Picture this: someone draws a circle on a sheet of paper and asks you to color it in. Simple, right? Here’s the catch – when you move your pen to the piece of paper, it begins moving around uncontrollably. This is how Karissa Surprenant of Dtails describes the art of pet grooming. “They’re not humans, they’re not going to the hair salon and sitting still. Pets are wiggly and you never know what’s going to happen.”
Years of experience have helped Surprenant establish a top-notch pet grooming business across the state. “It was actually my first job. I brought my dog Peewee to the groomer and I asked if they needed help. And my groomer, was like, ‘yeah, you can come on in and give it a try.’” A middle-schooler at the time, Surprenant polished her grooming skills on weekends. She not only learned from her boss the ins and outs of handling pets, but also about the integrity of one’s work. “He had very high expectations for his staff and I want to follow that as well. If you have high expectations, your clients are going to really respect you in everything you do and understand where you’re coming from.”
Surprenant passes on those high expectations to her staff at Dtails. “I think it’s a form of art, personally. That’s what I tell all my stylists. This dog right here is a blank canvas. This is your artwork that’s going to be walking around and you want to make sure your artwork is perfect.”
Many will say that a craftsman is only as good as their tools. Samantha Rancourt, Dtails’ Grooming Director, has all the tools necessary to achieve that perfect figure. Chunkers, straights, and curved shears are some of Rancourt’s most useful tools when working on a larger dog, like her 5-year-old poodle Maximus Prime. “Chunkers take off 80% of the coat. It almost seems like you cut off all of that, but if I were to fluff this up (with a fluffing comb), you’re going to see what I missed, which is why this is typically used to just give yourself that shape. Then you can tidy it up after with your straights to your curves.”
But is there one tool to rule them all? You bet. “With the art of grooming,” Rancourt states, “your comb is your best friend. These coats hide everything, and that’s why prepping is so important.” Prepping includes the initial wash and blow-dry. “When you’re combing, you’re pulling up everything that’s hiding.”
Pet grooming isn’t all about looks. “We definitely notice a big change in pets that come in from being matted to not being matted. Their skin’s not being pulled and their feet aren’t getting stuck in the knots. It’s really rewarding for us groomers. Most clients will go home and be like ‘oh my god, Coco’s now walking around the house. I had no idea it was really bothering them.’” With that, Surprenant offers this simple message to pet owners: “Just make sure you’re taking care of your pet as best you can. It’s good to keep them on a normal grooming schedule to keep them healthy, as well as feeling good about themselves.”
