to the negative reviews. Because if there is a long, I don't want to know what the problem was. I want to know, are you trying to fix it? What's your customer service like?
[00:39:56] Speaker A: Because absolutely.
[00:39:57] Speaker B: If that customer service is 19 paragraphs long on a one star review because they're upset they got a one star review, it's not a place to go to.
[00:40:07] Speaker A: I agree with you.
[00:40:08] Speaker B: You don't want to go to that place because you know already what's going on is absolute chaos in that shop.
[00:40:14] Speaker A: Right?
[00:40:15] Speaker B: It's, I'm sorry, we tried to fix this. This is what we did. It didn't work out. Thank you very much. Have a nice day.
[00:40:23] Speaker A: And you know what? And that's, that's excellent advice for any business review. Business, any, any business review. Because I have never taken a negative feedback as, like, I don't go, oh well, that, that was, that, that's on them. No, it's what can I do better to make my business better? I tell people all the time, leave us a review, you positive or negative, I don't care what it is. I want to know what I can do better to make things better for you and for everybody after you. And so I love feedback. I love positive and negative feedback. I think it's what makes the business a business. Because we're not perfect, right? If, if you going into this industry, especially like you said, it's not licensed, there's a lot to it, there's a lot for people to learn. And maybe someone who is just starting out and may not have the right type of, you know, education behind them, maybe this type of, of that type of feedback is going to help draw them to you. Say, please teach me what can I do better to make my business better? What are things that I can do to make this really grow? And, and I truly love that. And you know, the biggest thing that I got out of the segment talking about animal communication was empathy. The word empathy came to me over and over and over. And you brought that up in different parts. How would you feel if you dropped your child off at school feeling empathetic, feeling that energy? All of that stuff exists whether we're woo woo or not, right? I know I am woo. We talked about it on the break. But you don't have to be woo to understand empathy and want to be able to understand how to communicate with an animal. They can't speak for themselves. It's like a baby, right? We have to understand how to nurture them. So I love the fact that you encompass all of that within everything that you're doing. We're gonna cut to our next break, and when we come back, we're going to talk about why, if we're making the smartest choices. So we will be right back.
Three, two, one. Welcome back to the wow Within. I am Jim Potter, your host, and I am joined by Dara Forleo. She is the owner of the whole Pet Grooming Academy. And we have had an amazing conversation these last, last few segments. We have been talking about all things grooming and why it's so important, and I can't wait to get my dog to the groomer. And the last thing that we really want to touch base on today is making the safest, smartest choices, because they're not always. It's not always the first thing we think about. Right. We talked about this plenty of times before, and so thank you so much for being back on and really just bringing this, this, this compassion and empathy to the show. And, you know, I said it during the break. Your fire that you have brought is what truly lights me up. And I love talking to people that have that fire and have that passion. But it's because you have that passion. You've created such an amazing program for groomers. And I'm, I'm witnessing it. Right. Like, everybody's on the show, and I said, in a year, we're gonna have you on again, but in the next few years, this is going to change the world. It's going to literally change the way that we look at it.
[00:43:59] Speaker B: Yep. And before we go, I'm going to hook you up with your doodle groomer.
[00:44:04] Speaker A: I'm very excited. I'm very, very excited. And, you know, we don't always make the safest, smartest choices. And your goal is to create that safe space for our animals. And I think that that's so important. And, you know, when I asked you, I said, what's the most important thing to you during break? You said, compassion. You are creating compassionate groomers, people who are taking care of our animals. And, and that to me, like, as a pet owner and as a mom, I'm like, okay, this is, this is what, this is why you have to choose the right person. You're not going to walk into the big box store unless your program hits the big box store, because it's going to someday. And, and, and to be able to, to make. To make these big changes that really need to be made to protect our animals. And so when we're creating, when we're creating the safe space and you know, when our alumni's are graduating and they're going out there into the world, you're, you're giving something to, to pet owners all over the country, something that, that they didn't have access to. So thank you for what you've created and thank you for your passion. And during the break, we talked about some questions that we can, that we can talk about when we're looking for is this the right groomer? And. Right. And, and so even if I don't have a husky and if I was just to blindly call somebody, if I was to say, hey, do you groom double coated.
[00:45:36] Speaker B: Double coated breeds?
[00:45:38] Speaker A: Double coated breeds. All right, I'm making sure I'm saying it right.
How should they answer that?
[00:45:43] Speaker B: How should they answer that? They're answering, yes, of course I do. Double coated breeds. What's your breed? You're going to tell me what your breed is. Is it golden retriever, husky, German shepherd, a Pomeranian, any, any double coated breeds. They've got guard coat, they've got a different type of coat. And if you're looking to have that animal that pet shaved, no, that's not good. You do never, do not ever want to shave your double coated breed. There is a reason that that coat is there and it needs maintenance just like other breeds that have hair. But those coats should never be shaved. And that's if you're doing it, please stop. Talk to your groomer about why that's bad or connect with us and we'll tell you why it's bad. Because it does not allow that animal to regulate his temperature and it is severely doing damage to their skin and their, in their hair follicles. So it's not a natural process and you do not want a groomer who is going to continue to shave double coated breeds because it is not healthy.
[00:46:56] Speaker A: And, and when you said that to me before, I was like, wow, that's, that's a really great indication of, are they being educated on all different breeds of dogs? Right. Because first and foremost, that wouldn't even be a thought that would cross my mind. And I've had double coated breeds. Like I, I've had a Pomeranian. And, and you know, and we never fully got her. Like, she was always, it was very light, you know, because she was very bougie. Yes, she's a very bougie dog.
[00:47:25] Speaker B: You can guard, comb off some of the wispies and, and knit up. But when I say shave, I mean taking it down short, short to this.
[00:47:33] Speaker A: Right, right.
[00:47:34] Speaker B: Not, not a guard comb. There are number of different options and that does not stop the shedding. People think that stops the shedding and that their dogs are going to be cooler doing that. And it's not the case. It's, it's the exact opposite. The shedding is still going to be there, only you're going to have splinters instead of longer coat that you can vacuum up and those splinters are going to get everywhere. And if you have infants and toddlers crawling around on the floor now they're getting all those little hair splinters into their little bodies.
[00:48:05] Speaker A: Huh.
I just learned something new. And, and of course, like you know when you're talking about shaving, like I instantly thought about shaving a Pomeranian and I was like, I thought of your chihuahuas. So Pomeranian should not look like a Chihuahua. A short haired Chihuahua. Right, right.
[00:48:19] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:48:20] Speaker A: So, so that's, that's, that's really important. And then because you don't even think about the next step. You said toddler. Right? I have, I have children. And so, you know, if that happens, that could also cause problems to my children. And so it's a trickle effect. And so it's such a basic question that I would have never thought about asking. But I think that that's a great question for all of our listeners and watchers to be able to say, you know, if I just ask that one basic question, I'll know if they're educated and there's continuing. There's other things that pop up as red flags. So if I go to the vet and, and they say, hey, your dog has an ear infection, how should I respond to hey, your dog has an ear infection?
[00:49:02] Speaker B: Oh, you mean if you go and do the groomer picking them up.
[00:49:05] Speaker A: Sorry, that's what I, I got excited.
[00:49:07] Speaker B: Yeah. So no, we should not be, we, we are not medically trained to diagnose. That is diagnosing. We can see that there is a problem there. But if so we should not be cleaning those ears. We should not be touching those ears. And you know, one of the things I've always said and taught in my classes is if I have a dog that has some type hair and that ear hair coming out, not to pluck it, but to look at the owner when they come and pick up and say I could not do anything, they need to go to the vet. If your groomer tells you you need to go to the vet, take your dog to the vet, just do it. Don't ask questions. What's going on? And get your dog to the vet, because there is a reason why we see them every six to eight weeks. We should be seeing them every six to eight weeks, depending on what kind of coat type. And we see them more than your vet is going to. And we are training eyes to look for abnormal spots or abnormalities that are showing up because we're seeing that skin all the time. We're, we're taking, we should be taking notes and monitoring. Does that lump look like it's gotten a little bigger? Is this work growing? What's going on with this stuff? Take your dogs to the vet and if your groomer recommends that, please do it that, because if you don't and that gets worse, then we're the ones who get in trouble level.
[00:50:41] Speaker A: Right. So.
[00:50:42] Speaker B: And that causes friction between us and the vets. And so what I have always trained my students to do is actually, while you're there standing in front of me, is pick up the phone, call your vet now. Make that appointment. Call your vet now. Please make that appointment. Because I found this and I need you to take your dog to the.
[00:51:02] Speaker A: Vet and because that's also showing how much you care. You're saying, listen, I noticed that something may be a problem. I can't diagnose it, but I know that something's not right. And, and we had a similar situation happen with us with our dog and she, she went to go get groomed and she, the, the groomer actually noticed that she was scratching her ears and she had a scratch in her nails and under her fingernails. She actually had some bacteria that when they were cutting, they noticed that something didn't seem right.
[00:51:36] Speaker B: Right.
[00:51:36] Speaker A: And so she actually stopped working on the ears and, and told us, like, hey, just let you know, like, you need to get this checked. And it has been an ongoing process for the last several months because our dog has a. Unknown bacteria that we have been trying. Yeah. So we've been trying to treat this. It's been several months now, but it was pointed out by the groomer. So we haven't been able to bring her to the groomer for a few months. So the poor pup needs, needs to go to the groomer, but we can't bring her because she has some type of bacterial infection. But I guess it's common with doodles that they have, you know, they pick up these weird things. And my dog, literally, you're a weird dog into everything. So I, I have a Bernadoodle, and I know we talked about this before, but she literally eats everything. She is that dog that you Put something down and it just disappears. She loves paper. She loves wood. Like, you know when they say, like, my dog ate the homework? I swear on the universe, this dog, paper paper towels, anything paper. Like, she will eat paper.
[00:52:42] Speaker B: Well, at least that's a little bit better digestible than a sock.
[00:52:46] Speaker A: True. She won't eat socks, I mean, anymore. But, like, she loves eating paper and play doh. She loves play doh, so there's that too.
So, so it's, it's, it's, it's fun. But it's not because she eats so many things that they think that that's what's caused this bacteria. So we've had to change her, her food and she takes all this medication, but it was pointed out to us by a groomer. And so we were able to get that right out the gate. And I think it's really important that they didn't say, hey, your dog has an ear infection. No, it's, hey, we noticed something might.
[00:53:19] Speaker B: Be wrong, like a phone call.
[00:53:22] Speaker A: And, and we did, and we got it taken care of. So I respect that groomer so much. Yes. Because I'm like, I can't wait to bring her back. And she loves going there. Yes.
[00:53:33] Speaker B: Take your dog. Make sure. Yeah.
[00:53:36] Speaker A: And so, and so it's a safe space for us. So I greatly appreciate those recommendations because they definitely mean a lot. And so is there anything else that you want to add before you tell everybody how to get a hold of you and all the things?
[00:53:50] Speaker B: So, you know, I'd really say just when you're going pick up my pet owner's guide, it is on our website. It's got a lot of information in there, questions to ask, what to look for, you know, and, and again, not all groomers are created equally just like everybody. And you know, do your due diligence really do your due diligence number of years does not mean experience.
And you just, you want to make sure you're asking the right questions, looking at the right, looking at the right things and do your research. Really do your research. Look for our groomers. If they've graduated from the whole pet, they're good.
We've well vetted them.
[00:54:39] Speaker A: And what's the website?
[00:54:41] Speaker B: We are wholepetnh.com because we are locate. Well, our online global campus. We're, we're in New Hampshire. We're licensed in New Hampshire. And it's WholePetsNH.com that's amazing.
[00:54:55] Speaker A: And thank you for bringing your passion and your fire and your expertise, because I learned a lot and it, it really ignited something in me today. And so it was a pleasure and I can't wait to get get with you to have coffee and it's gonna be great. So thank you so much for being here today. Thank you to everybody listening. Absolutely. And. And join us next time for the wow within. Have a great day.
[00:55:23] Speaker B: This has been a NOW Media Network's feature presentation. All rights reserved.
