Just a hair off the tail and
long near the paws, pleaseBy Leila Fujimori
To clip or not to clip
Star-BulletinSUMMER is the time to treat your hot dog to a new 'do. A thick-coated golden retriever can be sheared to look like a yellow labrador for less than $20 at The Dog Shop in Kailua.
Collies, labradors and shepherds are also trotting over to the shop for their annual "G.I. cuts."
The Dog Shop's Ramona Dudoit, more barber than stylist, admits her dog grooming style is not show quality. But she adds touches like lion tails for long-haired dogs, made popular by "The Lion King."
Auntie Mona, as she is known to her furry friends, has been in business since 1978 and enjoys the work. Canine customers rarely complain, except once, when one dog didn't want to walk outside with his new haircut. Upon the owner's insistence, "I gave an Old English sheepdog a Mohawk cut," Dudoit related. "He was so embarrassed."
Cheryl Gallagher, owner of Dogpatch Academy, has also seen a recent flurry of fur-cutting activity among breeds that normally don't get cuts. "It's amazing what the dogs are transformed into," Gallagher noted. She does a lion cut for Pomeranians. "They end up looking like chows."
Owners of dogs that paddle in the family pool like the short cut since dogs tend to shed their thicker coats in the summer.
BEFORE TRIM and AFTER TRIM
The Dog Shop rates for complete grooming range from $20.80 and up for small dogs, to $42 and up for extra large dogs. Dudoit says she keeps rates low by using clippers with a high-powered motor. She can clip three to four dogs in an hour, whereas groomers who work manually can take up to four hours for one dog.Low rent also allows her to keep prices down. "I pass on my good fortune to my customers," Dudoit said.
Dudoit has a way with dogs -- big or small -- because they know who's boss, and she knows their personality traits. "They're not all nice," she said.
Chow chows are biters. "Cocker spaniels, if they're emotionally upset, poop," she warned.
Melissa Ling, Dudoit's customer for 20 years, attempted to groom her poodle Sasha. "She's old and grouchy," Ling explained. "I can't do around her face and paws because she snaps."
At Dogpatch, owners can learn to groom their own dogs for $136. After doing the work themselves, "they appreciate their groomers," Gallagher said.
But dog grooming can take a toll on professionals like Dudoit, who is in her 60s. She recently had knee surgery from lifting heavy dogs and suffers an allergic reaction to fleas and mites. Medication helps with the severe itching, but Dudoit's legs and arms are scarred from the bites.
The doctor told her if she stops working with animals, the problem would likely cease.
But Dudoit doesn't want to quit yet. "I still enjoy working with dogs," she said. "If my sanity holds on, I'll probably work another 10 years."
Not all groomers believe a haircut will keep a dog cooler. Instead, dog groomer Charlie Ward recommends properly brushing or combing long-haired breeds like chows, Maltese, Shih Tzus and keeshonds with cottony undercoats. To clip or not to clip,
that’s the questionIf properly groomed, dogs stay cool because cleaned, combed hair insulates their bodies from heat and cold, trapping air between the hair and skin, explained Ward, owner of Charlie's Pet Styles Unlimited.
Debbie Brinkley of Clip & Dip All Dog and Cat Grooming said, "I think it's wonderful to shave them." With the heat in Hawaii, she said it's hard on dogs like downy-coated golden retrievers.
But if dogs' fur is cut down too short, they are more susceptible to sunburn, so Brinkley doesn't like to go that short. She advises owners to provide all dogs shelter from the sun. And, if the dogs have had haircuts, their exposure to the sun should be limited to less than an hour. Closely shaved dogs should be kept out of the sun until some fur grows back.
Leila Fujimori, Star-Bulletin
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