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Check out this great story from Diane Chalmers Russell, a Learn2GroomDogs.com Member! Thank you for sharing your journey with us, and we’re happy to have been part of the picture.

What a crazy day and exciting two weeks. A couple of weeks ago I reached out to a local salon owner to inquire about getting started in grooming. I had researched my options of going to a chain store, full-time grooming school, online classes or finding a mentor. She agreed to mentor me and hired me as a bather. I have been watching the Learn2GroomDogs.com videos as my training and applying it at this shop. So far so good. I have been armed with enough knowledge to perform my bathing, drying, brushing and nail trimming tasks without much assistance.

Well, today I arrived for my scheduled plan of 7 dogs to bathe & brush. I was greeted by a panicked receptionist advising me that both groomers called in sick for the day. The only groomer was the owner who was on light duty due to an injury. So, armed with my Learn2GroomDogs.com knowledge and a good mentor, I was able to put clippers to my first dog! Sadly, a very matted Golden Doodle. But, together we got him done.

It’s been a long day. I am ready for a Calgon moment myself. But, excited that I was able and capable to get the work done. I bathed all my bath & brush dogs, bathed all of the clip & trim dogs, and got to shave down the Doodle. Phew…

Thanks Melissa for the good instructions.

Brittanie Eggerding grew up in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, with a passion for animals. She regularly watched her mom groom animals and was determined to make a career that cared for animals.

“I’ve always grown up in the grooming world,” She said. “I always looked up to my mom and her being the groomer.”

As she got older, she mentored with groomers and learned on the job, also gaining instruction from the Learn2GroomDogs.com video subscription to help build her knowledge base.

With the knowledge of how to groom, but looking for her certification, Brittanie decided to leave South Dakota in 2015 and move to Grand Rapids to attend school. She enrolled in Paragon’s educational services that helps groomers with prior experience hone the skills they need to improve before being a certified groomer.

“I used the school as an excuse to move across the country,” She said. “I needed to focus on the aspects of grooming that I needed to improve. I’ve learned a lot and continue to learn.”

Brittanie says that the grooming community overall are people genuinely passionate about animals, therefore they want to help anyone who cares for animals be as well-equipped as possible.

“The community brings together the people who care about the wellbeing of a pet and doing it for the right reasons,” she said. “Everyone is so nice and will build you. It’s a tight knit community of people who want to better their services.”

Now, 28, and recently married, Brittanie works at Whiskers Resort and Pet Spa as a stylist in West Michigan. She said the best part of the job for her is cultivating the culture of love and care for animals through things like styling and grooming.

“When they come in dirty, or matted and scared, sending them home clean, stylized, and comfortable is so rewarding,” she said. “I love seeing the owners that don’t know what to expect and seeing their faces when we are done too.”

Misty Cox, a professor teaching professional pet grooming at Greenville Technical College in South Carolina, has used the Learn2GroomDogs.com videos and Paragon books in her curriculum for nearly 7 years.

“It’s a wonderful tool,” Cox said. “Hearing it is one thing, seeing it is another. I’ve been teaching for 14 years, and I have taught the classes with other types of videos, but they weren’t as thorough with the limited amount of time. The videos have been very helpful in my classes.”

Learn2GroomDogs.com has become an important tool within Cox’s classroom and curriculum. She said that some students consult YouTube, and that make her cringe, “Anybody can put anything there,” she said. The tools Paragon supplies meet industry standard, making them reliable resources for the students.

“I get the thrill out of teaching the proper way and seeing people succeed,” Cox said. “Most people come in with zero knowledge and its rewarding seeing people succeed.”

Cox said a big problem within the pet grooming industry is that there are no requirements for certifications in order to care for animals. She said the resources provided by Paragon are helping educate people and are invaluable to her classroom.

In addition to Learn2GroomDogs.com, Cox utilizes books Paragon offers as resources to her students.

“Notes from the Grooming Table was the first book that I purchased and what introduced me to Paragon,” Cox said. “I’m thankful for the books, you can see detail and pictures with the instructions, it completely changed the way we teach.”

The pet grooming community within Greenville, South Carolina is growing due to the program within the college, and it is important to Cox to fill the community with quality pet groomers over quantity. The students not only get lectures and video examples, but also have access to a grooming lab for practical application.

The program graduates 24 certified pet groomers a year. These students are equipped with the tools needed to be well-rounded in a field that is largely unregulated. Currently, there is a waiting list to get into the school.

The passion for grooming dogs started with cox almost 16 years ago when she took the program at Greenville Technical College herself, and looking to the future, she is excited to continue spreading that passion for animals by teaching students the proper way to care for them.

Rob grew up in the construction business, following in his family’s footsteps, until a cancer diagnosis in 2013 brought his world to a screeching halt. At the age of 44, unable to work and fighting colon cancer, Rob was exhausted. “It was a nightmare,” he said.

During the long days home recovering, his wife Bonny was running their small business, “Paw Printz Mobile Pet Styling,” and traveling around Rochester, New York, grooming dogs. Rob said he started grooming his own dogs and learning tricks from his wife but wasn’t able to do much during recovery. He subscribed to the Learn2GroomDogs.com video subscription and started soaking in the information. Slowly, he started going out with Bonny and grooming alongside her.

“That’s where my confidence got spiked,” he said. “The night before the groom she would go through the process with me. I would always reference back to the videos.”

Rob continued to push through biannual chemotherapy while working with Bonny, expanding the business as well as his expertise within the grooming industry. However, 2016 brought another cancer diagnosis. During his recovery from this second bout, Bonny was hospitalized with a back injury that took her away from the business, leaving Rob to continue grooming solo.

“I always say that I was thrown to the wolves,” Rob said. “Honestly if it wasn’t for the Learn2GroomDogs.com videos, we would have probably been out of business. I didn’t realize how much I knew and learned.”

Now, both in recovery, the couple recently attended a Pet Expo, where they met the video instructors and were able to tell their story. Rob was able to get his shirt signed by the people the inspired him to keep doing what he loved.

“Mark, Melissa, Lisa, Judy are my heroes,” he said, thinking about the expo and meeting the people who spread their knowledge of grooming to his family. “I was so excited. I about hit the floor, They are like super heroes to me. I don’t think they will ever know the impact they had on me. I want to stress how much this means to me and Bonny, I want the whole team to know that everything I do from this point out is due to them.”

Both Rob and Bonny now have their own clients and are looking to expand their business with a second van. They credit the Learn2GroomDogs.com videos as their inspiration to keep pushing forward in the face of adversity.

“Dog grooming saved his life,” Bonny said, tearing up with emotion as she and Rob told their story. “It helped him pick himself up and survive.”