As I wrote in my previous blog, finding a groomer is something you have to do when you first adopt your Bichon Frise. Before we adopted Sprite, I tried to become as knowledgeable as possible about Bichons. I read as many books as I could find about the breed, so I knew how important it is to establish their grooming as a regular event… from a very young age.
As soon as we brought Sprite home, I started looking for a groomer. I have to be honest in saying that I went through seven different groomers before finally finding the right match for Sprite. I tried two groomers who worked out of my veterinarian’s office and another two groomers from different veterinarians’ offices. I also took Sprite to a very “upscale” dog grooming place. One thing about those five different groomers seemed to stand out…. they didn’t particularly like dogs! They just saw them as a means to earn their wages.
I did, however, find a groomer who we used for several years… until I picked Sprite up one day, and it appeared that Sprite was drunk! After rushing her to my veterinarian, I found out that the groomer had burnt her eyes with very harsh soap/shampoo, thus the drunken walk and the eyes that couldn’t focus. The groomer’s assistant was new, and had forgotten to put the oil drops into Sprite’s eyes before bathing her. The WHAT!!!??? into her WHAT!!!???
You cannot imagine my horror when I found out that the shampoo used to wash the dogs was so harsh that they had to coat the dogs eyes with some oil. Needless to say, we didn’t return to that groomer! I didn’t even think to ask groomers about “oil-tricks”! I asked each groomer about other policies, but it had never occurred to me to ask about the quality of shampoos, and if they contained something like lye. I assumed that a groomer would use a “tearless” shampoo… I was wrong!
I will write another blog about the groomer who we finally found, who has been absolutely phenomenal to Sprite. Even though it may take a while, if you are vigilant, you, too, can find the right groomer for your Bichon Frise.
small dog brush,
