5 Myths About Being A Pet Groomer
There are many rumours about what being a pet groomer is really like. Keep reading for the full story as we try to answer the 5 most common myths about being a pet groomer!
- Anyone can do it!
Most pet groomers have years of experience as well as having completed some form of qualification or course during their career. Or they may have spent years learning and crafting the skill of pet grooming in order to master this sometimes challenging career.
These qualifications and skills are not easy to come by, and certainly don't happen overnight. You need patience, determination and boundless confidence to master this work, and even then it's guaranteed that you'll never stop learning. A love of animals is essential, but its not enough to ensure your success as a pet groomer.
- It isn't a “real” job
Pet grooming is hard work. It's physical, emotionally and mentally draining, and not to mention challenging at times. We're on our feet all day, we don't get to take regular breaks (or sometimes breaks at all) and require endless reserves of encouragement and patience to ensure your pet feels good both inside and out.
Although it has elements of fun to it, pet grooming is a 'real' job and requires 'real' hard work. We do this work because we love it, but also because we have bills to pay- just like everyone else!
- We just play with pets all day
Do we cuddle and play with puppies and kittens all day? Definitely not! As pet groomers we do a lot more than give your pet a fantastic new look! We do endless loads of washing, clean our equipment and salons multiple times a day, travel to and from appointments (if we are mobile), answer the phone and work the front of house, update our records and send out appointment reminders, advertise, update our websites, purchase stock, and give multuiple pee and poo breaks... the list goes on and on! The time we spend grooming your pet is probably 1/2 of what we have to get done during the day!
- We expect to be bitten and scratched
Just because pet grooming comes with the risk of injury doesn't mean that we 'expect' to be bitten or scratched, or that it's acceptable.
It is an obligation under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, that we are kept safe and healthy during our working day, and injuries and accidents that happen to us are just as upsetting as they would be in any other line of work.
A bad bite or scratch will require medical attention, and in a worse case scenario may result in hospital admission and a loss of earnings. It has and does happen, and some groomers have been left with permanent injuries that have resulted in them being forced into a change of career. No one wants this to happen, and it isn't something we expect. We're pet groomers, not lion tamers!